If you’re not sure anything is wrong
That’s the most common place to start, and it’s a fine place to start. Many autistic children — ours included — look like any other toddler for the first two or three years, apart from a nuance or two a parent happens to notice. Noticing late, or not being sure, doesn’t mean you missed something. You’re right on time.
You don’t need a label to act. Everything below can begin from “I’ve got a question,” not “I have an answer.”
The three steps
1. Learn the early signs
Read what early signs of autism actually look like by age, and write down what you’re seeing — dates, examples, the small things. You’re not diagnosing your child; you’re gathering what a professional will ask you for later. A few notes on your phone is enough.
A dedicated early-signs guide is coming soon. For now, the diagnosis guide below covers what to bring to that first appointment.
2. Understand how a Singapore assessment works
Know your options before you book anything: the polyclinic referral route, KKH and NUH, or going private — and what each costs and how long each takes. Our step-by-step guide walks the whole path, including what you can do while you wait.
How to get an autism diagnosis in Singapore →
3. Line up support for the wait
The subsidised route comes with a wait — commonly three to six months, sometimes longer. The wait doesn’t have to be empty. You can start learning the early-intervention landscape now, so you’re ready to move the day a place opens. None of it needs the diagnosis letter first.
Start with EIPIC in the dictionary, and read the 2026 EIPIC-P referral pause if a public hospital has mentioned it to you.
Two things that help at every stage
The SG Autism Dictionary. The system will throw acronyms at you — EIPIC, DS-Plus, SG Enable, SPED. Our plain-language SG Autism Dictionary defines every one, in one place, checked against primary sources.
The First-90-Days checklist. If you already have a diagnosis, our free printable checklist lays out what you can set in motion in the 90 days after — the referrals, the paperwork, the people to call. It’s honest about the waits and makes no promises about outcomes. Join the newsletter below to get it.