Hi, I haven't posted on here for ages but hoping some of you might be able to help me put this into perspective. I would be very grateful for any thoughts of advice on the best way forward.
In short, my ds (8) was privately diagnosed with ASD 2 years ago. I now have serious concerns about dd (5) who is in Yr 1. Short list of her traits:
- Speech difficulties - hard to understand; SALT has also diagnosed auditory processing problems; v sensitive to some sounds, doesn't hear well against background noise
- Slight obsessiveness about numbers/facts - eg woke me up this morning and began talking about dividing and doubling numbers
- Struggles socially - can be controlling and bossy or standing on edge of group unsure how to join in; comes home from school everyday with new persona - copied phrases and mannerisms from other girls in the class
- Knows all her classmates' birthdays and what their shoes are like - but doesn't really get on with them as they get on with each other
- Extreme and increasingly violent explosive temper - this only happens at home; in school she is a model student - tries so hard to please and fit in, comes home exhausted, stressed and grumpy but is never able to explain what is wrong. Academically, she's doing great so the school see no problem at all.
I thought for a time that some of her behaviours were learnt from her brother but I don't think that's it now.
Any thoughts? Should I push for diagnosis? Will it help? How can I get school to somehow make the days less stressful for her?