My son is 15 and a bit “different”. He doesn’t have a disability but finds many “easy” things hard and “hard” things easy. He had a history of very significant receptive language delay as a toddler combined with excessive musicality (heard language as music).
The academic side has always been fine. We’ve worked hard on the social side and he’s in a good place. But he’s just starting to be able to describe how he’s “different” and to be curious about it and I’d like to get him in front of a professional so he can gather information and decide how he’s going to best flourish. I think this is the next “thing” we need to do to help him become confident
Details!
Regularly reports not being able to keep up with his friends’ conversations even when relaxed - fears saying something “strange”(I have this too).
Feels the same about books. Favourite books are Tintin because there is a picture for each scene and it’s just dialogue.
Also struggles with film
Lets stuff just wash over him at school then figures it out later.
Very “simple” social life -revolves around football -and is ready for more but feels he is a poor conversationalist
Gets “9”S for creative writing but 6/7 for other English tasks.
Finds it easy to learn foreign languages - has mastered rudimentary Polish just for fun.
Always found spelling easy.
Learns best from YouTube where there is the melody of the speaker’s voice and visuals.
Loves learning about big things when he can break them down: loves underground maps, train lines, dates, knowing where countries are on a map.
Had to read the summaries for Lord of the Flies to figure out what was going on and I would describe that as a simple book.
Found it very easy to learn his lines for school play and acts well.
I don’t think we should be bothering the nhs because he functions perfectly well and is basically happy. But I do think he’d benefit from help as he is likely to end up in a fairly academic environment and stand out a bit.
Thanks in advance.