I've got some concerns about my 6 yo (Y1) and I've read everything I could on ASD and ADHD. I'm leaning more towards ADHD now that's she's getting older, however she doesn't present like a typical ADHD child, so I'm wondering if this is because some girls present differently?
First of all she hit all the milestones on time, early talker, very articulate, very well behaved at her previous nurseries and school. She is doing well academically and loves school, settled in very quickly. She always seeks friendships, she's always had playdates and has a few friends she meets regularly. When we go the playgrounds she always plays with other children and is very confident talking to everyone.
At schools she is quiet in the class room and very well behaved but she is very engaged and asks a lot of clever, relevant questions and the school have recognised that. Doing great with maths.
Very bubbly, great eye contact, has a big laugh.
HOWEVER:
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she talks A LOT. It's like she can't stop talking, when she runs out of subjects she talks about the same thing over and over again. I notice now she talks over people too.
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can't switch off mentally. Settling for bed takes ages. Once she is asleep she never wakes up until morning.
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always fidgeting especially at meal times. She sits for 5 mins then moves away and starts walking around the dining room, playing with different things. Really frustrating as we keep bringing her back. She needs to touch everything that's on the table.
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asking her to do something is a nightmare. Always defiant, always doing the opposite (completely different at school). We find ourselves getting upset every day now.
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got lots of mental energy, she never seems tired.
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she's starting to struggle socially at school, not quite sure why but quite a few children don't want to play with her, this comes as a huge shock as she's always been very social.
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when watching TV she jumps up and down and laughs and she used to rock back and forth when she was younger. She used to flap her hands a lot with excitement but seems to be growing out of that, haven't seen this for the last couple of months.
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she doesn't walk, just jumps ahead of us with her head down, talking to herself or thinking about something. When she does walk so talks non stop.
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when we drive she wants the music in the car very loud, like a disco 🤨. However strange noises like the toilet flusher and someone bitting his nails really bother her and she covers her ears.
I've had a private appointment in my country last year but the pediatrician dismissed her traits as 'just quirks' for now but to keep an eye on it. To be honest I can see now, more than last year, that she's different, she's not like the typical 6 year old girl. I'm thinking of bringing it up with the GP as I know the lists can be very long.
Can anyone relate to this?