To ask if I need occupational therapy or counselling

[wonderingagain21]

Or something elsefor my dd(11). She has always found it hard to regulate her emotions & I have found it at times quite challenging despite trying I incredibly hard to meet her needs. I suspect that a lot of her distress/defiance is driven by anxiety, especially in relation to food & clothing etc. She has a pretty restricted diet and cannot bear scratchy or itchy clothes. I plan meals carefully to ensure she eats enough and I make sure she has comfortable clothing but it's not always easy. She manages ok in a quite strict school most of the time & is bright but I know she gets into trouble sometimes for being too loud, not sitting still & at times rudeness (although I suspect this happens when she has got into a bit of a state and is struggling to stay calm). I think she puts more effort into being good than lots of other children yet still ends up in trouble at school & at home as she finds it so hard to keep her emotions under control. I wonder if it's because her senses are sort of hyper all the time. I'm out of ideas at home so I need outside help. Who should I call? With the pressure on our health service & her relatively low level of need I know my DD is unlikely to warrant any nhs support so I'm prepared to pay for some help. I'm just worried I'm imagining it all & she is just stroppy & over-emotional. Sorry for the length of this!

It might be worth pursuing a diagnosis via NHS. If her sensory issues are part of a bigger picture I'd have thought you'd want to know. Go and talk to the gp and see what they think.

I would take her to the GP and ask for advice.

If they can't/won't do anything then investigate private occupational therapy as that does sound like it'll be beneficial and they have a lot of good experience and could offer further guidance for support.

To me, it sounds like she has traits of SPD and possibly ASD. Struggling with textures and clothing and struggling to regulate her emotions rings alarm bells in my mind.

Your dd needs a full psychological assessment so start with GP. Its important to be honest as sometimes as mums we instinctively protect them by covering up stuff. As already said a lot of her issues point to Aspergers although thats not a diagnosis ggiven out now. Even her rudeness which is usually them speaking tbeir mind as they think very much in black or white. Life is very stressful for her as she doesnt understand how to navigate through things and that causes huge anxiety. Talk to her school too and get their help. Its a particularly vunreble time as she enters puberty.