Hi everyone, this is a very long post so I do apologise, I have posted before about this under a different name, but a couple of months down the line and I'm starting to think I am reading into things that are just totally normal for a 4 year old. My son started school in September and they aren't concerned at all and haven't seen a lot of the things on my list, my husband, mum and best friend are the only ones who recognise there may be differences to the typical 4 year old. I am fully prepared for you all to tell me I am being unreasonable and need to get a grip!! Maybe it's what I need to hear. Ok here's my list;
Licks things (not all the time but more often than other children his age and younger)
Puts things in mouth
Eats inedible things (play dough, flour, glue)
Likes being squeezed/tickled/lots of pressure
Very ticklish
Seems to find touch on his face/neck painful
Asks people to repeat themselves when speaking (had a hearing test, all fine)
Upset by loud noises but happily makes very loud random noises (excitable screaming and shouting)
Distracted by slight noises/movement
Not dry at night
Pooing in sleep at times (when potty trained at 2.5 had fear of pooing so held it and used to go in his sleep every night, finally got rid of the fear but still sometimes going in his sleep and not always recognising the urge to go in the day)
Difficulty falling asleep (still awake at half 10 some nights just laying in his bed)
Says the bath is hot/burning him when it’s just warm
Sucking his skin/clothes at times
One sided conversations
Ignores questions and starts his own conversation
Won’t always look at/speak to even people he knows (does give very good eye contact when comfortable)
Can come across very rude ignoring people
Repetitive routines (started as a young baby, 11 months old would go upstairs to the same room every night to get the same book for months)
Can get very angry and lashes out if someone says something he disagrees with
Doesn’t show emotion when saying some things (‘you are going to die and I won’t have a mummy’)
Difficulty following new instructions, has to be shown what to do
Can take things very literally and has said things at school such as ‘you’re the adult I’m the child, you need to help me’ ‘I don’t need to do that I’m only 4’
Doesn’t like people looking at him and gets embarrassed
Strong emotional attachment to things such as a coat, random items of clothing.
Emotional attachment to anything linked to being a baby
Clumsy
Lack of spatial awareness
Messy eater
Struggles with fine motor skills
Forgets routine daily tasks
Random bursts of energy especially when in a new place or when someone comes to the house
Always on the go but can be totally absorbed in certain tasks
Fidgeting
Picking nails
Obsessed with certain books/characters
Intense role play, takes on the role very seriously
Very good long term memory
Doesn’t show a lot of emotion/affection towards people (but has recognised facial expressions in pictures since around 2 years old)
Very matter of fact
Doesn’t notice if someone is upset or try to help them unless prompted
Almost robotic with saying sorry/comforting people (learnt behaviour)
Sometimes laughing when told off
Can be very sensitive to change and people he’s not comfortable with (having said that he can adapt well to new situations, especially with a lot of preparation)
Would rather stay at home most of the time
Over the summer holidays he totally fell apart without the structure of going to preschool every day, all of these behaviours were exacerbated. *
He has a weighted blanket and meditation at bed time. I use visual cues and social stories to prepare him for things. He met all of his milestones at the average age.