To ask what your child with PDA is like?

[HipHipHippoo]

My 5 year old DD is the most insolent child I have ever met. She refuses at least 80% of requests, she hits, bites and pushes. She takes everything very literally; we'll be playing a game and I'll pretend to get her and she'll scream the place down and bite and hit me because she really believes I'm the bad guy I'm pretending to be. She is very clumsy and trips and falls or walks into things at least 6/7 times on every trip out.

Her speech is very very difficult to understand yet she tries taking to everyone and just keeps talking at them even when they're clearly not listening or understanding. She's under SALT but it isn't making a jot of difference. I'm having to home school her as we moved house and we're waiting for a school place (she's only just turned 5) so I can't get school input. But at home school groups she doesn't interact with the other children and just talks at the adults.

She is very impulsive and often hurts herself as a result. I think she could be showing a lot of signs of PDA but the GP dismissed it as being a normal 5 year old

lunicorn
yes my child is described as delightful at school and I wonder if they are talking about the same child that we know. At home he is very demand avoiding associated with his asd. I think he tries so hard to fit in all day at school and has to have some relief at home. I understand his traits pretty well now but my DH still struggles despite being 12.
Primary school was a nightmare and would acknowledge he had issues at all, I had to push to see a paediatrician to get a dx of autism, it took years and he missed out on vital support due to school inaction, he is high functioning academically and school couldn't see past that. Go and see your GP for a paed referral

We used our DS' DLA money to get a private ADHD diagnosis - you should start applying for DLA given what you say.

The speech and language issues and not understanding social rules sound like it could be ASD related, and it would be easier to get help too with an "ASD-like" diagnosis as more people understand that.

Your GP is wrong, either a HV or a GP refers to a community paediatrician or to CAMHS for an ASD diagnosis.

Vicki I could have written what you just did. DS was largely ignored at his last school because he was well behaved and just coasted academically. It's only since moving schools (where he's now in a class of 18 as opposed to 32) that his teacher has picked up on lots of different issues I'd highlighted to his last school. He's in Yr 5 now, so just under 18 months until he transitions to secondary school, and it's going to be a real struggle.

I was worried about transition to 2ndry too but he has settled so well. He is so much happier than at primary because they accommodate his needs. He also has an EHCP in place now which we had to fight tooth and nail for, well worth the fight as it lays down in black and white the interventions needed.