Bad appointment for preschool booster

[Madmumma5]

Am I overreacting? We took our ds to the get his preschool boosters today. He hates the surgery anyway after a previous bad experience with a gp, so we had to conjole him in. When we were called in the nurse said that if we thought there was going to be trouble we should book another appointment, as she usually has a second nurse so they can do both injections at the same time (great idea). We decided to carry on anyway. After hearing my ds say one sentence she asked if we had seen anyone about his speech (he has a mild speech delay). As soon as he saw the syringe he started crying and screaming and struggling to get off my dh’s lap. The nurse said she wasn’t prepared to do it while he was like this and had he had any kind of diagnosis as this was often how an autistic child reacts! I was really upset and furious. How dare she make assumptions like that right in front of him and after spending only 3 minutes with us! I felt the whole appointment was badly handled, we should have been told about there not being another nurse available to help BEFORE we were called in, and most of all the comments she made were totally inappropriate!
Please tell me am I being over sensitive?

She diagnosed him with autism because he has a slight speech delay and he cried when he saw a needle heading for his arm 🙄 what an idiot

She was an idiot but you do need to set yourself up for success with this. With both my dds at this stage we let them pick out a treat for afterwards and made a massive deal about how grown up they were. We also explained fully what would happen, why it was happening. We even practised how they would sit etc etc. By the time they got in there they were both so knowledgeable about the whole thing that it didn't faze them and we didn't have any tears at all from either.

YANBU. Sounds like very normal behaviour for a pre-school child. Most children would react like that, surely a nurse doing immunisations would be used to it and be able to deal with it appropriately.

YANBU. Sounds like normal behaviour to me. Two out of three of mine were totally fine - the third screamed the place down.

She sounds mean and that she made inappropriate comments.
However her not doing it was completely appropriate. If the child is moving too much and not restrained appropriately its dangerous to everyone - the child (if injection is not delivered in the right place with the speed), the parents (if they are accidentally pricked with the needle) and the person doing it.

YANBU my DS1 wasn’t too bad at the preschool boosters but the flu spray was just the worst. He definitely doesn’t have autism

It’s possible that she saw something beyond what would be expected in a neurotypical child, or signs that could indicate autism. I wonder whether she saw a bigger picture in the way your son presented.

I think it’s appropriate that she raised her concerns with you and I would follow it up with your GP to see if he needs assessment.

I did what @skunkatanka did with my DS6 - he even told the nurse which jabs were live etc and how they helped him lol

Knowing the facts, even at such a young age, can really help with fear, in some children.

Practice it and tell DC the “hurting” lasts literally 1 second.

I understand her not doing it and the idea to have another nurse there but her other comments seem like very quick assumptions at a time when you didn't need any more worry.