Anyone else have a child that's unwilling/scared to try new things?

[marne2]

Dd1 is driving me crazy, she's 10 years old, has Aspergers and gets very anxious about trying anything that may result in injury. She can not ride a bike, she probably has dyspraxia which effects her balance but there's no reason why she couldn't ride if she tried ( or so we are told by professionals ), she can't swim and is petrified of going near water, she hates climbing anything ( she might fall so she won't try ) and she won't go on any rides. When she was 2 she refused to walk outside incase she fell and hurt herself.

Now I know it's probably linked to her having Aspergers but it's becoming such a problem and I feel like I'm a useless parent for not being able to teach my child to swim or ride a bike. I do take her swimming but she will sit on the edge and refuse to move and then gets in a right state.

Next year she is going on a residential trip with school, activities include mountain biking and raft building as well as rock climbing and ab sailing. Her teacher assures me that she can do all of these things and really wants her to go on the trip and do all the activities. I need to prepare her but I have no idea how too when she refuses to try a thing new.

Anyone else have a child like this?

What do I do?

Not to the same extent, but my 10 year old son has always been cautious and scared on new environments etc. Even getting him to read a new author is tricky.

He does not have aspergers, although I did question it when he was younger. As school say, he is just quirky!

I found the Sensitive Child book reassuring - I think that you just learn to accept that this is your child, who is gorgeous and fabulous and has many strengths, but just doesn't like new things.

Ds is far braver with his friends, and peer pressure is great for him. I am quite relaxed about his school residential next year, because we have talked about it and school make it such a positive experience. I'm sure your dd will be the same.

Dd1 is the same with authors and books .

It's funny, she doesn't like people laughing at her and thinking she's different but she also doesn't seem bothered by peer pressure, age often opts out of things at school even if everyone else is doing it, she often sits out of PE lessons because she refuses to try anything new ( will make up excuses not to try it and if forced she will just cry ).

I think you will have to let her get on with it. I'm sure they see all sorts of children on these trips, and can handle the cautious ones too.

We are lucky that ds is fine with physical stuff (although very careful and cautious at new stuff), but it very very wary of new places. He had a school entrance exam today, and I was worried he wouldnt go in! Not the exam itself, just the room.

(ds2, on the other hand, dragged me up a helterskelter this afternoon. The difference between them is vast).