Hi there,
I have been reading a lot of posts and would really appreciate a perspective / reassurance on my DD and possible ASD. I am out of my mind worry - not that she will get a diagnosis but what it means for her future and how I as her Mum should handle it. Please bare with me...
She turns 3 in April - so she was a lockdown baby. We had no major concerns about her until it became clear her speech was delayed. Her previous nursery did raise some concerns about her lack of speech / social communication but as she was just only two we wanted to give her a chance. She's at a new nursery since September (we moved house) and we proactively started private speech therapy in October. She has been making great progress since starting but her ST did mention (when I asked) she is showing some traits in some ways and not others. So just to share:
Moderate speech and language delay - last few months she has gone from saying odd words to lots of single words, starting to join them up - baby sad, baby gone, mummy up, daddy upstairs etc and will point things out on TV / in a book or when asked (if we get her attention!)
Rigid attention - she struggles with joint attention. Again this has improved since ST but she still struggles with moving away from doing something she really liked! E.g her babies
Repetitive play / playing alone - linked to above. She's doesn't proactively seek out play with others / or join group activities. She can be encouraged and seems to enjoy it if it's singing / dancing/ moving / reading story but she's easily distracted. But she definitely has a set way of playing - two dollies / figures and they bounce together / talk together / looking at them near her eyes. I try to engage her in other play - and it can upset her or she will join for a few mins. Again this has improved in last few months.
Some repetitive movement - bouncing when excited / looking at her hands (I think this is adorable).
These are the observations - she also loves to play alongside herself by the mirror - she gets very animated. Aside from that, she's got good eye contact, excited when she meets people, says hello / bye bye, tries to comfort kids if they are upset or fall over - but this will only happen if she's not in her own world.
Sorry for LONG post. What I hear is - she may grow out of it when she talks / you have nothing to worry about / she will be fine - but I know she is probably has some form of ASD which is fine. But how do I as her Mummy stop worrying so bloody much? I'm not sleeping, I am worrying about her future already and I am not enjoying her for who she is! I feel like a terrible Mum. I cannot stop crying and I also have a 4 month old to think about.
Does everything turn out okay in the end?
PS my husband is massively supportive. He's very practical and says who cares, she's our daughter and she's awesome. Wish I could be more like that!!