Normal behaviour?

[sparklingsummer]

I’m feeling a little lost and overwhelmed; it seems like every time I pick up DD (2.5) from nursery I’m greeted with some form of what feels like negative feedback about her and I’m unsure as to what may be being alluded to or how to respond as I don’t always recognise the behaviours at home.

I’ve been told that she doesn’t understand personal space and in particular if there is a child that is upset she gets incredibly close to them and just stares at them, understandably a lot of other children don’t like this behaviour happening to them but I’m worried they’re suggesting there may be something wrong with my child?

Does anyone have any experience with similar? Is this normal for her age or are these typical ND behaviours?

I think I would book in to speak to the Room Supervisor or Nursery Manager and ask them if there are any specific concerns with your DD's behaviour or development.

I honestly don't know though if getting close to upset Children is a sign of being ND or not.

If you're worried about ASD you could fill in this progress checker from Talking Point.

Let us know how you get on

I'd agree with asking for a meeting with nursery, although I might ask to meet with her keyworker, if she's had a stable one for a bit, as they'd be the one responsible for keeping an eye on her development.

However, toddlers are quirky little things, and the rules of human socialisation are complicated, so they may not mean anything more than 'could you talk with her a bit about it?' Not in a 'you did this wrong' kind of way, but you can talk about what to do when someone is upset as situations come up (or what other people are doing – I can remember quite a few conversations in the play park along the lines of 'he's crying', 'yes, he fell down, but his mummy/daddy is giving him a cuddle to help him feel better').

I’ve recently had almost exactly the same situation with my son who is the same age.

ive ended up having a helpful chat with the nursery where I was able to ask if they had particular concerns about his behaviour, discussed what boundaries need to be enforced at nursery, how to take a consistent approach on that, particular things he is struggling with and how we can work together to help support with those etc.

i had been feeling like it was constant negative feedback about things that to me seemed really minor and unconnected. So it has proved to be helpful to just have a frank discussion about it. At the end of the day nursery should be on the same team as you and all just wanting the best for your child, so engaging with them and asking questions if there’s something you’re feeling confused or uncomfortable with should be met positively.