Hand flapping in dd....

[tackyChristmastreedelivery]

.....I think I know that dd is too young for this to be an interesting trait that might point to a ASD type thing. But if I can't wonder out loud here where can I ?

DD is only 11 months, and flaps her arms when excited. SHe clenches and unclenches her fists too.

She also pats her head, left side only, and hits it with hard things. She especially like wolloping her left side with knives and forks.
So - normal stuff in this age group? or worth watching? I don't remember anything like this with dd1, but then I am rubbish at that sort of thing.

I love the idea of your dd1 making a house for a pretend snail. Can she come and be friends with my dd1? I think they might get along. Dd1 has just chucked out the Barbie she was given as she says she 'doesn't look like a nice person'.

It is so hard, isn't it, to disentangle the things you want for your children from the things they may actually want. And one's own prejudices and aspirations are hard to dismiss. I am fine with the idea of dd1 being a sporting disaster (except insofar as it makes her miserable having to engage with sports), but would find it very difficult if she were to find academic work hard.

Feel totally the same Aranea. Totally. I'm also feeling prssure that she be popular, as I wasn't. Not looking great as you can tell from the snail thing.

What is encouraging is we are here, so there must be more like us, and our litle oddballs. They just have to seek each other out.

Typically dd2 hasn't flapped since I started the thread

'Popular' is a funny thing to be. Not convinced it's a good thing to aspire to at all. You just need good friends, surely? Anyway, it's a strangely intangible and ephemeral thing.... I remember that the girl who people used to fight to sit next to at primary school was a completely unremarkable member of the class at secondary school.

Well, either would be nice. I had trouble with both!

Oh tree! I find that very hard to imagine. You sound so nice.

Nope, no real friends at school until I was about 14. I was bullied in first school, and had friends at school but not the sort you would stay in touch with. I never had anyone to play with at break for example. It sucked.

Oh, how horrible. No wonder you're worried for your dd1. But you can take it from me as a fellow non-conformist that it is possible to be happy and have good friendships at primary school without being 'popular' or being able to do things like jump rope . I refused to join the Brownies like all the other girls, didn't join in with skipping games, and even refused to watch The Sound of Music on the basis that the girls who did ballet etc liked it! And yet I still managed to have a good time and have good friends.

Happy new year, anyway!

My DD is 6 and has always hand flapped whe she is excited. It's actually quite cute, and is usually when she is playing on the computer or watching something good on the TV.
My SIL is an Occupational therapist (paeds) and she said it's nothing to worry about iho.

She has nothing wrong with her aside from well controlled absence epilepsy.

My DS did the hand flapping thing for years, I he started doing it less and less, I think he was probably about 8 when he stopped but he's 13 now and totally fine.

Oh and hand flapping dd2 is I suppose a bit quirky and individual but she is v popular at school, probably because she doesn't try too hard. My poor dd1 tries everything to fit in and always has a nice set of friends but is never the 'popular' one.

I have always found popularity hard to work out. Most of the popular kids when I was at school were the biggest bitches ever....