Gifted, asd, or just plain young in the year?

[Supergran58]

And do I need to do anything?
Worried about grandson who has just started reception (I've parented him since birth though mum is still actively involved in his life). He has always hit all milestones early - first word at 8 months, 2 words together at 13 months and full sentences and conversations by about 20 months. He's a late July birthday so very young in the year. Hes been blending and segmenting and reading cvc words for the last 8 months but havent pushed this as hes not that interested in reading. He is much more interested in scientific thinking and his nursery class were fantastic at facilitating this with productive free flow play activities. He is passionate about alot of things - animals, volcanoes, parachutes, channeling water etc. His nursery teacher said that his speech and communication was excellent and already meeting early learning goals. He played well with other children particularly when they were working collaboratively on investigative activities such as those mentioned above. Fast forward a few months and he really hasnt settled well at school. They have picked up that he's bright, probably because they were a pilot school for the new reception baseline assessments, working on a par with the autumn burns in the class and the only child confidently reading simple words - though I anticipate he will be quickly overtaken as hes not that interested in reading. However the reception class are very formal with lots of direct teaching. He cant sit still for these sessions. The teacher says he plays alongside rather than with other children. If this is the case, then he's definitely regressed as he outgrew this stage at least 18 months ago. And now hes been asked to join an intervention group for children with social and communication difficulties two afternoons a week. I don't have a problem with the group, I'm sure he will enjoy much more than being in class but reading between the lines, I'm assuming they think he might be on the autistic spectrum. They gave us the leaflet on Friday and havent had a meeting about it all so no chance to ask questions and now its half term. So I've been reading up about ASD and he does have difficulty with transitions and has some mild sensory issues with noise and often chews on clothes or puts small toys etc in his mouth but I cant see any other traits of ASD. Not just his speech but his comprehension is good. Anybody been in a similar situation?

DS has a late summer birthday. Loved preschool, was commented on his being 'bright' & did three full days. Reception is a tough year because it Is much more structured. As far as I can make out he spent most of it preferring to play alone & outside with the nursery assistant. Teacher said he never set foot in the creative corner. What I wish I had done was give him a duvet day a few times. He was shattered despite no after clubs & an early bedtime.

He moved school in yr2 where he was put on the gifted & talented list for maths. The HT pinned me down one day to tell me what she thought of his academic potential.

Fast forward to now & he's in yr11 doing well. Not best in school stuff but top 10% & has a great bunch of friends.

So I guess I'm saying a gifted label doesn't mean much (unless off the scale) and being in a class where some are 25% older automatically makes you seem immature. Teachers know this but there are papers to show they don't always adjust their judgement.

Thankyou LoveGrowswhere. Yes your son does sound similar to grandson. I'm not so much worried about him being gifted, more the asd. If he is gifted, hes certainly not streaks ahead academically, I guess I'm more concerned about potential asd. His mother has an adhd diagnosis but I adopted her aged 8 from the care system and I think she is misdiagnosed and what she really has is attachment disorder though she has many traits of asd too. But grandson has never shown any asd traits until recently at school but all his childcare providers since 4 months old have commented how advanced he is and his childminder mentioned the 'g' word aged just 2, so I'm wondering whether there is some overlap between asd/adhd and giftedness and whether I need to have him investigated further.

Hi OP. My youngest is in year 1 and is on the spectrum. In nursery, he joined these intervention groups twice a week and they were a godsend. Some kids, whether on the spectrum or not, need to learn how to mix with a group, play with others, socialise a bit more. It could be spectrummy stuff, it could be shyness. It's hard to say. The great thing is, the school is offering your GS a resource which will help him learn to be more comfortable in the classroom and to cope with socialising, which is harder for some of us than others. Keep the lines of communication open with his teachers and see how he progresses with the intervention. For my DS personally, it was the making of him. He developed coping skills to help with the stress of transitioning, mixing with groups, etc. The intervention helped him find his voice instead of slipping away into a quiet corner.
In the meantime, based on your own mild concerns and senses, I would pursue plugging him into paediatrics who can assess him. As a parent, I was terrified of the label that comes with ASD. But actually, a diagnosis, if there is one, will help your grandson get more support in areas of struggle. He has his gifts, his talents, and his strengths. But he will need support in the areas where he struggles and without support, he could slip through the net. It's still early in the school year and you'll find he could end up a brilliant reader by next July. Keep in mind that development is all over the place at this age. I find that by year 2/age 7, the playing field is a bit more level. Some kids in reception will be amazing readers who can't fathom numbers. Others will be numbers whizzes who don't get phonics at all. Most will have no interest in any type of formal learning and simply live for the role play dress-up box.

For the time being, see how the intervention goes.
Talk with the teacher about seeing the GP to get plugged into paediatrics. Does he/she feel this would be useful at this point? Or is this jumping the gun?
If your GS is showing ADHD tendencies and losing focus, does the school have a wobble cushion he could use during carpet time/story time?
DS is a summer baby by the way and yes, he is younger than his peers, with or without ASD. He's one of the youngest in the class. And there is something to be said for that.