help - almost three yr old - SEN or just gifted?

[mummyreb]

Hi,am needing some advice about my ds. He will be three in a couple of months.

He seems to have quite advanced skills in numeracy, eg by his 2nd birthday could recognise a pentagon, hexagon, octagon and could name them when seen together or seperately. since being about 2 1/2 he has been able to count to 50 and can recognise numbers up to 1000. Also since 2 1/2 he has been able to tell the time (o'clock, half past and quarter to/past). he sees numbers everywhere he goes.

He is also very curious and very observant and has also got very clear and mature speech and conversation.

however, at nursery they are raising a question mark over his social skills and want him to have a special needs assessment. I agree with them that he does struggle socially - he is just not at all bothered about interacting with children his own age. he loves adult attention/interaction and also of older children - and is very sociable when surrounded by adults/older children.

They are hinting ASD at nursery - but i feel really uneasy about it. am i wrong to feel like this?

i have been reading about ASD and there are some key 'symptoms' that he doesn't show at all - for eg his eye contact is excellent and is a very loving, affectionate little boy.
However he has been a arm flapper since being able to sit up!

any advice would be appreciated!
thanks

my dd is very like this, she is 2.4 and it looks like she will be reading at 3, but she doesn't interact with other children at all, and also flaps her arms and shakes her head, it's a worry!

Sprinklycheese - I have just found and ordered that book (and a couple of others) - thanks for that!

xx

What does he do with four and five year olds? My daughter got very frustrated with playgroup which was mostly 2-3 year-olds and stopped wanting to go, only talked to the adults and sometimes spent a whole session under the table, but given four, five or six year-olds to play with, she engaged on their level, maybe he just needs his peers to catch up on a verbal level if not fully on reasoning, so that he can feel understood.

Now DD1 is 3.5, in the nursery of the school she will be in reception in, with three and four year olds, all her friends are four and she is very happy and settled. They may not be in the same reading group as her but they can communicate in imaginative games with her which is what she wants.