Could this be autism or am I just being silly?

[Jirvine]

I guys,

I have a five year old son also who has just gone into P1 he has a twin sister who has settled well. He on the other hand has no he runs away from other children except she he wants to play lashes out for reasons he can always explain thoroughly - athough the reason is never good enough for unacceptable hitting.

he refuses to listen and pay attention in school and he has been placed in a focus group for language but I always thought these skills were good.

he is obsessed with volcanos and knows pretty much all there is to know about them, he has klioptomanic tendencies but doesn't see it as stealing just sharing. He has a particular interest in money and not even for the value he likes to play with it and feels it and line in up in a certain way and no one is allowed to touch it.

he can busy himself with what he calls smash work which is him rhyme ally smashing small stones inot fine sand type texture with a larger rock and you can't go near him during this time as he is so engrossed in what he has to complete.

He has recently been complaining about the sound of colouring pencils on paper and it is hard to get him to engage in these sort of activities.

if he gets frustrated he will growl rather than speak although will never lash out at me he will sort of go into himself and make growling sounds to indicate he is not happy.

he is very affectionate but it's always on his terms not mine, if you ask for a hug he might give you a kiss instead or vice versa but rarely both, he knows his phonics for school and has excellent recall of books and stories even if he has not read them in a long time and seems to have a good imagination in that he drifts off into his own world Ina regular basis and can tell a long protracted story about what he was thinking.

we had an incident recently with the volcano thing were he worked himself up due to believing clouds were volcanic ash and he was going to die! He is very sensitive and dwells on negativity

I met with the school today and they have him on a behaviour management plan and do not agree with me that he exhibits any thing which could be seen as autism or aspergers yet I'm starting to think I'm crazy! Could this be autism or am I just mad?

Why don't you repost this on the special needs thread. Good luck!

Hi there, It sounds like your son could have number of sensory and processing issues which can make him frustrated etc. Check out the Special Needs section to see if anyone there can help :)

Hi, my son has ADHD & has a lot of the symptoms that your son seems to have. The only difference seems to be that your son likes things in order & I'm assuming likes things in a certain way? The growling, lashing out etc are definitely signs that something might be off mentally. Your in a fortunate position in that you can compare the twins so if 1 is reacting completely different to the other you know it's not your parenting (which is something I wondered about myself)! I wound definitely have a chat with your gp although the best advise I can give is make a list before you go detailing everything you have noticed & maybe even a list from his teacher aswel. It can be quite a long drawn out process to get your child seen by a specialist so the more information you provide at the start then the quicker the process is! Good luck & please let me know how you get on x

The local boards are really slow and you may have had your query answered in the sn chat sections which is excellent.

If you are worried about your ds, make a list pretty much like you have above and take it to your GP to discuss. Ask him to refer your ds for a referral to be assessed for autism. If you are living in Belfast this could mean a waiting list of about 1 year - please don't be put off by that it is not unusual.

My ds2 is now 13 and was dx'd when he was about 7. We were lucky because he has speech and language delay which meant we were in the system - he attended a speech and language unit rather than a mainstream school - staff are very in tune. He and my daughter also have a dx of adhd.

Don't be put off by the staff in your ds's school. Autism/asperger's is a pervasive developmental disorder and as he progresses up the school the demands and expectations become greater which will put more pressure on your ds.

I am very pro dx because it provides an explanation to you, family, friends, and, in my case, my ds2 and dd3 - it also means you can access supports for him, if he needs them.

You are not mad. You know every wheel and turn of him. Good luck x

HI. I also have a child who has autism.
Please contact your GP for a referral for assessment for diagnosis. If your gp is not willing to do this contact your local autism team at the Belfast Trust. If he hasn't got it, no bother, but if he does, you want to know.

I shared your anxiety many years ago as do others. The worst that can happen is that they determine he doesn't fit the criteria, and just keep an eye on him.

How is his learning? Do you need a statement of SEN?