ASD?

[Peapodpanda]

Hello

Just looking for any thoughts from those who have experienced similar..

My son is almost 5 and for the last 2-3 years he’s had issues with his diet. I kept thinking he was just picky, and things would improve but they haven’t. I now know there to be a condition called food neophobia. I think he has this. I’ve spoken to the GP who has tested for coeliac and had him on a dairy free diet etc. We’ve been referred to the dietician and are waiting to see them.

Throughout all of this, I have said to various healthcare professionals that his food issues seem to be very sensory related and if you didn’t know anything else about him, you’d think he was on the autism spectrum. He likes dry, crunchy foods, is literally scared of new foods, sniffs any food that goes near him that isn’t sure about etc.

These people have then said ‘are there any other concerns re: autism? And I’ve always said no.. because there hasn’t been.

We had parents evening last week and his teacher mentioned that he doesn’t play with other children.. and he struggles to engage with play activities alone - they have to guide him to do free-play. He will do 1-1 work with the teacher and then she will say ‘well done, you can go play now’ and he will choose to sit with her whilst she does 1-1 work with the other children. It was then I realised that other teachers/staff have said to me, separately, how he spends time with them at lunch time, play time etc.

He is very bright, he’s one of the youngest in his reception class but is reading at a Y1 level, he does his work with the Y1 children. He exceeds with maths and he has an extraordinary memory.

I said to his teacher at parents evening that I have mentioned ASD to the GP/dietician/etc but said there wasn’t any other concerns, but that she made me concerned by saying he doesn’t play with children etc. I said ‘do you have any concerns re: autism? Expecting her to say ‘no’ but she didn’t.. she thought about it for a while and then said she’d keep an eye on him and let me know if she thinks he needs a referral..

So to summerize he is bright, remarkable memory, doesn’t play with other children, prefers adult company, sensory issues with diet. He was also a late speaker.. he was over 3 before he started speaking really. At 2.2y all he could say was Mama, Dada, baby.
He does make good eye contact and plays with sister at home well.

Can anyone shed any light?

His teacher did say he may just prefer adult company as he is more mature than classmates.. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m so worried for him :( I hate to think he’s at school and isn’t playing with any one :(

Sorry it turned into a long post! Thanks for reading

Ok, first things first, while there are a few "red flags" there, that doesnt mean that he is on the Spectrum.
If he's bright academically, most people think that is an unadulterated gift. Whereas, in fact, it can bring lots of concerns with it, only one of which is ASD.

He might have better receptive language than expressive.
He might have stand alone sensory issues.
His play skills might be delayed in line with his previous speech delay.
He might have a motor skills delay.

Get down on the floor with him.
Can he take turns in play e.g. you take a turn driving a car, then his turn etc.
Can he do imaginative play e.g. giving a doll a drink? or getting a teddy to drive the car? Does he copy play? or can he come up with scenarios himself?
If you pretend that a brick is a phone, and chat to Dad or Grandmother on it, can he take the brick and continue the pretence?
Can he tell you a story about his day?
Can he tell you a story from a picture book?
Can he follow pointing? and look at something, using "eye pointing" to direct your attention without telling you?
How old is his sister- if he is older, can he play with her by being bossy and telling her what to do? or, if she is older, is he going along with her play scenarios without devising his own?

Have a look at all of those skills. If you are still concerned, chat to a Speech and Language Therapist who has ASD experience, particularly one who has done Hanen training.

My five year old a on has recently had his first assessment for ASD with a paediatrician. I was relieved that she sees some signs of ASD, but wants to do further monitoring and see how he gets on at school. The process for diagnosis is a long one (can take years), so it’s worth being referred via your GP if you have any concerns. The advantage of getting a diagnosis is that your son can then hopefully get extra support. It doesn’t sound like he needs any academically, but perhaps in terms of the social side of things he might.

Thanks so much for your replies.

Fiona - everything else you mentioned there he does okay I think. His sister is younger and they play together well. He leads in some things and copies others. Thanks for the advice; much appreciated.

BATB - thank you. I think I’ll discuss with school again soon, mention it to the dietician this week when we go, and then speak to the GP if we are concerned.