Autism and school

[googlyeyes123]

4yo ds I feel has signs of autism from a young age. One thing he struggles with is hand dryers, music and TV being loud. At home he will scream at me to turn it down and cover his ears, if I don't he would go into panic and run to his room.

We recently had a video from school of a music lesson and he looked uncomfortable. I asked him if he was having fun whilst watching it with him and he said no there was too much noise and it hurt his ears. (Everyone... 34 kids were shaking bells).

He has also said the noise outside at lunch is a lot too.

If he has autism would he be able to mask the struggle with noises.

He might be able to mask. My son struggles with noises, and he absolutely cannot mask it. He hates loud noises and is prone to meltdowns because of it.

Have you tried ear defenders?

Yes lots of children with autism mask their difficulties in one environment but not in another.

Certainly. So the school may not be aware. Would be worth asking for a meeting and bringing up the areas he has told you he finds hard. They may have solutions - easy ones like ear defenders, or more difficult ones to implement like an alternative playground.

Ok, thank you for your replies.

Both of my children are like this (5 and 3).

5 year old was diagnosed at 3. 3 year old will be assessed in six weeks. Both mask, even at this age and both could (and do) pass for neurotypical and have no learning difficulties.

It might not be autism, but I would be looking to see if there are other difficulties that he has that you may not have noticed. Learn about autism in children, and then make a decision whether to have an assessment.

In our area, in the NHS, currently the wait is around 3 years. Private, about 6 months.

Thanks, he is a very anxious child, scared to try new experiences but is also chatty and confident and has made great friends at school, a very intelligent young lad, ahead of his class in Reading.

He always needs to know what is happening and when, loves the daily routine at school but definately struggles coming home and his sister normally takes most of the brunt.

He can get angry (shouting, never hitting) so quickly but he can sometimes be calmed down.

Somedays I think he could very much be on the spectrum other days there is no chance.

My ds was diagnosed autistic age 3. He used to struggle with noise. Still does ! Hand dryers were one of them, he hated them and would run off. When he started nursery they would find him hiding under the painting easel covering his ears. He does not like shouting in any shape or form. He actually shakes and covers his ears. He has got better but I think it's just adapting. Some days I'd say he's like any other neurotypical kid then other days it's so clear he is autistic. But he is my boy and I wouldn't have him any other way, so loving and a real character ! He gets anxious at school, especially in maths and has to have a lot of sensory breaks or he gets overwhelmed. He can get stressed very easily and I can see when a meltdown is coming.
I second ear defenders.
Could you speak to the school senco ?

Im a secondary school teacher. We have many children with asd. Some mask. Some dont. Some wear ear defenders.

He might be able to mask but that's not ideal for him. Managing how he copes is the way here. Not masking.

Ear defenders would be great for him. You can get nice kids ones now. Mine chose the colour they wanted and then put stickers on.

When he just turned 4 and was still under the HV we told her our concerns and she basically came round, filled in a tick sheet and said he's fine as he is communicating well and making eye contact so just feel stupid now about mentioning it to his teacher.

HVs are not trained or qualified to assess children for autism.

Both of my children are verbal. They communicate excellently, in fact they're advanced for their age.

Doesn't stop them (when you know what you're looking for) using echolalia, not always actually understanding the words and phrases they use even though they're correct in context, parroting to fit in, even making eye contact! Again if you know what to spot I notice that often they don't make eye contact with people (they almost always do with me) they look at eyebrows or glasses etc.

If Joe Bloggs on the street met my children they would likely have no idea that they're autistic. They are. They have significant struggles. My eldest has an EHCP which allows her full time 1-1 support at school.

I too am autistic and have ADHD. I'm in my late thirties and have only just found out. And I've had a successful career, own a house, have a family, am a carer as well as a mum. I've got to nearly 40 without anyone including myself, noticing.

Please, if you are concerned, get him in front of an someone who is trained to assess him. It is not fun to go through life - or school - undiagnosed and misunderstood.