My son is increasingly struggling with sensory issues. He's 7 and recently has been saying he can't focus in school cos of the noise, scratchy pencils etc. He is very slow to finish work because of this.
He's also got sensory issues around food and quite a limited diet - that said he will try new things. He hates mushy stuff like mash potatoes and stews.
He can be repetitive- he asks a lot of, "who's more famous" questions. When he was a toddler he was obsessed with opening and shutting doors.
He also regulates himself by moving and dancing - eg if he's playing the tablet he takes breaks by having a dance in the garden.
But as far as I can see he doesn't have any other ASD signs. He doesn't have meltdowns (or tantrums either, he's quite easy going). School have never been worried either though note anxiety and being very sensitive. He's never had any social problems, there's always been a lot of back and forth with him, he asks a lot of relevant questions and can hold and instigate a conversation on a wide variety of topics, he gets sarcasm and jokes (and likes playing jokes), he met his milestones on time in terms of communication and gross motor skills. He's easygoing with changes and transitions too. There's no history of ASD in our families (diagnosed anyway).
I'm going to visit the GP and ask for him to be putting on the waiting list for assessment, I know it will take ages.
I guess what I'm asking is can you have sensory issues without autism? School have given him ear defenders to help and we've got a pair for home as well cos he has a toddler brother who is often very loud!