DD is 30 months and truly a delightful child, so affectionate and funny. She has never been a tearaway - shes quite risk aware it seems - shes never been that toddler bulldozing through softplay and up and down slides. Nursery have always said shes observant and wary, will watch a new activity from afar before deciding to join. If the group becomes too large, she will often take herself off to a quiet corner and play alone.
She has been in the same nursery full time since she was 10 months so she has had lots of exposure to her peers.
However, nursery have commented that if a child cries in the room, DD now backs herself into a corner frightened and upset and some days we pick her up and she looks totally stressed out. It then extended to ballet and swimming - if a child makes a loud noise she starts crying and insists on being picked up and wants to leave. They now take her into a quiet sensory room at nursery with a few other children she gets on with to let her calm down.
Sometimes it can be extreme as a loud voice across the park, or just hearing a child in the supermarket, and other times she is totally oblivious.
We stopped ballet and swimming and let her have time to just chill at home but I cant seem to find a definitive answer if this is sensory processing or if she is just super sensitive to other children and noise? She hasnt always been like this and used to love approaching other kids and adults.
And even if it is sensory processing, how do I deal with this long term? Is it finding a balance between letting her rest and exposure to what makes her feel uncomfortable?