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Parenting

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4.5 DD - showing signs of autism

3 replies

Sunshine1996 · 08/08/2025 15:11

DD has always struggled socially and although not in preschool will still have quite severe meltdowns eg hitting, screaming which continue for an hour sometimes. Nursery raised concerns around a year ago due to her speech however that has now caught up. I am off with her for the summer holidays and her behaviour is escalating.
I’ve noticed everyday she is extremely routine driven wanting to know what we are doing everyday, the next day ect. We have been doing play dates however one although she enjoyed got incredibly upset after at home, which I’m sure was due to her masking. She wet herself and was uncontrollable for over an hour. Today she was very excited to see a friend. However when we met she made no eye contact and played with the grass and sucked her fingers to self soothe. She tried to join in eventually with my DS and the friend but I could tell she wasn’t quite sure what to do. Again we have come home and she has been hysterical and taken an hour to calm
down. It’s breaking my heart seeing her like this, does anyone have advice or experience? I have contacted the health visitor

OP posts:
23fplo3 · 09/08/2025 00:14

Hey,

Sorry to hear that you're having a tough time (and your daughter too!) Have you asked your GP for a referral to the peadiatrician?

If you make a list of your concerns & examples and take this to the GP they can refer you to one of the community peadiatrician who can put your daughter on the appropriate pathway. For my DS we first had genetics, bloods etc done before being assessed. The team can also refer you to local support groups, parenting courses (some are better than others!) And services locally.

For now there's no harm introducing supports for your daughter- visual timetables (you can make it yourself or download) with simple pictures of what is happening today. Ie: wake up > brush teeth > breakfast > swimming > lunch at home > toy time > dinner. I'd also recommend a now & next time table too so now: brush teeth next breakfast.

For playdates she might be better with 1:1, something structured and shorter and at home in her comfort zone with visual aids to help. So on the playdate they could do baking, followed by playing shops (shop keeper & customer) then drawing and a snack then home. (This might not work and it's a bit of teething trying to work out what works for your family!)

We found role playing a play date helped my dc alongside picture prompts / a social story to look at in the car- so we would talk about going to the park for example. You wave and say hello, then you show your friend what is in the bag that we brought, (I always bought a couple of cheap balls/ a foam aeroplane etc as a starting point) then it's time to build & play with our aeroplane, afterwards we will feed the ducks then it's time to go home. We take picture cards to remind my dc where we are in the playdate & to remind them when it'll be time to leave. If you can arrange it, if you're meeting at a park or somewhere busy it might be best to arrange it at either the very start of the day (9am) or after 3pm - these are usually the quieter points in the day and less visually, auditory stimulating and much easier to cope with (ontop of the social interactions!)

You can also get some sensory toys such as the chew buddies (necklaces and bracelets), ear defenders and squishy toys.

We found private Occupational therapy worth its weight in gold for my childrens escalating meltdowns - the OT gave us ideas of what helped & what made them more disregulated - my son for example is better with deep pressure it calms him whereas my other dc needs lots of spinning & movement.

I hope your dd has a calmer day tomorrow and you manage to get an appointment with your GP.

autienotnaughty · 09/08/2025 07:21

I’d support her by having a fairly structured day, tell her plans in advance. . A visual chart could help.
get to know her limits or aim to leave before she struggles.
opportunities to regulate herself - time alone, distraction etc
sensory /fidget toys could help

in terms of support/intervention, ask for school/nursery senco to observe her. Usually any referrals/interventions are done through school but you could try gp if you prefer not to wait.

BunnyRuddington · 09/08/2025 07:25

I think you’ve had some very good advice so far on how to help manage her behaviour.

If she’s in Preschool at 4.5, are you not in the UK?

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