Autism?

[Rgm40]

I have a 4 year old daughter who I think might be on the spectrum. She's just started school full time and seems to be coping well at the moment. She had speech therapy last year and her speech has progressed very well. She's a little chatterbox, although she doesn't always answer in full sentences. She is very immature in some ways, she likes to call herself a baby. She walks on her tip toes but does put her feet down when I tell her to. Most recently I've noticed that she doesn't like noises and puts her hands over her ears. This is very recent. She is very sociable with other children, has a great sense of humour, loves cuddles and shows empathy towards others. I've been thinking of getting her assessed, but not sure what to do. Thank you for reading.

If she’s sociable with other children, what is making you think she needs an assessment?

Thank you for your reply... Its mostly because of her reactions to loud noise, she covers her ears and gets quite distressed. She's also quite immature compared to other children her age.

It's worth having a chat with the school, to express your concerns and ask them for their input.
Some schools are rubbish but others can be very supportive.
Getting them onside is really helpful if you want to get an assessment.

Her being sociable with other children is not something I see as a reason to rule it out.

The noise sensitivity is very common in young children and I wouldn’t be worried about that by itself. When you say she’s ‘immature’ compared to other children, what things have you noticed?

Thank you for your response. She likes to think of herself as a 'baby' at home, I don't think she does this at school. She is the youngest of three children and the other two are much older. She sometimes doesn't answer questions as they should be answered, but she's getting better. I think I'll wait and see how she is after the first half term in school full time snd if they pick up on anything. She knows all her letters, numbers and shapes but isn't really interested in trying to read or write.

Can I asked why your daughter had speech therapy and when was she first referred? It's just that my daughter is almost 4 and only says the word 'no'. I first raised my concerns when she was 18 months and I'm still waiting for her to physically see someone (covid). I also think she may be on the spectrum - she also doesn't like loud noises but I've been assured that it's quite normal in children, she shows love but no empathy, she's also still in nappies and seems to be about a year behind in her development. I'm so worried about her and desperately want her to have the correct support before she starts school next year. Sorry for going on it's just your story seems very similar to mine and I have no one to turn to x

Talk to your GP and always trust your own judgement. I'm going through something similar with my 6 year old and hes just been diagnosed with ASD. It's not so much what you see it's the way they feel inside and they can learn to mask their feelings based on others reactions. Have the discussion and see where it goes from there. Good luck x