Can anyone help me identify whether DD (4.6) has aspergers/dyspraxia like symptons?

[josben]

She has always struggled with concentrating but is getting better.

She is not interested in writing her name, but does like drawing but it is of squiggles/cirlcles

Her teacher has said that she needs extra support with her work and in the classroom, she struggles to follow some instructions like which milk group to go in.

My biggest concern is the social side of things, this has always been a concern, and she struggles to make friends. She is quite up front and will intially talk to other children but finds it hard to join in and play. This has worried me for sometime. She can also be quite aggressive and can push other children sometimes...

I go through waves of being more worrieed than others so thats why I have not reffered her to our GP.

She has had regular Speech Therapy sessions but has been discharged from those...

Can anyone tell me of their experience of aspergers (particulary in 4/5 year olds) TIA

Hi josben, its hard to say without knowing your dd but some of her traits are similar to dd1's (Aspergers). Has she got any other traits such as problems with food (fussy eater), sensory problems (sensitive to sound, light? Does she like routine and get upset if routine is changed?

Dd1 was diagnosed with Aspergers at the age of 4, we also suspect she may have dyspraxia due to poor movement, poor balance and scruffy hand writting.

She is quite sensitive to sound, and takes a while to adjust if we are at the cinema/theatre.

She is a bit of a fussy eater (but ds2 is incredibly fussy so she seems like a good eater compared to him! [SMILE]

She does like routine - we do bedtimes very regimented and that works well. I've just been down to school and she was in the playground, i could she her pushing other children away and being aggressive... It is really worrying me - I am going to see the teacher after school today.

Marne,

what sort of help has your DD had ? And has it helped ? Can you recommend any books?

Thanks

Books - Tony attwood here and this.

DD1 hasn't had much help at all, Aspergers in girls can be very different to Aspergers in boys, girls tend to adjust and learn to behave like others (to fit in). Dd1 has improved a lot since she was 4, at the age of 4 we could not take her anywhere, she would cry at females and be 'in your face' with men, we tought her about personal space using a social story (that someone on here gave me) and she now knows not to get to close with people she doesn't know. Her school has been great with her and they know how to handle her when she is upset, she does struggle to make close friends but has a lot of friends at school, she still often chooses to play alone. She does suffer with anxiety (which is very comon with AS).

We are waiting for a referral back to the paed as we think she has dyspraxia or low muscle tone as she complains that her legs hurt, can't ride a bike and has scruffy hand writting. On the plus side she is top of her class for Maths, english and reading (although her writting is scruffy she can spell), because she is doing well with her learning she doesn't recieve any help at school.

I also have another dd who is 4.9 and has high functioning Autism, her problems are very different (mainly with language and sensory issues) but again she is improving.
Dd1's sensory issues have improved a lot and she can no tolerate most loud sound.

Dd1 shown no sign of aggression (she is too much of a wimp), she tends to scream at people though if they don't follow her rules and gets upset very easily, some of the children at school stay out of her way, other will winde her up because they know how to make her angry. .

The aggression is something you need to takle as soon as possible (before she gets bigger and can do more damage), the school maybe able to help her by doing work/activities with a small group (just a couple children) and work on social skills.
Social stories may also help.

At 4.6 my Dd3's best friend was the man who owns the local shop!!.

She played near, around and alongside other children at preschool but rarely with them.

She had a friend, who's mum was my friend but she always wanted to play the same game everytime they were together.

She wasn't agresseive but didn't like being touched by other children. She can be very bossy and likes everyone to stick to the rules.

She was sensitive to light, smell, noise and textures.

She is 8 now and most of the above still apply being assessed for AS and is borderline dyspraxic, she is in the top group for everything except PE at school, she can ride a bike but falls off alot and has to go off road due to no road sense.

Hope some of this helps, if you are suspecting that your daughter meets the criteria for AS or dyspraxia or both, I would suggest making some notes about what worries you and keeping a diary of quirky behaviours/issues. And go to your GP, it can take ages for a referral to come through and you can always change your mind.
The assessment process is really slow and there are plenty of opprtunities to bale out if you want to.

good luck whatever you decide to do .