just picked up dd2 from pre-school and the SN teacher collored me, she thinks dd2 may have AS

[misdee]

feel a bit shocked but also relieved. have had suspecions about dd2 since she was a baby that something wasnt right. sn teacher is going to speak with the physio on weds as she is coming in to assess dd2 anyway.

so again, what next?

Speak to your HV, she will arrange an appointment with a paediatrician for you.

And have any symptoms or concerns written down.

Sorry , you don't really need this on top of everything else Ask your gp to refer you back to a community paediatrician for assessment unless the preschool can circumvent the system.

Sorry meant to add my sympathies

keep a diary misdee as they will ask you ALL sorts of questions from your pregnancy to her age as she is now, any funny mannerisms or quirks may give the paediatrician an insight into how she is etc.

sn teachers says dd2 is very intense, very intelligent, doesnt interact/play wth the other kids, and seems like she is in her own world. dd2 has colour matched from a young age, doesnt have her own imagination (copies her sister and cousins for games/drawing) speech isnt too clear, has hypotonia, is a perfectionist on what she is working on.

i thought i was being pulled up about dd2 bruised face where she fell off her chair last week.

she had bad vomiting issues when she was baby too, had to cut out gluten as she would puke up. re-introduced it at over 12months. she gags when eating, and has lots of little quirks.

her latest coping stragety is to sing baa baa black sheep repeatadly, she also licks things and strokes trees.

My ds is being assessed for AS (has been for 2 years) my advise is not to gloss over her symptoms when you speak with a paediatrician, tell it like it is, and trust your own instincts as a mother

You may find that the Physio might be able to do a direct referral to the Paed for you/dd2. It might be quicker than going via the GP. Either way I think she needs to be assessed.

If the Early Years Inclusion Service is already involved because of the hypotonia then they may also be able to start with doing general observations of dd2 at pre-school.

Ds1 was referred to the Paed by the SALT. Ds2 was referred via the Early Years Inclusion/portage worker.

What a shock for you that the teacher suddenly comes out with that. Before your dd will get a diagnosis she will be seen by all manner of professioanls. My ds was initially referred by his SALT which got the ball rolling for him.

so i just leave it in their hands? phew. when she started there in sept i was unsure whether or not to voice myu concerns about dd2. i decided not to say anything, so for them to pick up on it without any prompting from me gives me a sense of relief. was in tears down the phone to peter as it felt like a weight had gone.

Ah misdee, I know what you mean. Sorry that you are having to deal with this as well though, on top of everything else.

it never ends dinosaur. SN teacher was saying we cant just ignore it, she needs to be assessed so when she starts school help will be in place. 2months ago i was worried about being fobbed off by physio, now she has dx of hypotomia, and preschool thinks AS. too bloomin to deal with my head is going to explode.

SN teacher has worked with lots of kids with Autism/AS so i know she isnt a newbie and just picking out dd2 little odd quirks. To hear it from a health professional who has experience, makes me feel a bit numb tbh.

so do i look into different therepies etc now or wait till confirmed diagnosis? just had an afternoon of her being very defiant and rolling about the floor.

I would read some easyish reading. Say Luke Jackson's book on "freaks geeks and aspergers syndrome" or some Tony Attwood stuff, I don't think you need to think about therapy as such (you have enough on your plate and iirc she is taking etc, and the dx may not be given), but it might help you understand where she's coming from. Is she still gluten free? Luke jackson also wrote a book about being on the diet. You could enquire about Earlybird in your area as with a dx you'd be able to attend- it's a very useful course.

not gluten free now. tbh her diet is so resticted atm, i am at a loss. can her diet be restricted even more, will she starve? (she has enough meat on her tho).

tony attwood makes me think of horror book,s dunno why. thank you.

its a minefield isnt it?

i feel i have let her down in some way. i knew there was a problem, but lost the fight in me to push for someone to listen. i knew when she was a teeny baby that something wasnt right. i just had a feeling.

oth i have no concerns about dd3, she is fine, absolutly nothing concerns me about her. same as when dd1 was little, no concerns.

how old is she? push for an assessment and an appointment with pead, read up on stuff and see what you think, i think its unfair for school staff to say that they think your child has ASD, i have seen lots of times when they have been wrong and is leaves the parents reeling and with no support not to mention the long wait to see someone who can DX if it's needed, i think you have enough going on at the moment without worrying about therapies, ask lots of questions and write any worries down. i am sure you will get lots of answers on here

onlyjoking, i already know she is very likely AS. i just know, have done since she was a ababy. the pre-school workwith the HV?SN HV and the lady who spoke to me has had concerned about lauren since she started in sept. they needed to give her time to settle in. She was going to speak to me anyway, but i told them physio would be going in to assess. SN teachers says she will work with the physio and sort out things. i will know more on thursday.

she said something about the way dd2 uses her hands, and loads of other things.

you haven't let her down, but that is a feeling we all torture ourselves with at some point. sometimes it just takes for someone else to say something to validate our own thoughts and feelings, guilt denial ect,i had worries about my DS but hubby wasn't having any of it,(we had twin girls with autism already) we had huge rows about it, in the end hubby agreed (to shut me up)
to DS seeing the pead, we went in, i said, i think DS has autism, i wanted her to say, don't be silly, but she said, yes you are right, i was heartbroken, hubby couldn't get why i was upset, but it was the validation of my fears that got to me. what does Peter think?

Peter says 'we knew anyway', and says i need to make sure things are ok this end, not to worry too much about him, the kids come first.

Fine the SN teacher is experienced but she is also being a bit hasty in offering a specific "diagnosis". Your dd may have AS tendencies or sensory issues (such as the licking, gagging, stroking and even rolling) but even a paed may not yet categorically diagnose it as such in which case you'll be left feeling even more disorientated. Such traits tend to overlap more than one disorder so do feel she has been a bit out of line.

Hopefully the physio would be able to give more advice as to which of her issues are related to the hypotonia (the way she manipulates with her hands, for example) and which might be symptomatic of anything else. Hope you are able to get this further investigated soon but I don't think there is really much you can do until then.

even if you suspected it is still a shock, is the stuff with her hands sensory stuff, my DS would not touch play doh/sand/cornflour, he is o.k with it all now thou