Questions before the Big Assessment - need help!

[coppertop]

Ds1 is due to be assessed at the Child Development Unit next week, and I was wondering if anyone could help clarify a few things for me. The SENCO has observed him at pre-school and says that he has tactile aversion - to the extent that he won't even use his hands to break his fall when he trips, in case he gets them dirty. She is planning to slowly introduce him to different textures and is confident that he will 'catch up'. Has anyone else been through this process, and how long did it take? She also mentioned that he shows imaginative play because he pretended to drink out of a cup. The thing is that ds1 basically learns everything by copying and so does this sort of thing if he sees someone else do it rather than because he is pretending IYSWIM. Does this still count as IP? If not, is the Paed likely to recognise that ds1 is only copying rather than imagining? And finally (phew!) ds1 taught himself to read at 2yrs old (probably because I use subtitles on the TV because of my terrible hearing). Could this be hyperlexia in some form and has anyone else had any experience of it? Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated!

desensitisation programmes do work! 8 months ago ds1 would not paint at all (he used to when he was younger then he decided he wouldn't). Nursery did a lot with him, - shaving foam play, cornflour play etc- then they decided to do foot paintiing. He ended up stripping off and charging up and down this huge sheet of paper- absolutely covered in paint. Painting hasn't been a problem since! He's stil funny about glue though. The bibic desensitisation programme works on various bits (including his mouth- which is very sensitive) and involves various things like rubbing different materials on his skin, and using massagers on him. He wi;ll now wear funny materials and hats (!!) although we didn't work on the head seperately. The time taken depends really. When ds1 went off the grass and the beach it took us 8 months to get him back on those, but the tactile problems with the clothes was sorted after about 6 weeks.

DS1 can drink out of a cup as well- and feed teddy. It's definitely less spontaneous than ds2 though. DS1 will also play imaginitively with little figures again- remember autism just means you have a deficit in certian areas, not necessarily that you can't do them at all. He needs far more directing than ds2 in play- whereas ds2 searches all the time for things to play with and makes up games ds1 still needs a lot of help.

DS1 has been a bit hyperlexic as well. Mention it- it shows a good memory- and that you have a visual learner. it's quite common with autism.

Good luck!

I would list the behaviours you notice- and what you feel is odd about it- ie how it differs to another child of same age-that way you can 'explain' the 'copying' and hyperlexia so that these behaviours are seen in the right context- though i am a very chatty person i find that whenever it comes to doctors of any kind i fall apart- and therefore whenever i have an appointment that really matters i have typed up a bullet pointed list on the p.c- hope that helps!
Good Luck!!!

I read somewhere that true imaginative play is not just copying but using the pretend objects to actaully contruct a scenario or follow a story. From what you say the drinking from a cup is probably just copying, but it is still good... ds did this around age 3 and it took ages for him to move on from there. Now he makes his trains talk but it always has to be to my train (can't play on his own).

No experience of the other points you mention. You seem very well organised though. Good luck!

Thanks everyone. I'll add it all to my list. It's just so difficult sometimes to work out which of his 'behaviours' are normal, especially when well-meaning people keep telling you that he has no problems at all. A relative said recently, "Well maybe he just doesn't like painting." I tried to explain that 'normal' children don't pick at their hands until they bleed just because they've got dirt on them but I gave up. The pre-school have been brilliant at following the SENCO's suggestions. I feel really guilty now for moaning about them - especially as ds1's new activities have caused chaos and left the poor staff frazzled! It's really reassuring to know that he can make so much progress so thanks for cheering me up. I'm also feeling better about him starting school next September as the SENCO said that in certain areas of development he is probably the most advanced 3 year old she's ever seen. We've just got to work on the areas where he's behind! So thanks again everyone!

coppertop, my dd also had quite a bit of tactile defensiveness (though at a younger age 12-18 months, or maybe we just caught it earlier - Portage picked up on it, I wouldn't have really noticed). Managed to sort it out with the usual program and she's fine now.
Pretend-drinking out of cups or feeding dolls has always counted as IP with my dd - but I can see Eulalia's point. Hope the assessment is a positive experience. I was dreading dd's but it turned out to be fun for me and her, and the reports focused on the positives rather than the negatives.

btw there are different stages to pretend play. So the first stage is stuff like pretending to drink out of a cup and feeding a baby doll. A more advanced stage is pretending a box is a plane or a stick is a telescope.

ds1 will push trains around a track, but ds2 will make them crash iyswim.

Aaarrgh! Just re-read this thread and realised it looks as though I'm boasting. I'm really not! It's just so rare to get a positive report. The only other positive comment we've ever had was when the SALT told us that ds1's new aggression at playgroup was a good thing as it showed he was finally starting to interact. Oooops!

don't worry coppertop- we know its not boasting. That old uneven development thing. I've just been watching my 4 year old studying his battery free torch (one of those wind up ones). He really worked it all out- how the cogs go round faster when the light is on, how they stop when it needs winding, really intense concentration on it. Life would be much easier if he had language though.

Anyway when we get to hear negative comment after negative comment about our children - and get those awful developmental checklists where things are missing at something hideous like an 18 month level it's good to share the good comments we do get. I wish "they" would pay more attention to the uneveness and try and say something nice sometimes rather than just all the negative stuff.

Oh those awful checklists. The HV sent us the 3yr one recently, as they don't bother doing a 3yr check-up here. I don't think ds1 has even caught up with the 2yr one yet! It's strange the way they can be behind in some things but so far ahead in others.

We saw the Paed today. We sat in her office for about an hour while she asked questions and watched ds1. She told us that she doesn't usually give a diagnosis at the first appointment but thinks that ds1 has Aspergers. We will have visits to the OT, Psychologist etc after Xmas to find out which areas he needs help with. The Paed is also interested in finding out his IQ as she feels that he is very bright. It's a relief to get a preliminary diagnosis (not official yet) but I thought it was difficult to dx AS in a 3yr old? She has also mentioned melatonin to help him sleep, and also some one-to-one help at pre-school. At last!

It's okay, dinosaur. I'm not getting my hopes up just yet. Here the SN section of the Early Years service is a part of the LEA but also works as part of the CDC. It's complicated but means that the Paed can contact the EY people without going through the LEA directly. Now I'm confusing MYSELF!

Great to hear the appointment was straightforward coppertop. A diagnosis of Aspergers at his age is unusual but as you say it could be because he is bright. Is his language good? Usually Asperger children have good langauge skills. I'd be interested to hear how his IQ is determined. I asked about my ds's IQ at his assessment and they said it was difficult to tell at this stage. I was kind of hoping he'd be brilliant in one particular area (you know the cliched image of autism) but it seems he is just delayed in just about everything ... but seems to be catching up..

What is your ds getting OT for?

Ds's language is improving but is still not great. He can now make little sentences of 2 or 3 words. It's fairly stilted but for us the fact that he now speaks is an absolute miracle. I'd always thought that an AS dx needed fairly normal language development though? I got the impression that the IQ thing was more to satisfy the Paed's curiosity. She wanted to ask the Psych about tests that don't need language skills. The OT is to help with ds1's sensory problems and his dislike of touching certain textures etc. I'm really glad your ds is making progress, Eulalia. If I hear any more about IQ testing I'll let you know.

coppertop- probably depends on the pead. Some will diagnose HFA unless language is absolutely bang on normal, wheras other will dx AS for autism that is HF iyswim.

Welcome to the club anyway. Life is easier with a dx. (well it's not- I'm sure its easier having an NT child-lol- but if you don't have an NT child it's easier to have the dx).

Well Done! It is such a relief once you get to the point where you don't have to keep 'justifying ' to doctors etc what you believe is 'wrong'
DS2 was a bit poorly today (cough/cold - that's all) and I let him stay home because I feel so 'sorry' for him in his school (still trying to get his DX) that I just couldn't send him to school the way he was this morning- I would have never dreamed of 'keeping' a child home for something so 'trivial' before ...but there you go.....i'd better not make a habit of this!

THe problem, as I'm sure you all know, with standard psychological tests, even the non-verbal ones, is that kids with ASD/AS often do not WANT to do the tasks. I've never been sure if they're testing whether they CAN do it or whether they WILL do it or both....? You've also usually got an unfamiliar setting, unfamiliar person, change to usual routine etc. Not the best way to get a meaningful result.

the development checks are the same though davros try telling a paed she/he really can do the task but is only 3 and has been at school all day and is fed up of 'performing'!

glad you have got a diagnosis btw coppertop

It's just nice to finally be told that we're not overanxious or looking for something that isn't there. I never thought I'd be relieved to hear that a child of mine was 'different' though! As for the IQ thing, it's not something I would've asked about for ds1 as I don't think he has a problem there. I also think that knowing their IQ can be a lot for a young child to live up/down to. I don't think it would be particularly accurate either, even for an NT child. Ds1 would either become so 'into' a task that he would want to do it over and over again, or he would just wander off. Then, as Davros says, there's the issue of a different environment, different people etc.....Anyway, thankyou all for your help and of course the welcome to 'the club'.

Yes you are right coppertop - to be honest at the moment I am just concerned that ds is learning daily living skills (you can tell I am filling out the DLA form just now!) and not concerned about his IQ till he needs to go to school/sit exams.

dh and I are having a bit of a dicussion about this at the moment. he seems convinced that he is very bright. I am being more realistic or at least waiting to see something that convinces me. As Davros says co-operation is necessary for most testing . One thing I do know is that he has good visual spatial skills but how useful this is in the real world I don't know.
Something happened last night - I took out a Pingu book we'd not read for several weeks and one chapter is about a circus. The first page just has a poster with the word circus on it and he said "that's a circus" - I don't know whether this is particularly 'clever' or not. I mean he is 4 and 4 months... but dh seemed to think this was a indication of being bright...

Oh I hope you didn't think I was talking about YOU, Eulalia. I was thinking more of those people who use their child's IQ as a weapon. When my IQ was tested all I ever used to hear was "How could you do a stupid thing like that? I thought you had an IQ of xxx!" Your situation is completely different. It can be really difficult to work out what they do and don't know. The SALT was amazed that ds1 apparently went from not being able to follow simple things to be able to follow very complex stuff in a matter of weeks. I'd tried to tell her that he'd been capable from the start of SALT but she'd told me I was mistaken! We were told that visual-spatial skills were very useful, especially for careers in things like engineering, mechanics and architecture. They are also supposed to be useful skills to exploit when teaching new things.

No I didn't think you meant me coppertop. Yes I agree about the professions. I was reading something by Temple Grandin the other day and she can view anything in her head from any angle, rotate it and construct things and is a v good engineer. The thing is you need other skills to utilise/reinforce the visual spatial awareness.. but no hurries yet!

Not sure about your SALT - surely you know best. BTW how did you manage to get SALT so early... we are still waiting..