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!