Hi
I have suspected DS (2.1) might be smewhere on ASD spectrum for a while. MCHAT with GP at 2 year check flagged up some issues. Mainly social. Eye contact, not interested in other children at all, in his own world, not responding to name, not pointing much. Speech,gait, balance, appropriate play with toys etc all fine.
In the last 6 weeks he has made huge strides with eye contact, (with us),is much happier and language has exploded although often repetitive and uses scripts but how much of tis is normal with toddlers just learning to all I don't know.
The main concerns are social interaction and not wanting to look at or play with unfamiliar adults and any other child, familiar or not. I mean parallel play, not collaborative, he's too little for collaborative play.
The problem I am crying about is I just do not know how he can be properly assessed by a stranger when he hated going to the psychologist office, wouldn't play with her toys and just wanted to go home.
All I do all day every day is look after him and make sure he does not get distressed. I do take him to singing and dance sessions, a painting session and birthday parties when noted but I am not sure what he gets out of them. I do a regular play date at a friend's house but he won't play with her DS (same age), just with his toys.
I can't see how he will cope with nursery in September and how he will manage when I'm not there advocating for him, entertaining him and making him comfortable and creating an environment he is happy and free in.
I keep trying to push his boundaries a little but he really does not like playgroup or grou ps of other children or doing anything out of his routine so rather than force him and have him get head bangingly distressed it is easier just to leave or not go. As a result I am socially isolated and exhausted but I can't see how I can ever have the sort of life that other toddler parents have where they can hand over their child to someone else for a while, or have a grown up conversation or have lunch with a friend because of the effect on DS.
Am dreading the assessment process because I can't see DS being his normal self with an assessor and trying to video him playing with toys whilst a stranger observe or tries to interact is just going to end up in his screaming in distress and trying to escape and get to me.
I want to hide in our little bubble where we are safe and life works for us but I can't not get help if he needs it. And I have no life at all apart from attending to him while he is awake and then getting him to sleep and then recovering.
Anyone got any experiences to share? Sorry this is long.
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Just took toddler DS to clinical psychologist for prelim assessment for ASD. Feel awful.
5 replies
TrucksAndDinosaurs · 04/02/2013 19:16
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