HOME REPORT
FROM BIRTH
I had a normal pregnancy and DS had a normal birth, but he did need immediate medical attention due to not breathing straight away. He needed help to clear his airways (inflation breaths). He was fine after and had no more complications. He was late with his physical milestones and his speech was delayed. Weaning was a real struggle as he used to gag and choke when I tried to give him anything that wasn't completely smooth. Was still having 4 month baby food at 8-9 months. Was fascinated with anything that had wheels. Would sit spinning then for ages.
NURSERY
Ever since my DS was about 3, I started picking up on the first signs that something was a little different and so did his nursery. Autism or anything like that did not even enter my head at this time especially because I knew absolutely nothing about it. The first things at this age was his delayed speaking and speech which resulted in speech and language sessions. He tends to stutter at the beginning of a sentence and he also used to ignore me a lot when I called him. Not all the time but most. I would have to call him multiple times to get his attention. He was also really sensitive to loud noises and would always cover his ears and this is still something he still does now. This resulted in me getting his hearing tested which came back perfect so I put it down to selective hearing maybe?.
Potty training was also a long and difficult process. Just before he started nursery they discharged him from speech and language at the hospital as they were pleased with how he was progressing and said that his speech would catch up quickly in his school environment.
After being at nursery for a few months the teachers also picked up on a few thing. I can't remember what things they were now but it was his concentration among other things. They where going to refer him to SENCO for an assessment, but he never got into that school so it never happened. His attention span is and was really poor, especially in large groups.
SCHOOL
When he started his new school in Reception things seemed to be going well. Apart from the not listening, attention span and rough play, but I thought it was just his age. Reception is mainly play based and the children are young so he got on ok as I can remember and to my knowledge. He then moved into Year 1 where it is still very play based but more work is incorporated. Again his ability to pay attention and follow instructions became more noticeable with age. Flickering his attention from one activity to the next quite quickly. Sitting still is also an effort for him and constant fiddling. This is the year that he started to fall behind with his reading and writing. He would get really upset when made to do either of these at school or at home. It requires concentration which is a real difficult point for him. I started to worry towards the end of Year 1 because I knew Year 2 would be a big change for him. Sitting round tables and working for the best part of everyday! I knew how much he was going to struggle with that transition. I raised my concerns about this with the school as DS had already slipped behind and was struggling in his learning at this point. The teachers agreed and he was offered a place in The Base, which is a class of 6-7 children with similar difficulties and specialist teachers. He was also referred by the school for and Autism test. I was shocked because until they said it, I had never thought about it. I thought maybe ADHD as he also ticks alot of the boxes when I read the symptoms but his teachers believe him to be on the Autism Spectrum.
He was assessed by a doctor who concluded that he didn't think he was on the spectrum. I was relieved at the time but did feel he barely took much notice of my son or me, and that he was more interested in the 2 students in the room that he was teaching and asking questions to. I felt like we were spectators in his lesson if I am honest. Even thou I was relieved I was still left in limbo with no answers and still no understanding of why my son is struggling so much?, or why he behaves the way he does sometimes? or why he says and does the things he does?.
If I am honest with myself, I played down alot of DS symptoms and behavior because I was in denial and still believed he would just grow out of it with ages.
I have spent endless hours looking for answers and after much research on my part, and excepting that it is something more, I do believe that my son is on the Autism Spectrum. I feel like I can protect him so much now and he is getting great help at his primary school, but I know that he will need measures put in place for when he goes to secondary school and he will need lots of help and support to prepare him for that. Also I need the help and support and understanding.
CURRENT
My son is now 7 years old and in Year 2. He is no longer in a mainstream class. He is in a smaller class with specialist teachers. He finds it hard, and every day is a challenge for him, but is progressing slowly. I am 100% sure this is only down to the extra care and attention that he receives in the BASE and that he would not make the same progress if he was still in a mainstream class. He needs constant visual aids and reminders to pay attention and reminders of class rules. I recently went and sat in on one of DS lessons at school and it was a real eye opener for me and it did take me back abit on how DS behavior an struggles are alot more noticeable and different at school to at home. I feel like I have adapted to DS and don't notice thing as much because to me, he's just himself, my son.
DS has very poor verbal processing skills when it comes to following instructions at home. I usually have to repeat it multiple times. You can see it in his little face that he just struggles to process what I am saying and even then he can struggle to carry out the task.
E.g: "asking him to go and get his socks out the wardrobe" He will look at me with a blank expression and I will have to repeat it and he will then go up the stairs and then I will have to remind him of what I have asked him to do. When out anywhere with DS I find it difficult as he finds it really hard to sit still.
He loves his Xbox computer at home and he will talk excessively about computer games he likes. He will cut conversations off to switch to what he wants to talk about. I cut his computer time down to a minimum but don't want to stop it completely because it's something he enjoys. He pays attention if he is interested in the subject that's being discussed but if its not he struggles to maintain focus.
He is the most loving, funny and active little boy. His language is now advanced for his age and he is really well spoken. He doesn't sound like me at all. He tends to talk really fast and still stutters at the beginning of sentences. He struggles to get his words out as fast as his brain wants him to. A few letter sounds are still absent, but apart from that his language communication is good. DS is also highly competitive. As much as it can be a strong point it is also a major problem for him when playing with other children because he hates to lose. He has even told teachers at school that he would rather not join in and play a game at all than lose. He finds it hard to deal with and gets very frustrated. Tears and tantrums. We are trying to work on this with him.
E.g. I was playing a game of operation with him and because i took the lead and started to win he decided he wanted to start again and change the rules. When I told him you cant change the rules of Operation he had tears in his eyes and just walked off and said he didn't want to play with me any more.
I am finding things harder the older he gets. He will have bad days where he just wont listen or behave all day. His behavior is harder to explain and much more noticeable (especially at school) now he his older. He will just say inappropriate things to people and have outbursts that I find embarrassing because I cant explain to them or myself. I just have to apologize because I can no longer brush it off and put it down to his age like I used to. When people say hello to him especially adults he ignores them alot of the time and I have to prompt him to not be rude and say hello back.
SOCIAL SKILLS AND INTERACTIONS
This is what I find DS really struggles with. More so the older he gets. We have also had a few incidences with other children now he is getting older. He seems to make friends ok and wants to play with other children if they have the same interests as he does, but struggles to maintain friendships for long. Other children struggle to play with him because he wants everyone to do what he wants and can't understand or relate if they want to do other things. He can be very bossy and wants everything on his terms and his way. He would rather play alone than join in someone else's choice of game. He will say someone is not his friend any more and when I ask why, he will tell me it's because they don't like something he likes or visa versa. He will dismiss people as friends because of very little things like this. He gets on really well with adults and alot better with younger children then children his own age.
I feel like I could write so much more. He also has sensory issues and motor skills that I haven't mentioned.
SENSORY ISSUES
E.g: When in a situation where he feels anxious or uncomfortable (especially when we are out or I introduce him to people) he will grab and cling 2 my arm and keeps kissing my arm or hand and jump on me in a playful manner repeatedly. He tends to grab his friend a lot at school when he's trying to get his attention. I had to tell him afew times to stop grabbing him and hanging off him??
E.g: We was in the hairdressers just the other day. (Myself, DS, and his sister who is 2) we had to sit and wait as there was another child waiting. DS kept looking at him as thou he wanted to speak to him but instead clams up and started grabbing, hugging and giving his sister kisses in the same way he does with me. You can see it's just because he doesn't know what to do in that social situation. It is defiantly a repeat thing he always does.
He also still has a comfort blanket that he sleeps with. There is a certain part that he fiddles with to sleep. DS has night terrors sometimes. They are getting less frequent now. It is upsetting for him and me and can take me a good hour or so sometimes to ease him and calm him down.thankfully he never remembers them at all in the morning because he is still asleep in them.
When his sister eats any kind of cheese near him (especially cheesy crisps). He will have a massive meltdown and leave the room. If she has anything to do with cheese on her plate he refuses to sit at the table with her at all.
When he gets upset or told off he will hit himself in the head or face in frustration. I believe he does this at school aswell.
He still covers his ears and is very sensitive to loud noises.
MEMORY
DS is very sensitive to things and hangs on to thing and memory's that affect him.
E.g: On 2 separate occasions quite far apart I found him crying for no reason at all. Really sobbing inconsolably. When I asked him what was wrong both times "It was about a Mr Bean episode that he watched 6-9 months previous (where the baby had rolled down the hill in the pushchair and he was chasing it). He kept saying he didn't want the baby to get hurt.
E.g. When DS was about 4 I took him to the Belgrade theatre to see the Number Jacks. He loved them on the TV and really wanted to go. As soon as we walked into the theatre I could see he was uneasy. Even before it started, just sitting in that large room with people. Anyway, when the show started he just freaked out and had a meltdown at the people that were dressed up. They were quite far away from us and never came close. There was a school trip this year at the theatre to see Room on the Broom. DS point blank refused to even discuss it with myself or any of his teachers and refused to go at all.
MOTOR SKILLS
DS is still very dependent on me at home. I still help get DS dressed as it is something he struggles and gets very frustrated with. He has come out of school after P.E lessons before with his trousers on back to front. He still comes out now after P.E without his jumper on, his shoes on the wrong feet , and he don't even bother with his socks. He cannot do his zips, buttons or laces. I also help him brush is teeth as he struggles with the motion. When coming to cutting up food with a knife and fork, again this is something I have to do for him as he cannot.
DO YOU THINK I HAVE GIVEN THE RIGHT INFORMATION. His assessment is next week and his senco coordinator from the school is coming with me. I want to be fully prepared so this is why I have decided to take this home report that I have typed up with me. Any advise, opinions or other peoples experiences of assessments would be greatly appreciated