A question about ASD in girls

[WhenTheDragonsCame]

Hi

Without going into huge detail and writing an essay, my oldest DD has had issues in school since year 2. Some around her learning and some around her friendships. She has had a lot of interventions but nothing has really improved.

She started a new school in september and things have gotten worse. Not to bad at home (has her moments but mostly managable) but school is not good. She has been suspended 4 times since she went back after christmas and she is walking out of class at least a few times a week.

Over the years I have been asked numerous times if she is on the autistic spectrum because of some of her bwhaviours but when she was seen by camhs it was dismissed completely. The reason for this seemed to be because I said that she doesn't have any obsessions, apart from maybe food.

I spoke to the senco at her school today and she said she doesn't think DD1 is able to relate to others and that is what is causing her friendship issues. She asked if I would be surprised if DD1 was on the autistic spectrum.

Now my question! Is it possible to be autistic and not have obsessions? I am so tired of trying to get help for DD1 just to have a door slammed in my face.

Thank you.

Yes, my DD aged nearly 8 doesn't have any obsessions but has social, communication and a rigidity of thoughts that put her firmly in the autistic spectrum. She was diagnosed at 5 after being in the system from age 2.

Hi there.

My dd doesn't have any obsessions. She was diagnosed with social communication order initially but then ASD a year later when she was nearly 6.

She does have some of what they call repetitive behaviours such as hand flapping, rocking etc but no obsessions and doesnt display rigid thinking really.

As lots of others on here will confirm, it is often harder to diagnose girls and they are often diagnosed much later. I am not sure whether my dd would have been diagnosed if she didn't have an accompanying learning disability and speech/communication issues.

She is warm, loving and has good eye contact but finds friendships and reciprocal communication difficult.

Both dd and ds have dx of ASD and though they do both have intense interests they really aren't obsessions. It is only one criterion and not an essential one so really not enough to dismiss even the possibilitiy of ASD.

Dd wasn't dxed until she was 15 and I must admit I thought it was wrong until we were part way through the dx process. It can be subtle in girls but that doesn't mean it isn't there.

Dd did have 'special interests' when she was younger. We didn't realise until she got her diagnosis as they were things that more typically developing girls were also interested in eg when she was at nursery a small group of girls ran around pretending to be dogs. The difference was that they didn't stay in character all day and only answer to their 'dog name'. As she got older her special interests tended to be around books or films. The same things that other girls might be interested in but she would read each of the books in a series many many times until she moved on to the next thing. So difficult to spot, the difference being in the intensity of her interest.

Buts others have said also possible to be autistic and not have special interests.

My DD has had problems in school since foundation but like your OP is manageable at home.

No obsessions but is enthusiastic about make believe, dragons, vampires, zombies etc. Also Dr Who and comic book fiction (but not super heroes). Also a total book worm (often at inappropriate times in the class room).

Diagnosed at 8 years old with ASD (would have been Aspergers a few years ago) and sensory processing disorder. No CAMHS involvement as went through the child development centre (no idea why there are two different pathways for diagnosis).

This book www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Aspergers-Syndrome-Spectrum-Disorder/dp/1843106698/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1466542068&sr=1-1&keywords=aspergers+syndrome mentions a lack of obsessions in girls although reading could be classed as one as it can be a refuge for Aspie girls as in my DD's case.

I meant to say a lack of obsessions in some girls.

Good luck OP. It really sucks doesn't it. I moved my DD's school a couple of months ago and after a promising new start it's all gone to shit again.

It doesn't have to be an in your face obsession, but she could be quietly very very interested in something, a series of books, playing with certain toys, an imaginary world, craft, drawing, same cd..The point is that we all know people who are very focused in that way, and might not class it as an obsession when a clinician asked us about our child's behavior. After all, it can be a delight to have a child who focuses on something intently. I remember the CAMHS person asking if ds was obsessional, and I just said he was interested in a lot of different things (which he was ). Now of course I see his interest was more sustained than most children's might have been, on the topics he was interested in...

I remember living and breathing Little House on the Prairie series of books. I used to reread my other favourite books over and over again. Does that make me obsessional? Certainly I think I am/was on the spectrum. I would also get deeply involved in mastering subjects, like sewing, or cooking, or ultimately gardening, and read every possible book on the subject as a teen/in my twenties.

OP, have you thought that you dd might have a lot of sensory issues, which is why she is walking out of class? Is it possible to get her referred to an OT (you can do this through GP to NHS or private (quicker) The presence of other people "annoying" her, the environment, noises in classroom, poor posture, core strength instability (having to sit around uncomfortably) can lead to a lot of triggering situations, even without the added issue of poor social communication. I never picked up on this with Ds2, until I was really well informed, no-one explained that this a big part of autism.

Also, teacher making things explicit and breaking into small steps, because a lot of children have slow processing, not low intelligence, and just cannot put a whole lot of instructions together in their head to make a clear sequence, so get stuck, and angry and upset. And might walk out to avoid admitting this.

Dd7 has ASD. To an untrained eye, she wouldn't have many obsessions. They are just regular things that girls are into and she has a handful of them eg shopkins, monster high dolls, American girl dolls. This is why ASD in girls can be overlooked, because their obsessions are similar to NT girls. A key for us is how dd plays with them, sorting, organising, dressing and undressing - not actually 'playing with'

I'm not sure about obsessions, but my DD has very strong interests that seem to last forever.

For instance she's heavily into My Little pony, which is fairly typical for a little girl, but this has been since she was 5 and she's now 9. Most girls would have moved on by now, I would've thought, but she's still a massive fan.

She also heavily into reading, and often reads a book a day. She also loves comics (especially My little pony ones!).

I have a ds with asd but I would say he has limited interests rather than obsessions. He has asd diagnosis since he was 9. He's now 11.