Does anyone else feel uncomfortable in SEN only groups?

[FutureChicken]

I have a 4 yr old daughter ASD. Hearing impaired and epilepsy. I'm struggling to find our groups. She's starting to struggle with peers, but doesn't seem needy enough for special groups.

She just looks shy/ younger. She is quite well behaved and largely very quiet.

My local parent forum is starting an under 5 group but I wonder if people will wonder why she doesn't attend mainstream groups as she looks fine. However in busy loud groups she is a different child. She is scared and struggles a lot. I'm feeling a bit caught between two worlds as she's not too low functioning nor does she talk enough to show her difficulties. They probably would think shy 3 yr old. But in places with rules she can't cope, she's been known to hit babies in playgroups as treats them as peers in push and shove play.

Does this ring a bell with anyone?

Why not just go along and give the group a try, as it sounds like mainstream groups aren't working well for your DD. I doubt the other parents/carers will be looking at the other children and judging whether or not they should be there.
I do understand your reservations, and have certainly had similar feelings myself before going to a new group with my DD. But my experience has been that the other adults are very understanding and tolerant of difficulties, whether or not they are exactly the same as their own DC.
Good luck to you and your DD!

To be honest, I doubt anyone will care as most people are focus on their own DC's. Go and long and have a trial.

Give it a try. There are loads of children with different needs and abilities at the groups we go to. I was worried about going to the local autism group with my eldest who has aspergers syndrome. I thought everyone else would have severely autistic, non verbal children and they would laugh at me for going. But everyone was lovely. In fact the only people who have ever said anything to me about my dc's needs being mild or we shouldn't go to sen groups have been people with no personal experience of DC with sen.

I thought my DS wasn't severe enough to need SEN groups but he also couldn't cope with mainstream groups. Then I went to an ASD group where he was placed with peers at a similar level and it was the first place I was able to leave him in someone else's care without worrying. They understand him, they understand ASD and they aren't shocked by ANYTHING. The little things make a difference like having a picture schedule of the activities for that session rather than just an oral explanation. I've now sought out another one and he loves it even more and it has children with various disabilities and siblings so quite a mixture.