DD is 5, almost 6. We've had suspicions for a while about ASD, confirmed by friends and family who work in SEN and particularly ASD. There have been many incidents at school, violent outbursts and we have been pushing the school and finally have a referral to Ed Psych.
GP was unhelpful, saying lots of children don't like change (it's not just that!). I'm going back again this week.
The SENCO asked me to write everything down to prep and seeing it all there made me see more clearly.
But we're exhausted. She doesn't sleep well at all (she's never done a week of sleeping through), takes hours to get to sleep, wakes in the night screaming. She hates school, I think partly as a consequence of the reactions to the incidents. She says she's a bad person :(.
She's violent to us and her brother. It's not like a tantrum, but might start when she can't get her way, but it seems like it's a lack of control or everything is too much. Sometimes it can be more passive after a meltdown, like she's testing us. She also spits and bites.
She doesn't like certain noises, smells can cause her to breakdown, she'll only wear limited things. She doesn't get joking much, takes things very literally.
She doesn't really have many friends, one friend but gets upset if she plays with someone else, can't control the friendship. She doesn't play with groups of children, but will play one on one with her brother.
Anyway I'm rambling. I'm exhausted. The screaming, violent meltdowns seem more frequent. I feel like the world's worst mother. Because maybe it's not ASD and it is out parenting.