Special needs?

[chemlu]

My 8 year old daughter has two older sister's. One is diagnosed dyspraxic and the other autistic. We were at a fun event during the Easter holidays and my daughter kept coming off the bouncy castle complaining it was too noisy! She used to line up her toys when she was younger and takes everything literally. However she is a very social girl, but when I spoke to someone else with an autistic girl she said her daughter is very social and confident. My daughter wants me to get her ear defenders. She doesn't like the hand dryers in toilets either and asks me not to use them Is it possible to have autistic traits but not be autistic?

Girls can present very differently from the 'expectation' of how a person with autism presents.
They are often very good at learned social behaviours. There is potential she could be autistic. Obviously I don't know her and am not saying she is, but, just because she is different from your other dd, doesn't necessarily mean she isn't.

It is possible to have sensory differences without being autistic, but I'd look into asking for an assessment.

Very good advice from BackforGood

In the meantime, please do get her some ear defenders and make a few notes about any behaviours which you'll notice now, ready to pass on at an assessment.

I think that if someone has enough autistic traits then they are autistic. There is no blood test or similar for autism, so it is identified purely by the presence of certain behavioural traits. But of course it’s a spectrum, so it’s possible to have a couple of mild traits but not serious enough to receive a diagnosis.

Also there is a genetic component to autism, so as she has a sister with autism there’s a higher than average chance that she has it too. Maybe take her for an assessment if you are concerned?

Hi All, Thanks for your responses. I'll get her the ear defenders and watch her behaviour. If I'm still concerned in a week or two I'll try and get her assessed.