Does this sound like autism/ADHD?

[TattieSconeRoll]

DS is 7, I have an appointment with GP on Monday. His behaviour has always been 'difficult', I hoped he would outgrow it as he got older but it actually seems to be getting worse recently. He can't control his temper at school or at home, nothing calms him down, I just have to send him to his room and leave him until he's calm. He refuses to do anything, getting ready for school, bed, have a bath, go to swimming lessons or the shop, he just starts kicking off and completely overreacting. He's very bright, extremely good at reading and remembers information really well. Very attached to me. Quite anxious - for example when we go to parties I can see he wants to dance and go play with people but he's just too nervous to enjoy himself. He stopped kissing on the lips about aged 4, when I would give him a kiss he would quickly turn his head into me and cuddle instead. I feel like now I've written this down it doesn't sound like much, but everyday is a struggle and I feel like I need to focus on him 24/7 but I have two other DCs and a job, i just don't know what to do.

It sounds worth having the appointment. My DS had always been hard work with his moods/ tantrums. If he was engrossed in something, he's very easy, but life can't always be on his own terms and that's when life gets interesting...

He was 7 when I accepted that he had not outgrown the toddler tantrums, and they escalated in y2 with the SATs between April to October when he finally relaxed into y3.

I recommend writing your concerns down. I presented the GP with a detailed mind map of my concerns and all his random quirks and behaviours over the years, plus his strengths and difficulties. 15m on we got a diagnosis of ASD, dyspraxia and by a seperate process dyslexia (which was screamingly obvious through y1)

DS is very intelligent (recalls facts and applies information), masks well (brilliant at school, explodes at home), hangs back to assess situations, very sensory, had mild speech delays that caught up with intervention, specific interests, not good with transitions, not great personal care, can get socially lost in unstructured situations and a natural health and safety enthusiast!