Primary school auties : spring 2021 and beyond - thread 6

[danni0509]

Hi. New thread.

This is the continuation of the thread for parents / carers of autistic children / children with additional needs. Most of us are parents of children in year 1 / year 2.

Links to old threads

Thread 1 - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/3080753-DS-with-ASD-starting-school-Sept-2018-I-am-feeling-overwhelmed

Thread 2 - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/3451020-Reception-auties-2018-19-thread-2

Thread 3 - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/3628263-Auties-transition-to-Year-1-thread-3

Thread 4 - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/3748449-Primary-school-Auties-into-2020-thread-4

Thread 5 - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/3953023-Primary-school-auties-summer-and-beyond-thread-5?pg=1

Everyone welcome x

How odd @Mumofsend and also very unprofessional of them!
Well done @danni0509 on your DS' writing and for being pleasant to his teacher, must be so hard, and it's so unfair how they leave him out if all the assemblies etc. Even if his 121 only brought him in for a bit, it would help with inclusion. Well done on pushing for the new school.
Hope everyone else is OK and have good weekends!

Happy Spring everyone! Hope your weeks are going OK. I'm definitely enjoying the lighter evenings and spring flowers coming out! Only 4 more days until Easter break!

I remember a teacher at my primary literally washing out someone's mouth with a bar of soap because they swore. I think you'd lose your job these days! Sorry about the crappy teacher situations (and about the road stress @dimples76 - that sounds pretty terrifying! Hopefully it was a one off and he will have absorbed some of your reaction, even if it doesn't seem obvious he has now).

Great news on DS's writing @danni0509. I bet his new school will be impressed! I bet you're counting down the days....

We've had a bit of a breakthrough here. DD said about 2 sentences to a neighbour we bumped into on Saturday, then quite a few to a friend we saw at the park on Sunday, and even did a bit of a family Zoom on Sunday with her cousins! Of course once she'd started she couldn't stop, and I had to take her out to one side to explain that having said what she wanted to say she then had to listen to her cousin say what he was interested in.... but still it felt like a big step forward. It was like all that anxiety just wasn't there and she was letting it all hang out - it was pretty great! It's ages since we've done a family Zoom and we didn't even suggest she came on it (but the Lego was by the iPad so she was kind of in the vicinity). Maybe she just forgot to be worried about it?

We'll work on the social niceties of making it all more of a two way thing.... at some point

Great to read of your children's breakthroughs Danni and Light. We have had a calmer week here. I should have known better than to relax. DD woke from her nap this afternoon with a high temp so we are isolating again and I'm struggling to arrange a test. Fortunately DS coped v well with being unexpectedly met at school by Granny - I had asked school to let him know but it doesn't seem as though the message got passed on.

I have a two hour meeting with post adoption support scheduled next week. I had a phone call just to arrange the appointment yesterday and the social worker had such a kind voice I almost cried.

dimples have you tested dd? Ds and I both tested last week (negative). He was really good and it wasn’t as traumatising as I worried it might be.

liv I hope bedtime is improving and ds is more settled. Just in time for the Easter holiday 🙄

Light lovely progress from your dd. We Zoomed with both grandparents for Mother’s Day and could barely get ds to say hello!

mum & mrs I’m sorry you’re both still battling over provision.

danni excellent writing from your ds.

Sorry to hear about unkind teachers to dc and adults alike. Unacceptable.

We are doing well here though ds still mostly waking at 3:30. Going to call the docs today for a new melatonin prescription. It doesn’t do much but seems to take him to 4 something from 3 something so worth a try again.

School seems to be going well, he’s almost at a full day. He got bumped up another reading band which was lovely. He loves the Biff, Chip & Kipper ones and now the stories are getting more fun and there are 2 parters it is encouraging him. Ironic really as he wouldn’t touch them in YR and Y1 and the early levels of the sets we bought were unused and donated to the school.

That's great news on the reading Open.

Yesterday evening I thought DS looked a bit peaky too and it turned out his temp was slightly up. Both children are booked for tests this morning.

Good luck dimples, hopefully both negative.

Next time we will just have to isolate. He started off calm but unco-operative but before long it ramped up to screaming and then he refused to leave. So I left, one hand pushing DD's pushchair (who had been fine until DS started screaming) and the other pulling DS along. I don't think that there will be enough sample from DS for a test result. Feeling rather sorry for myself now and DS has just called down to say that he has pooed himself

Oh no @dimples76. It's a horrible thing to have to ask them to do. Poor DS and poor you.

You might be surprised: we've had what appear to be results (negative) rather than no results for all 3 kids tests we've done (2 for DD, 1 for DS), even though I wasn't at all confident we had enough (certainly nothing like 10 seconds!) I also noticed they've changed the instructions (last summer I'm sure it said you had to do both nostrils - this time just one). Hopefully they don't actually need much of a sample to get a result.

Maybe next time try a home test if the alternative is isolating for 10 days anyway? I've always gone to test centres because it's quicker, but my sister did a home test and the result came back within a couple of days.

Hope the poo situation was not too horrific.

It was a rather major, messy episode of diarrhoea. Good job that DS was at home!

Oh no dimples, sorry you’ve had a stressful time. As Light says, hopefully you’ve done enough for an accurate result

dimples did you get the test results?

Not yet Open keep checking my phone. At least everyone is well today but wish we could go on a walk. DS has taken the change in plans v well. I just watched the school's Easter worship online and standing in the front row in the middle was my boy singing his little heart out. The Christmas one made me cry because he looked so anxious. This one made me cry as he looked like he was enjoying himself

Ahh, that's lovely that he seemed to be enjoying it @dimples76!

We got DD's Easter Parade and she wasn't in it (which we knew because she told us she wouldn't be) - but she said her Easter Bonnet was in it (which she'd made to look like a ladybird and a woodlouse: very Easter-ish :) )

Anyway, I kept an eye out on the video and saw one of her friends was carrying an extra (red) hat - so I assume that was DD's! Thought that was kind of sweet :D

I do find it funny that she managed to be in the Christmas Nativity the last 2 years, but can't do these video things or have her photo taken at school. I'd love to understand as being in the nativity with actual people watching seems much harder to me! But anyway, in the scheme of things it is all the definition of not a big deal! Still interesting though.

That was sweet Light, at least part of her was in it. Does she regret not being in it afterwards or is she not bothered?

dimples how lovely.

Ds had a good week and won an award today which was lovely, he was so pleased. He bought home some lovely work that he’s been doing. He’s making such progress. Still behind but doing brilliantly for him 🥰

I watched the Purple Ella video today on aphantasia as I have this. I didn’t realise until a couple of years ago and I’ve been really aware of it since. My experience doesn’t quite tally with hers but it was interesting.

Aww how lovely @dimples76 and @LightTripper that they were enjoying it. DS' school didn't do anything for Easter but he brought home some lovely work, an Easter crown, and some cakes he baked bless him. He's back in his separate space most of the time but there were some photos of him interacting in the classroom, which were nice to see. I have had an awful cold the last few days though urgh!
I am fascinated by athanasius @openupmyeagereyes how fascinating. My friend has it and says she can't picture anything in her mind's eye, not even other people's voices.

MrsDuBeke I can’t see a picture, it’s just black, but I can imagine them if you know what I mean. It’s almost like they are behind a curtain. I will be thinking about voices now too. I definitely dream though and I’m pretty sure I dream in pictures, though I’m not sure how you could know this for sure or prove it. It is interesting but I really didn’t know it was a thing until fairly recently.

I’m glad your ds has managed to join in with some of the Easter activities

We have DD's review on Wednesday. Think we have quite a promising EP report in favour that is very clear her school can't meet her needs. The LA are really pushing back against specialist placements though

Ours too @Mumofsend! Good luck!

Review or EP @MrsDuBeke?

I feel sick with anxiety!

Good luck on Wednesday.

Finally got the covid test results this evening, both children were negative. So excited to leave the house tomorrow!

That’s fab dimples

Sounds like some of you haven’t started the Easter holidays yet. I hope the reviews go well.

First day of the holidays here and going to go to my parents garden. We haven’t seen them for ages.

Our last day is Thursday!

Enjoy @openupmyeagereyes

Enjoy seeing your parents Open.

I had a two hour meeting this morning with post adoption support this morning. The social worker was so incredibly kind and gentle. Fingers crossed he is going to be referred for specialist assessment of attachment, trauma and sensory issues. I had a bit of a cry and feel zonked now but need to get going as we have our support bubble coming around for tea.