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Primary school auties step into Christmas and the New Year - thread 8

999 replies

openupmyeagereyes · 09/12/2021 13:45

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

Thread 6 - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/4166833-Primary-school-auties-spring-2021-and-beyond-thread-6?pg=1

Thread 7 -
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/4303826-Primary-school-auties-summer-and-the-new-academic-year-thread-7

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Thread gallery
6
openupmyeagereyes · 19/01/2022 20:00

Oh no Light, I hope you all stay well.

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danni0509 · 19/01/2022 21:09

Hope your ok light. I have felt shit for 2 days, sore throat, headache and just rubbish, I don't get ill very often. I've done a couple of tests and they are negative though.
*
Open* he starts the 10mg in the morning.

MagratLancre · 19/01/2022 21:34

@LightTripper hope you feel OK!

dimples76 · 20/01/2022 02:12

Fingers crossed that the change in meds is successful Danni

Open an impromptu visit from a new teacher would stress me out. It sounds like you both managed well.

Light hope that you all recover soon.

Unfortunately my PCR came back positive so that is the end of my hopes about the funeral. Mind you, good job I didn't just rely on the lateral flow or my Gran's funeral might be remembered as the time that Dimples gave everyone covid. I wrote out the speech earlier and my Mum is going to read it for me. I hope that my two actually let me listen to the service though. I can't sleep and I'm feverish. Only good thing is that I will go on sick leave now, after a few days of trying to juggle work, DS's appointments, the EHCP appeal and looking after the children I am exhausted. Not that there will be much opportunity to rest with my two.

danni0509 · 20/01/2022 12:24

Dimples I'm so sorry you can't go to your grans funeral. How terrible Thanks I hope you're all ok x

I forgot to say yesterday. Ds was weighed and had his height done at his appointment, he has grown 5cm in 2 months (that seems a big jump in a short time!).

(I'm only just over 5ft and he's up to my armpit) not sure if that's tall for his age compared to other kids, because I don't really know any other kids his age, and I've always been small so most people look giant to me lol. So ds looks tall to me regardless.

But he's put no weight on at all since between the summer at his first appointment and now. Which doesn't seem like long time wise, but the dr said usually children at this age would gain between half and 1 pound per month. That's what they want to see.

Methylphenidate can affect growth (height and weight) so they want to keep a close eye on his weight. He asked if he was eating less but he's not really, roughly the same, except he won't eat pack lunch at school but has something extra when he gets in instead.

He is looking skinnier by the day though. Which doesn't help since he's growing upwards, he's looking loads slimmer!

I'm going to give him blue milk instead of green for a bit and see if I can get some more calories in him, just so hard when he's so fussy! And what he eats isn't exactly calorific (how are we even related ??? Grin) bread sticks and plain pasta and the odd bit of bolognese and chocolate is basically ds menu at the minute. Anything else I offer goes on the floor. He used to love peanut butter sandwiches and that's loaded in calories but of course when I need him to eat calories, I get 'i hate peannnuttttt buttterrr'

Kids!!

openupmyeagereyes · 20/01/2022 14:41

dimples I'm so sorry about the funeral. I hope you got to see it on Zoom and are not too poorly.

danni did you get any feedback on how ds was with the higher dose today? If you look in his red book or online you should be able to plot his height and weight to see roughly what centile he is.

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openupmyeagereyes · 20/01/2022 14:41

Light I hope you're ok too.

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danni0509 · 20/01/2022 15:26

Open I checked online earlier it says 128cm is average height for an 8 year old boy, but he is only just 8 this week so maybe he's a bit more than average.

No I didn't get any feedback today, nothing at all. I did let his teacher know he'd had more medication this morning though after I'd sent ds in his taxi and he just replied and said thanks for letting him know and that the past 2 weeks ds has been really settled at school and his knowledge of signing (makaton) is fantastic, he's signing to his friends who are non verbal all the time (how sweet is that!) he had me googling makaton the other day (chocolate, games console etc) and had gone to school and taught his 1-1 a sign she didn't know.

danni0509 · 20/01/2022 15:28

I watch a YouTube channel on makaton, it's called makaton with Lucinda.

openupmyeagereyes · 20/01/2022 16:26

danni I measured ds yesterday as he has a height chart on his bedroom wall and he’s about 130cm. I would say he’s slim but not skinny at the moment. If he has a growth spurt or is off his food a few days because he’s poorly you can see he looks thinner, but he’s a little more padded out at the moment. He has a decent appetite but he eats the same few foods every day. Historically he’s been 50th centile for weight and height.

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openupmyeagereyes · 20/01/2022 16:27

And great your ds is doing so well Star

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dimples76 · 20/01/2022 17:35

DS is off the bottom of the centile charts for height and weight. Although he is older than your boys (8.5) he is 116cm.

openupmyeagereyes · 20/01/2022 18:33

My friend's youngest ds is a lot shorter than her eldest at the same age. Their dad is quite tall, over 6ft. Dh is almost 6ft so ds may get as tall as him. I'm sure he'll end up taller than me, I'm 5.4.

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MagratLancre · 20/01/2022 22:55

I'm 5 ft. DS is 6.5 and he's 130 cm...!

dimples76 · 21/01/2022 09:12

Wow Magrat!

One of my challenges is that I don't have DS birth parents' heights. The reports just say 'average' which is obviously far from where DS is. However, in DS's class the next smallest boy to DS has a Dad who is over 6 foot, the Dad was telling me that he was the smallest in his class all through primary and then shot up. Hopefully that is the pattern for DS's birth family as if he keeps following 'his own curve' then he would end up at about 5'2/5'3 and I can't help but think that makes him more vulnerable.

My Mum had hoped to take DS out with his cousins tomorrow but unfortunately his LFT is still positive this morning. He was crying yesterday because his headache was so bad. I had a terrible headache yesterday so totally knew how he felt. We're both a bit better today.

carriebradshawwithlessshoes · 21/01/2022 09:41

Aw, glad you are feeling a bit better Dimples though so sorry you have missed your grans funeral.

Size is indeed a funny thing. DS is tiny as I’ve said before, I was horrified when he was plotted not long ago by a Dr on the 1st centile! At the moment it helps him as his behaviour is often of a much younger child so we often can avoid the stares if I’m asking him not to run off and so on. He could probably pass for 3/4 and like DD has very baby ish features. You know how some kids look mature, well DD and DS both just look still very cherubic I think is the word. Very young and baby like. They actually look freakily identical in their face shapes, features, even expressions sometimes.

But!! Sizes are so different!! DD is 9 but wears age 13 clothes, she’s around 5.2 snd has size 4 feet!! That freaks me out, I don’t think I had feet that big at her age?!

I’m 5.5 and a size 12 with size 5 feet so all boringly average.

Despite his small size DS has size 12 feet which I think is huge for a child on the first centile?!!!

Do you have contact with the birth mums Dinples? Do you talk to the children about her? I know next to nothing about adoption but chat lots to my friend whose daughter is DDs best friend at school and is adopted. I know my friend gets fairly detailed letters/ photos from the birth mum which she is encouraged to share with the children and they have made a scrapbook. My friend knows where this lady lives and quite a lot about her, I guess from the letters and so on. Maybe all cases are different though? It can be confusing though for the children, DDs friend is always telling me about who she thinks her biological mum is (princess like) when the reality is obviously far from that. I think my friend finds it all very tricky sometimes and I must admit I get stumped for answers, like when DDs friend asks me when I think she can see her etc etc.

LightTripper · 21/01/2022 11:16

DD's 90th percentile but I always forget she's tall because her cousin is a year younger and is 99th percentile so is about the same height. They really are two string beans running around together! DS is a bit below 50th I think and much more chunky - as is his cousin (who's also about the same height as DS despite being a year younger). I do wonder whether he'll catch up or if he might end up smaller than DD - but he's averageish I think, so I guess he might end up shorter than OH and me (who are both tall), but it would be surprising if he ends up actually "short" as an adult I suppose. It is weird how different all the growth paths are though! I remember the girl who was tallest out of several hundred girls when I started secondary basically stopped growing then, and ended up less than average.

We're all fine. I was very muzzy headed yesterday so the kids spent most of the day on screens - but feeling more with it today after a good sleep, so I'm hoping that was the worst of it (I'm triple jabbed so seems plausible it would be mild, but I know not everyone is lucky!) I'm so behind on work - I need the kids to test negative over the weekend so they can go back on Monday, even if OH has to take them!

Anyway, hopefully this is our last ever bit of homeschool - although it's nice to see what they're learning, I am definitely not a natural teacher!

Will be thinking of you today @dimples76. Really hope you are all feeling better and that you get to watch your grandma's service uninterrupted (or as close as is realistic!)

dimples76 · 21/01/2022 11:32

Thank you Carrie and Light. I was mostly able to watch the service. There were a lot of demands for food and drink, hundreds of questions from DS and DD starting throwing bean bags at me. My Mum delivered my speech wonderfully, I was so proud of her. And as for my 9 year old niece who is autistic, I thought my heart was going to burst with pride, she is such a determined, loving girl. Overall I feel lucky to have so much love in my life.

Carrie I am meant to have annual 'letterbox' contact with DS's birth parents but in 7 years of writing I have never had a reply. I have asked for their heights a few times now but obviously nothing. I imagine that it's just too hard for them. DD's BP haven't written back yet either. It would help to hear from them but I totally understand if they can't do it.

openupmyeagereyes · 21/01/2022 18:58

dimples I’m glad you managed to see your gran’s funeral, but so sorry you couldn’t be there Flowers

Light I was one of those who developed quite early and was tall for my age early teens but then plateaued.

Ds woke up at 2 this morning with a stuffy nose and didn’t go back to sleep. This stuffy nose happens quite often, even though he doesn’t have a cold. I suspect he’d benefit from a saline spray at bedtime but no chance of that. He had a 45 minute nap in the car after lunch. Hoping to get him down a bit earlier tonight.

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openupmyeagereyes · 21/01/2022 20:34

Oh, and I heard yesterday that 13 of ds’ old class were off with covid Shock

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dimples76 · 21/01/2022 21:35

Open I think it's up to 20 now at DS's! I have forgotten when does DS's new school open?

openupmyeagereyes · 21/01/2022 21:48

Next week danni, inductions first🤞

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LightTripper · 21/01/2022 23:29

That's exciting Open! Are you doing intros with DS on Monday?

openupmyeagereyes · 22/01/2022 08:37

Light supposed to be, assuming it isn’t delayed again. I joined the FB group for parents, it’s good to know other people have similar concerns to us.

Ds slept until 5:30 today which was great after yesterday. Plus he went to sleep at 8, thanks to the melatonin. I’m going to have to call the docs soon to discuss getting it back on repeat prescription which it currently isn’t. It gives him nearly an hour of extra sleep at bedtime and us a bit of downtime before we head to bed, even if it doesn’t make him sleep longer.

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Mumofsend · 22/01/2022 17:35

Hi all,

Have gone off line a fair bit recently and struggle to keep up other than lurking.

DD is sort of doing OK in school, school still want her moved. I know it's not an ideal set up but likewise she's happy and moving her from happy and settled is scary. Who knows. She has suddenly clicked with reading which is a huge step for her!

Hope everyone is doing OK!