Does my daughter have ASD?

[icecreamisforwintertoo]

Sorry for the attention grabbing title - I’m not expecting a diagnosis but wanted to get an objective view on whether these symptoms sound like ASD potentially?

my DD is nine nearly ten and does well academically but has/does the following:

• meltdowns and difficulty regulating emotions/anger
• doesn't really like being touched
• anxious about unknown situations
• wouldn't try new hobbies for years, now will do things in her comfort zone (eg if they take place at school), will enjoy a hobby for a while then go off it suddenly
• doesn't like performing in front of others although this is getting better with exposure
• transitions are difficult, often doesn’t want to leave the house. Would prefer to stay at home playing games, reading books or watching random YouTube videos
• sensory issues eg clothes, brushing hair
• Doesn’t like noise
• has a special toy that calms her, also likes playing with things like blue tac to calm her.

she is quite sociable and has a lot of friends who she seems to get on well with and relatively littlest drama. I wouldn’t say she’s outgoing as such but she’s pretty popular which is one of the reasons I’d dismissed ASD before.

she functions well at school- the teachers see her as a star pupil but she works well in a very structured environment which her school is. She does struggle with the noise from other children in the class and gets upset, but the teacher lets her go and read in the corner. I’m worried she won’t be able to do this at secondary school however.

how would I go about getting a diagnosis if the school don’t see an issue though?

Also I should add another thing that made me dismiss ASD is that was similar to her when I was younger (other than the popularity - I only had one friend!) and I’m pretty sure I don’t have ASD. I have grown out of slot of the anxiety based symptoms although I don’t think I had the mega meltdowns as I internalised a lot of my anxiety.

Your post suggests a referral for an assessment is warranted. Have you spoken to the SENCO? It sounds like there are some issues at school. Unfortunately some schools say DC are ‘fine’ even when there are issues. In some areas you can self refer, if you can’t the GP or school can.

It’s quite common for a parent to find out they are autistic after their child is diagnosed. I’m not saying either of you are, of course, but sometimes autism isn’t what you thought it was. The female presentation can be much more nuanced.

I agree, I was diagnosed with ASD following 2 DC being diagnosed.

Thanks for your replies, I’ll try with the senco. I don’t hold out a lot of hope for the school but may be surprised.
that’s interesting about your diagnosis as parents as my sister is going through diagnosis at the moment as an adult (although she’s very different to me). And pretty sure my Dad is undiagnosed!

My son sounds very similar. He has just been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder. This was after a very thorough assessment by an Occupational Therapist. Your school Senco should be able to tell you more about this condition. What we have found are that her recommendations are simple and to date have been very effective in helping him cope with sensory overload and the meltdowns that happened because of them.