Hello - first time posting here and just looking for some advice.
DD is 4, nearly 5 (summer baby). Started reception last September and on the whole has really settled in - has friends, is progressing well with phonics, numbers, reading and writing. However at the first parents evening, her teacher mentioned she struggles with her emotional regulation - this wasn't news to us as she had been struggling at home too. The school offered support and had lots of tactics in place to help. But since then, things have got worse not better.
Essentially when angry, frustrated or upset, DD can't communicate. She just screams, growls etc - she can communicate to tell you to leave her alone etc but she can't tell us what's wrong. And then we end up in a cycle of us assuming x is the cause when really it's y. This goes on for up to an hour before she eventually just collapses in tears and just wants a cuddle. She can talk about it after and we can sometimes cut off a huge meltdown by being proactive/distracting but we occasionally miss and then have to wait it out.
School have noticed an increase in this too and the final straw as it were was a huge meltdown when going to after school club one day. The reception teacher asked me to come in after school 2 weeks ago - she talked me through a new strategy they're using (pictures to help her identify her feelings, why, what could help). But also wanted to see if I was happy for her to be reffered to SALT (her pronunciation isn't quite where it should be - lello instead of yellow for example) as well as OT and paeds for assessment for any neurodiversity.
I said I was happy for all of that to go ahead - I was a bit surprised at first but the more me and DH think about it, there are certain things that perhaps point to something other than age etc. She is highly routine driven, remembers tiny details that happened over a year ago, hates anything out of routine (holidays and going to breakfast results in hysterics), goes to the extremes at either end of the emotional scale and so on. The biggest is of course shutting down in a meltdown.
Fully appreciate this is the start of a long journey for us, but just wondering if there are any resources to look into to help manage the meltdowns especially. I've seen The Explosive Child recommended?
Sorry for the long post - just wanted to give context! Thank you!
Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.
SN children
School asked to make referrals for DD
Jxtina86 · 18/03/2024 14:00
Headfirstintothewild · 18/03/2024 17:07
It is brilliant the school is being proactive. Has the SENCO been involved? Have they made an IEP (or whatever they call their school level SENCO support plan)?
Does the school have a nurture group, forest school or anyone that can support something like drawing and talking therapy or Zones of Regulation work?Â
Some find The Explosive Child book helps. Others find The Out of Sync Child or Yvonne Newbold’s resources helpful. Do you &/or school have any sensory toys/equipment DD can use to try to de-escalate situations and then help DD re-regulate.
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