HI!

[CupOT]

hi all

 

I found this site several weeks ago and have read loads on it and found it helpful so thought might as well register. I am 40yrs old , work in sessional nursery care as a deputy supervisor / SENCo am married to Stephen and have 3 children.A 13yr old boy and 2 girls 11yrs, and 6yrs. We have been struggling with the oldest girl for a number of years, from the age of three really with major tantrums and meltdowns. She didn't settle well at her first school and after a yr we moved her to another who after 2 weeks recognized there was more to this than just tantrums. (She was nearly 6yrs) After lots of 'observation' 'art therepy' etc she saw an ed psych who reffered her for assessment. Now she was 7 1/2yrs. She was assessed and seen to have 'immature social skills' and not fitting the ASD criteria, however we and the school where advised to use ASD tactics to help develop her social skills, literalness, behaviour. The school were very supportive and together have bought her on in leaps and bounds. However things still seemed amiss to us and with transfer to secondary school due this september raised our concerns at the parent evening. The school had also highlighted her as a possible child neeeding support to secondary school and with our permission refferred her back to the Ed Psych. She was seen just before Christmas and we were told that she felt she has Aspergers. So we are now waiting for a diagnosis from the community paediatrician who she is supposed to be seeing her in June. She has been given her first choice of school and is over the moon but very anxious so I'm expecting quite a few fall outs.

 

Well thats me, so another HELLO!!!

[Bagpuss]

Hi and welcome to the forum

[forbsay]

Welcome to the forum

[ScienceGeek]

Welcome!

[pearl]

Hi & welcome <'>

[purplehaze]

hi all

 

I found this site several weeks ago and have read loads on it and found it helpful so thought might as well register. I am 40yrs old , work in sessional nursery care as a deputy supervisor / SENCo am married to Stephen and have 3 children.A 13yr old boy and 2 girls 11yrs, and 6yrs. We have been struggling with the oldest girl for a number of years, from the age of three really with major tantrums and meltdowns. She didn't settle well at her first school and after a yr we moved her to another who after 2 weeks recognized there was more to this than just tantrums. (She was nearly 6yrs) After lots of 'observation' 'art therepy' etc she saw an ed psych who reffered her for assessment. Now she was 7 1/2yrs. She was assessed and seen to have 'immature social skills' and not fitting the ASD criteria, however we and the school where advised to use ASD tactics to help develop her social skills, literalness, behaviour. The school were very supportive and together have bought her on in leaps and bounds. However things still seemed amiss to us and with transfer to secondary school due this september raised our concerns at the parent evening. The school had also highlighted her as a possible child neeeding support to secondary school and with our permission refferred her back to the Ed Psych. She was seen just before Christmas and we were told that she felt she has Aspergers. So we are now waiting for a diagnosis from the community paediatrician who she is supposed to be seeing her in June. She has been given her first choice of school and is over the moon but very anxious so I'm expecting quite a few fall outs.

 

Well thats me, so another HELLO!!!

 

Hello, i'm new to the site as well so welcome. My story is much like yours, I am a early years practitioner/SENCO and always new my son had ASD behaviours. I was told at first he had emotional/social delays in primary school and then he was diagnosed with ASD a few years ago (he is 14), he too struggles with high anxiety levels which is displayed in his behaviour. It can take a while for a diagnoses but it's good news you are getting the support and assessments your daughter needs.

[Kathryn]

Welcome to the forum, CupOT.

 

Keep us posted on how things go in June with the paediatrician.

 

Transition to secondary can be a tough time, and I hope your daughter gets the recognition of her difficulties and the support she needs.

 

K x

[CupOT]

Thanks for the welcomes!

 

We always knewtoo. My only fear with diagnosis is that the EPsych had said we have done a fantastic job in giving our DD strategies to cope and when it came to assessing her it wasn't until about the 10th / 11th question brfore she thought something didn't feel right and on asking her if these were her answers my DD replied 'It's how mummy would tell me to do it because.......'. and because of this the Paediatrician is going to have to 'peel back the layers' so to speak. EPsy said she would put a covering letter in with her report to explain this. So now just hoping we haven't 'done to much' so we get her the help she needs.

[ASue67]

Hi!!!! <'> <'>

[loobylou2]

<'> Hi and welcome

[baddad]

Hi CupOT, and welcome to the forum <'>

 

As Kathryn said, the transition to secondary is a difficult one under the best of circumstances. Hope all goes well

 

One thing that does come to mind from the info you've given:

 

My only fear with diagnosis is that the EPsych had said we have done a fantastic job in giving our DD strategies to cope and when it came to assessing her it wasn't until about the 10th / 11th question brfore she thought something didn't feel right and on asking her if these were her answers my DD replied 'It's how mummy would tell me to do it because.......'. and because of this the Paediatrician is going to have to 'peel back the layers' so to speak.

 

Please don't think I'm suggesting the EP is wrong, 'cos I wouldn't have a clue, but it does seem an odd description. Certainly verbal responses are a big part of diagnosis but there are far more visual aspects of communication (only a very small percentage of communication is verbal) that go along side of that. I think without a doubt that girls are 'better' at masking (or working around) those problems than boys, and by your daughter's age could have developed some really good masking strategies, but 'peeling back the layers' does sort of imply the paediatrician is 'looking for' rather than 'seeing' IYKWIM...

Keep us posted about events in June, but either way the fact that you've got that appointment is a HUGE step in the right direction to getting your daughters support needs met

 

L&P

 

BD

[Karen A]

Welcome to the Forum. <'> Karen.

[Clare63]

Hi & Welcome to the forum, please , please ,please prepare your daughter for the scondary transision and get as much support as you can from her new school.

 

Clare x x x

[JsMum]

I agree with baddad I would ensure that the community peadatrition is experienced in Aspergers Syndrome, its going to be crucial to get the diagnosis for secondary school because of the things your daughter will have to know and do when she goes up, my son is 11 and going to secondary in sept and I know for sure he wont cope in secondary in two ways, the academic side and the enviroment, my son has sensory issues and wont be able to cope with the large buildings, change of classrooms, different children in different sets in subjects and most of all playtimes and dinner times.

 

we are going to sendist to get him into a specialist school that will identify these difficulties and help him.

 

The main reason is because of the stratagies they will use and the knowledge they will have in autism which a secondary school will miss because of the possible masking or because the behaviour could be misinterprited as poor behaviour.

 

what stratagies did you use, was they visual, routines, social stories ect.....?

 

I would really ensure that a specialist does assess her that are knowledgable in Aspergers Syndrome and High Functioning Autism.

 

JsMum

[mossgrove]

Good luck with the diagnosis.

 

Late diagnosis seems much more common with girls as many professionals don't seem as 'autism-aware' when girls are involved.

 

 

Simon

[CupOT]

Thanks for the advice all will do!.

[CupOT]

Thanks for the advice all will do!.