Hello! Have been reading some of the posts whilst waiting for my registration to be activated!
I'm so glad to find that I am not alone!!
My YS is 7 nearly 8, waited 2 years for assessment for Aspergers when he was 5 to be told he has too much imagination and was given diagnosis of Pragmatic Language Disorder instead. He was coming to the end of Year R at this time and the teacher he had used to say "let's not worry about the diagnosis, he's a lovely boy....????" and that will get him everywhere will it??
Anyway, now 2 1/2 years down the line, started having more and more problems in the playground, not allowing others to join his "crew" a select group of his "friends" that have coincidentally been put in the same class 3 years on the trot...like that happens regularly at school!! Never been socially challenged outside of his comfort zone but, will not allow others to join in the play, doesn't like it if they don't play by "his" rules, doesn't like it if they want to play something different than what they have been playing etc..... Had a few incidents with biting and hitting due to being frustrated and "trapped" during a situation, getting angry and telling them to leave him alone or he would hit, bite etc... but they wouldn't back off!! After the last incident, he was brought up in front of the HT and was entered into the behaviour log for monitoring and I was told they wanted to give him anger management sessions with the ELSA lady! I wasn't happy with this because he's not an angry child by any stretch, he gets angry because of the situation he is in and feels trapped and can't escape, on the last incident, he remembered that he wasn't allowed to hit and ran away, being chased and fell and cut his head open!!!
Anyway, 2 weeks before christmas, I asked for a meeting with his teacher and the SENCO, the SENCO couldn't fit in around my hours and although I offered to meet at any time, was never called back so decided to give them until half term and if I heard nothing then I was going in all guns blazing after half term.
Spoke to his Paediatrician after christmas as he also has problems with bowel movements, sometimes not going for 8-10 days!!! She didn't agree with the anger management and preferred him to be referred to Behaviour Management team as they have appropriate measures to use with ASD children, told me they have to look at the bigger picture and WHY he is hitting/biting and not just punish him for it, although he knows it's not acceptable when he's calm, when he is frustrated, he is impossible to reason with!
On the last day of school, got a phone call at 8.15AM!!! from his teacher asking me to meet with her that day (must have had a target to meet before half term!) The meeting tbh was very informative and to give the teacher her due, she has been doing her homework! But she threw a load of stuff up that I had no idea was happening alongside the playground problems.
He has been re-referred to SALT in the first instance for the following reasons:
Playground and friendship problems
Anger Management (haha!)
Poor comprehension
Literal understanding and mis-understanding of questions written and oral!
Inability to differentiate between animation and real life!
Lack of imaginative skills in writing (???)
Inability to write at length or for sustained amount of time! (probably due to lack of interest in topic and hypermobility which they failed to read in his original diagnosis!)
I don't know what to expect from the SALT referral this time or whether it will lead to re-assessment for Aspergers, I don't even know if he will now fit the criteria for Asperger's this time round but, I'm pleased the school is doing something and annoyed that we have to go through this process all over again!!
At home, he insists on removing his trousers when he comes in the door, watches telly upside down on the sofa, when he can sit still!! Gets cross with his brother if he interrupts his train of thought or if he is playing with his Lego, talking as his characters and his brother wants to join in!! Gets a desperate urge for food and cannot wait but, then eats a limited amount, enough for "fuel/energy" and goes back to what he's doing! He plays on the computer and talks to it, plays with his own Lego inventions and sets fro 9-11 year olds with upto 1000 pieces but he can build them without help in a day!! He reads well but, rarely writes, does nothing creative/craft related, apart from Lego! He loves everything green...including food!
sorry for the long ramble, I'm glad to have found you here, looks like a great place to share frustrations!
Cat, xx
P.S. I have 2 other NT children and a brother with un-diagnosed Aspergers.
