Hello! I'm new here and would like to introduce myself. My name's Libby, I'm 34 and have a lovable but quirky eight year old son called Josh, who has Aspergers Syndrome and dyspraxia.
He goes to our local primary school and is on school action plus. He is very intelligent and loves practical activities but has problems with written work and having to concentrate for long periods. His handwriting is a big concern and he is given opportunities to use the computer for some written work, like spellings and projects. We are currently querying dyslexia. He gets bored very quickly in lessons and will switch off and curl up under the table when he's had enough. He is also extremely sensitive to criticism and 'goes off on one' if he gets told off. He is very unsettled this year at school
Josh has a phobia about Doctor Who. Doctor Who cards are big at school at the moment but Josh gets really upset when he sees children with them. He was sent home sick on two occasions because he threw up after lunch. I later found out it was seeing these cards and hearing children talk about them that made him physically sick. When adverts for Dr Who come on TV, he runs from the room with his hands over his ears and won't come back in for ages. He is also scared of sea slugs. He's never seen a sea slug but has got this idea in his head that they might get him while he is on the toilet or in bed. He keeps coming up to ask me to check his back for slugs!
Josh likes routine. He is happy when he knows what is happening and gets anxious if the routine has to change. He used to hate going into town but I started drawing a map of shops we needed to go to and list the items we needed then let him read the map for me so he felt in control. This worked a treat! I now prepare a visual map or list wherever we go so he can visualise what will happen. He doesn't like surprises.
Current concerns for Josh are his numerous anxieties, sleep difficulties and fussy eating.
I could write an essay really but I'm getting tired and my husband is begging me to make him a cuppa!
