Progress of sorts

[RainbowsButterflies]

Since I started suspecting I had AS (this time around anyway), I also suspected DD did too, but was fobbed off by the health professionals on the basis that she was too young and that I was projecting my own difficulties onto her.

 

Our local special school is predominantly SLD and PMLD, but has some ASD children, and has a mainstream pre-school class who mix with their Early Years class - DD's name has been down since she was a baby as I thought it was a fantastic idea. I've rearranged her nursery days and drafted in her Nanna so she can go one morning a week as I think it's especially important that she can get a better understanding of me, and they can do some observations of her. She starts tomorrow...

 

Other things that have happened this week:

 

1) Nursery have started noticing some of her behaviours. She just isn't getting the whole toilet training at all. She desperately wants to be out of nappies, but hasn't got a clue. If you tell her to sit on the potty she will go - 90% of the time she will wee, but she doesn't know she needs to go and she won't always tell you if she's had an accident. She also demonstrated her pedantic use of language beautifully to the SENCo at nursery today - 'that's not a dinosaur, it's a lizard'.

 

2) The HV rang me to let me know she had got my message about my diagnosis. We were talking again about DD and she's coming next week to do a 3 year developmental check with a view to referring her to the Child Developmental Centre for an assessment. I explained that I could see so many of my own behaviours in her and that I felt she would need understanding in school if not formal support, and that it was important to get the ball rolling now as 18 months is not a long time.

 

My bright happy little girl was really looking forward to going and singing 'heads shoulders knees and toes' with the other boys and girls at the chatterbox challenge yesterday. When we got there she clung to me like a limpet. How can I stop her ending up with the same MH issues I have?

 

 

[charlotte]

is this something she always does when going to nursery or just as it was a special day and things were different when she got there?

[RainbowsButterflies]

It wasn't at nursery, it was a charity thing to raise money for 'I can' the children's communication charity. There weren't many children there but it was somewhere she'd not been for a long time.

[Tally]

How can I stop her ending up with the same MH issues I have?

I think the answer to that is early diagnosis and support. I think you're on completely the right track.

[sesley]

make them listen and contact the NAS for advise on how to get professional diagnosis some people particulary the professionals need lessons on autism and how to spot the first signs. How old is your little girl? the toilet thing can be difficult,you will need to be very patient and don't show any anxietys if you can help it, to her. I know its frustrating,but overtime she will get better. Mine still at 11 has the odd number 2 accident and thats because he ignores the signals because he is engrossed in what he is doing.

[charlotte]

my thinking on the chatterbox event is that it is to do with multiple changes happening at once, dealing with new experiences and something maybe not being what she expected.

 

my thoughts on how to prepare her for such occasions would be through using pictures and if possible going to the location before hand maybe just to meet some people and have a look around or even just going to the building and outside talking about with her when and why you will be going there. maybe a visual timetable/calendar of such events (lots on google images).

 

things like this may lessen her anxieties in such situations and may also help you.