Ever since my son was about 3, i started picking up on the first signs that something was a little different and so did his nursery. Austism or anything like that did not even enter my head at this time. The first things at this age was his delayed speaking and speech which resulted in speech and language sessions. He tends to stutter at the beginning of a sentence and he also used to ignore me a lot when i called him. Not all the time but most. I would have to call him multiple times to get his attention. He was also really sensitive to loud noises and would always cover his ears and this is still something he does now. This resulted in me getting his hearing, tested which came back perfect so i put it down to selective hearing maybe?.
Potty training was also a long and difficult process. I thought he was going to go to school in nappies because he was so difficult to train.
Just before he started nursery they discharged him from speech and language at the hospital and said they where pleased with how he was progressing and that his speech would catch up quickly in his school enviroment.
After being at nursery for afew months the teachers also picked up on a few thing. I can't remember what things they were now but it was his concentration among other things. They where going to refer him to SENCO for an assessment, but it was so close to the end of the year that it never happened because he didn't get into that school. His attention span is and was really poor, especially in large groups.
Anyway, when he started his new school in Reception, things seemed to be going well. Apart from the not listening and rough play but thats just boys right? Also, Reception is mainly play based and the children are young so he was fine to my knowledge. He then moved into Year 1 where it is still very play based but more work is encorporated. Again his ability to pay attention and follow instructions became more noticeable with age. Sitting still is also an effort for him and the contant fiddling. This is the year that he started to fall behind with his reading and writing. He would get really upset when made to do either of these at school. They said its the physical time and effort it takes that he stuggles with because it requires concentration which is his difficult point. I also started to worry alot towards the end of this year because I knew Year 2 would be a big change with sitting round tables and working for the best part of every day. I knew how much he was going to struggle with that transition. I raised my concerns about this with the school as Lucas had already slipped behind and was struggling in his learning at this point. The teachers agreed and he was offered a place in The Base, which is a class of 6-7 children with learning difficulties and specialist teachers. He was also refered by the school for and autism test. I was upset at this because until they said it, i had never thought of it. I thought maybe dyslexia or just a learning difficulty but his teachers believe he is on the Autism Spectrum.
He was assessed but the doctor concluded that he didn't believe he was on the spectrum. I was relieved a little at the time but did feel he barely took much notice of my son or me and that he was more interested in the 2 students in the room that he was teaching and asking questions to.
My son is now 7 and in Year 2. He is no longer in a mainstream class at his school. He is in a smaller class with specialist teachers. He finds it hard, and every day is a challenge for him, but is progressing slowly. He is still about a year behind but i am pleased with his progress. I am sure this is only down to the extra care and attention that he receives in the BASE and that he would not make the same progress if he was still in a mainstream class. He needs constant visual reminders to pay attention and reminders of class rules. We have also had a few incidences with other children now he is getting older. He can make friends and play with other children but struggles to maintain friendships. Other children struggle to play with him because he wants everyone to do what he wants and can't understand or relate if they want to do other things. He can be very bossy and wants everything on his terms and his way. He still needs my assistence to get dressed as he struggles by himself. Again i think this comes down to the time and effort it takes.
He loves his xbox and he tends to excessively talk about computer games he likes. He will cut conversations off to switch to what he wants to talk about a lot. Lego games in-particular. I cut his computer time down to a minimum but don't want to stop it completely because it's something he enjoys. He pays attention if he is interested in the subject thats being discussed but if its not he struggles to maintain focus.
He is the most loving, funny and active little boy. His language is now advanced for his age and his is really well spoken. He still has the stutter at the beginning of sentences and a few letter sounds are still absent, but apart from that his language communication is great. He is also highly competitive. As much as it can be a strong point it also becomes a problem when playing with other children because he hates to lose and other people win. He has even told teachers at school that he would rather not join in and play a game at all than lose. He finds it hard to deal with and gets very fustrated. Tears and tamtrums. We are trying to work on this with him.
I feel like i could write so much more. He also has sensory issues that i haven't mentioned but going by what I have written, could people give me some feed back on if they think it is autism????
The school are re-refering him for a second test as the believe that he is on the scale. I thought it was ADHD because he also has many of the symptoms of that, but the teachers think autism???
I have just received a date for his assessment finally. It has been a long wait. I want to be fully prepared this time and not be fobbed of.
Any opinions would be so helpful x
