Published on 12, July, 2020
Before covid 19, my daughter would have a complete melt down after school. Almost like she would get to the car and completely explode in a rage that she could not control.
I also have other children, around her age so we do not have a quiet household, I've noticed since being at home she does seem much happier, however she goes absolutely mad when she thinks I'm not listening to her, that could be from me looking away for a brief second, one of her siblings playing in the background, someone else talking to me.
If it's noisy she will cover her ears as if she cannot cope with it. She tells me it's too loud and frustrating her.
She reacts to clothing being too hot, to big (slightly baggy)
She's gone off most food, it's a struggle to get her to eat. Smells trigger her into a melt down also, not even bad smells, just smells in general.
The thing is, when this all started with her after school I spoke to the teacher who couldn't believe it was the same little girl, and for a while neither could we, however I've recently read a thing called 'masking' and I'm wondering if this applies here? I do not know much about autism or anything as I've not had to look into it all before, I'm not sure if she even has it, but how would we possibly get a diagnosis if she has it but masks it.
I hope this makes sense and thank you for reading. As I said all very new to me. I'm just after some advice. Thank you
Hello NAS67145,
You may like to read our general information about autism:
http://www.autism.org.uk/about-autism/autism-and-asperger-syndrome-an-introduction/what-is-autism.aspx
If you were interested in finding out if your son/daughter is on the autism spectrum, they would need to have a formal diagnostic assessment. You may find it useful to have a look at the following link for further information about diagnosis and the benefits of getting one:http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/children.aspx
If you are looking for a diagnosis for your daughter/son, it is very important that you see someone with experience of autism spectrum disorders. Details of diagnostic services can be found on our Autism Services Directory:
https://www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx
You may also want to look at our section that provides advice for parents, relatives and carers of people with autism.
https://www.autism.org.uk/about/family-life.aspx
It might also be useful to pass on information about autism to health professionals when seeking a diagnosis. The following page includes information for a range of health professionals: https://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/professionals-involved.aspx
You may like to have a read of the National Autism Plan for Children to see what you are likely to expect and what you can ask during the assessment. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page and go to page 3 on summary report, page 11 for full report for the Essential Components for a complete multi agency assessment:
http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/children/national-plan-children.aspx
You may like to contact The Autism Helpline who can provide information and advice on behaviour and strategies. You can call them on 0808 800 4104 (10am – 3pm, Monday to Friday). Please note that the Helpline is experiencing a high volume of calls and it may take a couple of attempts before you get through to speak to an adviser.
All the best.
Elena Mod