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
Hi, I'm an older Aspie woman who had no idea I was on the spectrum until a few years ago. I have read about Autism extensively, and was particularly interested to find out the way it affects women and girls, who so often go undiagnosed.
I was a quiet, timid, unpopular child at school who spent a lot of time "daydreaming". I think I used to experience shutdowns rather than meltdowns - maybe through a fear of being chastised for being "naughty", but when I became overwhelmed I would cry. I enjoyed doing arts & crafts on my own. I loved reading and would escape into my story books. I would put my colouring pencils in a certain order and spend time arranging my dolls and model horses. I preferred the company of adults to other children, whom I found unpredictable and bewildering. But I just thought I was a sensitive child. Now I know different.
I found a description of the traits of Aspie girls on this website:
https://taniaannmarshall.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/first-signs-of-asperger-syndrome-in-young-girls-pre-school/
I was able to tick a lot of the boxes, so maybe it will help your assessment of your daughter.