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Autism focus issues

NAS75635

Hi all,

 My daughter ten is recently diagnosed with ASD.

 We originally approached the school because of her erratic emotionality, lack of focus, avoidance of mental effort, “spaciness” and extreme sensitivity to criticism. We thought she might have been inattentive ADHD.

An observation by a clinical psychologist visiting the school recommended an autism assessment. Sge said that our duather did not exhibit any impulsivity

After the ASD diagnosis arrived,  we had her assessed by an educational psychologist to see if she had any hidden learning difficulties that we were  not aware of. This assessment revealed that she was above average intelligence that that lack of focus was not because of a deficiency in her cognitive abilities.

So I am not sure how to help her with focus.  An ADHD child gets special interventions in the classroom to help them focus, would get extended time for assessments and crucial focus-inducing medicine to help him/her focus. However if the  lack of lack of focus comes from autism, the child does not get the medicine and has to just get on with it. I have seen how  crucial the ADHD medicine is and it  has transformed the lives of friends’  kids and I feel that autistic kids with focus  issues are getting set up to fail.

Am I right in my thinking or is there something I am not realising?

Parents

  • Autism is labelled as a 'disability' and your daughter's school is obliged by law to make reasonable adjustments so that she is not disadvantaged relative to her peers. This should include extra time in tests and suchlike - autism often brings with it difficulties and delays in processing information. For example a neurotypical child may only need a quick glance at a question to take in what it requires in the way of an answer, while an autistic child might have to read it through multiple times to be sure about what it requires. Sensory problems can also affect focus, if the room is too noisy, if there is an odd smell, if the lights are flickering, all sorts of sensory input can be distracting for autistic people.

Reply

  • Autism is labelled as a 'disability' and your daughter's school is obliged by law to make reasonable adjustments so that she is not disadvantaged relative to her peers. This should include extra time in tests and suchlike - autism often brings with it difficulties and delays in processing information. For example a neurotypical child may only need a quick glance at a question to take in what it requires in the way of an answer, while an autistic child might have to read it through multiple times to be sure about what it requires. Sensory problems can also affect focus, if the room is too noisy, if there is an odd smell, if the lights are flickering, all sorts of sensory input can be distracting for autistic people.

Children
  • in reply to Martin

    Hi Martin, Yes I was quite surprised that both the clincal and educational psychologist did not recommend extra time for exams. What they did recommend was the exam be structured so she could have a break within the allotted time frame with the break time added on the end. However, my daughter rejects these breaks as she just wants to get the exams over and done with as soon as possible and having a break just adds on extra time to the experience.