Teacher wont believe anything is wrong...

Hi all : )  My Daughter was assessed last year when she was 4 years old and it came back inconclusive due to the ADOS and as the school claimes she has no difficulties.  She is due to be reassessed in two years when she will be 7yrs.  Autism was picked up when she was 2yrs and all the professionals mentioned asd from the start.  Since learning all about asd i know 100% that she has got it.  She was more classically autistic when she was a baby/toddler but since she has started school she has shown that she is able to learn (copy) and adapt.  We feel she has high functioning autism.  Her older brother has adhd and is now on the waiting list for assessment for aspergers also.  Basically, we have huge problems with her at home, out and about which is also seen in her gymnastics class etc (not just with us at home) but the school are not willing to help.  She was awake most nights last week crying her eyes out and occassionally hitting out.  She finds it difficult to comunicate her anxieties but im asumming she is anxious about the school play and going to see a panto in the next few weeks.  I have written everything down in her reading book for her teacher to see and try and work with me to help her but all i got back is that "all the children in the class seem happy to go to the panto"!!! She wakes up every morning claiming she is ill with a bad belly and doesnt want to go to school, it brakes my heart.  The teacher is very old school so i am told and basically does not have much knowledge about girls with autism.  There is a boy in the same year but different class who has aspergers and he is having a hell of a time in class due to sensory issues but the teachers can see his worries as he can get quite violent(although there is not much help for him there either), My Daughter wont, if she gets upset or angry about something she holds it all in until she gets home then blows!.  We had a meeting with the ed psych a few weeks ago who was reluctant to assess my daughter as the teacher claims there are no problems in class to report.  This upset me as i knew the ed psych would be able to see how my daughter interacts with her peers and how she comunicates, plays etc so she will assess her just before she goes through the 2nd autism assessment in two years time.  Once my daughter is in school, i can imagine her being happy as everything is so structured, she even talks to her peers in class but completely blanks them outside of school or even in the playground on the way to school and on the way out.  She likes her set routines etc  Has anyone been through a similar situation?  I dont know many people with girls with ASD especially with HFA/AS.  Thank you x

Parents
  • Hello ceejaydj,

    Like your daughter I was very possessive with friends all through both primary and secondary schools. I had one close friend at primary school, but every time she talked to, or got close  to anyone else, I would feel upset and would stop being friends with her; I would then annoy her constantly. At secondary school I was accused of being 'clingy'  because I followed one particular girl everywhere, and this led to her telling me that she did not want to be friends with me anymore. I had no idea that it was the rule to have more than one friend and that it was expected that you should be part of a group - this became particularly significant when I entered secondary school, when group formation is a natural social development for most people.  I ended up on the margins with no friends, and I retreated into my own world of Kate Winslet fantasies (I was infatuated with the actress).

    Like your daughter I would have extreme tantrums if things did not go my way, but I was not particularly loud at school. At school, though, I would swing from being too quiet to being quite disruptive, depending on my interest in what was being taught and how strict the teacher was. But I never had tantrums at school, only at at home. The tantrums would involve screaming, stamping my feet, throwing my whole body around, and hitting my parents.  I am convinced your daughter is autistic, from what you describe. And I am sure that you will get the official diagnosis soon, just keep on fighting your corner and things will eventually happen.

     

    Good luck

     

Reply
  • Hello ceejaydj,

    Like your daughter I was very possessive with friends all through both primary and secondary schools. I had one close friend at primary school, but every time she talked to, or got close  to anyone else, I would feel upset and would stop being friends with her; I would then annoy her constantly. At secondary school I was accused of being 'clingy'  because I followed one particular girl everywhere, and this led to her telling me that she did not want to be friends with me anymore. I had no idea that it was the rule to have more than one friend and that it was expected that you should be part of a group - this became particularly significant when I entered secondary school, when group formation is a natural social development for most people.  I ended up on the margins with no friends, and I retreated into my own world of Kate Winslet fantasies (I was infatuated with the actress).

    Like your daughter I would have extreme tantrums if things did not go my way, but I was not particularly loud at school. At school, though, I would swing from being too quiet to being quite disruptive, depending on my interest in what was being taught and how strict the teacher was. But I never had tantrums at school, only at at home. The tantrums would involve screaming, stamping my feet, throwing my whole body around, and hitting my parents.  I am convinced your daughter is autistic, from what you describe. And I am sure that you will get the official diagnosis soon, just keep on fighting your corner and things will eventually happen.

     

    Good luck

     

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