Proud mum bragging alert!

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On another note Alex, you do sometimes have to push for a proper diagnosis on these things and I have been warned, my mum works in a children's respite care home for special needs and works with those who may just have a learning difficulty to those who are totally wheelchair bound and she works with a lot of autistic children of varying degrees and she was the first to say about Myles when he was just a baby but I thought he'd grow out of it and didn't want to have him labelled 'special needs' when I managed him just fine. Anyway she has said the amount of children in her care who's parents had to really push and fight for their kids to be properly diagnosed is ridiculous, (because they can only receive funding for the care the home she works at provides if they are properly diagnosed). So many are misdiagnosed before hand, it really does just put me off tbh but I don't want him struggling or being anxious when he doesn't have to be.

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Originally Posted by alexgirl73

Hayley was 9 in April of this year. She still has emotional outbursts, and I don't know if you get the constant high pitched whining from Myles, but that is her speciality lol. She knows she is slightly different from other kids, and it upsets her when she sees them laughing at her because she finds it so hard to control herself. She bursts into tears at the slightest thing, and has extreme difficulty in turn taking and sharing etc. Although, she has come a LONG way from the way she was. A great part of that is routine with her, and not saying that something will happen, and then it doesn't. She has to be prepared for all eventualities. Does Myles have fixations? Hayleys is currently Dr Who , she can tell you every episode, what happened in it, who was in it and millions of mind numbing facts!! Before that is was Barney the Dinosaur (for 6 years!!).

Nurture groups are fantastic, and I would perhaps discuss this with the head if you can. This link may help you

http://www.nurturegroups.org/pages/about.html

Oh yes he does, ever since he was wee, about 2, he'd watch the film, 'Space Jam' over and over and over in a row as many times as you dare let him, day after day, that went on for months, perhaps even a year and he never liked playgroup or playing with other toddlers, he hated it to a degree that he would hide behind my legs the whole session, they were the first signs. At the moment he is obsessed with computer games, mostly Xbox360, he knows the levels of certain games so well he could do it with his eyes closed, get all the 'achievements' and tasks, everything, he remembers where everything is, how many, it's unreal and very difficult to get him to do other things, even more so that he struggles with outdoor activities (bikes, balls, e.t.c) so doesn't really enjoy sports and things, although thankfully he does enjoy walking/hiking. Don't get me wrong, he is limited on the console but he is obsessed with it. When we are out he will pretend he is playing it, or relate things to playing it, when playing a game or cards for example he will say 'You be player 2 and i'll be player 1'. When the teacher asks him what he does at home its really bad for me as that's all he talks about and I have to go in and try and tell her we do actually do lots of other things, he just has a total obsession!

[alexgirl73]

Oh I so know where you are coming from. I don't like the idea of Hayley being 'labelled' either, but I also know that if she goes to secondary without the proper support in place, it will be a nightmare for her. I am still trying to push for her to be seen again. But no one seems to want to listen. She is extremely bright (her reading level is about a 12 year olds), and she uses language in an astounding manner for a 9 year old. And her academic report for this year was excellent, but she is let down again by her behaviour. It isn't helped by the fact that the head doesn't think there is an underlying cause to it all, she just says emotional immaturity! Whereas many people I know with children who are ASD swear that she is just like their kids. I feel like I am constantly banging my head off of a brick wall!

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Thanks Alex i'll have a look. x

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Oh Alex how frustrating, I will have a word with my mum if you like and see what she says, I can't promise she will come back with anything that will help you where you are but she might have some useful advice of what you could try, I don't know but she's just told me that I will need to be prepared to push it before I even start, it seems everyone has to fight for a diagnosis which is surely wrong if the kids clearly need support and so do the parents, it's not easy by any means! Myles is my only child and he's all I have known so i'm used to it and for me it is just normal but when I have looked after other people's kids it's like a breath of fresh air at times.