HelloI need some advice about my daughter she is 8.She was always a quiet child, well mannered and polite. When she started school she was ok, but towards the end of reception year she started to tell me that no one wanted to play with her. So this has continued. She cannot seem to communicate with her peers, she wants to and gets upset. I have changed schools, but this has made no difference. She is isolated and a target for bullies. She sings to other children in the playground, but has stopped since I have told her to. She also is very easily distracted and does not concentrate, she can forget what she has just been told and this effects her school work. She has always been scared of loud noise. Balloons make her very anxious and she crys for a good half and hour if she says someone playing with them. She stays away from loud children.She take a little longer to do things than her peers. She eats slower and answers questions slower. Does not always get what her peers are saying to her, I have witnessed this myself. She appears blank, she maybe just very shy, but she is not at home. Worried that this isolation at school will effect her emotionally, she already makes excuses not to go to school. Thanks Sandy
Hi,
I am Susan McPhail, M.Ed. I've been teaching special education for over 24 years and am the parent of an adult daughter who has autism. I have had training and conducted training in a variety of interventions designed to alleviate issues that are faced by people with autism/Asperger's syndrome. I have served as an expert witness and advocated for people who are on the spectrum of autism for over 20 years. I am currently a doctoral candidate and the focus of my dissertation is autism training for teachers.
The symptoms that you have described do not necessarily indicate autism spectrum disorder, but could mean that she falls on the spectrum and probably needs supports and services. A reputable diagnostician would need to make the diagnosis if she does have autism. She would definitely benefit from counseling and social skills therapy to enhance her social skills and to help her with peer relations. I have included links at the end of this post that might provide helpful information. The first link is a test for Asperger's syndrome that you might be able to sense whether or not she is on the spectrum by answering the questions while thinking of her characteristics. Of course, this is not meant to serve as a diagnosis, but the test is fairly accurate and might lead to further diagnosis from someone who is familiar with autism.
Thank you for the question and I hope that I've helped. Please consider accepting as it helps in supporting my further endeavors to assist families and individuals affected by autism spectrum disorder. If you need additional information or assistance, please let me know through Just Answer.
Susan
http://www.piepalace.ca/blog/asperger-test-aq-test/
http://www.aspires-relationships.com/articles_adult_version_austrailian_scale_for_as.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002516/