Hi, my seven year old son is currently in the beginning of being tested and when I say beginning I mean we have a scheduled appointment with a specialist. I almost feel like I'm tiptoeing on the edge of something I have no clue about. Like I have no right to actually be here yet I'm so unsure and confused when it comes to my oldest who is seven that here I am. Sure I've read the articles and researched as much as I can but no one am answer your questions like those who have actually experience it.
A little backstory as to why we have gotten here. My seven year old, while highly intelligent, struggles both socially and emotionally every single day, he's been diagnosed with ADHD, but it in no way covers the things he goes though, he is also in no way hyperactive, though I know some kids with it aren't. He is however highly sensitive to both loud noises and heat, luke warm is scalding to him, when he was a baby he screamed in every bath like I was burning him, it took me longer than I wish it had to realize that a room temperature was the only way to go. My son also thrives on routine, for example bed is at this time it must be done in this way and in this order. If it doesn't well let the meltdown begin. Emotionally my son seems to be younger than my youngest who is five, he will have a full on melt down over something so small, if anything goes a way that he didn't expect. Sometimes these meltdowns will involve a shut down of sorts, while this means we are done talking and will ignore every one, run away, or just lay on the floor, this last one actually got him kicked out of the first school he was in, because they were frustrated with the amount of time they spent trying to get him to participate. It was the best thing that could have happened because his new school is highly structured and rather strict on rules and he is thriving remarkably, just not socially, he wants so badly to fit in and while he does have "friends" they seem to just out up with him, I've watched him, he just doesn't know how to fully interact with others. However he has no idea that they get annoyed with him in anyway. He also gets obsessed with things, lately it's asthma, I have asthma and this winter it got annoyingly bad, well he has decided he wants it, he literally repeats over and over he wants it, he asks millions of questions about it and truthfully drives me a tad crazy with the whole thing! Ha ha! I've known something is up since he was tiny but I've been having a hard time with his pediatrician, while I love her, it feels like she's incredibly hesitant to even say autism, I've brought it up, after his grandmother who works in a school for children with special needs as aid told me she had concerns, and my sister hesitantly told me she thought the same thing, his doctor however said that there was no way he could have autism, because he gets jokes. Yes he certainly does, I'm fact he loves them like any other kid. He will also look me in the eye as long as he's not uncomfortable and he seems ok with touch most days, though when in a meltdown, watch out, he also does pretend play and can build anything with instructions, another obsession of his. He functions pretty well mostly as long as things go that certain way so my be I'm wrong, maybe I'm just connecting the wrong dots, maybe it is just ADHD, though I don't know of any sensory issues with ADHD. I'm a little lost, the thing is though as my youngest gets older and matures himself, I can see the differences between them and while I know each child is different, it just is too different. Any way I'm sorry this is so long but any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!
A little backstory as to why we have gotten here. My seven year old, while highly intelligent, struggles both socially and emotionally every single day, he's been diagnosed with ADHD, but it in no way covers the things he goes though, he is also in no way hyperactive, though I know some kids with it aren't. He is however highly sensitive to both loud noises and heat, luke warm is scalding to him, when he was a baby he screamed in every bath like I was burning him, it took me longer than I wish it had to realize that a room temperature was the only way to go. My son also thrives on routine, for example bed is at this time it must be done in this way and in this order. If it doesn't well let the meltdown begin. Emotionally my son seems to be younger than my youngest who is five, he will have a full on melt down over something so small, if anything goes a way that he didn't expect. Sometimes these meltdowns will involve a shut down of sorts, while this means we are done talking and will ignore every one, run away, or just lay on the floor, this last one actually got him kicked out of the first school he was in, because they were frustrated with the amount of time they spent trying to get him to participate. It was the best thing that could have happened because his new school is highly structured and rather strict on rules and he is thriving remarkably, just not socially, he wants so badly to fit in and while he does have "friends" they seem to just out up with him, I've watched him, he just doesn't know how to fully interact with others. However he has no idea that they get annoyed with him in anyway. He also gets obsessed with things, lately it's asthma, I have asthma and this winter it got annoyingly bad, well he has decided he wants it, he literally repeats over and over he wants it, he asks millions of questions about it and truthfully drives me a tad crazy with the whole thing! Ha ha! I've known something is up since he was tiny but I've been having a hard time with his pediatrician, while I love her, it feels like she's incredibly hesitant to even say autism, I've brought it up, after his grandmother who works in a school for children with special needs as aid told me she had concerns, and my sister hesitantly told me she thought the same thing, his doctor however said that there was no way he could have autism, because he gets jokes. Yes he certainly does, I'm fact he loves them like any other kid. He will also look me in the eye as long as he's not uncomfortable and he seems ok with touch most days, though when in a meltdown, watch out, he also does pretend play and can build anything with instructions, another obsession of his. He functions pretty well mostly as long as things go that certain way so my be I'm wrong, maybe I'm just connecting the wrong dots, maybe it is just ADHD, though I don't know of any sensory issues with ADHD. I'm a little lost, the thing is though as my youngest gets older and matures himself, I can see the differences between them and while I know each child is different, it just is too different. Any way I'm sorry this is so long but any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!
