Wondering if you could help?

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-01-2005
Wondering if you could help?
3
Fri, 10-14-2005 - 4:49pm

Hi all I'm new here and have no diagnoses of anything but wanted a little advice if thats ok, I have just posted this message on my playgroup board for a little advice but felt I would ask people here too. I do have one child who has possible tourettes syndrome and another who has a chronic tic disorder but my third child I am now a little concerned about too but I could just be being paranoid due to my other children.

Just a little curious as to what other peoples 3 year olds are like.
Jessica has always been an extremely sensitive child up until the age of around 1 she wouldnt go to anyone but me thats including her dad. She has since formed a wonderful relationship with her dad but is still very reluctant to go to others.
She started preschool in January 05 and settled ok after a while but didnt take well to when new things where introduced or if they had to go on trips such as the went to a play area once and she wouldnt leave my side to play with the other kids.
She went back to her preschool after the summer but has struggled to settle back in again, the staff then brought in a new thing where as they go in they have to find their names before sitting on the mat and put it in a box with the correct day of the week on, it used to be that they just sat on the mat, Jessica has found the new routine difficult to accept and it has taken three weeks to even pick up her name which I managed to get her to do today, the staff have commented on how she is and they say shes fine when I leave but sometimes they see her just wandering round and not as lively as she used to be, a lot of her friends from last year have now gone to big school so this is another reason she wont settle.
She then began having the odd day time accident not many but its not usual for her and then three nights in a row she wet the bed which she hasnt done for a year at least.
She seems such an insecure child and hates a change to her routine, all the kids had their photos taken last week but because it was a change Jessica was the only one who they couldnt get to have it done.
Im just wondering whether anyone else has a child as sensitive as this or whether I should be worried? She has no language or speech difficulties and does relate to those she is close to but she is extremely sensitive and will cry for anything, if we laugh in fun and she feels it is aimed at her she cries, she is just so sensitive. Not sure if I should be concerned or whether this is normal because my others werent as sensitive as her

Thanks for any help
Zoe

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Sat, 10-15-2005 - 8:32am

Zoe,

I'm not sure if telling you how my kids were at that age will help you any, because all our kids are so different.

I do think that if you have concerns about Jesse, you should raise them with your pediatrician, and request a referral for an evaluation. The best thing to do, is to take a few days to build up a profile of her on paper; include info such as when she hit the big milestones; and list not just the issues which concern you, but also her strengths and gifts. Give this to the ped. to read, and request a consultation appt: i.e. just adults, no kids. The pediatrician can advise you on next steps. Keep copies of your list to give to any evaluating parties.

If you want my opinion, based on your description of her (and I am just a mom), I would advise you to have her evaluated. Not necssarily for Autism or anything specific, but to get a handle on her strengths and weaknesses and to see if she has any anxieties, which could be holding her back. To me, it sounds like she has a lot of anxiety. The only real "red flag" for an Autistic Spectrum Disorder you raised is the extreme dislike of change. Only a qualified professional can tell you if this is due to an ASD or some other factor.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any more questions. Good luck and please let us know how it goes.

-Paula

-Paula

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sat, 10-15-2005 - 9:05am

Hey Zoe!

I just posted a responce to you and the computer ate it......Aw man!

Did you see the questions I posted on the Dec board? I just wanted to get a better feeling of how Jessica was behaving. My oldest Jake, is Aspergers. I didn't know when he was Jaessicas and Katies age that there was anything wrong then....looking back I reconize some symptoms now-he had obcessions, spoke like a little professor, like being around adults better then children, hated water or anything to do with it. anyways- could you answer the questions on the DEC board for me...Thanks!

Liza

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-01-2005
Sat, 10-15-2005 - 2:00pm

Hi Paula and Liza

Thanks very much for your help and advice, I have decided to take a little while longer to observe Jessica and if her anxieties dont improve I will ask for our health visitor or doctor to have a look at her.

Thanks
Zoe

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