Reply to What does high functioning autism look like?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My kid is 6 years old.  She is flexible, has friends and has no intense interests.  On the other hand, her eye contact is inconsistent.  When she tells stories, she always looks all around as if the story is playing out in front of her.  We often have to remind her to look at people when she asks a question or says “thank you.”  She loves make believe games with friends and is very creative, but if a friend loses interest, she’ll just keep the make believe game going on her own, talking to stuffed animals, narrating out loud, etc.  She engages when she sees friends after school on the playground, but, at recess, she prefers to play alone (again, talking to herself as she engages in make believe).

Stixrud said we should “keep an eye on” things for a possible ASD diagnosis.  Does this sound like ASD to you?  What’s your ASD kid like?  How did you know it was ASD? [/quote]

I'm going to throw you a wrench and say that this sounds like what our 7yo daughter was like a year ago. I do think that if it's ASD, it'll become more apparent in the next year or two. The "intense interests" in girls are usually masked by gender; so my daughter was into playing with dolls what seemed like a normal amount compared to her peers -- but as they got older, it became more apparent (but still subtle!) that it was more of an intense interest.

I really encourage you to put your child on the list for an evaluation now with a clinic who specialize in ASD in girls, such as Children's. Perhaps in a year or two, you no longer need the appointment. But it's better to get on the list in case that shifts.

While ASD is harder to spot in girls, it is not any less impactful. Many girls "mask" more successfully, and the stress of doing so as they grow older puts them at risk of mental health complications.[/quote]

Poster above again. I thought about this some more, and I really wouldn't say our daughter even has an intense interest -- it's more that it's a rigid interest. So what it can look like is bossiness or stubbornness -- only wants to play babies, refuses to play games you suggest. It looks very like social play, but in some subtle ways, it lacks the back-and-forth aspect of socialization.[/quote]

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