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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP,

I have a very high functioning borderline ASD tween. (diagnosed at age 11). At 2, he became hyperfocused on rainforest frogs; at 4 he taught himself to read. He was at a fully play-based preschool, so no one knew he could read and he functioned well in that type of small setting. From a very early age, he could self play imaginatively. I never would have thought to test him back then. As a preschooler, he always had light and noise/chaos sensitivities and would just go off into his own space.

It wasn't until elementary school, where we noticed issues -- all around processing speed. He didn't finish a single piece of paper in a classroom setting in grades 1, 2, and 3. We worked with his school to put supports in place to get it so that he could finish work in a classroom setting. No one suggested testing him, and we didn't think to, either. He made a single good friend, and was not interested in other people much. But he has always made eye contact and been very normal, though overly dramatic and gets frustrated very easily at things that shouldn't be frustrating. He has had some very unique hyperfocused interests as well.

It wasn't until he headed to middle school that we decided to test him to get time accommodations. My sister actually once asked if he was ASD and even pediatrician did not think he was.

At 11, knowing has turned out to be a blessing. He's more comfortable in his own skin and wants to work on the things that are his weaknesses. We talk about the ASD as a personality, not a disease that needs a cure.

I think if I had to do it over again knowing what I do now, I would have been better off testing him in elementary school, but not before -- probably around grade 1 or 2, when it was clear that he wasn't able to finish any of his schoolwork and homework without extreme supports and a lot of anxiety.

Hope that helps.[/quote]

NP here and our child sounds very similar to this PP's minus the obsessive interests at age 2. In his case, testing in mid-elementary showed the issues are due to anxiety rather than ASD or other issues. I wanted to chime in to emphasize the point that it can be very hard to diagnose from a snapshot of a child this age and things can and often do change dramatically as a child gets slightly older.[/quote]

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