Interesting problem...

[conuly]

Lizziey has been working at a daycare center. She suspects one of the little girls there, Lily, is AS because she says that kid is a lot like I am, and even more like I'm described at her age. But the parents don't really want to admit anything's wrong, so naturally she ran the problem past me before deciding whether or not to bring it up to them - after all, I know more about it than she does.

Unfortunately, this put me in the strange situation of trying to figure out what this girl is like without prompting answers. How on earth do you ask "does she line up her toys instead of playing with them normally" (a standard sign of AS, even if it doesn't occur with all aspies) without getting Lizziey to remember EVERY time the kid lined up her toys, and forget the times she didn't and the other kids did? Although, I have to say, judging from the description I finally got, Lizziey may be right on track with this:

Only loose clothes. No pants, because she doesn't like the waistbands. No tags, ever.
Only sandals, and those get taken off as soon as possible.
"Meltdowns" for no apparent reason, screaming/hitting/biting.
Takes her naps in the supply closet, and spends a lot of the day there outside of naptime.
Does, apparently, line up all the stuffed animals in a particular order before napping.
Routinely leaves group activities to head over to the office where there's less people.
Reads a lot/all the time, speaks "at a more advanced level than the other kids" (she's five).
Terribly uncoordinated. Can't walk on a flat surface without tripping. Can't go on the trampoline without falling. LOVES to jump, and spin, but can't.
Most tellingly, the whole staff has already gotten this kid pegged as "a little off" and, importantly, her parents ask daily things like "did she talk to the other kids today" and "did she play with anybody" (with the general answer "no").

Thing is, this could probably mean more than just autism. And I'm not so stupid as to try to give an amateur diagnosis to a kid I've never even met. But my completely and totally volunteer opinion is that this kid's parents would do well for a quick education on all things spectrum. (Can I use this phrase? I like how it sounds).

*hums slightly to herself*

Had I the time, and the preparation, I could've asked a larger range of questions, but this all took me by surprise. And, like I said, I was trying to figure out how to find out more about this girl without prompting answers. If you've an open enough mind, you can diagnose yourself as dead without even missing a beat.

Comments

[redlami.livejournal.com]

I think it's a bad idea to give a second-hand amateur diagnosis to parents who aren't asking for it. If you were to speak to the parents themselves, you could maybe find out what their concerns were, and suggest things they might want to read, but I still wouldn't suggest telling them you thought their daughter was an aspie unless they asked you that question specifically.

[conuly]

That's why my advice to Lizziey was, if they ask, tell them. They seem, ei, to be concerned and worried already. I'm hardly about to go giving diagnoses to anybody, least of all people I don't know. No good comes of that sort of thing.