Sunday 17 January 2010

Mum always knows best

They say Mums always know best, and I'd have to say I agree. As the days go on I'm trying to take things in slowly, but I think it's already dawning on me that my first assumption that Sasha must be borderline is not necessarily the case. Several friends and family are almost disbelieving - 'no, how can that be?' 'but she's such a happy contented little girl' - so either they're good fibbers or it's really not obvious to others. However, as I spend so much of my time with her, all the little things do add up - yes, I know that lots of toddlers like to eat from certain plates or drink out of certain cups, and don't like to wear their clothes sometimes... my elder daughter's insistence on only purple juice or pink plates for over a year may have been a 'sign'.... but with Sasha it's different. It's more than that. Many little things from each of the three 'impairments' as they're known - social interaction, social communication and rigidity of thinking. And then again, so many things she does seem to understand and do - she knows the difference between right and wrong, she can tell facial expressions and tone of voice, she will pass Tamsin's toys back to her and share well - when it suits her! But if the signs have already been spotted by a professional who only spent an hour and a half with her, then possibly they're not as borderline as I thought - when you know what you're looking for. At this stage my biggest fear is that the gap will get bigger and the struggles more profound as she grows older - the best reason there is for fighting for as much help as we can get as soon as we can get it. Will mainstream school be an option? Only time will tell I guess.