BiographyGabby was born in 2014 weighing an itsy bitsy 4lbs 15oz. Apart from her low birth weight she was a healthy baby girl.
Gabby appeared to develop normally apart from a few minor things like an overactive startle reflex. Around the age of about 18 months Gabby's energy seemed to change, she seemed more anxious. She often couldn't remember words for everyday objects but she was great at describing them so instead of asking for a hairbrush she would say, " the thing that makes your hair smooth"
When Gabby started school she really struggled with reading, spelling, writing, inference and had a very poor attention span. I was told she was probably just a late bloomer. She failed several hearing tests and was referred to audiology for a short time, but this issue seemed to resolve itself. In year 1 Gabby was given speech and language therapy as she was confusing similar sounds and didn't appear to have a great understanding of some aspects of language.
By the time Gabby was nearing the end of year 2 it was becoming clear that her difficulties were more than just being a late bloomer. She was having regular meltdowns when I would take her shopping, visits to family or days out and plenty at home too. She struggles with getting to school on time because every day starts with a meltdown and she just won't leave the house until she feels ready to after everything has been done in her own way in the correct order. After a 2 year wait from referral to assessment she was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in April 2023. She still has lots of difficulties, such as struggling to fall asleep, becoming easily overwhelmed by sensory input and difficulties maintaining friendships but we are all learning to understand her better and help her manage each day as it comes.
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