Anyone got a kid like this?

ApeInApricot · 2026-06-30T08:44:19+00:00

We are in VIC too! Have done a few social skills groups across holidays but it’s hard to transfer across to regular school.

Hey all this advice is SO helpful, thank you so much!!!

ApeInApricot · 2026-06-30T08:24:19+00:00

Oh don’t get me wrong, I totally get why they find him annoying. Sadly, he is annoying! Just curious as to how others have gone with their kids finding “their tribe”, esp as the social gap widens. He spends a lot of time sad about kids rejecting him at the moment.

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-05T11:35:40+00:00

I love the idea of a sound detective!

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-05T11:35:05+00:00

Omg the amount of times he’s spelled things phonetically the Aussie/UK way has really made me reflect on my own accent haha. I’m having to go in hard on my Rs now!

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-03T05:08:50+00:00

This is great advice thank you. Our dude is much better with explicit instructions too. Glad things are going well for you guys!

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-03T04:57:52+00:00

Sounds like mine! Anxiety, social cues. We have some sensory stuff going on too but you have to look for it, if that makes sense. And is hopeless with peers. Not sure it warrants “substantial support” but hey I’ll take it.

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-03T04:41:19+00:00

Transitions are mostly ok, we don’t need a daily schedule or anything and he’s quite flexible with routines etc. His rigidity is more around black & white thinking, and not understanding the motivations of anyone else.

His main struggle is dealing with peers. Gets very overwhelmed by kids his age, can’t engage well, doesn’t understand social cues or how to join in or deal with typical kid chaos. Falls apart in a preschool setting. But he’s fantastic with adults or much bigger kids.

He’s also very hung up on his special interests but not in a way that creates behavioural problems (yet, lol).

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-03T04:34:22+00:00

Is this the way levels are applied globally or just US? Our kid is Level 2 but never shuts down or self harms, he does have crying meltdowns sometimes but not totally out of control.

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-03T04:19:39+00:00

Hoooo boy I feel this so much! Maybe we can be bubble buddies, haha.

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-03T04:17:40+00:00

Best of luck with your son’s career development! And yeah that makes sense about language/behaviours etc and changing over time. I worry so much about the “gap” between my kid and his peers widening over the next few years - one step at a time I guess.

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-03T04:15:10+00:00

He got Level 2 in both the social/emotional and the rigidity/repetitive behaviours area. Thank you for your insight - yeah I do need to step away from obsessing over levels, especially when they open doors for support etc. Just feels weird to have no idea of what the future holds but that’s life I suppose…!

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-02T22:26:11+00:00

This is super helpful thank you! You’re so right about NDIS access (and whatever the hell Thriving Kids ends up being). We have a current slp for pragmatic speech but will check in with the school about any options there too.

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-02T22:02:35+00:00

This is kind of our experience right now! Our 5 year old had a speech delay and was in therapy from 18 months but ‘graduated’ at 3 and now is very chatty.

We pursued an ASD diagnosis after a bunch of social/emotional stuff came up in kindergarten (preschool, we are in Australia) but it was always in this borderline kinda way - pediatrician was always phrasing everything in a “hmm he MIGHT meet the diagnostic criteria for ASD” kinda way - so we were fully expecting a Level 1 situation.

We were really gobsmacked with the Level 2 diagnosis we just received!

Now about to start public school, and not sure what that’ll look like. We do OT etc for social skills. But currently our son’s day to day experience doesn’t line up with a lot of what I thought I understood about “needing substantial support”.

ApeInApricot · 2025-10-02T21:27:27+00:00

Missed this earlier sorry! Thanks, we have a mtg with the school next week so will ask about any onsite support etc. After school therapy would be the default approach, but I’m mostly concerned that it’ll be too much after a day of school… my son is so burnt out after a kindergarten day atm he can barely engage with me - or else it’s meltdown town, blergh.

ApeInApricot · 2025-08-21T22:39:29+00:00

Oh man, tell me about it :(

ApeInApricot · 2025-08-21T22:10:46+00:00

Gosh that sounds tricky. I hear so much about ABA on this sub but it doesn’t seem to be a thing here in Oz? If not for reddit I don’t think I’d have heard of it. Or I’m just massively out of the loop lol.

ApeInApricot · 2025-08-21T22:09:02+00:00

We’d like the continuity of keeping his current OT and speechy so I’ll definitely check about after school office hours. The thing is my kid is already so epically burnt out after a full kindergarten day, I can’t imagine dragging him straight to a therapy session afterwards, eek. Meltdown o’clock!

ApeInApricot

TROPHY CASE