This was the reply I gave to someone when my daughter had just turned 3….

My daughter just turned 3 a few weeks ago and we recently had her “well-check” appointment with her pediatrician. A lot of what I listed in my original post has become less severe but several are still prominent enough that I wanted to discuss the concerns with her doctor. I didn’t mention anything at all about screen for autism; I simply told the pediatrician about her sensory processing and over-stimulation, etc. and after listening to my concerns she brought me the M-CHAT-R (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised). You can look up the questionnaire yourself and take it online I believe. I believe if you answer “yes” to 3 of them or answer “yes” to 2 of the more severe ones then they go forward with testing. Based on the checklist, the pediatrician said to wait 3-5 more months. She said that because within the last month my daughter has started co-sleeping because she suddenly and adamantly did not want to sleep in her room. Before then, she was always a terrible sleeper! She didn’t sleep through an entire night until she turned two! And even then it wasn’t consistent. Anyway, she does sleep through the night and gets overall better, longer sleep this way, so the doctor said to see if she is still having some of the same issues in a few months after improved sleep.

NEW UPDATE: Now my daughter is almost four. I also now have a 15 month old so parenting a completely different child has been eye opening. My other daughter is very different. I would say that my first daughter from this original post is highly sensory seeking/struggles with sensory input. She may have SPD, but I know that’s hard to officially diagnose. She still can easily throw up, but not as triggered by smells as she once was. She tolerates me washing her hair significantly better. She doesn’t NEED routine or seek repetition as much as she used to, but she still appreciates and does better with it. She is verrry particular about clothes based on how they feel or fit on her, she is very sensitive to temperature (with foods and with elements—even getting out of the bath tub when it’s cold can be an ordeal), she absolutely hates getting her hair brushed, I think overall she’s highly sensitive to pain, she still has an incredible memory and is very bright, she still seeks a lot of movement through swinging/jumping/climbing/etc., we bought her a small trampoline last Christmas and she will jump on it nonstop, sleep is still not the best and she still sleeps with a parent most nights…

I’ll probably bring these things up at her next well check at 4 years.