My Alex asks for noodles every night. I put sausages in them for a while and now can put cut up chops or chicken in there. Every meat is called chicken though, except for strasbourg from the deli, that's square ham.

There was talk back there about SPD and how a lot of ASD kids have sensory issues as well. Can it work the other way around, can you just have sensory issues without the ASD ? Are kids SPD 'on the spectrum' ? We first saw a paed OT when he was 2.5 and she said SPD and then the paed. said high functioning ASD when he was 3. I agree with the sensory issues, but sometimes wonder about the ASD - is it that or is it just Alex ? His sensory issues are mostly hearing, touch and food related. Loud or unexpected noises can send him hysterical, exp the ****atoos around here. He won't wear denim either, long sleeves and legs in summer, BIG issues with socks and haircuts, blanket and doona all year round (loves the weight) and very rigid with food. I cried last year when he ate watermelon for the first time even though he looked like he was eating razor blades. And the proprioceptive issues - he's very sensory seeking - bumping, wrapping, falling over etc.

We saw a psychologist last week for testing prior to school next year. In the IQ test he was in the average range for the visual section and below average in the verbal section - not surprised at either of those. She has to send out the Vineland assessment and we go back for the CARS one at the end of the month.

Al's first obsession was Thomas the Tank - he never left the house without a book or a toy, watched videos over and over, lined them up in his order, used to list over and over the names of trains, very rigid in his play. He liked Bob the Builder in a more 'normal' way and now he's into Ben 10. He never used to like the scary Thomas' (ones with night scenes or the odd ghost) but he likes the action in Ben 10 - but I figure this time around it's because that's what he is seeking, the jumping and crashing and karate chopping walls and furniture. But this time I know and I can use it for good and not evil :-)

Question - is having a hoarse or deep voice a common thing among ASD kids? Alex has always been quite raspy and has veins on the side of his neck that stand out when he is talking a lot or is upset. A former speechie said something about nodules - has anyone any experience with this here ?