Naivemum, I can imagine how worrying this is for you. I hope I can help you out with some information. First of all, autism spectrum disorders, of which there is a whole range, are difficult to diagnose. A teacher is not going to know whether a child is autistic or not. However, they are able to identify certain things which can point to the child having some sort of special need.

As the mum of a 4yo who is currently being assessed for aspergers and similar autism spectrum disorders (ASD), I can assure you that the assessment in no way looks at literacy or numeracy skills. Rather, they look at the child's history, reaching milestones, how they play, personality, motor skills etc - it is a complex process. And ASD does not relate to intellectual capability or literacy. Some ASD kids have learning delays such as speech, others are well ahead for their age group.

I wouldn't worry about your DDs literacy - kids tend to catch up and the first year of school caters for a range of levels from kids who can read and write their own names and count to 100, to those who can't read at all.

However, I would take your teachers' concerns seriously and look into assessment. If there is an issue, the school will get funding for a special ed teacher to help your DD and she will get a lot of benefit from that. Teachers see a lot of kids and don't talk to parents about special needs readily - it's not an easy thing to do. If two teachers have commented, I would say there is a reason for that. If you go through assessment and all is well, at least you know and have peace of mind.

GL hun, I hope you get some answers.