When my dd was 3 and in pre-k her teacher mentioned to me that dd would play fine one on one with another child but that as soon as another child would join (or more) dd would leave the group.

Dd is 7 now in 2nd grade and apparently she still does this (spoke with the recess monitor). She will only play one on one with children and if anybody else comes along she leaves the group.

She also separates herself on the carpet in class during instruction and will always sit far apart from the group.

I asked dd about the one on one play and she said more than one kid at a time makes her uncomfortable. I tried to ask more to try and understand how it makes her uncomfortable and she got frustrated and said she didn't want to talk about it.

Is this a red flag? Asperger's has been something I have been concerned about.

Circle times and standing in lines are difficult for my son, who has SPD. Increasing the physical distance between themselves and others is their way of avoiding unexpected touch.

What may need to be discerned is whether its a social problem related to skills or a social problem as an outcome of sensory, particularly tactile, defensiveness and overload. Social skills classes may help with the former and OT with the latter or you may need both.

SPD can be a stand-alone or co-morbid with ASD. You'll see overlap of some symptoms.

I've provided a link to a checklist below, but the only way to know for sure is to schedule an appointment with an OT. Please note the checklist includes traits of Sensory Avoiders as well as Sensory Seekers.

For further reading: "Sensational Kids" Lucy Jane Miller & "The Out-of-Sync Child" C. Kranowitz. My favorite is Miller's.

Good luck!

http://www.sensorysmartparent.com/sensory-checklist.pdf