I've been mentally turning over a constellation of observations about DS3.5 over the last few weeks, debating whether there is "something" at play in some of his behaviours. Is he just a bright boy with some overexcitabilities, normal EF for a 3 year old, and resulting asynchronies, or is there some other factor at play?

For regulars, this (LONG) list below will be largely redundant. In a nutshell, this is DS3.5:

Cognitive
  • Very verbal from early age, short sentences ~6 months, speaking like an adult at ~1.5-2
  • Self-taught basic phonetic reading pre-2, but with little apparent progression. He will occasionally "slip up" and read large print signs at museums or in public, or playfully read words out of books upside down, but refuses to read to himself or me because it is "too slow".
  • Well developed and mature sense of humour (esp. word play)
  • Intuitive basic numeracy from an early age
  • Mechanically driven-- loves to disassemble and build; favourite toys have been real tools since 1
  • Impeccable memory--never forgets ANYTHING, remembers ALL words in 100+ page books after hearing them once and will (vociferously!) correct me if I mis-read anything; is a walking encyclopedia
  • Fast processing speed, when motivated-- noticed within 2 seconds that a photo on the wall had been changed after we were away on vacation for a week; can complete a 10-item hidden picture puzzle in under a minute; can solve mazes targeted at 5-6 year olds in seconds with his finger
  • Seemingly endless attention span when interested
  • Needs constant stimulation and has difficulty initiating solo play without someone to converse with


Social/behavioural
  • Well developed social skills when motivated, but is mostly disinterested in other children (save for a best friend age-peer, who he plays well with) and prefers adult play partners
  • Makes good eye contact, goofy faces, modulates voice as telling stories, has a flair for the dramatic
  • Reads others' emotions well
  • When unmotivated, refuses contact or ignores others (e.g. hardly ever hugs or kisses--and is never required to do so; will not answer questions or respond to conversation
  • Feels threatened by close proximity of others or rapid movement, particularly of children
  • Hard to tell "can't" from "won't"--e.g. Jigsaw puzzles. Despises them. Will fight tooth and nail to avoid completing a puzzle but, when "forced", will complete it quickly with minimal assistance (e.g. being handed pieces and being asked, "where does this go?").
  • Has great difficulty getting started on a task or seeing next steps, and will melt down
  • Physically overexcitable and will hit/wrestle when stimulated, without the intention of being violent. He is aware he does this and will increasingly sequester himself to a calm space when he does this.
  • Talks and moves incessantly. Will interrupt conversations and seeks out constant conversation/narrative with nearby parent. When engrossed in an idea, will jump excitedly and gesticulate enthusiastically. Bounces, rolls, jumps, climbs, and wiggles when watching favourite shows, but is calm when reading books.
  • Can take him anywhere; he is frequently complimented at restaurants and in public for being unusually well behaved.
  • Will abandon games within a few minutes despite knowing how to play, and doing so well
  • Difficulty with transitions; needs lots of scaffolding and encouragement to shift gears.


Physical
  • Refuses to do any art or craft activities (drawing, painting, clay modeling)
  • Limited interest in Lego or blocks, but builds elaborate structures out of disposable plastic cups (e.g. 5-foot tall tower wtih 50+ cups) and other household materials
  • Handy with tools (screwdrivers, hammers, cleaning supplies)
  • Helps preparing meals (cutting, spreading, pouring, measuring) and does so with virtually no spills, and will voice, "It's no big deal" if he does spill.
  • Some evidence of cross dominance with hands--prefers right for unilateral activities; prefers left for bilateral activities
  • Doesn't do ANY self-care without assistance-- dressing/undressing, feeding, hand washing (other than ripping off coat or boots)
  • Is able to run, jump, climb, swing, kick, throw well, but disinterested in most sports. Can't (or won't?) climb stairs with alternating legs.
  • Only just started tolerating playground play this month. Previously refused in a fit of tears to climb or swing on anything.
  • Photosensitivity, tactile defensiveness (water, food, hugs/kisses), vestibular difficulty (until recently avoided all playground equipment, doesn't like to be on elevated surfaces or tipped backward)
  • Great difficulty falling and staying asleep.


Well, if you've stayed with me, thank you.

I read this piece on NVLD yesterday and had a mini freak-out because it sounded exactly like DS:

Originally Posted by article
These are the young children who do not color or draw much, are not particularly interested in puzzles, and avoid toys that involve construction (Legos and blocks, for example). They may or may not have gross motor delays which result in general clumsiness and slowness to grasp tasks such as riding a bicycle. As late preschoolers and kindergarten children, the child showing NLD symptoms usually can learn to spell their name out loud much easier than they can write it. The NLD kid would much rather talk about something than do a cut and paste activity. Source: http://www.ziemang.com/pnm_articles/0002ld.htm

I've picked up a copy of Webb et al's "Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults".

Thoughts? I see many of the ADHD traits in DS on the Weiss Symptom checklist (http://www.caddra.ca/pdfs/caddraGuidelines2011WSR.pdf), the selective fine motor refusal has me puzzled, and the hyper-verbal and memory qualities of NVLD, combined with puzzle and art refusal, has me thinking some further investigation may be warranted, although he shows lots of ability in other spatial tasks. Then there are the glaring sensory processing issues around vestibular and tactile defensiveness. I'm inclined to shop this list by his pediatrician to see if she feels any evaluations are warranted.

Then again, he may just be 3, used to having an attentive Mummy around 23/7, and developing frustration tolerance.

What is to give light must endure burning.