My beautiful daughter with PDD-NOS at the age of 9

I used to do monthly updates of Elizabeth’s behavior as a toddler because we were in the middle of having her evaluated for autism. Then, she was diagnosed and I continued to capture her in updates for a while because it helped me to understand her better. I think it was also an outlet for me and helped me to cope with what was happening. I did them for several months, but it’s now been years since I updated.

This is Elizabeth Marie at nine years and four months old. ♥

She has two little (toy) kittens, named Smoky and Teddy, that meow when she presses their heads slightly. She absolutely adores them and feels like they are actually her pets. If you put batteries in them, they walk and meow, but it overwhelms her, so she never does it.
She loves reading. Lately, she has been into the Big Nate graphic novels. She is very proud of herself when she finishes a book and will ask, “Mom, are you proud of me for finishing my book?” She also asks me about pride when it comes to other things like getting a flu shot, trying a new food, or even about doing an activity that is just for fun (that I didn’t encourage her to do necessarily).

She narrates what she’s doing, imagining, or thinking about. If she says something concerning, like “Ouch! That hurt my foot!” I will quickly ask if she’s ok, or simply say her name, and she will answer, “I’m just pretending.” A lot of times, she walks around and uses hand motions while talking. Her story telling abilities are on point, lol.
She watches ASMR in the evening or when she feels like relaxing. There are only a few channels she is allowed to watch. She wishes she could just freely browse but that wouldn’t be a smart move on YouTube.
She has a very hard time when she’s around babies, toddlers or preschoolers because of the possibility that they might cry. It used to completely wreck her; she would cry and elope (leave the area), but over time she has gotten better. Now, she usually puts her fingers in her ears and lowers her face. We try to leave the vicinity if we can.

She is quite picky with food, and it changes from week to week. I’ll think I know what she’ll eat, and then she will decide it’s no longer palatable.
She is good at spelling and great at inventive spelling. She likes writing and does it freely without concern for correctness or others’ approval.
She takes showers and baths, and she still needs me to wash, condition, and comb her hair.
She can’t really do playgrounds anymore. At least not comfortably. She is very worried that there will be someone who gets upset. She doesn’t only respond to crying, she also responds to facial expressions of those who are upset.
She takes Buspirone, an anti-anxiety medication, twice a day. Even though her anxiety is still quite high on it, I’ve noticed that her eye contact with me is significantly better than ever before. She started taking it about six weeks ago. We may go up on the dose.
She has an incredibly hard time agreeing to play with her little sister, Isabella (who is only 1½ years younger than her) even though they have a great time playing once they start.
She is developmentally much younger than Isabella. Most of Elizabeth’s behavior is more like a four- or five-year-old, as are her interests and her understanding of the world. But her ability in many areas is higher, such as reading, writing, art, music, and memory for dates and historical or scientific facts.
She loves going on outings and trips. Her favorite places include hotels, zoos and aquariums, nature centers, the beach, and state parks.

She learned to swim a few years ago and she loves it. When we travel, we always stay at hotels with indoor pools, so she and her siblings get to swim regardless of the season or weather. We’ve also gone to a local recreation center that has a pool but it’s not as enjoyable for her because she has more anxiety about the possibility of kids showing up. She likes wearing a mask or holding her nose. She isn’t scared of the water at all.
When she meets a kid at the library or a park, she uses a script, “Hi, my name is Elizabeth. I’m (age), what’s your name? (they answer), how old are you? (they answer), do you want to be my friend?” She is always eager to talk about her favorite things, news in her life (like a recent vacation we took, etc.) or something she is looking forward to. She has a lot of trouble being able to actually have conversations with kids because they have drastically different things on their mind than she does. She also loses interest very quickly in playing games like tag or hide-and-seek so playing isn’t really an option for long.
She wears headphones while out pretty regularly now, especially when going to Walmart or the doctor. She has a really hard time at the doctor (pediatrician’s office = children, often crying).
She watches Wee Sing, a 90’s series, that is great for preschoolers and maybe up to kindergarten. She loves pausing her favorite parts, getting very close to the screen to get a different angle, and then rewinding or skipping ahead to another favorite part. She also watches Rugrats and reacts the same way with pausing and getting close to the screen.
She likes music but most of the songs Isabella or their older sister, Maggie, wants to play in the car are not pleasing to her. She will sometimes agree to listening to a song “just once,” but the ones that she really dislikes, she is adamant about. It seems like they bother her in a deep way, like maybe they remind her of an event or time that was stressful; I wonder this because many of the songs are ones that she was fine with at one time but then stopped being fine with out of the blue.
She is very messy. She leaves things out after using them. She will literally be holding something and then drop it or set it down and walk away. It’s frustrating because whichever room she is in, she is making a mess, while I’m cleaning another room! It’s very similar to having a toddler.

I love Elizabeth so much, and I feel very protective of her. I hope to do more of these updates in future months so I can capture what she’s like at different stages.