We pick up our story when our daughter was nearly 3 and the preschool my son was at, said they would prefer to wait to take her as she wasn’t ready yet. She only started walking at 2 and even then didn’t walk much when we were out and about.

When she eventually started at the preschool we had a wonderful key worker who looked after her. She wrote reports which we still have full of concern at her slow development but already saying how well she interacted with other children, often imitating them. The mask went on early for her.

At home she would often replay the games they’d played at preschool with her toys, rehearsing what to say. She started to get night terrors which often happened when there had been a change in the routine or something new had happened. It meant we stopped her toddler ballet, and the idea of any other clubs, as those days seemed to be the worst.

Preschool got a SEN specialist in to do an assessment and the results showed that she had some additional needs that would mean she would need support when she started school, including a possible diagnosis of dyspraxia, along with issues with speech and language. They referred us to a consultant.

We saw this consultant while she was in Reception and I think this was the hardest appointment we had. At the time, getting my daughter into school every day was a battle. She was exhausted. But once she was in school she was an absolute delight. She behaved perfectly. Which is how she was with the consultant.

He dismissed us as over protective parents. Told us to wait and see how she got on. She seemed happy enough so it would be best to let her get on without interference. I cried that day knowing that my instinct again was being ignored.

If you’ve experienced this, I’m sorry. Consultants are busy and diagnosis of additional needs at this young age is difficult. Be kind to yourself. Trust your instincts and keep asking the school for support. If you’re struggling to get your child in to school on time because they’re exhausted then take them in late and through the office. The more the school sees the battle, the more likely they will get you the support you need. Don’t be afraid to show weakness, be real. These are lessons I’ve learnt from not doing it for years! It was only when my daughter hit year 3 that we started to do this. Learn from our mistakes. Weakness isn’t failure.