Autism in Toddlers (1 Viewer)

[Prince Lotor]

I did a quick search, but nothing really jumped up on the first page...

My wife and I have a son who just turned 4 and a little girl that's 2. Our son's a happy little guy for the most part. He loves music and being active, routinely singing an dancing along with his favorite show at any given time (right now it's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). He's been tough on us though since he was a colicky baby with tummy issues. He had night terrors for a short spell between 18-24 months. Through the past year, we've really started making note of things like tantrums in stores and his propensity to keep speaking in gibberish and silly voice. There a numerous other things we thought he might have started to grow out of by now too.

We relocated this past December and the kids started at a new daycare in June when I finally found a job. A month ago at his yearly pediatric appointment, the doctor told us we needed to get him evaluated for his speech as something is going on with that. Within days, the head of the daycare said almost the same thing verbatim. The daycare closes for 2 weeks during the summer, so we sent him to a friends home these past 2 weeks. We found out during the course of the kids' time there that she is close to having a masters degree in SpEd with children. She basically noted a bunch of behaviors she saw and shared them with my wife, which point to him as being at least mild autistic.

A couple of those behaviors...the first day there he was playing in one of those red plastic cars that the kids can move around through the bottom of the toy with their feet, for the whole 8 hour day. He stopped to eat and nap. He has a real problem sharing toys that he perceives as being his. If another child tries to play with something that he sees as his, he will start crying and yelling, whether he's playing with it or not. He will repeat things we tell him or things from his favorite shows and laugh instead of participating in conversation, or speak in the silly voice with gibberish. She noted his difficulty with transitions from one activity to another unless you start to warn him beforehand.

We have seen many of these issues, including some big tantrums but we just kind of chalked a lot of it up to jealousy of his little sister and being a toddler.

We will be getting him a full evaluation through the school district and a referral from the pediatrician if we can.

Needless to say this has really put my wife and I into a bit of worry for our son and his outlook (assuming he is at least mild autistic, which seems a pretty likely diagnosis). At this point we know he'll likely end up in SpEd classes/environment and will get help. Early intervention is very important is what we're being told, so I guess we have that as a positive.

I can't be the only FBG with this sort of thing occurring with their kid. Obviously nobody can tell me a certain outcome for my little guy as he grows up, but anything you can share or personal experience would be helpful. Like most people I just want my kids to grow up happy and healthy.

TIA.

 

[PitbullTD]

I have no advice for you, but hope it all shakes out right and your kid is just fine.

I can't imagine. One of my worst nightmares.

 

[Annyong]

I have no advice for you, but hope it all shakes out right and your kid is just fine.I can't imagine. One of my worst nightmares.

 

[Drifter]

Calling a kid on the Autism spectrum "One of my worst nightmares" is way overreacting. The Autism Spectrum is just that - a spectrum, and a very wide one at that. Kids with severe Autism can be heartbreaking cases, but that's not every kid.

I'll post a bunch more when I get a chance.

 

[Apes with Guns]

We had a ton of issues getting our daughter diagnosed. She is ten, and the school district does not accept the diagnosis of asberger's that we have from a specialist. Her psychiatrist also is not ready to agree to taht diagnosis. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it can be very frustrating trying to figure out exactly what is going on with your child. However, patience and love will teach you to get past that and focus on the positives. For example, my daughter told me the other day that she thought time was energy. I was absolutely floored. Then a few hours later she threw a fit because she couldn't find her favorite blanket. Such is the life with a mentally challenged child.

Please feel free to send me a private message if you need any support in this. I know it is hard, but there are some things you can do to get through it.

good luck!

 

[PitbullTD]

Calling a kid on the Autism spectrum "One of my worst nightmares" is way overreacting. The Autism Spectrum is just that - a spectrum, and a very wide one at that. Kids with severe Autism can be heartbreaking cases, but that's not every kid. I'll post a bunch more when I get a chance.

I meant the thought of one of my kids having a life long ailment of any kind. But thanks for the rundown on the autism spectrum.

 

[MikeIke]

My son, who is now 7, was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum at age 3. He was in special-ed preschool for three years but then was ready for kidnergarten. In August he'll start first grade. He attends a regular public school but spends half the day in special-ed classes.

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

Is your son reasonably communicative with you and your wife? If so, that's a good sign. With the proper education and therapy he'll most likely turn out fine - a bit behind his peers, perhaps, but nothing to worry too much about.

The most important thing for you to remember is that he's still your special little guy - nothing about him has changed. Love him, support him, and enjoy his childhood with him. Do what you can to further his development and you may be surprised with what he can do.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

seems like any mild issue a child has now adays is labeled as autisim.

 

[Annyong]

Calling a kid on the Autism spectrum "One of my worst nightmares" is way overreacting. The Autism Spectrum is just that - a spectrum, and a very wide one at that. Kids with severe Autism can be heartbreaking cases, but that's not every kid. I'll post a bunch more when I get a chance.

ill admit that i know very little on the subject. but the thought of my child having any sort of issue in his life that could possibly hold him back, is what's heartbreaking to me. i'd love to know more/educate myself. looking forward to your insight, thanks in advance.

 

[MikeIke]

We had a ton of issues getting our daughter diagnosed. She is ten, and the school district does not accept the diagnosis of asberger's that we have from a specialist. Her psychiatrist also is not ready to agree to taht diagnosis. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it can be very frustrating trying to figure out exactly what is going on with your child. However, patience and love will teach you to get past that and focus on the positives. For example, my daughter told me the other day that she thought time was energy. I was absolutely floored. Then a few hours later she threw a fit because she couldn't find her favorite blanket. Such is the life with a mentally challenged child.

My son says weird things like this all the time. He's also very curious about science stuff - I've talked with him about gravity and the speed of light and spacetime - all that cool y stuff. Sometimes he'll say something that makes me realize there's a pretty sharp mind in there, he just doesn't have the language skills to express the complex thoughts he's having.And yes, he also has fits about his stuff. God forbid he doesn't know where his Leapster is every second of the day.

 

[MikeIke]

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

seems like any mild issue a child has now adays is labeled as autisim.

That didn't take long...

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

seems like any mild issue a child has now adays is labeled as autisim.

That didn't take long...

seems like more kids get this label now adays,no? Do doctors understand it more? Is autisim too broad of a word? Im sure there is varying degrees of autisim. But just because johnny doesnt share with his brother billy I dont think he's autistic

 

[cstu]

My daughter was diagnosed as autism spectrum at age 2. Contact your local Regional Center so he can be evaluated there as well as with the school district. It's best to get a diagnosis early since Regional Center services end at age 3, however they will still help you with the evaluation as well as helping you get help elsewhere.

There is good news - as of last month insurance companies are required to pay for autism-related help (speech therapy, behavior therapy) which was a nightmare to fight for before.

It's sounds to me that your son is on the mild end of the spectrum but I wouldn't get too worried about it. The important thing is to get started right away on the process to receive services. Behavioral therapy (where a therapist comes to your home to work with kids) will probably be what helps the most, but also getting him into a structured preschool to prepare him to go to typical kindergarten will help a lot too.

One word of warning - the school district may want to put your son into a class with kids who are more severe than him. If that happens you may have to fight the district for them to pay for a non-public school (NPS) that has a mix of typical kids as well as mildly autistic kids. The law says the schools have to provide 'free and appropriate education' (FAPE) in a 'least restrictive environment' (LRE) which means the child should be in the most typical class that is appropriate for them. We had to hire lawyer and go through Due Process to fight for our daughter to go to a NPS with a ratio of 3:1 typical to IEP kids rather than her preschool last year where she was one of the highest functioning kids. Hopefully on Tuesday our mediation go well with the district.

 

[Apes with Guns]

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

seems like any mild issue a child has now adays is labeled as autisim.

That didn't take long...

seems like more kids get this label now adays,no? Do doctors understand it more? Is autisim too broad of a word? Im sure there is varying degrees of autisim. But just because johnny doesnt share with his brother billy I dont think he's autistic

The autisim spectrum is huge. As doctors learn more about it, they will probably be able to narrow the different aspects of it better. However, if you hang on waiting for a diagnosis, you will cause yourself more grief than necessary. To be honest, there isn't a whole hell of a lot that I've found for doctor's to do. They can give you pills, but that is also not an exact science, especially with multiple diagnosis. you are better off getting them help with social skill, tactile therapy, and perhaps into special education.

 

[MikeIke]

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

seems like any mild issue a child has now adays is labeled as autisim.

That didn't take long...

seems like more kids get this label now adays,no? Do doctors understand it more? Is autisim too broad of a word? Im sure there is varying degrees of autisim. But just because johnny doesnt share with his brother billy I dont think he's autistic

Of course it's diagnosed more nowadays - we have a better understanding of it and its symptoms. I'd wager that cancer is diagnosed more often now than in the past as well, simply because we have better tools with which to diagnose.The OP isn't talking about simply not sharing. Did you read the part about his son spending an entire day sitting in the toy car? That's a pretty telltale sign. And an autistic kid having a tantrum because his regular world has been disrupted is something most parent haven't experienced before. It can go on for hours, and it's very upsetting to the parent as well as the child.

 

[cstu]

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

seems like any mild issue a child has now adays is labeled as autisim.

That didn't take long...

seems like more kids get this label now adays,no? Do doctors understand it more? Is autisim too broad of a word? Im sure there is varying degrees of autisim. But just because johnny doesnt share with his brother billy I dont think he's autistic

Unfortunately autism is the best known and that is the diagnosis that is needed to get services. Few of the kids I've seen through my daughters classes have what you'd consider typical (severe) autism. Most of them have a mild to moderate form and I've seen some that at first glance you wouldn't know there was anything different about them. However, they usually have issues socializing with other kids and I haven't seen once kid in her classes that I didn't think needed to be there.

 

[cstu]

My son, who is now 7, was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum at age 3. He was in special-ed preschool for three years but then was ready for kidnergarten. In August he'll start first grade. He attends a regular public school but spends half the day in special-ed classes.

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

Is your son reasonably communicative with you and your wife? If so, that's a good sign. With the proper education and therapy he'll most likely turn out fine - a bit behind his peers, perhaps, but nothing to worry too much about.

The most important thing for you to remember is that he's still your special little guy - nothing about him has changed. Love him, support him, and enjoy his childhood with him. Do what you can to further his development and you may be surprised with what he can do.

Great to hear. My daughter will likely do the same thing. The school we are planning to send her to this fall has a regular preschool class this year for 3/4 yo's and then a pre-kindergarten class for 4/5 yo's. Our hope is that by the time she starts kindergarten (she's born in September so she'll just turn 6) that she'll either be able to be in a typical class, either by herself or with an aide. Her biggest issue has been speech and in the past year she's went from only saying a few sounds to being able to talk in sentences, albeit slowly and with effort. Still, it's a major breakthrough and worth all the effort we've put in.

 

[Drifter]

There are 3 things they look for in Toddlers when diagnosing Autism:

1. Speech delay - Not all speech delay is Autism related but most kids on the Autism spectrum experience speech delay.

2. Social Interaction - does the child engage with peers, show concern or interest when a peer is hurt? Does the child have a problem making and maintaining eye contact?

3. Repetitive and/or obsessive behavior - Does the child show "over" interest in a particular subject? Do they repeat certain behaviors over and over again such as flipping a light switch off and on endlessly? Are the particularly fascinated by spinning wheels?

There is a test called the ADOS test which can be administered by a certified child psycologist which is currently the most accepted form of producing a diagnosis.

Resources will vary by community, but typically an Autism diagnosis will qualify your child for pre-schooling and occupational and speech therapy under your insurance. Speech delay can get some of those resources without the Autism diagnosis as it is well recognized that early intervention is critical in many cases of speech delay.

For my son, he had strong speech delay, good social interaction with older kids and adults (very active in engaging adults) but little with peers, shaky eye contact and he was obsesses with cars. He would rest his head on the floor and run a car back and forth for very long periods of time. He was diagnosed as being on the edge of the spectrum at about 2.5 and although it was scary to have that label put on him, it's been absolutely fantastic in terms of the resources it opened up for him. He goes to pre-school for a few hours and loves it. The interaction with other kids and the other things the teacher focus on has done great things for him.

Nearly a year later and his speech is still behind but has come along great. The other behaviors are much less, if not gone. There are still other Autistic-like behaviors that we see from time to time. Some days are better (or worse) than others. Whether he would have come to this point without the intervention of professionals is anybody's guess but it certainly didn't hurt him in any way.

My advice, seek out what local resources are available to you and get an ADOS test. Have a speech therapist give him an "official" speech delay label and get him into insurance covered speech therapy as soon as possible. If you get an Autism diagnosis, don't panic - research what options are available and be aggressive in placing your child into whatever schools are available that you think are best. For us, the school district wanted to first put him in a class with some severely mentally handicapped kids. We pushed back strong as we felt he would respond better with a peer group that challenged him and got him into a more appropriate school which seems to have worked out great.

The main thing for most Autistic kids is that their brains just work differently and to different extents. Therapy and whatnot will help overcome some of the speech and social elements of it to keep those from holding him back but he'll likely always be just a bit different - and that really ain't all that bad. One doctor we talked to said something to the effect of, "If they every find a cure for Autism, we won't have any more engineers"

 

[Drifter]

My son, who is now 7, was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum at age 3. He was in special-ed preschool for three years but then was ready for kidnergarten. In August he'll start first grade. He attends a regular public school but spends half the day in special-ed classes.

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

Is your son reasonably communicative with you and your wife? If so, that's a good sign. With the proper education and therapy he'll most likely turn out fine - a bit behind his peers, perhaps, but nothing to worry too much about.

The most important thing for you to remember is that he's still your special little guy - nothing about him has changed. Love him, support him, and enjoy his childhood with him. Do what you can to further his development and you may be surprised with what he can do.

Great to hear. My daughter will likely do the same thing. The school we are planning to send her to this fall has a regular preschool class this year for 3/4 yo's and then a pre-kindergarten class for 4/5 yo's. Our hope is that by the time she starts kindergarten (she's born in September so she'll just turn 6) that she'll either be able to be in a typical class, either by herself or with an aide. Her biggest issue has been speech and in the past year she's went from only saying a few sounds to being able to talk in sentences, albeit slowly and with effort. Still, it's a major breakthrough and worth all the effort we've put in.

If she shows comprehension and appears to struggle with word construction, one thing to consider is having her evaluated for Apraxia of Speech which is essentially dyslexia for speach. They know what they want to say but the mechanics of speaking don't translate from the brain well.

 

[Prince Lotor]

We had a ton of issues getting our daughter diagnosed. She is ten, and the school district does not accept the diagnosis of asberger's that we have from a specialist. Her psychiatrist also is not ready to agree to taht diagnosis. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it can be very frustrating trying to figure out exactly what is going on with your child. However, patience and love will teach you to get past that and focus on the positives. For example, my daughter told me the other day that she thought time was energy. I was absolutely floored. Then a few hours later she threw a fit because she couldn't find her favorite blanket. Such is the life with a mentally challenged child.Please feel free to send me a private message if you need any support in this. I know it is hard, but there are some things you can do to get through it. good luck!

I may contact you as this goes further. My wife is calling the pediatrician today to get that ball rolling, but the school district we live in won't do and evaluation until mid August when school starts.

 

[Apes with Guns]

We had a ton of issues getting our daughter diagnosed. She is ten, and the school district does not accept the diagnosis of asberger's that we have from a specialist. Her psychiatrist also is not ready to agree to taht diagnosis. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it can be very frustrating trying to figure out exactly what is going on with your child. However, patience and love will teach you to get past that and focus on the positives. For example, my daughter told me the other day that she thought time was energy. I was absolutely floored. Then a few hours later she threw a fit because she couldn't find her favorite blanket. Such is the life with a mentally challenged child.Please feel free to send me a private message if you need any support in this. I know it is hard, but there are some things you can do to get through it. good luck!

I may contact you as this goes further. My wife is calling the pediatrician today to get that ball rolling, but the school district we live in won't do and evaluation until mid August when school starts.

feel free. I'm not usually on the board daily, but I think i get emails about private messages.

 

[Prince Lotor]

My son, who is now 7, was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum at age 3. He was in special-ed preschool for three years but then was ready for kidnergarten. In August he'll start first grade. He attends a regular public school but spends half the day in special-ed classes.You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.Is your son reasonably communicative with you and your wife? If so, that's a good sign. With the proper education and therapy he'll most likely turn out fine - a bit behind his peers, perhaps, but nothing to worry too much about.The most important thing for you to remember is that he's still your special little guy - nothing about him has changed. Love him, support him, and enjoy his childhood with him. Do what you can to further his development and you may be surprised with what he can do.

Yes he does communicate pretty well. We have been trying to get him to slow down his speech and use his big boy words and try to speak sentences. Instead of holding up a plate and saying "more ham", we are asking for "daddy, may I have more ham please?". As I read about the mild end of the spectrum it seems that it means the kids just develop slower. I think some folks hear autism and think Rain Man.I'm trying not to look at him any differently, but just trying to be more patient with him.

 

[Prince Lotor]

My daughter was diagnosed as autism spectrum at age 2. Contact your local Regional Center so he can be evaluated there as well as with the school district. It's best to get a diagnosis early since Regional Center services end at age 3, however they will still help you with the evaluation as well as helping you get help elsewhere. There is good news - as of last month insurance companies are required to pay for autism-related help (speech therapy, behavior therapy) which was a nightmare to fight for before. It's sounds to me that your son is on the mild end of the spectrum but I wouldn't get too worried about it. The important thing is to get started right away on the process to receive services. Behavioral therapy (where a therapist comes to your home to work with kids) will probably be what helps the most, but also getting him into a structured preschool to prepare him to go to typical kindergarten will help a lot tone word of warning - the school district may want to put your son into a class with kids who are more severe than him. If that happens you may have to fight the district for them to pay for a non-public school (NPS) that has a mix of typical kids as well as mildly autistic kids. The law says the schools have to provide 'free and appropriate education' (FAPE) in a 'least restrictive environment' (LRE) which means the child should be in the most typical class that is appropriate for them. We had to hire lawyer and go through Due Process to fight for our daughter to go to a NPS with a ratio of 3:1 typical to IEP kids rather than her preschool last year where she was one of the highest functioning kids. Hopefully on Tuesday our mediation go well with the district.

I work for a school district, and the lady there has been running the daycare program for 16 years. When I stopped in to talk with her yesterday, she had already decided to put him into a class of older 3 year olds instead of the Pre-K for the beginning of the year. My main concern now is getting him released from the district we live in to go with me to the district I work in, which is the neighboring town.

 

[Zegras11]

We had a ton of issues getting our daughter diagnosed. She is ten, and the school district does not accept the diagnosis of asberger's that we have from a specialist. Her psychiatrist also is not ready to agree to taht diagnosis. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it can be very frustrating trying to figure out exactly what is going on with your child. However, patience and love will teach you to get past that and focus on the positives. For example, my daughter told me the other day that she thought time was energy. I was absolutely floored. Then a few hours later she threw a fit because she couldn't find her favorite blanket. Such is the life with a mentally challenged child.Please feel free to send me a private message if you need any support in this. I know it is hard, but there are some things you can do to get through it. good luck!

The process is so amazingly frustrating. School systems rarely give the support needed. If you think you are on to the correct diagnosis, then keep trying others to get the answers you need.Our son was diagnosed finally with aspbergers at the age of 13. He's now 23. The battle is so discouraging. About 10% of what you will try will help. It sucks that bad.

 

[Prince Lotor]

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

seems like any mild issue a child has now adays is labeled as autisim.

That didn't take long...

seems like more kids get this label now adays,no? Do doctors understand it more? Is autisim too broad of a word? Im sure there is varying degrees of autisim. But just because johnny doesnt share with his brother billy I dont think he's autistic

Of course it's diagnosed more nowadays - we have a better understanding of it and its symptoms. I'd wager that cancer is diagnosed more often now than in the past as well, simply because we have better tools with which to diagnose.The OP isn't talking about simply not sharing. Did you read the part about his son spending an entire day sitting in the toy car? That's a pretty telltale sign. And an autistic kid having a tantrum because his regular world has been disrupted is something most parent haven't experienced before. It can go on for hours, and it's very upsetting to the parent as well as the child.

A basic trip to the grocery store or Target involves him not wanting to leave and screaming a bit or running back into the store. When we left a friend's home recently, a bit abruptly which was not ideal, he had a kicking screaming tantrum the entire 10 minute ride home. It scares the living crap out of his little sister, which is the worst part.

 

[Prince Lotor]

There are 3 things they look for in Toddlers when diagnosing Autism:1. Speech delay - Not all speech delay is Autism related but most kids on the Autism spectrum experience speech delay. 2. Social Interaction - does the child engage with peers, show concern or interest when a peer is hurt? Does the child have a problem making and maintaining eye contact?3. Repetitive and/or obsessive behavior - Does the child show "over" interest in a particular subject? Do they repeat certain behaviors over and over again such as flipping a light switch off and on endlessly? Are the particularly fascinated by spinning wheels?There is a test called the ADOS test which can be administered by a certified child psycologist which is currently the most accepted form of producing a diagnosis. Resources will vary by community, but typically an Autism diagnosis will qualify your child for pre-schooling and occupational and speech therapy under your insurance. Speech delay can get some of those resources without the Autism diagnosis as it is well recognized that early intervention is critical in many cases of speech delay.For my son, he had strong speech delay, good social interaction with older kids and adults (very active in engaging adults) but little with peers, shaky eye contact and he was obsesses with cars. He would rest his head on the floor and run a car back and forth for very long periods of time. He was diagnosed as being on the edge of the spectrum at about 2.5 and although it was scary to have that label put on him, it's been absolutely fantastic in terms of the resources it opened up for him. He goes to pre-school for a few hours and loves it. The interaction with other kids and the other things the teacher focus on has done great things for him.Nearly a year later and his speech is still behind but has come along great. The other behaviors are much less, if not gone. There are still other Autistic-like behaviors that we see from time to time. Some days are better (or worse) than others. Whether he would have come to this point without the intervention of professionals is anybody's guess but it certainly didn't hurt him in any way.My advice, seek out what local resources are available to you and get an ADOS test. Have a speech therapist give him an "official" speech delay label and get him into insurance covered speech therapy as soon as possible. If you get an Autism diagnosis, don't panic - research what options are available and be aggressive in placing your child into whatever schools are available that you think are best. For us, the school district wanted to first put him in a class with some severely mentally handicapped kids. We pushed back strong as we felt he would respond better with a peer group that challenged him and got him into a more appropriate school which seems to have worked out great. The main thing for most Autistic kids is that their brains just work differently and to different extents. Therapy and whatnot will help overcome some of the speech and social elements of it to keep those from holding him back but he'll likely always be just a bit different - and that really ain't all that bad. One doctor we talked to said something to the effect of, "If they every find a cure for Autism, we won't have any more engineers"

Wow, thanks for this post. Awesome.1. I've already talked about the speech obviously. He recounted his whole day to me yesterday when he got home and I was so excited as he usually just names one or two things he's done or not done.2. He doesn't play well with others. If we visit a park he loves to be chased, but will not chase someone in turn. He will sit at the top of a slide and when another kid comes to use it, sit there and have a mildly loud crying/whining reaction. He's not great with eye contact and I regularly get down to his level and ask for him to look at me when we talk. He never maintains it.3. The one that's stood out since he was old enough to get up on the couch and sit up is leaning forward and rocking/lightly throwing himself against the couch back. He still does it to this day, just not quite as often. If he goes somewhere new and/or is uncomfortable though, he does it.The lady who runs the daycare/preschool we will be attending (hopefully) wants to put him in with higher functioning kids. I will fight for that too if someone wants to put him in with more extreme behavior cases.

 

[cstu]

My son, who is now 7, was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum at age 3. He was in special-ed preschool for three years but then was ready for kidnergarten. In August he'll start first grade. He attends a regular public school but spends half the day in special-ed classes.

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

Is your son reasonably communicative with you and your wife? If so, that's a good sign. With the proper education and therapy he'll most likely turn out fine - a bit behind his peers, perhaps, but nothing to worry too much about.

The most important thing for you to remember is that he's still your special little guy - nothing about him has changed. Love him, support him, and enjoy his childhood with him. Do what you can to further his development and you may be surprised with what he can do.

Great to hear. My daughter will likely do the same thing. The school we are planning to send her to this fall has a regular preschool class this year for 3/4 yo's and then a pre-kindergarten class for 4/5 yo's. Our hope is that by the time she starts kindergarten (she's born in September so she'll just turn 6) that she'll either be able to be in a typical class, either by herself or with an aide. Her biggest issue has been speech and in the past year she's went from only saying a few sounds to being able to talk in sentences, albeit slowly and with effort. Still, it's a major breakthrough and worth all the effort we've put in.

If she shows comprehension and appears to struggle with word construction, one thing to consider is having her evaluated for Apraxia of Speech which is essentially dyslexia for speach. They know what they want to say but the mechanics of speaking don't translate from the brain well.

You're right, she has already been diagnosed with apraxia. She's getting three hours of speech therapy a week on top of everything else.

 

[cstu]

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

seems like any mild issue a child has now adays is labeled as autisim.

That didn't take long...

seems like more kids get this label now adays,no? Do doctors understand it more? Is autisim too broad of a word? Im sure there is varying degrees of autisim. But just because johnny doesnt share with his brother billy I dont think he's autistic

Of course it's diagnosed more nowadays - we have a better understanding of it and its symptoms. I'd wager that cancer is diagnosed more often now than in the past as well, simply because we have better tools with which to diagnose.The OP isn't talking about simply not sharing. Did you read the part about his son spending an entire day sitting in the toy car? That's a pretty telltale sign. And an autistic kid having a tantrum because his regular world has been disrupted is something most parent haven't experienced before. It can go on for hours, and it's very upsetting to the parent as well as the child.

A basic trip to the grocery store or Target involves him not wanting to leave and screaming a bit or running back into the store. When we left a friend's home recently, a bit abruptly which was not ideal, he had a kicking screaming tantrum the entire 10 minute ride home. It scares the living crap out of his little sister, which is the worst part.

Regional Center offers ABA (applied behavior analysis) classes that helped me a lot in the way I tried to manage my daughter's behavior. It's not easy but there are ways to minimize if not eliminate behaviors like that.

 

[cstu]

There are 3 things they look for in Toddlers when diagnosing Autism:1. Speech delay - Not all speech delay is Autism related but most kids on the Autism spectrum experience speech delay. 2. Social Interaction - does the child engage with peers, show concern or interest when a peer is hurt? Does the child have a problem making and maintaining eye contact?3. Repetitive and/or obsessive behavior - Does the child show "over" interest in a particular subject? Do they repeat certain behaviors over and over again such as flipping a light switch off and on endlessly? Are the particularly fascinated by spinning wheels?There is a test called the ADOS test which can be administered by a certified child psycologist which is currently the most accepted form of producing a diagnosis. Resources will vary by community, but typically an Autism diagnosis will qualify your child for pre-schooling and occupational and speech therapy under your insurance. Speech delay can get some of those resources without the Autism diagnosis as it is well recognized that early intervention is critical in many cases of speech delay.For my son, he had strong speech delay, good social interaction with older kids and adults (very active in engaging adults) but little with peers, shaky eye contact and he was obsesses with cars. He would rest his head on the floor and run a car back and forth for very long periods of time. He was diagnosed as being on the edge of the spectrum at about 2.5 and although it was scary to have that label put on him, it's been absolutely fantastic in terms of the resources it opened up for him. He goes to pre-school for a few hours and loves it. The interaction with other kids and the other things the teacher focus on has done great things for him.Nearly a year later and his speech is still behind but has come along great. The other behaviors are much less, if not gone. There are still other Autistic-like behaviors that we see from time to time. Some days are better (or worse) than others. Whether he would have come to this point without the intervention of professionals is anybody's guess but it certainly didn't hurt him in any way.My advice, seek out what local resources are available to you and get an ADOS test. Have a speech therapist give him an "official" speech delay label and get him into insurance covered speech therapy as soon as possible. If you get an Autism diagnosis, don't panic - research what options are available and be aggressive in placing your child into whatever schools are available that you think are best. For us, the school district wanted to first put him in a class with some severely mentally handicapped kids. We pushed back strong as we felt he would respond better with a peer group that challenged him and got him into a more appropriate school which seems to have worked out great. The main thing for most Autistic kids is that their brains just work differently and to different extents. Therapy and whatnot will help overcome some of the speech and social elements of it to keep those from holding him back but he'll likely always be just a bit different - and that really ain't all that bad. One doctor we talked to said something to the effect of, "If they every find a cure for Autism, we won't have any more engineers"

Wow, thanks for this post. Awesome.1. I've already talked about the speech obviously. He recounted his whole day to me yesterday when he got home and I was so excited as he usually just names one or two things he's done or not done.2. He doesn't play well with others. If we visit a park he loves to be chased, but will not chase someone in turn. He will sit at the top of a slide and when another kid comes to use it, sit there and have a mildly loud crying/whining reaction. He's not great with eye contact and I regularly get down to his level and ask for him to look at me when we talk. He never maintains it.3. The one that's stood out since he was old enough to get up on the couch and sit up is leaning forward and rocking/lightly throwing himself against the couch back. He still does it to this day, just not quite as often. If he goes somewhere new and/or is uncomfortable though, he does it.The lady who runs the daycare/preschool we will be attending (hopefully) wants to put him in with higher functioning kids. I will fight for that too if someone wants to put him in with more extreme behavior cases.

If his behavior isn't that bad I would fight to have him put in a typical preschool and have the district provide him with an aide. They probably aren't going to give it to you without going through due process with a lawyer but since his speech is that good I think he would benefit from being in a typical classroom.

 

[Conkie]

My 9 y/o son had/has many of the same issues you describe with you child. He was speech delayed and very focused - overly so and would throw tantrums whenever things were not very planned or structured. He was diagnosed with "high functioning autism" at age 2.5. He's come a long way since then but it was tough going until about age 6. It seems like light years ago now but I remember thinking many times it was going to tear our family apart.

He started at public school - typical classroom(no special ed). Kindergarten was the worst year of his/our lives. Public schools just don't get it - nor do they have the resources to properly address and educate these kids. They'll talk a great game at the IEP meetings(you'll get to know this and many other terms you never dreamed of) but ultimately they tend to try to ignore the problem and your kid suffers.

AJ goes to a school at local university school originally designed for kids with ADHD but because those kids share many issues as kids with autism/asperger's they expanded it. Best school ever! He's comfortable, learning a ton and receiving therapy every day. I don't worry about my kid being bullied or acting out and forcing a call to me or my wife to come and pick him up. It's been a godsend.

My best advice to you is start looking now for private schools in your area that cater to kids on the spectrum. If none in your area, move. Hang in there. It gets better with time and the appropriate therapies and support.

Good luck.

 

[cstu]

My 9 y/o son had/has many of the same issues you describe with you child. He was speech delayed and very focused - overly so and would throw tantrums whenever things were not very planned or structured. He was diagnosed with "high functioning autism" at age 2.5. He's come a long way since then but it was tough going until about age 6. It seems like light years ago now but I remember thinking many times it was going to tear our family apart.

He started at public school - typical classroom(no special ed). Kindergarten was the worst year of his/our lives. Public schools just don't get it - nor do they have the resources to properly address and educate these kids. They'll talk a great game at the IEP meetings(you'll get to know this and many other terms you never dreamed of) but ultimately they tend to try to ignore the problem and your kid suffers.

AJ goes to a school at local university school originally designed for kids with ADHD but because those kids share many issues as kids with autism/asperger's they expanded it. Best school ever! He's comfortable, learning a ton and receiving therapy every day. I don't worry about my kid being bullied or acting out and forcing a call to me or my wife to come and pick him up. It's been a godsend.

My best advice to you is start looking now for private schools in your area that cater to kids on the spectrum. If none in your area, move. Hang in there. It gets better with time and the appropriate therapies and support.

Good luck.

You'll notice I talk a lot about getting lawyer and here's why - the school district (at least here in LA) is primarily focused on saving money. Understandable since they've had huge budget cuts, but it doesn't help the kids. Their method is to give parents a basic package and hope that most parents won't know any better and accept what they're given (and they usually). However, if you are asking for something reasonable and appropriate they will usually give it to you at mediation since the last thing they want to is have it go to trial. Luckily we found a lawyer who doesn't charge anything up front and gets paid by the district who is helping us try to get her into a NPS (non-public school) and one hour of speech therapy per week.

 

[Zegras11]

My 9 y/o son had/has many of the same issues you describe with you child. He was speech delayed and very focused - overly so and would throw tantrums whenever things were not very planned or structured. He was diagnosed with "high functioning autism" at age 2.5. He's come a long way since then but it was tough going until about age 6. It seems like light years ago now but I remember thinking many times it was going to tear our family apart.

He started at public school - typical classroom(no special ed). Kindergarten was the worst year of his/our lives. Public schools just don't get it - nor do they have the resources to properly address and educate these kids. They'll talk a great game at the IEP meetings(you'll get to know this and many other terms you never dreamed of) but ultimately they tend to try to ignore the problem and your kid suffers.

AJ goes to a school at local university school originally designed for kids with ADHD but because those kids share many issues as kids with autism/asperger's they expanded it. Best school ever! He's comfortable, learning a ton and receiving therapy every day. I don't worry about my kid being bullied or acting out and forcing a call to me or my wife to come and pick him up. It's been a godsend.

My best advice to you is start looking now for private schools in your area that cater to kids on the spectrum. If none in your area, move. Hang in there. It gets better with time and the appropriate therapies and support.

Good luck.

This is so sadly true and frustrating.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

I don't have anything really useful but I can tell you that this like ADD, is being over-diagnosed IMO. My Mom, sister and one doctor said my niece possibly had autism when it was obvious she is just a little different. So they went into full scale panic like the kid had cancer which I found completely ridiculous. In the end they found out she has a short-term memory issue and she's working through it like many kids do.

I wish you the best but see several professionals about the symptoms and problems. Behaviorists seem to be the best help but depending on their position and how much they are vested into a hospital hierarchy (often on the fringes of medicine to the medical machine), they are also somewhat hard to trust. I think many kids that are being identified as autistic, really aren't. Seems to me it is the newest ailment used by the establishment to line their pockets. Obviously I'm very cynical with healthcare, but sometimes it seems they want to slap every kid with the ADD or Autistic label these days and I think it's appalling.

 

[cstu]

I don't have anything really useful but I can tell you that this like ADD, is being over-diagnosed IMO. My Mom, sister and one doctor said my niece possibly had autism when it was obvious she is just a little different. So they went into full scale panic like the kid had cancer which I found completely ridiculous. In the end they found out she has a short-term memory issue and she's working through it like many kids do. I wish you the best but see several professionals about the symptoms and problems. Behaviorists seem to be the best help but depending on their position and how much they are vested into a hospital hierarchy (often on the fringes of medicine to the medical machine), they are also somewhat hard to trust. I think many kids that are being identified as autistic, really aren't. Seems to me it is the newest ailment used by the establishment to line their pockets. Obviously I'm very cynical with healthcare, but sometimes it seems they want to slap every kid with the ADD or Autistic label these days and I think it's appalling.

I agree with you on ADD, but getting an actual autism diagnosis isn't that easy. If you saw the kids in my daughter's classes I think you would change your mind. Autism has become an umbrella term for many problems, but there's no doubt that these kids need help.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

I don't have anything really useful but I can tell you that this like ADD, is being over-diagnosed IMO. My Mom, sister and one doctor said my niece possibly had autism when it was obvious she is just a little different. So they went into full scale panic like the kid had cancer which I found completely ridiculous. In the end they found out she has a short-term memory issue and she's working through it like many kids do.

I wish you the best but see several professionals about the symptoms and problems. Behaviorists seem to be the best help but depending on their position and how much they are vested into a hospital hierarchy (often on the fringes of medicine to the medical machine), they are also somewhat hard to trust. I think many kids that are being identified as autistic, really aren't. Seems to me it is the newest ailment used by the establishment to line their pockets. Obviously I'm very cynical with healthcare, but sometimes it seems they want to slap every kid with the ADD or Autistic label these days and I think it's appalling.

I agree with you on ADD, but getting an actual autism diagnosis isn't that easy. If you saw the kids in my daughter's classes I think you would change your mind. Autism has become an umbrella term for many problems, but there's no doubt that these kids need help.

I guess this is what bothers me then. Thanks for the clarification and best of luck.

 

[timschochet]

My wife is a teacher, and she cautions that Autism is grossly overidentified in the educational and psychological communiites. It is a "hot topic "right now. and Autism itself has a large "spectrum.." Because autistic children are quite bright and often predictable behaviorally, they are often mainstreamed into the regular classroom and may receive (or not) special services, Get various professional opinions and trust your gut and your son. If he is identified, immediately get an individualized IEP (Individualized Insruction Program)into thinking . NEVER let anyone scare you thinking EITHER that you don't deserve services OR that this is your "worst nightmare." It is far from it. Your child is smart, creative and wonderful, which is clearly your gut.

 

[Zegras11]

My wife is a teacher, and she cautions that Autism is grossly overidentified in the educational and psychological communiites. It is a "hot topic "right now. and Autism itself has a large "spectrum.." Because autistic children are quite bright and often predictable behaviorally, they are often mainstreamed into the regular classroom and may receive (or not) special services, Get various professional opinions and trust your gut and your son. If he is identified, immediately get an individualized IEP (Individualized Insruction Program)into thinking . NEVER let anyone scare you thinking EITHER that you don't deserve services OR that this is your "worst nightmare." It is far from it. Your child is smart, creative and wonderful, which is clearly your gut.

This is so very true. They simply experience the world in a different way and my son has made me a way better person than I ever thought I could be.

 

[johnnycakes]

My kid was showing some of the same signs as yours... it was the slow development in speech that placed him in early intervention at age 2½. It's been all downhill from there. You will be told that the school district does not DIAGNOSE illnesses. They will not tell you if your kid is autistic. They will tell you if he has a cognitive impairment, or if he needs some special services to allow him to learn on par with his peers. I know here in MA, how much help you get from your school district can vary greatly from one school district to another. The town where I lived pre-divorce, Ashland MA, just pushed my boy along telling us he was doing "fine" with the accommodations they were making for him. And we didn't know what we didn't know. It wasn't until we divorced, and I moved to Lexington with my son, that the school district really did "the right thing" by sending him for a 45-day evaluation and placing him in an appropriate school out-of-district. All that costs money... Lexington has money; Ashland doesn't, and there's the difference. By law, they are required to do the same thing. Lexington will do the right thing without having their hand forced. Ashland will require you to come in with lawyers, guns, and money, perhaps paying the tuition yourself, and then suing to be reimbursed.

Good luck with all this, but the bottom line is even the best school district can only do so much. If you have a child with OSD, you will ultimately need to get some of your own psychological testing done at your own expense; you will probably have to find medical specialists who are competent - and there are lots of quacks out there - and you may even need to employ legal help to get the services to which you are entitled. Be advised: there is a whole cottage industry of "special education advocates"... many of these are parents who have gone through the ringer and learned how the system works the hard way. They can be considerably cheaper than a lawyer, and they can help you ask the right questions which, when you don't know what you don't know, is at least half the battle.

 

[Apes with Guns]

My kid was showing some of the same signs as yours... it was the slow development in speech that placed him in early intervention at age 2½. It's been all downhill from there. You will be told that the school district does not DIAGNOSE illnesses. They will not tell you if your kid is autistic. They will tell you if he has a cognitive impairment, or if he needs some special services to allow him to learn on par with his peers. I know here in MA, how much help you get from your school district can vary greatly from one school district to another. The town where I lived pre-divorce, Ashland MA, just pushed my boy along telling us he was doing "fine" with the accommodations they were making for him. And we didn't know what we didn't know. It wasn't until we divorced, and I moved to Lexington with my son, that the school district really did "the right thing" by sending him for a 45-day evaluation and placing him in an appropriate school out-of-district. All that costs money... Lexington has money; Ashland doesn't, and there's the difference. By law, they are required to do the same thing. Lexington will do the right thing without having their hand forced. Ashland will require you to come in with lawyers, guns, and money, perhaps paying the tuition yourself, and then suing to be reimbursed.

Good luck with all this, but the bottom line is even the best school district can only do so much. If you have a child with OSD, you will ultimately need to get some of your own psychological testing done at your own expense; you will probably have to find medical specialists who are competent - and there are lots of quacks out there - and you may even need to employ legal help to get the services to which you are entitled. Be advised: there is a whole cottage industry of "special education advocates"... many of these are parents who have gone through the ringer and learned how the system works the hard way. They can be considerably cheaper than a lawyer, and they can help you ask the right questions which, when you don't know what you don't know, is at least half the battle.

I agree with this. You have to work with the school as much as possible, and be understanding of their limitations. I just try to remember that it takes a village. Corny, but parenting is a hard job, and sharing the load makes sense to me.

 

[cstu]

We had our due process mediation today and got the private school funding we were asking for. Speech therapy was denied on the basis that our insurance should pay for it. It was frustrating because we had hoped that we could get an hour so that insurance would provide two hours and she would get the three hours a week that she needs. I doubt our insurance will pay for three hours a week but that's another fight.

The good news is that she will be going to school with 75% (12) typical kids that is also focused on helping kids with disabilities (3 others in her class).

The bad news is that our lawyer received $5000 - not that he got paid, which he deserved, but because if they had given us that in our last mediation (in March) without a lawyer the $5k would have more than paid for the hour of speech therapy we were asking for. Instead of giving us what we were reasonably asking for then they ended up spending the same amount of money but it went to our lawyer instead of helping our daughter.

The only reason we won is that our lawyer argued that the private school she will be going to costs about the same as the other services they were offering (two hour preschool plus an hour a week of speech therapy). In the end they decided it was cheaper not to have the case taken to trial (they have to hire there own lawyers) than give us the funding. Nothing in the mediation had to do with what was best for our daughter, it was only about the money.

 

[cstu]

My son, who is now 7, was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum at age 3. He was in special-ed preschool for three years but then was ready for kidnergarten. In August he'll start first grade. He attends a regular public school but spends half the day in special-ed classes.

You'll need to find an autism specialist, probably through your pediatrician. It will take several visits before they're ready to diagnose, and they will want to rule out many other factors. Contrary to what many people think, including some on this board, doctors don't just diagnose autism at the drop of a hat.

Is your son reasonably communicative with you and your wife? If so, that's a good sign. With the proper education and therapy he'll most likely turn out fine - a bit behind his peers, perhaps, but nothing to worry too much about.

The most important thing for you to remember is that he's still your special little guy - nothing about him has changed. Love him, support him, and enjoy his childhood with him. Do what you can to further his development and you may be surprised with what he can do.

Great to hear. My daughter will likely do the same thing. The school we are planning to send her to this fall has a regular preschool class this year for 3/4 yo's and then a pre-kindergarten class for 4/5 yo's. Our hope is that by the time she starts kindergarten (she's born in September so she'll just turn 6) that she'll either be able to be in a typical class, either by herself or with an aide. Her biggest issue has been speech and in the past year she's went from only saying a few sounds to being able to talk in sentences, albeit slowly and with effort. Still, it's a major breakthrough and worth all the effort we've put in.

If she shows comprehension and appears to struggle with word construction, one thing to consider is having her evaluated for Apraxia of Speech which is essentially dyslexia for speach. They know what they want to say but the mechanics of speaking don't translate from the brain well.

She does have apraxia but now at age 6 after ~200 hours of speech therapy she is understandable and able to have close to typical conversation.

An update: This spring/summer she was in a 16 week program at UCLA made for kids with autism (ECPHP) and I am blown away by the progress she's made. They focused mainly on her play with other kids, but also worked on speech, OT, behavior, etc. Not a cheap program but it's been amazing for her.

She is in a typical kindergarten in a high performing school with a 1:1 aide (we had to go through due process to fight for that). Cognitively she's doing well (reading at a 2nd grade level) and not having any trouble fitting in with other kids (my biggest concern).

She's still getting ABA therapy 4 days a week afterschool and a couple of hours of speech therapy but I'm hopeful in a couple of years that she doesn't need any therapy at all.

 

[MikeIke]

That's great to hear, man. Glad she's making such great progress.

My son is now 9 and in regular 3rd grade classes, with some tutoring and speech, OT , and PT on the side.He's one year behind kids of the same age. He needs help with writing still, but he's a whiz at math.

 

[Ilov80s]

Calling a kid on the Autism spectrum "One of my worst nightmares" is way overreacting. The Autism Spectrum is just that - a spectrum, and a very wide one at that. Kids with severe Autism can be heartbreaking cases, but that's not every kid. I'll post a bunch more when I get a chance.

Totally agree, some of my favorite kids ever had had autism.

 

[Ilov80s]

That's great to hear, man. Glad she's making such great progress.

My son is now 9 and in regular 3rd grade classes, with some tutoring and speech, OT , and PT on the side.He's one year behind kids of the same age. He needs help with writing still, but he's a whiz at math.

Writing always does tend to be the most difficult subject for students with autism. It can be so open ended and subjective. I have actually seen some cool programs where the students get into drama. The acting and playing through scenarios is helpful for conversation and general social skills. It can help them get comfortable with certain situations. Then, they progressed to attempting some basic improv. Finally, the kids were supposed to take the roles of writers and directors. It seemed helpful for the kids to get a chance to manipulate the world physically and textually and getting to then actually see and hear how it played out. I don't have any data or anything, but it did seem to help the kids be a bit more creative.