autism does my son have it?

Karen - posted on 06/25/2010

thanks stephanie hope everything goes well for you and your son yes it is taking a while to have him tested they dont half drag it out i can tell you but at least he is on the first step of the ladder whatever the outcome iam prepared no matter what he is my son and i love him!!! x

Stephanie - posted on 06/22/2010

It is better to get him checked then to wonder. I am trying to get my son checked for autism now and it is taking quite a while just to get him tested. So just be ready for it to take a while. If you need to talk to someone I am here.

Karen - posted on 06/21/2010

hi ann yes brandon has had infection after infection his health history started before he was born on the scan at hospital the sonographer noticed that brandon's right kidney was dilated whixh she said is quite common in boy's then when he was born he had to take medicine every night for 6 months until he saw the gp at hospital for a scan 3 weeks later all clear great new's there then he had slight jaundice he has had bronchitis allergy to tixylix which is a cough medicine he has cough's and cold's every 3 months he takes asthma spray to ease the wheeziness so yes you could say he has had a lot of infection's lol but despite all of that he is my brave little soldier and i love him whole heartedly he is my son xxxxx

Karen - posted on 06/21/2010

god i cant spell damn key board ha ha what i meant to say lisa is that your in my thoughts and prayer's too lol x x

Karen - posted on 06/21/2010

thanks lisa i appreciate it your in my thoghts and parayer's too xx

Lisa - posted on 06/20/2010

I am here for you too Karen! My wonderful son is also 17 years old like Veronica's! You are in my thoughts and prayers!

Veronica - posted on 06/20/2010

hello karen,,i have an autism child he's now 17y/o...it hard to accept to have a special child but I had to face it,,,,if you think your child is autism you better see the neurodevelopmental pediatrician so can know if he had it....just be patient im here to support and understand you...good day and God bless...

Anne - posted on 06/19/2010

Hi Karen, I'm also in England (Birmingham). My GP referred my son about 2 weeks ago and I've got my first appointment with the Community Child Health Medical Services towards the end of August. He is also being assessed at school by the Communication and Autism Team on 2nd July. My understanding is that it WILL be quite a long drawn out process as my son is being assessed for Aspergers.
With reference to your other son being diagnosed with ADHD, it does fall within the Autism Spectrum and tends to run in families.
We compiled a list of what we thought were odd behaviours for a child of our sons age with us when we went to see our GP, she was grateful for this as it helped her when writing the referral letter. My advice to you would be to sit down with your husband/partner and list what his behaviours are and let your GP keep a copy.
Good Luck for Monday and I'll keep watching this space x

Anne - posted on 06/18/2010

Hi Karen it's hard at such an early age to get a diagnosis maybe after yrs but your child might be in the spectrum of autism like my he has ODD, Aspergers,ADHD but the older he gets the Aspergers stand out more.But it could also be nothing.Has he suffered with infection after infection. hang on in there!!!!

Karen - posted on 06/18/2010

thankyou cheryl my thoughts and prayers go with you and all the families worldwide who have children with autism and special needs im so happy to know other mums are here to help i dont know what i'd do without you guy's thanks x

Suzana - posted on 06/17/2010

i agree,i had concerns for my son when he was around the two year mark and the doctors kept telling me to wait,it was too early,he just got diagnosed ASD last november and it took me nearly a year,my advice,get started as soon as you can-good luck

Mysti - posted on 06/17/2010

that is very helpful. Thank you very much for your insight and your thoughts and prayers. We do consider ourselves lucky that we caught it so early.

Cheryl - posted on 06/17/2010

Hi my name is cheryl abbas and I have a now 4yr old son who is autistic.his father and I started noticing the same signs.. our son had eye contact, played with us. babbled. said words..cup ball, kick ball, drink, but little by little he started changing he stopped talking,stopped making eye contact, head butted everything, it was very scarey, we had him looked at 2yrs old and was told he was autistic and we caught it early.. and it sounds to me that if your son is autistic it was caught early.. and there are many things that can be done.. we first contacted our local child health agency and set up evaluations and with their help we worked togeather to help my son with all his senory issues. the flapping, head budding, alot of one on one play is needed.. to keep them social.. becuase it's so easy for the to go into the world of autism and block us out. so really seek professional help.. and remember you know your child best and always stick to your mommy senses.. look up autism web sites.. defeat autism now, autism society of america, even betternow, and theres a book by Jenny McCarthy, called healing and preventing autism.. it's good and help me.. I"ll keep your family in my thoughts and prayers.. Cheryl Abbas

Karen - posted on 06/17/2010

hi mummy's who responded to my post just letting you all know i am taking him doctor's monday morning so i will let you all know as when i do thankyou all for your wonderful support i love you all xxxx

Mysti - posted on 06/17/2010

Karen,
Brandon could have a slight form of autism or another pdd disorder, we had our son tested at 2 because of similar symptoms, he did the arm flapping as well as shaking his head from side to side. He also did not talk to make many sounds and he didnt make eye contact. He was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 1/2. It would not hurt to get an evaluation with a behavioral therapist.

Heidi - posted on 06/16/2010

In Colorado the School District will evaluate your child and provide services if they are in the bottom 6th percentile. For infants and up to 21yrs. my son was originally diagnosed with a gross motor delay at 9mo. (He could barely roll over) At 5 he was diagnosed with Aspergers. As a baby he did not make eye contact, he did not hold up his arms to be picked up, and was not comforted by being picked up. He also did not act sick. He would get really sick before anyone would notice. I noticed that something was wrong at the hospital when he was born. He was floppy (more so than most newborns) When they did the joint flexability test he tested at 2 mo. premature. He was born 1 day early.

Karen - posted on 06/16/2010

thanks jennifer for your support hun i will get him referred a.s.a.p for sure now as all the mums have said its the right way to do it and its for my son's benefit as well as my own so thanks to all you mums who have supported me and my partner love karen x xx

Jennifer - posted on 06/16/2010

Hi Karen-
It is so hard for you to have these feelings and it is also hard when there is a diagnosis. The most important thing is to get your son early intervention as soon as you can. Look up "floor time" to give you some tips for play stategies to help him out :) Good luck and like everyone else stated get him to the Developmental pediatrician asap and be diligent about getting the help you need. Lots of love and hugs to you!!

Karen - posted on 06/16/2010

thankyou for your suport slyvia i live in bolton in england so the nhs is slow at proffesional help i am going to my gp and asking her to refer my son to a developmental and speech therapist i will let all the mums who have given me advice and support updates as and when i get them thankyou for your help i really appreciate it and i am so happy to know iam not alone in this xx

Sylvia - posted on 06/15/2010

Karen,

I would also seek to have him seen by a developmental psychologist. In Texas they had a team of professionals come out and observe our son that consisted of an Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Developmental/Child Psychologist, and a Speech Therapist. I would insist on this form of evaluation. Be very specific about the symptoms that you see, and demand an evaluation. Find out prior to the evaluation who the doctors are that are familiar with autism and have treated children with autism. You can do this through your local chapter of Autism Society of America. There are also other local support groups for Autism that may be able to help you. After getting the names of those doctors call them and make sure they take your insurance. This may help you when trying to get a referral, rather than let your physician make the call you tell them what needs to happen. I have found this to be the best and most efficient method. Next do not let them give you minimal services. This is usually and hour of Occupational and an hour of Speech every week. I would insist upon ABA. You can look up more about Applied Behavior Analysis therapy online. There is a great resource called RethinkAutism.com . If the diagnosis is Autism, then as hard as it may be embrace it and get services immediately. The outlook is very positive with early intervention especially with ABA support. Please let me know if you have any questions

Karen - posted on 06/15/2010

hi mist, thankyou for your advice i posted this question 5 days ago (approx) and i have been umming and arring over and over in my head about taking him to the doctor's i feel like any other mum would feel SCARED!!! that the doctor will shun us away or say its too early etc etc but I KNOW there is something not RIGHT with my son so does his father. brandon hardly talks at all he has mini meltdowns when i dont want to pick him up all the time he wont play with his toys appropiate for his age he hardly socializes with his brothers and sister as for walking well he took his first few steps the other day and he was flat on his feet no walking on his toes as of YET he was always hard to settle as a baby on every feed he just didnt want to go to sleep in his crib he wanted me all the time he is very clingy to me which his dad always jibes and says MUMMY'S BOY to him which i tell him off for lol he loves to play with kitchen drawers and open and closing the kitchen stair gate which is a new thing i might add i mean are these thing he does signs of autism or something else i just dont know please help me....thanks karen x x x

Misty - posted on 06/12/2010

Definately get your baby to the dr as soon as you can get him in & get a referral to some kind of Early Childhood Intervention program, that is what it is called in East Texas. The program will evaluate him & see what services he qualifies for. Threre are so many types of Autism, they can go undetected for yrs...like my son. He wasn't diagnosed with Asperger's until he was 9 yrs old & I knew SOMETHING was wrong, just didn't know what!!! The earlier you get your child help, the better it will be on the WHOLE FAMILY!!!! If you have people in your family that tell you there is nothing wrong, even when you have a diagnosis, my BEST suggestion is don't tell them anything, don't go into details about things. I have went through this with my grandmother & it is very hard because she turns around & tells my 11 yr old twins that there is nothing wrong with them that I am just putting stuff in their heads. Good Luck!!! Misty

Ilene - posted on 06/11/2010

If you have any questions about it, like others said here, get a referral and try to get an answer.

This is something that was put up here a while ago by another poster (not sure who anymore). It helped me understand the various diagnoses under the term "Autism Spectrum Disorder". It's not necessarily going to give you any answers, but it may explain what "autism" is to you.....

14 months is still young, but there's no such thing as too young. Don't let your pediatrician tell you otherwise!!!!!!
Good luck!

The Autism Pizza
1. The Crust: Lack of Social Interaction (poor eye contact, not sharing interests with you, no pointing/ gesturing)

2. The Sauce: Impaired Communication (possibly no speech, poor conversation skills, repetitive language, echolalia, no make-believe play)

3. The Cheese: Stereotypical Activities & Interests (extreme routine, strong interest in certain things, stimming-- like flapping, atypical play-- like spinning wheels, lining toys up, stacking)

If you have all of those things: crust, sauce, cheese, you made an Autism pizza. It might have different toppings, but you can look at it and know it's still a pizza. If your pizza doesn't have sauce, that's Asperger's. If your pizza is missing more than that but still kind of looks like a pizza, that's PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified).

Jane - posted on 06/11/2010

I firmly believe that AD/HD is the tippy top of the Autism Spectrum. I think your boy would do well to be evaluated for it. I hope it works out. xx

Karen - posted on 06/11/2010

hi renee sheila and laura thankyou for your support i really appreciate it and i will be going to see my doctor about brandon and ask him to refer him to a developmental pediatrician also renee he walks on his toes and feet but is not yet walking properly he has a toy which makes sounds and music and flashing lights but will flip it over and bang his hands on the back of it like a drum also he will open and close his hands when he needs me but i suppose thats normal in most toddlers as for eye contact when i call his name yes and no sometimes he will look at me and sometimes he wont but i shrugged it off in the past as him being tired but now i will keep a check on it despite all these worries he is a loving happy full of energy little boy may i also point out his two older brothers have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder one is 13yrs and the other is 10yrs both on medication and statemented and go to the hospital every 3 months for a review on there medication many thanks for your support and iam always here if you ladies need my advice as well thanks karen x x

Renee - posted on 06/10/2010

Ditto - get a referral from your doctor for a developmental pediatrician. Only they can diagnose. Your son does seem to exhibit alot of the characteristics of autism, but only a professional who evaluates your child can tell you for sure.

Some other classics are does he line up toys or other objects, walk on his toes, seem fascinated with dripping or pouring water, spinning fans or other objects, blinking lights, switching lights on and off repeatedly, get disturbed when interrupted in these behaviors. Does he look at you (I mean eye contact) when you call his name, does he make extremely loud banging and seem completely focused on that but then unexpected noises disturb him? These are some of the questions I would think about before seeing the specialist, but make the appointment as soon as possible.

Good luck to you.

Renee

Laura - posted on 06/10/2010

I agree with Sheila. At 18 months my son's pediatrician was concerned but said let's give it six months and see. At 24 months the diagnosis process began. First we were referred to Early Intervention (every state has a similar program because it is now federal law) for evaluation. He qualified for therapy and then we were referred to a developmental pediatrician for further evaluation. Once diagnosed with ASD PDD-NOS we were referred to the school system for testing. Finally six months later have a final diagnosis and are waiting for the school system to tell us what program he qualifies for. Sometimes doctors need a push and a parent on board to actively obtain what a child needs is a push. Talk to your son's pediatrician about your concerns. The earlier something is caught, the better chance of learning to deal with the difficulties.

Sheila - posted on 06/10/2010

Hi Karen,

The best advice I can give is if you have concerns, ask for a referral from your family doctor to a developmental pediatrician.

If there are Early Developmental Screening programs in your area, sign up.

Many would think 14 months is young, but I knew when my son was 18 months old, and many other moms who post also knew something wasn't "right" long before their child was two or three. The best that will happen is that you will begin early intervention...and everyone will tell you earlier is best. The worst, if you see a specialist, is you will be told to keep an eye open and we see you in six months. If your son is not living with autism, no harm no foul to get checked....if he is living with autism....like I said, the earlier you get help the better.

Sheila