Could all three of my kids have ASD?

Carrie - posted on 05/01/2010

I have a 5 year old who was diagnosed with aspergers this year and i have 2 year old twins one more severe then the other ,but they are also autistic ,so yes it can happen and belive me i understand your stress. I feel like i live at the doctor and therapist offices. I just take it one day at a time.

Heather - posted on 04/29/2010

Just a note Tanya, normally I would agree with you but some school systems have appropriately qualified people to perform some of these tests. My daughter was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and a school phobia when she was in high school, by the school psychologist, it was confirmed by her private counselor. Cindy is very fortunate to live in an area where the school systems cares. I have had to fight tooth and nail for any services for both my children (my son is ADHD, Aspergers and CDO). I had this fight with two different school systems. They don't want to help him because it costs money and that apparently overrides his needs as an individual. I do agree that all kids could be Aspies and early intervention is truly best. My son was 14 before we knew had has Aspergers, we had to play catch up. he is doing quite well. He is off his in home services as of last month he is off his ADHD meds and controlling his own behavior and he is looking forward to SATs and choosing a college. It's a tough fight sometimes but the end game can be glorious. Also, just a matter of curiosity, have you looked around at family members from both sides to see if there are any Aspie type behaviors? I heard that it can be hereditary and where they didn't test for those things when I was little and never heard of it when my parents were small I just wondered. (sometimes I think I am on the spectrum as my son and I are VERY much alike).

Tanya - posted on 04/28/2010

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take this one piece of advise, i emplore you, DO NOT let a school district diagnose your child with anything!!!!!!!!!! Doctors, specialist, those who carry a PHD in medicine NOT education are the one's who need to evaluate and diagnose your child. ALL the school system should do is refer you to your doctor if you are having difficulties at school. They are educators, not doctors..... Please keep that in mind. I have 5 children, 2 with Aspergers, one with PDD... My husband is a public school teacher, special education, and is an ASpie himself. TOO many times the school gets confused on their role. YES, it is common for more than one child in the family to have ASD... See a child developement specialist, a child psychologist (outside the school) and a geneticist. PLEASE remember, asd is not only about hitting milestones, every child is different, grow differently, mature differently. That marker alone does not mean ASD.. you need to arm yourself with informatin about ASD, dont be lead blindly, you are your child advocate. Research research research..... who diagnosed your 3 yr old? PLEASE dont tell me it was the school. Legally, they are not qualified to do so, they are only allowed to check , with your permission, things that could cause learning issues, and REFER you to a child developement specialist for farther testing and diagnosis...... Lastly, dont be stressed. the more you inform yourself, the better prepared, and the less stressed you will be. I have 17 yrs experience, and have LOTS of info, let me know if you need direction in finding more information..

Cindy - posted on 04/28/2010

All 3 of mine (7,5, 3) are on the spectrum. When my son was first diagnosed I never thought my daughter had a problem...we thought her bizzare behavior was because she was copying her older brother. After being told by 2 different therapists that we should get her tested we had the school do it and she did fall on the spectrum. When my 3 year old started showing speech delays at 18 months we went back to Birth to 3 and when he aged out of that program the school district automatically tested for ASD. Even though he shows the least amount of ASD behaviors he had enough of them that the district decided that he woud benefit more from the therapy an ASD diagnosis would give so they gave him one. My advice to you is to go ahead with the testing and accept all the help the district wants to give you. There is a very real chance all your children have an ASD. Every child with Autism is like a snowflake, no two are alike so each child can show very differnt behaviors and progress. All 3 of my children act very differently and are affected in different areas. Also, your children are very young so they will show improvement with any type of therapy. I would recommend some sort of play ABA type of therapy and if you can get a therapist to do all the kids in a group at least once a week it will help with them learn sibling social skills (trust me, you will NEED them to get along with each other)

Good luck:)

Deanna - posted on 04/27/2010

I will just add that my kids are ages 11, 15, 18, 19 and 27. My 19 yo son has ASD. When my 15 yo daughter was very young (between 1 - 2 years old), I had her assessed because she was displaying some of the same behaviors as her brother. It turned out that Chelsea was just copying Ben. It was largely due to Ben having ASD that I went back to school and earned a BA in Child Development. Through that program, I learned that one or two areas of delay are typically not cause for concern (that doesn't mean that we parents should not keep an eagle eye out), but certainly delays in several areas of development; evaluation would be in order.

After all these years, I'm still annoyed with the local GP who used to tell me, "There's nothing wrong with him." "Boys develop slower than girls." "There's such a large window of normal development." Ben wasn't dx'd until he was nearly 4 years old. It should have happened much, much sooner. Oh, yea. In Ben's file, the GP called me, "An overly concerned parent." yay

Renee - posted on 04/27/2010

1. Yes they could be on the spectrum but,
2. You are way ahead of the situation this time.
Sheila is right and is a wealth of information (thanks Sheila!).

ABA is great therapy for any kids even typical ones, so I say be diligent and get the 3 year old into therapy asap.

Sheila - posted on 04/27/2010

I think it is not unusual to have more than one child on the spectrum....I don't know about common. I have one typical child and 1 atypical...



What are the delays that have been identified?

What milestones have they reached?

Are they engaged with each other, and the world around them?

Do they point, respond to simple directions (get mommy your car/dolly?)

How is eye contact/responsive behaviour?



I will not say don't worry, but I will say is be observant. Try hard to see your children separate from their older sibling and judge accordingly....then, if you believe you are seeing warning signs take action.



THE BEST thing anyone can do for a child on the spectrum is early intervention, and the earlier the better. If your twins are not on the spectrum, and you engage in some early intervention activities you have done no wrong...it's a no harm/no foul ruling. All you will have done is given your children some really great time with mommy and daddy doing some fun activities. If they are on the spectrum, you are looking at a huge advantage with time now being on your side!



Contact a local support group to help you navigate this new world that you are suddenly apart of....there is lots to learn and the more you know, the more you can advocate on behalf of your child(ren)



Good Luck,



Sheila