Finally...a diagnosis

Heather - posted on 12/17/2009

I am one who had to wait a very lonnnnnnnnnnggggg time before I got a diagnosis for my son. It took two years before we finally found out what was really wrong with him. We have known since October. He is now 4 and has mild Autism with Severe Developmental Delays. We went to several doctors and they never ran tests: just tried him on meds. We finally found a doctor that ran all the appropriate tests and diagnosed him. Since the diagnosis we have been working with him and have seen some improvements with him. He is chronologically 4 but developmentally he is 2 to 3 years old.

Thanks!!

Rachel - posted on 12/15/2009

Same here! We just found out last week, it seemed like forever. I feel like now my husband can really accept it and not think he's just going to change over night. Excited to see all the opportunities my son will now have in schooling. Now he can really get the help he needs.. Good luck to you and your family!!

My sons red flags were
hand flapping, jumping, echolalia, low eye contact, barely a response when his name was called, but would run to see a show he heard coming on in the distance. Sensitive to touch, noise. Spinning, starring off, repetitive play.. Probably many more too tired to think of.

Stacey - posted on 12/15/2009

Thanks Magen, we are pretty positive about the future and are very happy that we can move forward now we have a diagnosis.
Thanks for thinking of us Alicia.

Magen - posted on 12/14/2009

I am so happy that you finally got your answer. I know how frustrating the wait can be. I think you will do well from all I know of you you sound like you have a great head on your shoulders and I'm sure you will do everything in your power to help your son. Good luck and let me know if you need anything.

Alicia - posted on 12/14/2009

Stacy - I was thinking about you just today wondering how his eval had gone. That's one of the reasons I logged on tonight. So glad it's official and you can move forward. Thanks for letting us know.



Rebbeca - It's really hard to give you a list of symptoms that might match perfectly even if your son does have autism. There is so much variety in symptoms that it often "looks" different from one child to the next. The symptoms listed above are common but not all children have them.



There are three diagnostic criteria a child must meet to be diagnosed with autism. They must have a speech delay ( it sounds like your son is catching up here so that is a good sign), They must exhibit repetitive or stereotyped behaviour. A lot of the symptoms discussed are examples of this ie hand flapping, running the same pattern over and over. My son rocked from one foot to the other over and over. He also had verbal repetetive behaviours. He would repeat the same noise (usually na na na na) until we redirected him. He lined up his cars in order of size instead of pushing them around and stacked his blocks obsessively. This is really probably the criteria with the most variability. Finally they avoid making and or maintaining eye contact and have impaired social skills. Again this can look different depending on the child. My son was very affectionate with us but had no interest in other children. He also made eye contact but never maintained it for more than five seconds. I know this because I made a habit of counting after my sister pointed out his autism to me.



My advice to you would be to look at your sons behaviours and decide if any of them fit these three criteria. If you are still concerned it doesn't hurt to have him evaluated. I would say his behaviour isn't raising any red flags for me but I'm not there to observe him. If you want to get him evaluated and you are in the US you can start with your school. I believe it is the same most anywhere. It doesn't matter if he isn't school aged they are still required to provide him services including a screening and if necesary evaluation. If it's determined he requires autism services they will provide them. You can also make an apt. with a developmental pediatrician or psychologist who specializes in autism.

Rebecca - posted on 12/13/2009

He knows when we're around and when we leave a room. His speech was delayed but our babysitter didn't do anything with him while he was there and ever since i've been off work it has picked up a lot. Even in the last month he has learned so many new words. He looks at as for the most part but when he knows he has done something wrong he looks from the side probably becuase he done'st like getting in trouble. My mother said the same thing as you, the he is jsut being a kid but i'm jsut not sure how to tell really.
Thanks!

Stacey - posted on 12/13/2009

Hi Rebecca, it sounds like your son is doing these things for reasons other than him having Autism, but its hard to say for sure. Does your son say any words, does he make eye contact, does he take notice of you and other people in a room? These are the main things Id be looking at. For us, the main behaviours that really stand out to us in our son is the lack of speech, lack of eye contact, flapping arms, often seeming oblivious to other people in the room/ around him. His main issues are speech and social behaviour. Feel free to ask any other questions.

Rebecca - posted on 12/12/2009

Quoting Sheila:

To add to Renee's list:

repetitive behaviour
finger twitches near the eyes (often thumb to ring finger)
when attempting to cuddle, throwing head back/arching away from parent
non-responsive "zoning out"
hitting self/banging head to wall
constipation/bowel issues with seemingly no dietary or physiological reason
physically repetitious (ex: bouncing into a chair, run back bounce again OVER and OVER again...not just once or twice)
reacting hysterically to haircutting/nail trimming....again, not typical crying...hysterical
copying what is said (echolalia)

Every child is different. These were my son's signs, as well as some of what Renee listed. Jumping up and down and hand flapping is VERY common.

Good luck,

Dianne

How many symptoms before it is classified Autisum and not just being a kid?

My son runs up and down the ahll a lot...but it seems normal to me.

He has starting throwing fits since his father came back a few weeks ago...he is military and i'm told kids in military familes have higher chance of Autism because there is no consistancy so i'm trying to watch for it now.

Since he was a baby he was obsessed with the ceiling fan, it had to be on for him to sleep. He likes the sound.

Haircuts he is an angel! The girls at the barber shop always say he is the best child they have ever cut hair for. He just sits there looking at himself in the mirror and he asks to get his nails cut lol.

He jumps up and down a lot liek when he's playing with something but no hand flapping. He sometimes walks on his toes but not allll the time.

Nothing else on either list really stands out though.

Melanie - posted on 12/11/2009

still waiting for our son's diagnosis. He turned 2 last month. His peadiatric team are keeping an eye on him as we can't change his routine even slightly without him throwing horrendous strop. Everything has to be repetitive with him. Also he's quite violent when he gets frustrated. He has symptoms of cerebral palsy but only in his throat & stomach (quite rara apparently). He can't talk only sounds like babble. So it would be nice to know which direction we need to go in. Fingers crossed it won't be long, I know some places say it won't be until he's 3. x

Renee - posted on 12/11/2009

Thanks Sheila I knew I missing some good ones!

Sheila - posted on 12/11/2009

To add to Renee's list:

repetitive behaviour
finger twitches near the eyes (often thumb to ring finger)
when attempting to cuddle, throwing head back/arching away from parent
non-responsive "zoning out"
hitting self/banging head to wall
constipation/bowel issues with seemingly no dietary or physiological reason
physically repetitious (ex: bouncing into a chair, run back bounce again OVER and OVER again...not just once or twice)
reacting hysterically to haircutting/nail trimming....again, not typical crying...hysterical
copying what is said (echolalia)

Every child is different. These were my son's signs, as well as some of what Renee listed. Jumping up and down and hand flapping is VERY common.

Good luck,

Dianne

Renee - posted on 12/11/2009

Lack of eye contact - avoiding eye contact.
Flapping hands near ears, jumping up and down.
Walking on toes.
Lack of verbal communication.
Changes in diet to a few specific items.
Outbursts/meltdowns over seemingly minor things.
Lining up toys obsessively and getting upset if they are moved.
Spinning things and watching spinning objects excessively like ceiling fans.
Not turning when name is called w/o a hearing problem.
Not interacting with other children ignoring others during age appropriate play.
This is just a partial list of things I remember at the point of diagnosis- I'm sure there are others.

Rebecca - posted on 12/11/2009

If you don't mind, could you let me know what thigns you moticed in your son to think he had autisum to begin with? I am just wondering what i should be looking for in my son as my newphew has it but i do'nt know what to really look for that this age. He is just over 2yrs.

Thanks