Help with diagnosis?

Ellarel - posted on 04/07/2011

I just completed a baseline ATEC My sons total Score was 83. So lets see where his therapy and new meds take us.

Ellarel - posted on 03/31/2011

Thanks everyone for the advice links and Prayers!

Here is an update. We were able to been seen yesterday due to a cancellation, (thank the Lord). The psychologist stated that we will no longer be treating him for ADHD. She has him starting on 1MG of Abilify at night, if it makes him restless we will switch to the morning. She does see slight symptoms of PDD NOS Asperger's with co morbid ADHD. I didn't get a complete diagnosis but what she said confirmed my thoughts. He was relatively well behaved yesterday and the doctor even stated that I had contradicted myself. But we have good days and bad days like all parents with children with blessings. I wasn't exactly happy with her tone and stated exactly that, good days and bad days. She did get to witness his obsessive spinning and tapping of a toy and also the lack of eye contact with she spoke to him. He did not yell while being seen but did in the waiting room. He seemed interested in talking to his 3 yr old brother but only while my 3 yr old was holding the IXL system we take when they go to doctors apts. My 3yr old is constantly antagonizing his older brother to get his attention normally my blessed child doesn't even acknowledge that they are in the same room. So I could see how the doctor might find some behavior contradictory. He does really well academically but only since we have enrolled him in Sylvan to close that gap and He has been accepted for a title one reading program. We do really have to work on his writing. He was informally tested for an IEP we did find some issues but of course the school says he does not qualify for a full IEP and I do agree that at this time it is not needed. He is so clumsy and at school the nurses know him very well his fine motor skills are not what they should be at his age. As far as his social skills at school he has no problem initiating a conversation with other children but there is not much more than that. He would rather hang out with the Teachers and the playground aids. My husband and I see varrying sypmtoms daily but there are three constants. No eye contact spinning or tapping of a toy mainly a hotwheels car's Wheels and the lack of interest in social behavior with his younger brother.

I would say that even thought we do not have an official diagnosis (yet) we are on the right path to getting the correct treatment for the symptoms seen in him.

Thanks again to everyone!

Lydia - posted on 03/30/2011

I agree with you!!!!! Good luck and I will keep you and your son in my prayers!

Beth - posted on 03/30/2011

We got all our testing for free through the public schools. Trust your gut!

Sherri - posted on 03/30/2011

My son was 7 when he received his diagnosis of Asperger's. He, too, had been incorrectly diagnosed with ADHD by a child psychiatrist who dismissed my concerns about either autism./PDD-NOS/Asperger's because my son was "too social" and had had a language delay. In fact, even at age 7 his language was peculiar in rhythm, tone and usuage. My sister-in-law worked with brain-injury patients and had a former colleague who worked at the Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center (associated with UVA in Charlottesville, VA). With her recommendation, we were able to have my son evaluated across a spectrum of developmental, educational, and physical issues. It was a comprehensive look at my son as a whole. Their team of specialists then worked together on a final diagnosis. My son is 18 now and has had fairly good support via our schools, along with group therapies that have helped as he went into the teen years. Trust your instinct. Contact your pediatrician if you need a referral. If you have a university hospital nearby, contact their children's department to make an appointment with the pediatric neuropsycologist or the department that handles developmental diagnoses. The diagnosis is the first step. The next is the IEP (individualized education plan) to establish services in his public school. The diagnosis serves as the trigger and once you ask for an IEP meeting, the school must set up the meeting to determine services. In addition to school services, there are a myriad of services for support for your son, your family and you for support. One on-line group I subscribe to is MASK (Mothers of Aspergers Kids). Best of luck to you. Keep up your search and service demands. You are and will always be his best advocate!

Lydia - posted on 03/30/2011

You can get free testing at Scoitish Rights hospital in Dallas, Tx. You have to fill out forms and be on a waiting list but it is well worth it. They tested and diagnosed my son when he was 6 years old with ADD and today he is 16 and is doing well with proper medication. Good luck!

Karen - posted on 03/30/2011

they psyc in our home town tested my son ask them they should be able to point you in the correct direction good luck

Diane - posted on 03/29/2011

This link on the TACA website has much info that will help:

http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/...



Consider taking the ATEC -

ATEC (Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist), developed by a panel of doctors to help parents to get an idea of where their child stands developmentally -

http://www.autism.com/ari/atec/atec_form... ; General info: http://www.autism.com/ari/atec/atec-onli... (We used it to gauge where our son was developmentally. Helped us get a better idea of where he was compared to typical development.) BTW, his first ATEC score was a 96 (zero is neuro-typical). As he responded well to his interventions (diet, biomedical under the care of his DAN Doctor - Defeat Autism Now, 35-hour / week home ABA program over a few years, OT, Speech therapy, etc.) his ATEC score improved. I would retake it every 2-3 months to gauge progress). By 1st or 2nd grade, his ATEC was under 10. Often when parents suspect autism, the ATEC results either confirm their suspicions enough to pursue an official eval by a specialist, or the results show their child is much milder than suspected. Also, all people who spend time regularly with your child should take the ATEC, as each may have a different perception. My husband's first ATEC score for our son was in the 50's - considerably lower than my own eval, but he was at work during the day and did not see the level of behaviors and developmental delays that I did, being with our son all of the time. My husband's score was still high enough to convince him that we needed to consult a specialist.

Ellarel - posted on 03/23/2011

Thank you so much for the link. The more symptoms I see the more he fits the diagnosis exactly.

Katherine - posted on 03/22/2011

Here is a really good site that says what to look for in testing your son for aspbergers.

http://iautistic.com/test_AS.php