Autism

[Kickin.Cowgirl]

Hi Everyone!
I'm wondering if there are any members here who have autistic children... I have a 4 year old who has a speech delay... the last two years have been INSANE with him... well we took him to be evaluated for Autism however the woman who did the testing was in and out within 15 minutes and sent us somewhere else and said ''well maybe he is high functioning I will send you to dr x" ... I'm so frustrated because I feel that the people we have seen so far are pretty much hopeless. Another woman we seen said its highly unlikely (she's the school psychologist) and we went through thsi HUGE questionaire with her... she thinks its just developmental delay and he has quirks...

like looking out the corner of his eye at his trains and lining them up... he really only has 3 symptoms; Speech Delay, Lining up his trains and looking at things sometimes from the corner of his eye. Everything else is fine pretty much...well apart from the tantrums BUT he is spoiled rotten (only child) ... he does do weird things though like a few months ago I noticed that he was leaving a chair by the pantry...this happened over the course of a few days...well one day he asked me for a oreo...I opened the pack and noticed he had eaten out ALL the filling from each cookie...pushed them back together again to seal them... and put them back in place perfectly and resealled the cookie pack. From the age of maybe 18mth - 2 years old he has been able to recite the alphabet *(sometimes he does it backwards) and he knew every shape and color no problem... same with animals etc.

Other story... there is a yearling in with my horses right now... I asked my son if he wanted to see the foal...well he said ''no no Emmy & Gin & Huey" (my horses and friends horse that are all in together) he kept saying ''push no no no... gin and emmy...lets go mom!!' and he pushed me away from the yearling because he was scared... he didnt' want to look at the foal...this actually scared me a bit but the psychologist thinks it was just because the horse is new and horses are scary... I don't know... I think thats autistic behavior but I dont know... anyway...

My husband didnt' talk until he was almost 4 and my mother in law told me he would sit and play with the wheels on a car forever and do things like that... my son doesnt' really do that per se but he will dismantle his thomas trains, change the batterys and then put them back together... he is OBSESSED with batteries... my husband is in I.T and Mensa so he is a brain but I'm sure now I can see Autistic traits in him! Like lack of empathy etc and very OCD about things which drives me mental...

I'm actually really scared ...

so I found this website http://generationrescue.org/biomed-101/

and I'm wondering if anyone else has had any experience with treating ADD, ADHD, and Autism

Thanks!

 

[TinyChickenLady]

I have ADHD. My parents chose not to have it treated with meds but instead found ways to keep me busy such as tutoring. I tended to get things done waaaay faster than others and then needed a new way to keep myself busy so that I didn't become disruptive. It required a LOT of patience from my parents and to this day (I'm now 25) I still get frustrated if I become bored or work too fast and then have to find something new to keep myself occupied.
With ADHD, crafts and long projects are always a really good idea. That's half the reason I started quilting and sewing. It keeps my hands and mind busy so that I don't lose my mind (at least that's how it feels).
Your son does have some autistic traits (I've worked with kids with developmental difficulties) but I think he may have Asbergers and not Autism. Asbergers is like autisms high functioning cousin. These types of people tend to be very smart in some areas (like with electronics or animals) and slow to develop in other areas (such as speach). The biggest thing I've noticed about kids with Asbergers is that they need structure and scheduling. Do not surprise them with something new. Tell them at least a day in advance and over again so that they can adjust to what's coming and get themselves ready for it.
They tantrum more if they get uspet or surprised. During those tantrums, they need to be hugged and assured that they will be okay. Sometimes it's good for them to help plan the next day's activites. It helps them feel more in control of themselves and their surroundings and it is also another way for them to prepare for the next day's plans.
Just an idea you might want to consider.
PM if you want any more ideas. I probably have a million LoL

 

[Kickin.Cowgirl]

Thanks soooooooo much!!!! you rock!
He has speech therapy now in a class and his teacher did say he likes structure...we are pretty much the opposite at home..its whenever or wherever... so you are spot on about that...and the electronics thats true... he uses the computer and worked out how to use my ipad within 5 minutes of me getting it home.
The whole vaccine thing worries me though... I keep wondering if that caused it... or its something he has got from his dad...

 

[violetsky]

Every child is different and nothing you said sounds out of the ordinary to me. My daughter
didnt speak until she was 3 and now is an honor student taking all AP classes. I would avoid
trying to label or peg your child as autistic and get early intervention where he needs it. My
dughter was speech delayed so I did early ntervention using all the resourses available in my
community. She had special education teacher come to the house once a week and then in school
took a few special classes K-3. If the first thing you try doesnt work out then try something else.
Something just clicked with the second teacher I worked with and I didnt waste time with one that
had her hiding in the closet when she showed up. Same thing with preschool, you'll not be so
stressed when things are good fit. Your son just maybe
more like his father and respond differently to life. You can spend a lot of time testing and never
get anything too conclusive, search more for learning solutions. Very bright kids often approach life
differently.

 

[TinyChickenLady]

That part is still being debated whether it could be genetic or caused by all those shots. I honestly have no idea about that part. Either way, most of it is too late by the time it's thought of. Now it's just time for damage control. And of course, if you choose, you can stop any future vaccines. I probably would unless it's absolutely necessary.
But speech therapy will probably help him tremendously. Also, asking his father what worked or didn't work for him could be a good starting point to how you want him scheduled or structured. "Like father, like son" is always too true to ignore. What Dad likes, his son will surely prefer as well. It sounds like they probably share a brain so Dad would be a good starting point to how you want to handle your son's future. Maybe having the two of them sit down to discuss what son wants to do with his spare time and how he wants to spend his days would be a good idea.
They can make a list together of what they like and don't like, what they want to or not want to do. Then they can decide how to make his schedule together. It would be fun, helpful and create a nice bonding experience that only the two of them could completely understand.

 

[Kickin.Cowgirl]

Thats true Violet... my son's teacher (speech therapy classes) is insiting he gets labelled now. ...it does bug me that she doesn't really listen to what I'm telling her and disagree's with everything...thats one reason I'm so confused because out of the 4 people he has seen lately 2 said no he doesn't seem to be autistic and the other two (teacher included) are saying no he is... I'm confused...like for example his teacher claims he uses a flat tone when he talks... Ive never noticed this..so i have taken more notice and I totally call her on this...but of course she knows everything.

 

[Kickin.Cowgirl]

Quote:
My son wouldn't sit still for that...plus he is only just now putting sentences together... so its taken him this long to actually start talking...

 

[TinyChickenLady]

Kickin.Cowgirl :

Quote:
My son wouldn't sit still for that...plus he is only just now putting sentences together... so its taken him this long to actually start talking...

That's totally fine though. It's going to help him having Daddy talk to him about things he understands. His father knows (I assume) how his son feels and they don't have to have a session. It's just a matter of them "playing" together to see what works for him.​

 

[violetsky]

Don't let anyone shake your confidence up about your son. We all are different. Even if he
does have autism its not severe enough to sidetrack him from a normal life. We all have different
strong points. I would get his fine and gross motor skills tested as well a vision and hearing test.
My daughter presented like a deaf child even though she could hear very well, because some kind
of glitch in her brain scrambled sounds. What will happen in that case is you tend to learn from visual
stimuli easier than audible. A trained therapist will be able to get you son on track wherever he is weak.
Just listen to your own instincts first. You are more interested in his welfare and observe him more intently
than anyone else. I was in a panicked state for months trying to figure out what was going in on with my daughters
delayed speech. Her first therapist had a PHD and could talk up a storm but nothing was happening. The
second therapist I could see that something had clicked in my daughter's mind when they started working together
, almost a Helen Keller moment and very rapidly she started moving forward with her speech. I went from
worrying my daughter would never be mainstreamed to worrying over what kind of merit based scholarship will
help pay for college. Just don't keep hammering away with the wrong teacher/ program. Early intervention will
work but you have to take advantage of a flexible growing brain. I have a feeling you son will do very well in
life, he sounds very smart. What kid knows the alphabet backwards and forward?

 

[MaryMouse]

One thing I do know for sure is that you know what is best for you, your son, your family. Yes keep seeking advice from professionals, but as violet sky said you will know what is right. It will sound right, and feel right , and click. Good luck and hugs.