Allergy testing will find anaphalctic reactions, it won't necessarily find behavioral reactions. I would try an elimination diet of common allergens.
Here is a link about sensory diets: http://sensorysmarts.com/sensory_diet_activities.html
Allergy testing will find anaphalctic reactions, it won't necessarily find behavioral reactions. I would try an elimination diet of common allergens.
Here is a link about sensory diets: http://sensorysmarts.com/sensory_diet_activities.html
Mom of 4: Boy (10), Girl (7), Boy (4), Girl (2)
I'm just learning about all this but I'd err on the side of a second opinon. EI is not always savvy on sensory issues and you have to be a certain percentage behind for them to take notice. It is supposed to be easier to address sensory issues when babies brains are still developing. At least according to some infant development experts.
We had some PT for DS via EI at 7 months and he "graduated" from it at 9months when his physical milestones were back on track. But I continued to see behaviors that concerned me and sought out a clinical psychologist who specializes in infant development. (A friend whose son saw Dr. Stanley Greenspan (RIP)--he's renown for treating kids with special needs--in Maryland got us her name). She flagged sensory issues, said they are hard to diagnose but easier to deal with the younger the child. She referred us to OT, which we are starting tomorrow, and has us doing floor-time (kind of intense play therapy). We'll also have a speech eval.
Some people don't buy into sensory problems and say that floor-time is an unproven therapy. It's really intense and time consuming but it isn't harmful so we're going to try it with our DS.
This website isn't the easiest to navigate but there is a place where you can look for a specialist in your area. GL mama!
http://www.icdl.com/
Last edited by marge234; 06-01-2010 at 03:57 PM. Reason: clarity/typos
DS1 was a bear after he turned a year old. OMG, not quite like you describe, but we wondered what had happened to our kid. Turns out that he was lactose intolerant, and probably in a lot of discomfort from drinking cow's milk. Within a few days (maybe a week?) of switching to Lactaid milk, we had our child back. There is no test for lactose intolerance other than process of elimination, so it would not have been covered by a visit to an allergist.
Milk may not be the problem, but my point is that it could be his diet, and the fix could be easier than you think.
Single mom to
DS ("twice exceptional") - September 2002
DS - February 2006
DD - July 2009
DD - July 2009
Keep working on the signing. DS's trantrums decreased dramatically when he learned "help" and "milk". But it took him a long time to catch on.
How about having him push boxes or push a walker-wagon?
Get a plastic tub and put dry beans/corn/rice in it so he can "dig" in that. (If he won't put them in this mouth.)
Do you have a birth ball/excercise ball? Those are great for lots of sensory activities if he craves movement.
Let him sit in an empty laundry basket and slide it across the floor.
Gena
DS, age 11 and always amazing
“Autistics are the ultimate square pegs, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole is not that the hammering is hard work. It's that you're destroying the peg." - Paul Collins, Not Even Wrong
I've never had my girls tested by a conventional allergy test, because their reactions are so severe that it wouldn't matter what a test said. I'd be crazy to give them the foods. There are high rates of error with allergy testing, so while I've tested myself to see what I come up with, it just hasn't been worth it with the girls. We've done non-invasive things, but really, elimination and reintroduction has been really easy and really effective. The only thing is that you really have to eliminate it all for awhile. Corn, dairy and soy are in everything!
Also, you could have a multitude of factors going. I had migraine headaches for years and eliminated many different foods without much change. I'd never eliminated them allat the same time, plus some more. Now, I'm pretty much headache-free.
Again, this may not be your son's situation, but I wanted to bring it up because of our experiences.
What does this mean?
My DD is 20 months and gets ticked off very easily. Simply if she doesn't get what she wants and would try to smak/hit us if we're close by. But only us, definitely not the dog even if he's close by. She also throws tantrums at diaper changers by kicking and screaming. I thought this is just childhood behavior and she would outgrow. Should I be looking into this more?
Not meaning to hijack this thread but your post started me thinking.
It can be very age typical behavior. However, the OP's child also has some red flags for *potential* sensory issues (issues w/ texture, etc.) when taken together could be a bigger concern than typical toddler hitting. There's also some concern over language development, as the OP's child doesn't have a lot of words (not all that concerning at his age) but also is not making a lot of varied sounds in his babble. Taken together, that is why an EI eval was suggested initially. EI=early intervention, which provides free (or sliding scale for income in some states) evaluations/treatment in a child's home ages 0-3. In order to qualify for services a child must exhibit a certain percentage of delay in a particular area of development, typically over 25% or greater depending on the state in which the child resides. eta: the eval itself is free and completed in the child's home.
Last edited by brittone2; 06-02-2010 at 01:45 PM.
Mama to DS-2004
DD-2006
and a new addition-ds born march 2010
Just wanted to add that IME and what I hear from other parents, resistance to diaper changes is pretty normal (though not all kids will go through this), so that alone would not concern me personally. My DS is often awful to change, especially for me . DD went through the same thing, and with her it passed. I sure hope it does with DS.
-Pam
DD: 6 YO
DS: 3 YO