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  1. #11
    ray7694 is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    It is my understanding u have language delays, sensory issues, and social delays with autism

  2. #12
    Karenn is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    I wouldn't immediately jump to an Autism diagnosis. There are so many possibilities, including sheer toddler-ism. However, I do know two children who did not appear to have language or social delays when they were young, who were diagnosed with autism later in childhood. Both parents said, "But he can't be on the spectrum because he's so verbal and he loves other children." Now that they are tweens, (the boys are the same age, but unrelated) it's clear that both boys are on the spectrum and do have language delays. They both still "love other children" but both also struggle mightily in their peer relations, partly because of their language difficulties. It sounds like Mikeys_Mom's experience is similar to the two boys that I know. They are both rather high-functioning, and their symptoms seemed to be somewhat masked until the boys were a little older.

  3. #13
    bisous is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Thanks for weighing in, everyone.

    I have a son who was evaluated for autism. Ultimately it was determined that he did not have autism but he seemed like he had social delay at a VERY young age. I don't feel that way about DS3. But I suppose it is difficult to tell. Here are some facts about him:

    He's a little over 2.5 years old.

    He had 150 words at 18 months and his vocabulary is getting stronger.

    He plays imaginary games but mostly by himself. He's beginning to play imaginary games with his brothers.

    He quotes movies (This is part of why I was thinking autism! I heard about a family on NPR this week that communicated to their autistic son through Disney movies!)

    I'm not sure if this is social or this is just mimicry. He came into the room the other day without his pants and said (with a funny voice), "Honey, where are my PAAAANTS" (Lego movie reference for those who haven't seen it) It made my older boys (and their friend) roll with laughter. I think it was intentional on DS3's part.

    He is intensively rigid in what he wants. If his toy has a scratch or heaven forbid is broken it can ruin the entire day.

    It took him months to get used to taking a bath.

    He will not ride a single ride at Disneyland. He finds it completely overwhelming--even the tram ride!

    If I do one little thing wrong he will cry for hours. It is sad but our family has really gotten used to the crying to the point we hardly notice it. The things "wrong" that I do include giving him the wrong color bowl or putting on the wrong shirt.

    He needs sleep desperately. Yet, if his morning is out of sorts at all, he won't nap. He just can't relax enough. So if we go to nap straight from a play date or some such, forget it! He won't go to sleep.

    He is charming and good natured when he is with strangers for the most part. The church nursery adores him and thinks he's really well behaved and smart.

    As an infant he need constant soothing. His arms would flail and wake him up. He was very upset and agitated often.

    Looking over the DSM guidelines that a PP linked I don't think he'd qualify as Autistic. But then, he still could I guess based on what others have said.

    The question now is what do I do? As many have stated, some of these behaviors might be considered extremes of normal 2 yo behavior. I just feel like its extreme. I want to be active NOW to get him help if he needs it. My pediatrician is thoroughly convinced that he's fine and that any therapy would be a waste on him. WWYD?

  4. #14
    jse107 is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cam&Clay View Post
    DS2 is 6 and sounds very much like your son. He is extremely verbal and very social. He still, however, has tantrums and likes things to be the way he imagines them to be. He is stubborn and often difficult to be around. He fixates on things and has imaginary friends too numerous to name. He was just diagnosed with anxiety.
    My DS is 9 and he was also diagnosed with anxiety. This is very much what he was like as a toddler (no imaginary friends). With therapy and meds, he's a much more relaxed, happy kid. (Which makes for much happier relaxed parents.)

    Have you thought about Sensory Processing Disorder? DS has been diagnosed with this also. It was the diagnosis we received when he was 4. He struggled/s with modulation issues--in relation to proprioceptive and vestibular senses. I would bet that this is a large part of what your DS is dealing with.
    Last edited by jse107; 05-28-2014 at 08:47 AM.
    Jen
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  5. #15
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    elliput is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by bisous View Post
    He quotes movies (This is part of why I was thinking autism! I heard about a family on NPR this week that communicated to their autistic son through Disney movies!)
    As the parent with an autistic child who did quote Disney movies as primary method of communication, there is a difference between quoting movies and using scripted speech/echolalia learned from movies as their primary means of communication. Example- when my daughter was 3, she could not say "I don't want pants, I want to wear a dress" or "I don't want peas, I want carrots" so she would exclaim "Oh, no! Not PINK! Make it BLUE!" for every time she was presented with an option she didn't like. This is from Sleeping Beauty when Flora and Merriweather keep changing the color of Aurora's dress in the cottage.

    Even though your pediatrician doesn't think there is an issue, trust your gut. It is probably worth a few hours of your time to visit with a developmental pediatrician and/or pediatric psychologist to determine if your DS would benefit from some therapy to help him cope better.
    Erica
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  6. #16
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    Melbel is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    I would strongly encourage any and all parents with a child on the spectrum or exhibiting autism-like symptoms, SPD, OCD and/or anxiety to consider Lyme and co-infections as part of the differential diagnosis. I am active on various boards and a large percentage of kid with similar presentation are testing positive for Lyme, and more importantly, improving with treatment. Standard labs miss at least 1/2 of actual cases per numerous peer reviewed studies. The CDC recently conceded that its surveillance criteria (that doctors inappropriately use to "rule out" Lyme) only captures 1 out of every 10 cases. It is critical to use more reliable tests and to consult with a doctor who knows how to test for co-infections and consider secondary markers (i.e. immunology tests, RBC, ferritin, minerals, inflammatory markers, etc.).

  7. #17
    Cam&Clay is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by jse107 View Post
    My DS is 9 and he was also diagnosed with anxiety. This is very much what he was like as a toddler (no imaginary friends). With therapy and meds, he's a much more relaxed, happy kid. (Which makes for much happier relaxed parents.)

    Have you thought about Sensory Processing Disorder? DS has been diagnosed with this also. It was the diagnosis we received when he was 4. He struggled/s with modulation issues--in relation to proprioceptive and vestibular senses. I would bet that this is a large part of what your DS is dealing with.
    Would you be willing to share what meds your son takes? I'm seeing this in our future and am just starting to research. You can PM me if you'd rather not put it "out there." Thanks!
    DS1 age 21 years
    DS2 age 11 years

  8. #18
    sste is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Bisous, we have a less severe version of this with our son -- absent the sensory issues but extreme rigidity. He would never cry for hours, but he would cry and howl over minor variations in his "plan." At age 6, we think he has low-level anxiety and even more strongly the concomitants of anxiety: rigidity, perfectionism, mental scripts, endlessly seeking to "maximize" his fun/toys/time with us etc to a degree that impedes family life. It also affects him socially in the sense that he is hyper-reactive to perceived social threat and then obsessed with "showing the other kid how it feels." We are working on this, sigh.

    What is difficult at 2.5 is that there are fewer therapies/therapists for anxiety at least. I don't think there is solid evidence that play therapy used alone rather than in conjunction with CBT is effective. I know some pediatric anxiety therapists will see preschoolers.

    It does sound like there is a big sensory piece for him. Has he been screened by the state for early intervention? That might be a starting place I think?? you are still under the age cut off. The rigidity at that age can be quite normal (or not) . . . the inability to self-regulate after hours and continue crying all day less so I think.
    ds 2007
    dd 2010
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  9. #19
    Melbel's Avatar
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    I should add that numerous local autistic children who have tested for Lyme have all come back positive via PCR testing. Not all autistic children or children with autistic like symptoms (i.e. sensory processing disorder) have Lyme, but many do. More importantly, these kids are losing symptoms and the autism label with treatment.

  10. #20
    jse107 is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cam&Clay View Post
    Would you be willing to share what meds your son takes? I'm seeing this in our future and am just starting to research. You can PM me if you'd rather not put it "out there." Thanks!
    I'm happy to put it "out there"--nothing to be ashamed of! He is currently taking 50mg of Zoloft. Anxiety runs in our family (I take Lexapro, my mom takes Wellbutrin), so this diagnosis wasn't a shock to us. We have done therapy for almost two years. About 6 months ago, we had a full psycho-educational eval to rule out ADHD and determine any other needs. He has a significant split between his Verbal and Non-Verbal scores on the WISC, but no signs of ADHD or Executive Function issues. Because we have been doing CBT for so long, everyone involved (us, therapist, evaluator) agreed that it was time to try meds. It's made a HUGE difference for him (and us!) and he really hasn't had any negative side effects. If you have any specific questions, please let me know (through PM or on the thread) and I will try to answer. We are working with a child psychiatrist to monitor the meds. She was surprised that we only needed 50 mg--she was figuring more like 100-150mg to see a difference!
    Jen
    "What we permit we promote."

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