New to this and need some advice

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I had a frustrating experience today. I went to see Dr. (Plano/Dallas)

to discuss

my 22 month-old son's blood work. He's also having skin testing done for

allergies. Dr.

is a DAN! doctor -- that's how I found him; via their website. When I

called, I

specifically asked if they DIAGNOSE autism, and was told they do.

This was after trying unsuccessfully to get an appointment with a developmental

pediatrician (and I have good PPO insurance!) My son doesn't speak, and

spins/wobbles

objects. That's about it as far as his symptoms. He has great eye contact,

social

interaction (other than not answering to his name usually), laughs, loves to be

cuddled,

sleeps well, eats well, etc.

Dr. acknowledged his good eye contact, but that was about it, and

immediately

suggested allergy testing for food and environmental sensitivities. He did the

blood draw,

and Ian has had 2 days of skin tests, which really suck! He has no eczema,

hives, etc., but

the skin tests showed him sensitive to soy, brewer's yeast, and dust mites (so

far). His

blood work came back, and showed him negative for all " acute " allergies, but

positive for

" delayed " allergies for gluten, dairy, wheat, etc.

My frustration is this -- before I do something drastic (like GFCF), shouldn't I

at least get

a diagnosis?? I feel like this doctor is putting the cart before the horse, so

to speak; acting

before he has all the information. So far, we've spent about $1200

out-of-pocket for

these tests, but have had no developmental assessment. When I asked where my

son is

on the spectrum, he referred me to the people they have do their assessments at

the

Autism Treatment Center of Dallas! I'm confused because I was told that they do

it at Dr.

's office. I was hoping for a diagnosis, followed by recommended

therapies,

followed by dietary changes if necessary, followed by medication if necessary.

Does this doctor's approach sound a bit off to anyone else? I fully acknowledge

the

benefits of GFCF to many children, but it would be a HUGE upheaval for my son

and I don't

want to put him through any more unnecessary stuff until I know what I'm dealing

with.

Any advice is much appreciated. I've also been given two other developmental

pediatrician's names -- Dr. Ray and Dr. Hitzfelder. Any feedback on

them is

also very welcome.

Thank you for reading this very long email! I'm sure you all remember what it

was like for

you at the very beginning of your journey with Autism, and I appreciate your

help and

support.

Jen.