Re: question about diagnosis

[Guest guest]

I think it also depends on the doctor too.

The psych that we used to get Savannah dx'd was the only person that would 1.

work with a child of 5 going on 6 and 2. knew anything about autism (and believe

me, I called everywhere. My only other option was go to on a 6 to 8 month

waiting list). The test that he used for Aspergers Syndrome wasn't made for a

child below 5 years 8 months. It was the only test that he had as well. Her

results were so " weird " that he had to call the designer of the test to consult

wiht him on some things.

I think that a low functioning child is easier to dx at a younger age than a

high functioning one. At 18 months if someone would have listed to me and done

an evaluation on her she probably would have been considered low to moderate

functioning. Today she is seen as high functioning.

~ Georga ~

Furby Rescue: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jorghahaq/Furbyrescue.htm

Usborne Books: http://www.ubah.com/F1549 Register to win $50 in free books!

Homeschool Pages and the Sims:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jorghahaq/IKVGrethor.htm

Re: question about diagnosis

> My question is this: A family friend who teaches Special Education in a

> different school district than mine counseled me today that it isn't

> really possible to diagnose my son at this age. He says that a

> diagnosis takes a while (which I understand) but he seemed to indicate

> that it really shouldn't take place until the child is school age unless

> the autism is severe in which case it is readily apparent.

This is an old-school viewpoint. The sooner you can start working with your

child, recognizing strengths and areas of challenge, the better. There are

kids dx'd these days before 2 years old!

The medical establishment has made a lot of progress in identifying autism

earlier and earlier, and that's a good thing! Transitioning to school would

be an AWFUL time to start dealing with an autism dx on top of it.

Jacquie

[Guest guest]

Hello Karin, welcome aboard.

Yes we do have fun in this group, but we also are more than willing to tackle

serious issues. If you're looking for opinoins and support from people who have

been there, this is the place.

NT is our word for 'normal'. It stands for Neurologically Typical.

With any spectrum disorder, early diagnosis is best. The sooner you know what's

going on, the sooner you can treat it. Many so-called experts are afraid of

mis-diagnosing and prefer to do nothing. Even if you don't yet have a

diagnosis, you can look into therapy and services in your area. My son

was diagnosed at age 6, but he had been in an autism program in school since age

4 and in ST and OT since age 2. Those early years of services made a big

difference to him and I'm really glad we didn't wait.

Glad you decided to jump in.

Tuna

***********Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :

http://explorer.msn.com

[Guest guest]

Hi Karin--Welcome aboard. You came to the right list. NT means neruologically

typical. I learned that one myself after joining this list. My son is 3 as

well. He was diagnonsised at PDD-NOS means pervasive developmental disorder,

not otherwise specified. So, while he isn't diagnonised autistic, it just means

he is on the spectrum of. To my understanding, I may be wrong, as he gets older

they will be able to pin-point it better. There are so many things still

unknown about Autism. but make yourself at home here and jump in whereever you

wish. This is a wonderful list full of support. I learn new things daily, just

by reading the post. Amie

Karson(3)--PDD-NOS

Peyton(19 mos)--NT

question about diagnosis

Hello Everyone!

I hadn't planned on posting so soon after joining this list but I would

like to ask a question to anyone who can share their experience with

this question.

A brief background: I am Karin, 34 y/o, married, one child - my son

Jake who is 3 years 4 mos. Jake is not officially diagnosed with a

" named " term yet. We are brand new into the investigation of his

problems having our first consultation this past week and it is the

first time I even considered an autism type disorder. I am so very new

to this whole world and am trying to absorb what is happening with him.

Please forgive me and correct me if I use any terminology

inappropriately or accidentally say anything that is offensive. For

instance, I have picked up that the terminology for children without

these disorders is " typical " as opposed to " normal " , but I don't know a

lot of other things. (BTW, what does an " NT child " mean?)

My question is this: A family friend who teaches Special Education in a

different school district than mine counseled me today that it isn't

really possible to diagnose my son at this age. He says that a

diagnosis takes a while (which I understand) but he seemed to indicate

that it really shouldn't take place until the child is school age unless

the autism is severe in which case it is readily apparent. My research

seems to support that an early diagnosis is important. Is it possible

for a three year old to be diagnosed accurately? This friend is an

older man, getting closer to retirement age and he seems to be a bit

rigid in his beliefs.

Also, I realize this is a fun " parenting " group and if my question is

more suitable to a different group I will understand if these types of

questions aren't encouraged, just let me know. Thank you!

~ Karin

[Guest guest]

Thank you all so much for all the information you have already given me

and the warm welcome. I join in with everyone in thanking Jacqui for

this list and all of you for being loving with each other!

I think what you all wrote in answer to my question makes a lot of sense

and it is what my instincts were telling me anyway. I feel that parents

are the true experts on their children so I am so glad to have so many

other parents to talk to as I know I will be dealing with so many

differing opinions from the " professionals " we will come across. And

even though I know that parents may disagree among themselves too, I can

see that there is also a lot of consensus among the people who actually

live in the trenches so to speak.

A couple of questions popped into my head from reading your responses:

Penny said:

<<<< I DO think that a developmental pediatrician can pinpoint whether

or not your child fits the criteria for a diagnosis within the Autism

Spectrum Disorder. Can this change? Yes. Can your child's " symptoms "

(for lack of a better word) change? Yes.>>>>>

Is this because of growing older they exhibit different behaviors just

because they are getting older, or do things sometimes get worse as they

get older? Is this a progressive disorder I guess is what I'm asking,

or is the one they have as a child the one they pretty much stay within

as they age? (i.e. does a high-functioning autistic become worse

sometimes?)

Sue in MI (my family is from Michigan - I lived there until I was 7)

asked about my son's personality. He is sooo cute. That is what saves

his life on a daily basis. LOL... He is a loner. Big surprise huh?

I had no idea..... Anyway, he can talk to me about the basics in life,

his food preferences and the movies he likes to watch and things like

that but we aren't able to communicate about abstract things - can he

" feel " what it's like when he needs to go potty? Does he have a tummy

ache? Things like that. My inability to potty train him and his lack

of communication skills and knowledge of language are what made me seek

help in the first place. I thought he maybe needed speech therapy or

perhaps a good hearing test. I thought all of his idiosyncrasies were

just that, little personality quirks. I didn't even realize that there

are so many different variations in the autism spectrum. This has all

been a big shock and also a bit of a relief to know what is going on.

I'm sure you all know exactly how that feels. I had a nagging worry

about it in the back of my mind and the term " autism " had occurred to me

previously but I still thought that the skills he did have ruled that

out. Now that I have learned more about it and especially with

hindsight I can see soooo many things that apply to him. I don't know

where he lines up right now but I'm glad to be able to start looking for

help and learning how to teach him and everything that goes along with

it. I am a Midwife but have been semi-retired since he was born, and

now I think being his Mommy is really going to become my full-time job

as I seek information to be able to help him and teach him.

Incidentally he is physically close to me. He hugs me and cuddles with

me at night (we have a " family bed " ) but there are times when he doesn't

want to be touched and he is very non-affectionate with other family

members. His Dad takes that the hardest but is understanding and

patient. Jake breastfed until he was three years old (although not very

often by that time). I had expected to wean him a lot earlier, but let

him make the choice and then when he did quit it was hard for me to let

that time go. He still takes a good nap every day and is a pretty good

sleeper at night. He goes to bed when we do and gets up when we do.

(We are night people) Is it important to have them on a strict routine?

He is so easygoing and generally not any trouble as far as other kids

go, but I guess that is because he is so internally focused. He is

lately getting into everything in the house that he previously had not

explored and that has been a challenge. He's an extremely picky eater.

He is pretty tall for his age, about 3 1/2 feet tall. He is very

physical. Loves to run, jump, climb. I have him enrolled in a

Kindermusic class and that has been troublesome for him. He likes some

of it and some of it seems to be very disturbing to him (when they ring

the bells). But now I know why and can take him out if he wants to go.

What most drives me nuts about him is is propensity for dumping all

his toys on the floor and generally trashing any room he can and

spreading the mess all over the house. Also the potty training issue

has been tough. But now I can quit worrying that we are such a failure

in comparison to all the other NTs we know and try to figure out what

will help him learn that skill.

Well, thank you all for letting me vent and get all this out there. I

am sorry this post is so long. They won't all be this way.

Take care all,

~ Karin

[Guest guest]

> I am so glad to have so many other parents to talk to as I know I

> will be dealing with so many differing opinions from

> the " professionals " we will come across.>

Just so you'll know, Karin...there are a few of us " professionals " on

this list...just happen to have kids on the spectrum as well. ;-)

I'm a pediatric PT, there's a nurse or two, several teachers, and so

on. But we are here as parents...slogging through the same mess as

everyone else.

>>Is this a progressive disorder I guess is what I'm asking,

> or is the one they have as a child the one they pretty much stay

> within as they age? (i.e. does a high-functioning autistic become

> worse sometimes?) >>

Classic autism is not progressive...but issues do change, and that is

what folks are talking about here. A three year old with autism will

usually have different struggles than a five year old...starting

school or changing to a new environment is always way fun...and

puberty in kids with significant sensory dysfunction is downright

hysterical. :-P

There are certain types of PDD that do include periods of regression--

-but these are *extremely* rare. In most cases, good early

intervention in the way of OT, speech, floortime, TEACCH, or other

things that make sense to you as you learn more about autism in

general and your son's issues in particular...look at it all, trust

your gut, and hang on for dear life.

Raena

[Guest guest]

HELLO KARIN!!!

That teacher is wrong! My son ny was not officially 'dianosed'

but at 2 1/2 his Early Intervention therapist noted that he might have

PDD. At the time I was outraged at her dianosis and thought she was

just mad because we discontinued their services.

But after looking it up on the web and observing him myself, it made

much more sense. It's outrageous for that teacher to say to wait till

school age. By then it becomes harder to treat. Is your son talking

at 3 years old? Can you describe for me his behaviors? Maybe I can

help based on what my own son is going through.

ny is completely non verbal and ignores most people exept for my

husband and I. I'm 35 years old, live near Chicago and have been

married 14 years.

jen

>Hello Everyone!

>

>I hadn't planned on posting so soon after joining this list but I would

>like to ask a question to anyone who can share their experience with

>this question.

>

>A brief background: I am Karin, 34 y/o, married, one child - my son

>Jake who is 3 years 4 mos. Jake is not officially diagnosed with a

> " named " term yet. We are brand new into the investigation of his

>problems having our first consultation this past week and it is the

>first time I even considered an autism type disorder. I am so very new

>to this whole world and am trying to absorb what is happening with him.

> Please forgive me and correct me if I use any terminology

>inappropriately or accidentally say anything that is offensive. For

>instance, I have picked up that the terminology for children without

>these disorders is " typical " as opposed to " normal " , but I don't know a

>lot of other things. (BTW, what does an " NT child " mean?)

>

>My question is this: A family friend who teaches Special Education in a

>different school district than mine counseled me today that it isn't

>really possible to diagnose my son at this age. He says that a

>diagnosis takes a while (which I understand) but he seemed to indicate

>that it really shouldn't take place until the child is school age unless

>the autism is severe in which case it is readily apparent. My research

>seems to support that an early diagnosis is important. Is it possible

>for a three year old to be diagnosed accurately? This friend is an

>older man, getting closer to retirement age and he seems to be a bit

>rigid in his beliefs.

>

>Also, I realize this is a fun " parenting " group and if my question is

>more suitable to a different group I will understand if these types of

>questions aren't encouraged, just let me know. Thank you!

>

>

>~ Karin

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I think this disorder usually gets better over time, not worse

ny's listening skills have vastly improved in just the 3 weeks

he's been in the special ed preschool.

Anyway, he can talk to me about the basics in life, his food

preferences and the movies he likes to watch and things like >>

Your fortunate that he communicates even that much at 3 years old.

My son pulls my hand constantly and says " Pweese Pweese " lol

> What most drives me nuts about him is is propensity for dumping all

>his toys on the floor and generally trashing any room he can and

>spreading the mess all over the house. >>

Sounds just like ny!!! That can be very frustrating. If he

throws something to the floor I make him pick it up.

Also the potty training issue >has been tough.

I hear you on that also. I get alot of pressure from friends and

family to potty train him, which can be annoying.

jen

>Thank you all so much for all the information you have already given me

>and the warm welcome. I join in with everyone in thanking Jacqui for

>this list and all of you for being loving with each other!

>

>I think what you all wrote in answer to my question makes a lot of sense

>and it is what my instincts were telling me anyway. I feel that parents

>are the true experts on their children so I am so glad to have so many

>other parents to talk to as I know I will be dealing with so many

>differing opinions from the " professionals " we will come across. And

>even though I know that parents may disagree among themselves too, I can

>see that there is also a lot of consensus among the people who actually

>live in the trenches so to speak.

>

>A couple of questions popped into my head from reading your responses:

>

>Penny said:

>

><<<< I DO think that a developmental pediatrician can pinpoint whether

>or not your child fits the criteria for a diagnosis within the Autism

>Spectrum Disorder. Can this change? Yes. Can your child's " symptoms "

>(for lack of a better word) change? Yes.>>>>>

>

>Is this because of growing older they exhibit different behaviors just

>because they are getting older, or do things sometimes get worse as they

>get older? Is this a progressive disorder I guess is what I'm asking,

>or is the one they have as a child the one they pretty much stay within

>as they age? (i.e. does a high-functioning autistic become worse

>sometimes?)

>

>Sue in MI (my family is from Michigan - I lived there until I was 7)

>asked about my son's personality. He is sooo cute. That is what saves

>his life on a daily basis. LOL... He is a loner. Big surprise huh?

>I had no idea..... Anyway, he can talk to me about the basics in life,

>his food preferences and the movies he likes to watch and things like

>that but we aren't able to communicate about abstract things - can he

> " feel " what it's like when he needs to go potty? Does he have a tummy

>ache? Things like that. My inability to potty train him and his lack

>of communication skills and knowledge of language are what made me seek

>help in the first place. I thought he maybe needed speech therapy or

>perhaps a good hearing test. I thought all of his idiosyncrasies were

>just that, little personality quirks. I didn't even realize that there

>are so many different variations in the autism spectrum. This has all

>been a big shock and also a bit of a relief to know what is going on.

>I'm sure you all know exactly how that feels. I had a nagging worry

>about it in the back of my mind and the term " autism " had occurred to me

>previously but I still thought that the skills he did have ruled that

>out. Now that I have learned more about it and especially with

>hindsight I can see soooo many things that apply to him. I don't know

>where he lines up right now but I'm glad to be able to start looking for

>help and learning how to teach him and everything that goes along with

>it. I am a Midwife but have been semi-retired since he was born, and

>now I think being his Mommy is really going to become my full-time job

>as I seek information to be able to help him and teach him.

>Incidentally he is physically close to me. He hugs me and cuddles with

>me at night (we have a " family bed " ) but there are times when he doesn't

>want to be touched and he is very non-affectionate with other family

>members. His Dad takes that the hardest but is understanding and

>patient. Jake breastfed until he was three years old (although not very

>often by that time). I had expected to wean him a lot earlier, but let

>him make the choice and then when he did quit it was hard for me to let

>that time go. He still takes a good nap every day and is a pretty good

>sleeper at night. He goes to bed when we do and gets up when we do.

>(We are night people) Is it important to have them on a strict routine?

> He is so easygoing and generally not any trouble as far as other kids

>go, but I guess that is because he is so internally focused. He is

>lately getting into everything in the house that he previously had not

>explored and that has been a challenge. He's an extremely picky eater.

> He is pretty tall for his age, about 3 1/2 feet tall. He is very

>physical. Loves to run, jump, climb. I have him enrolled in a

>Kindermusic class and that has been troublesome for him. He likes some

>of it and some of it seems to be very disturbing to him (when they ring

>the bells). But now I know why and can take him out if he wants to go.

> What most drives me nuts about him is is propensity for dumping all

>his toys on the floor and generally trashing any room he can and

>spreading the mess all over the house. Also the potty training issue

>has been tough. But now I can quit worrying that we are such a failure

>in comparison to all the other NTs we know and try to figure out what

>will help him learn that skill.

>

>Well, thank you all for letting me vent and get all this out there. I

>am sorry this post is so long. They won't all be this way.

>

>Take care all,

>~ Karin

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

*dancing around room* YEah! I finally got caught up with all the

posts! Teach me to go to the ren-faire and not be here to answer my

email, huh? Excuse me... back to the questions at hand...

Hi Karin, *waves* I'm one of the Tina's on the list. My daughter,

is 10, mild autism, mentally handicapped with some OCD

behavior/thoughts. Sami's 9 and NT (tests in gifted range) is

almost 7, some behavioral and learning problems and just outgrew

childhood epilepsy (at least we hope, he's been off meds for 6 months

but I'm still nervous).

> My question is this: A family friend who teaches Special Education

in a different school district than mine counseled me today that it

isn't really possible to diagnose my son at this age. He says that a

diagnosis takes a while (which I understand) but he seemed to

indicate that it really shouldn't take place until the child is

school age unless the autism is severe in which case it is readily

apparent.

>

The fact that the friend said a diagnosis might be hard to reach

until your son is much older doesn't really bother me. If he's mild,

then you might not get a diagnosis for some time, depends on the

doctors/therapists in your area and how experienced they are.

What does concern me is that he needs to be in therapy NOW. Early

intervention is vital to his development. Even if the doctor(s) can't

give you a firm diagnosis, he can be tested for speech, OT & PT

delays and should be in therapy as soon as possible.

Girls tend to be severely autistic when they have the disorder.

is mild, so she was not diagnosed until she was 6. We had her in

speech therapy and a wonderful language preschool at 2 1/2. Her

expressive language is almost on age level but she still has a lot of

comprehension problems.

I have read that autistic behaviors are at their worst between 2 and

4 1/2 years of age. That was very true for . She still has

autistic behaviors, but they're nothing like when she was 3.

(so for everyone out there struggling with a toddler, it does

typically get better. never " normal " but better)

Tina

[Guest guest]

rgr4us wrote:

> Just so you'll know, Karin...there are a few of us " professionals " on

> this list...just happen to have kids on the spectrum as well. ;-)

> I'm a pediatric PT, there's a nurse or two, several teachers, and so

> on. But we are here as parents...slogging through the same mess as

> everyone else.

Oops didn't mean to offend. ;-) I didn't mean that in a derogatory way

that it may have sounded. I'm glad to hear from everyone!

> There are certain types of PDD that do include periods of regression--

> -but these are *extremely* rare. In most cases, good early

> intervention in the way of OT, speech, floortime, TEACCH, or other

> things that make sense to you as you learn more about autism in

> general and your son's issues in particular...look at it all, trust

> your gut, and hang on for dear life.

>

Thank you Raena, that sounds like wise words to me and I appreciate your

sense of humor about it too!

~ Karin

[Guest guest]

Tina wrote:

> Hi Karin, *waves* I'm one of the Tina's on the list. My daughter,

> is 10, mild autism, mentally handicapped with some OCD

> behavior/thoughts. Sami's 9 and NT (tests in gifted range) is

> almost 7, some behavioral and learning problems and just outgrew

> childhood epilepsy (at least we hope, he's been off meds for 6 months

> but I'm still nervous).

So nice to get to know more of you all... I feel like I came into the

movie late here but you guys are really growing on me so fast. I guess

it's because I'm so emotional about all of this right now. ;-)

> What does concern me is that he needs to be in therapy NOW. Early

> intervention is vital to his development. Even if the doctor(s) can't

> give you a firm diagnosis, he can be tested for speech, OT & PT

> delays and should be in therapy as soon as possible.

Thank you! I really needed to hear that!

I want you to know that you all are my new heroes/heroines!!!

~ Karin

[Guest guest]

Raena's words are ALWAYS wise.

(and I'm positive you didn't offend her)

:-)

Penny

>>>>>>>

Thank you Raena, that sounds like wise words to me and I appreciate your

sense of humor about it too!

~ Karin

<<<<<<<

[Guest guest]

Karin,

I am sure that others have told you but three is NOT too young to get a dx.

Kep was dxed just before his third birthday and there are others on this

list that have been dxed earlier.

Welcome to the list!

Amy H--in Michigan

Kepler 5 ASD and Bethany 6 1/2 NT

" Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. " ~ Jefferson

_________________________________________________________________

MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:

http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx

[Guest guest]

>

>Supermoms be damned. At parenting_autism, we're the anti-supermoms!!!!

amen to that.

Amy H--in Michigan

Kepler 5 ASD and Bethany 6 1/2 NT

" Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. " ~ Jefferson

_________________________________________________________________

Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com

[Guest guest]

No, we are the ones that haven't gone totaly crazy yet.

I am on the way though.

~ Georga ~

Furby Rescue: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jorghahaq/Furbyrescue.htm

Usborne Books: http://www.ubah.com/F1549 Register to win $50 in free books!

Homeschool Pages and the Sims:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jorghahaq/IKVGrethor.htm

Re: Re: question about diagnosis

> I want you to know that you all are my new heroes/heroines!!!

>

Heroes? Naw...we're just plain old moms and dads who live this life every

day and try to find the best of it. Having this place to brag about the

best and cry, bitch and whine about the worst makes a BIG difference. :-)

Supermoms be damned. At parenting_autism, we're the anti-supermoms!!!!

Jacquie

[Guest guest]

> I want you to know that you all are my new heroes/heroines!!!

>

Heroes? Naw...we're just plain old moms and dads who live this life every

day and try to find the best of it. Having this place to brag about the

best and cry, bitch and whine about the worst makes a BIG difference. :-)

Supermoms be damned. At parenting_autism, we're the anti-supermoms!!!!

Jacquie

[Guest guest]

I am so very new

> to this whole world and am trying to absorb what is happening with

him.

> ~ Karin

Welcome Karin--

I know exactly where your coming from--

i just got the dx this past feb...but

knew something was up....my name is

nancy, single mom to josh 14(nt)

jenna 6 autism, ocd

rachelle 17months......

I still am trying to absorb everything

myself...it does get alittle easier

as they get older...i remember jenna

at 3-4...nightmare!!--but she has come

along way since then...

welcome to the group...these are the

greatest people, who have helped me

ALOT, just being here!!!!!

nancy

[Guest guest]

> > Oops didn't mean to offend. ;-) I didn't mean that in a

> derogatory way that it may have sounded. >>

Oh, heck...takes a lot more than that to offend me...

> I appreciate your sense of humor about it too! >>

Only way to survive...that's why this list is such a fun list...the

folks on here have figured that out!

Raena

[Guest guest]

> So nice to get to know more of you all... I feel like I came into

the movie late here but you guys are really growing on me so fast. I

guess it's because I'm so emotional about all of this right now. ;-)

>

LOL! Well, I walked into the movie during the second act myself. ;o)

I've only been here a few weeks but this is a wonderful group of

ladies (are there any men here?) and they've made me feel right at

home.

> > What does concern me is that he needs to be in therapy NOW. Early

> > intervention is vital to his development. Even if the doctor(s)

can't give you a firm diagnosis, he can be tested for speech, OT & PT

> > delays and should be in therapy as soon as possible.

>

>

> Thank you! I really needed to hear that!

>

You're welcome. ) I'm a very firm advocate of early intervention. I

watched go from speaking in all vowel sounds that we couldn't

understand to having an almost age appropriate vocabulary. I know she

wouldn't have done that with just me working with her. I've watched

her speech sessions many times and seen such a dramatic improvement.

Her fine motor skills have been slower to progress but she can now

tie her shoes and her writing is legible (if just barely at times).

Tina

[Guest guest]

>

> My question is this: A family friend who teaches Special Education

in a

> different school district than mine counseled me today that it

isn't

> really possible to diagnose my son at this age. He says that a

> diagnosis takes a while (which I understand) but he seemed to

indicate

> that it really shouldn't take place until the child is school age

unless

> the autism is severe in which case it is readily apparent. My

research

> seems to support that an early diagnosis is important. Is it

possible

> for a three year old to be diagnosed accurately? >

~ Karin~

Yes it is possible for a child to be diagnosed at your sons age. My

youngest son was diagnosed 1 week after his 2nd birthday. Early

intervention/therapies have brought both of my children with autism

disorders very far. I am a firm beleiver that the earlier you know ,

and accept the diagnosis, and get the help for your child that he/she

needs the better. For a child with a disability " school age " begins

at 3 y/o. They can receive therapies as well as basic learning of pre-

kindergarten skills, self help skills and socialization opportunities

in these early childhood special ed classrooms. I am a mother of two

children with Autistic disorders as well as being and early childhood

special ed teacher, If you have any other questions feel free to

contact me at haleigh_anna4u@... Good Luck and hang in

there....

Amy mom to

Noah 6 Lucas 8 ASD;s

[Guest guest]

I have read about autism being diagnosed as early as the first birthday. My

son was dx'd on his second birthday. I'm sure the people who dx'd him knew

he was autistic at least a month before that but they had to finish all the

testing & write up their report & etc. And, had we pushed harder when we

first noticed something wrong, he would have been dx'd maybe 6 months before

that.

Now Asperger's is not usually dx'd until a little later - maybe 4-5 - but I

don't know how early it *can* be dx'd.

My advice? Talk to an autism expert. Your state list should be able to

tell you who to see in your area.

-Sara.

[Guest guest]

I'm 35 years old, live near Chicago and have been

> married 14 years.

>

> jen

Jen I am about 45 min NW of Ohare where are you ?

Amy mom to

Noah 6 Lucas 8 ASD's

[Guest guest]

> No, we are the ones that haven't gone totaly crazy yet <

actually, i think we're the ones who ARE crazy and aren't afraid to admit it!

:-D

" Something important to remember...we'll always be who we are. " - Mr.

[Guest guest]

HI AMY!!!!

I'm in Cicero, which is about 40 min east/south of O'hare.

I'm on maternity leave now so have alot of free time during

the day M-F to get together if your'e interested.

jen

>

>I'm 35 years old, live near Chicago and have been

>> married 14 years.

>>

>> jen

> Jen I am about 45 min NW of Ohare where are you ?

>

>Amy mom to

>Noah 6 Lucas 8 ASD's

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you! I am going to look for an autism expert in my area.

~ Karin

The Byks wrote:

> I have read about autism being diagnosed as early as the first birthday. My

> son was dx'd on his second birthday. I'm sure the people who dx'd him knew

> he was autistic at least a month before that but they had to finish all the

> testing & write up their report & etc. And, had we pushed harder when we

> first noticed something wrong, he would have been dx'd maybe 6 months before

> that.

>

> Now Asperger's is not usually dx'd until a little later - maybe 4-5 - but I

> don't know how early it *can* be dx'd.

>

> My advice? Talk to an autism expert. Your state list should be able to

> tell you who to see in your area.

>

> -Sara.

[Guest guest]

I had diagnosed and in services by the time she was 22 months

old. I knew at 16 months, that something was wrong, but thought

that it was just a speech delay from an ear infection that didn't

clear up until we put in PE tubes. That was July, 2000. By

September, she still wasn't getting back her vocabulary or even any

babbling, so I has 348-TOTS (Minneapolis Public Schools) evaluate

her the same time as the speech therapist through our health

insurance. I had major issues with putting my not even two year old

on the bus for almost an hour one way for 2 1/2 hours of services,

but she would sit on my lap or tantrum most of the day and it was

too much for me. Her younger sister was also born just before she

started to show problems, so I had her and a new baby, as well as my

son who was 3 and 1/2. I had to help her with her mommyitis, as

much as I had to help myself and that was the closest autism

program. I drove her the first day, saw that the teacher had pretty

much the same outlook on life as I did and that would be well

cared for. The second day, I drove her and hung out in the hall

watching and the third day I put her on the bus. Mind you,

loved and still loves to ride in the van, so I knew the bus would be

the easy part of the day. did the full regression you hear

about after her last MMR shot - she would stare at the TV from 2 "

away and tantrum like you would not believe. We could call her name

behind her and she wouldn't even look - drop a pan lid behind her

and she wouldn't even startle. I went into it thinking she couldn't

hear at all, but when the speech therapist finally got her in for

evaluation in November, she noticed that I had taken her shoes and

socks of and had me do the sensory profile. It was Minneapolis

Public schools that pulled her in for the autism evaluation - the

speech therapist and the occupational therapist couldn't or wouldn't

mention the word to me. The neurologist was the one who finally

said ASD.

I firmly believe that is at such a good point now, because I

had services started so early for her. She is attending Head Start

three days a week (19 kids, teacher and one aide - no aide for

, by my choice)and takes the bus from there to her ECSE

classroom two days a week and from home the other two (4 kids,

teacher and aide). After two years in the AI classroom, she doesn't

need the PEC's to transition, hence the decision to put her in just

the special ed, but that program only has class 4 days a week, so I

also decided to try her in the other program also. With , the

busier we keep her, the less tantrums and behaviors we see. She is

suprising us at every turn. While I would love to believe that she

isn't autistic, we saw a major loss of skills last year at

Christmas, when her teacher was out for two weeks before break and

than was off for break - that's when I really saw that it

wasn't just a label. learns absolutely nothing on her own, so

she needs the lower ratio in the ECSE, but my priority for her has

been social skills so that's what the head start is for - most of

the kids in her class don't speak much english, so it's more the

routine and her being among NT kids. They offered to do a triple

IEP for and I told them that wasn't necessary, as I only

expect to learn to function in a group at Head Start. We will

save the IEP for the ECSE program, as Head Start has their hands

full and wouldn't be able to help meet any goals other than

social skills. Her teacher tells me that every few hours,

needs to take her blanket and sit on the couch, away from the group,

but after about 5 minutes or so, the teacher calls her back and trys

to get her back to whatever activity the other kids are doing.

will go back to the group. We haven't seen engaging

other kids in play yet, but she will tolerate them by her and will

even give up whatever toy she has if requested - I look at it as

huge progress over the last almost two years.

Mom to ASD PDD-NOS born 03/08/99.

>

> I'm 35 years old, live near Chicago and have been

> > married 14 years.

> >

> > jen

> Jen I am about 45 min NW of Ohare where are you ?

>

> Amy mom to

> Noah 6 Lucas 8 ASD's