Hi. I have a wonderful little boy who will be 3 in July. Fot the last year we have been worried that he may have ADHD or some type of Autism/PDD. His pediatrician says that something seems a bit "off" but that its just too early to tell. All I know is that he seems very different than other kids his age, though he is quite intelligent. I'm starting to think I should call Early Intervention to have him checked out... since the doc seems to be no help. I do have experience with special needs, my older son, who is 7 has Cerebral Palsy. So, luckily I already know how to deal with early intervention and all of that. Here are some of his behavior patterns:

1. Knows alot of words and phrases, but has trouble cummunicating. When speaking he will just throw words together, and make no sence. Also, it is hard to understand his speech, unless you know him well. But, he does know how to count to 10, though mixes up numbers at times...same with ABC's.

2. Has odd repetive play. He consistantly drinks from his sippy cup, then will spit it out into toys or on tables, floor...anything! No matter how many times he is told "no". Also, instead of playing with toys normally, he usually just lines them all up and will go into hysterics if someone moves them.

3. becomes uncontrollable and even violent when hes told "no". Has tantrums that will go on for up to an hour over things as simple as being told not to climb on a table. I know tantrums are normal at his age... but it just seems that he goes totally overboard with it.

4. In constant motion. Even when he is sitting quietly (not very often) he will always keep his feet and hands moving up and down in the same pattern. Also, he does a hand flapping thing almost all the time.

5. certain noises...such as the vacume and hairdryer makes him scream and yell while covering his ears. We asked that he have a hearing test done when he just turned 2, but the doc said she would not make the referral because there would be no way he would sit still long enough for the testing.

6. HAIRCUTS!!!! It is almost impossible to give him one! He will hit, punch and bite if we even get near him with scissors or clippers. He will go into a screaming fit until he hyperventilates. It takes us up to 3 weeks just to finish one haircut.

7. Has odd eating habits. For the most part he will only eat fruit. If given any type of sandwich he will take it apart, put it back together in a different order, eat a few bites then spits on it and smashes and crumple it all up into peices.

8. Bites his nails down to the nubs, both finger and toe nails. We have tried to stop him from this, but it just turns into another uncontrollable tantrum. Even as a small baby he would not let me trim his nails without a struggle.

9. He is very loving, and loves to give and recieve hugs and kisses...but then follows up with hitting or pinching us.

10. Has an odd bedtime ritual...which if broken, causes NOONE to get any sleep. At night, my husband (not me, because it HAS to be daddy) must lay down next to his bed until he goes to sleep. This did not start until he was moved to a toddler bad from the crib. While still in crib, he would climb out over and over... but eventually would stop and go to sleep. Now, he'll only sleep if my husband in right next to him.


There are more things I could list... but I'd be here all day. I do know that alot of this is normal for a child his age, but compared to my friends kids the same age, his behaivor is much more extreme. I just thought I'd post this... maybe someone can help me out? Give me some ideas on what could possibly wrong, or, lol, tell me to stop worrying and that its all normal. Any input is welcome! Thank you in advance for reading this very long post! :)

Your son sound so much like my son Caden who will be 3 at the end of May.
Everything you described sounded so familiar. (Caden, however, is very speech delayed. He has less than eight words he verbalizes. He has about 30 signs that he uses.) He was officially diagnosed with PDD last month. He has been in early intervention for over a year. It has made a huge difference for Caden and the rest of my family.

Our pediatrician actually suspected autism when he was a year old. The signs where all there but very subtle. After searching the internet, I agreed with Caden's doctor. However, most people could not see anything different about Caden and thought we were crazy to think he was probably autistic.
(I was told continually by well meaning friends and neighbors that he didn't speak because he had two older brothers to speak for him. This of course is ridiculous. I think the more siblings you have the more need you have to speak to get what you want.) He is also very affectionate.

Caden had his hearing tested when he was 18 months old. The early intervention team actually refered us. His hearing was fine.

I would recommend that you contact early intervention for your son. It sounds to me like he probably has pdd. However, even if he doesn't he would benefit from speech therapy and other services that they offer.

Good luck. I know it can be so frustating and overwhelming at times. I was actually very relieved when Caden received his official diagonsis. It did not change him. He is the same precious boy he was. But it has changed the perception of other people that we have contact with. It has helped them understand why we do what we do at times. I feel less judged for doing things differently than someone with a non-autistic child may do it. It has also eliminated some of the ridiculous advice that people give. It has also helped me with those moments when I feel that maybe I am just imagining the symptoms.

Thanks for the reply! We are getting in touch with EI this week to set up a visit, and hopefully work on getting Drayton whatever help he may need. I've already spoken to my older sons MRDD case manager who has offered to help out, and take on Draytons case aswell, if needed. It was nice to hear from another parent who is going through the same things! I've tried talking to my friends about it, and they just say "oh, he probably has ADHD, have him put on Ritalin or something". So... it's very nice to hear from someone who actually understands, thank you! Best of luck to you and your son! :)

I am glad you are familiar with early intervention services. They make all the difference in the world and you will never regret it. In my neighborhood there are about 40 kids my son's age and he was not like anyone. That is why I had him evaluated at 27 months. We did speech therapy three times a week and started an ABA program after he was diagnosed with PDD. You could not tell my son no either. If he was doing something inappropriate I would have to redirect him to an appropriate activity. I have never worked so hard in my life. I would spend every second of the day with him teaching him how to play appropriately with toys, working on his speech (I sat with him during every speech therapy session so I could review the things he learned and work harder on things he was unable to pick up), starting an ABA program and making sure he spent a lot of time with his friends. It is very important to spend time with nerotypical children so he can learn to model their behavior. I don't believe that you can "cure" a child from autism, but my little guy seems very normal. His speech and articulation is perfect, his cognitve is above average, and he is extremely social with same age peers, family, and adults. The biggest mistake a parent can make is just hoping their child will grow out of it or listening to other people tell them how they know 2000 other kids who did not speak until four. If you are concerned do something today don't wait.

PPD is on the atusim spectrum.. the flapping .. the lining of toys.. the need for his bed time ritual to stay the same all red flaggs.. do urself a favor.. contacting.. EI is the right thing to do.. but olny a developmental ped can diagnois him... call now...usually its a long wait.. best of luck :bouncing:

That is a very good point about the long wait. Definetly get your son an appointment or on a waiting list to be evaluated by someone who is qualified to diagnose autism spectrum disorders.

Please let us know how things go with the early intervention. I would be interested to find out what type of services they offer your son and if they help him. They will probably be able to give a good recommendation about where to have your son evaluate for the ASD.

Good luck and keep us all posted.

Thanks for the reply! We are getting in touch with EI this week to set up a visit, and hopefully work on getting Drayton whatever help he may need. I've already spoken to my older sons MRDD case manager who has offered to help out, and take on Draytons case aswell, if needed. It was nice to hear from another parent who is going through the same things! I've tried talking to my friends about it, and they just say "oh, he probably has ADHD, have him put on Ritalin or something". So... it's very nice to hear from someone who actually understands, thank you! Best of luck to you and your son! :)

Your son sounds a slight bit like my son except the behaviors are more severe. David has Asperger's and ADHD. Your son could have both pdd and ADHD. If he does, try to eliminate refined sugar from his diet. I did this and it made a huge difference in how hyper he was. Also, see a DAN (defeat Autism now) doctor in your area. I did a search once and there was a site that listed them by city. Early Intervention is good but a DAN doctor will be able to help him in a different way with diet, supplements and maybe even testing to determine what will help him best. You might not get a diagnosis until he is older because it is so hard to tell at that age. David got ADHD dx at 5 and the Asperger's at 6. Eventually, you should get a complete neuropsychological eval for him. That will help give the school and you a lot of information to base the program he has both at school and home.

Hope this helps. I know it's not an easy road but it does improve a lot when you know what you are dealing with.

Firstly, thank you to everyone who has replied! I called our local Early Intervention and they said that they only offer services to children ages 0-2.5. So, my son has just missed the age range they serve. They told me to contact my school districs special ed. coordinator, which I have. I am now awaiting a return call since I was only able to leave a voice mail. Wow! When my older son who has CP was little, EI still served through age 3... I guess things have changed a bit in the last 7 years! Even when Drayton was 1 year old my parents said they thought he was hyperactive and had ADHD. Now, that I am concerned that it may also be PDD they are jumping all over my husbands and I case! They are telling us to stop tyring to label our son! I've told them that its not at all about labeling, but about getting Drayton whatever help he may need... but all they can see is the whole thing about 'labels'. It's quite upsetting not to be getting support from my parents with this, as they have ALWAYS been very supportive and included in all that we've gone through with Chris (my older son). I'm really hoping that they come around on this issue, for them not to breaks my heart. All I want is help for my baby, because its obvious that somethimg isn't quite right with him. I do think that if it is some type of PDD thats its very mild, but still enough to need services. Also, theres no doubt in my mind that he is hyperactive. I'll keep everyone posted on how things go. Thanks again for the replies and support!! Best wishes to all of you! :)