Living with a developmental disorder - Autism Spectrum Message Board

Frynd1 · 08-30-2006, 05:40 PM

I'm a single parent of a 15-month-old boy who is possibly living with PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder.) My son's neurologist has reason to believe he falls under one of the five categories (i.e. autism.) The pediatrician originally referred me to the neurologist because DS wasnt walking or talking. The neurologist observed that DS seems to 'go off into his own world at times' meaning he can lack interest in his current surroundings. In the same breath, the neurologist was hesitant to diagnose my son given his young age. At 15 months, DS is still allowed to crawl and babble without there being a concern. We also arent sure if the 'lack of interest' isnt due to a hearing problem. The dr. came up with a couple other concerns to back up the PDD theory and I'm just wondering if anyone can answer my questions in regards to this disorder. First of all, is this something youre born with or was it preventable? Secondly, even though its said theres no cure, is it possible to pull him out of it with the help of therapy? Thirdly, is it possible to actually diagnose such a young child with this?

Liamsmom · 08-31-2006, 06:49 AM

Hi there,
There is an autism board here if your looking for answers amd support. I recently finished up the long road of evaluations with my son he had ALOT of the signs that one would look for when looking for signs of autism. I started him in Early intervention when he was 16 mths old. I won't lie it's a really hard thing to go through but the diffference it makes is remarkable. I also did it myself becuase of an unsupportive spouse who thought it was best to just see if our son would grow out of it.
I had my last evaluation 2 weeks ago and my son isn't even on the spectrum sometimes they just have delays but it's still worth jumping through every hoop to make sure you know what's going on and get help as early as possible. There's nothing you could've done during pregnancy to change the outcome if your child does wind up autistic so don't beat yourself up, my son was considered 33% delayed in all areas and was thought to be autistic, than pdd/nos now at 4 1/2 he's not even considered on the spectrum. Theres' always the chance that the child is just plain and simply delayed the hard part is waiting for them to reach certain age to be evaluated correctly

Good luck with everything and check out the other board there are remarkable courageous parents there who are generous with there experiences and support. They are angels on earth

Frynd1 · 08-31-2006, 12:31 PM

I'm aware of the autism board except we aren't sure that's the category he falls under. From the little I read, a child can flat out have PDD without even assigning a certain category. The whole disorder a slightly confusing to me and I wasnt sure if there was a board for it. My son is 15 months old and the dr said he was at a 9 month old mental state. Naturally I am blaming myself for this because I smoked pot and drank before I found out I was pregnant. Obviously I quit everything the day I found out, but that wasnt until I was 8-10 weeks along.

Liamsmom · 08-31-2006, 02:54 PM

I had a few drinks before I knew I was pregnant and my son is fine. He was delayed. I can't imagine how a Dr can figure out the mental state a 15 mth is in. My son didn't talk until he was almost 2 the same goes for walking I like to think he was too busy developing his brain. We just had him evaluated and he has the cognitive and vocab of a 7 year old and he's 4 1/2. Meanwhile the Dr's and specialist all thought he was autistic. The autism board discusses the whole spectrum of disorders and most of the people there can give great advice from how to deal with a particular behavior to how to deal with the system it's a great source for help and support. Don't dispair and take it one step at a time get your child into early intervention do all the tests they advise and give it your all to help your child.

elmhar · 09-01-2006, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LynnDewald1

We also arent sure if the 'lack of interest' isnt due to a hearing problem. ... First of all, is this something youre born with or was it preventable? Secondly, even though its said theres no cure, is it possible to pull him out of it with the help of therapy? Thirdly, is it possible to actually diagnose such a young child with this?

Hi Lynn,

I'm curious whether the neurologist did an EEG on your child?

Important: If your child's hearing has not been checked, get it done. Ask your peditatrician, or the neurologist, for a referral to a ped. audiologist who does brainstem evoked potentials. There's no need to sweat the hearing question. If there should be a hearing problem, the sooner it's found & treated the less impact there is on language development in the long run.

Autism spectrum disorders are thought to arise from a combination of genetic predisposition & environmental influences. Environment meaning in the broadest sense of everything that a child has or does encounter/ingest/ breathe in, etc. Some but not all kids on the spectrum seem to have observable differences in brain anatomy; many have differences in brain physiology/function & overall body chemistry.

The court is still out on how preventable full expression of genetic predisposition to autism is. Some researchers feel there are things that can be done. But the majority of pediatricians disagree.

As far as treatment, many kids have made great progress. There are 3 main approaches:
1) medical (drugs)
2) educational & special intervention therapies (speech, OT, ABA)
3) biomedical -- dietary & supplements, sometimes chelation.

Some kids are dxd before age 2, but many pediatricians are hesitant to do so. Treatment is most accurately targeted with accurate diagnosis. Look for regional center or a team that specializes in autism dx for the most definitive answer.

In the meantime, continue to provide your child with a loving, stimulating environment. If you want to learn more, maybe visit your local public library to find a book or two on the subject of autism/PDD. Two titles I would recommend:
The Autism Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Treatment, Coping, and Healing by Karen Exkorn
Targeting Autism: What We Know, Don't Know, and Can do to Help Young Children with Autism and Related Disorders by Shirley Cohen

Best wishes.