My boyfriend's daughter is three-years-old and has been through the toughest of times. She had open heart surgery at 6 weeks and eye surgery at 6 months and has had seizures. So when she fell behind developmentally, everyone just thought it was due to the surgeries and seizures. However, she's now 3 and can barely walk, if she doesn't have on braces she walks on tip toe. She doesn't talk beyond a couple of words. Also, she is fascinated with tags, any kind of tag will hold her attention unlike any person or toy. She will also lay in the floor kicking and turning in circles for no apparent reason. Does this sound like autism to anyone? Any information would be appreciated since I can't have her checked myself. Thanks.
http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/hw/mental_health/hw152...
This site should give you plenty of information on autism. Hope it helps.
About 20 years ago when I hear about autism, I would hear about a child suddenly sitting in the floor, rocking back and forth while spinning a plate infront of them, off in their own little world where they would never let anybody else in. I had never really seen an autistic child at that point. Now, I have an ex-boyfriend who's brother is autistic...and then he's also epileptic, schitzophrenic, and moderately mentally retarded...and the way he suddenly bursts out with "Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone" I'm wondering if he's got terettes on top of it. Problem is that this kid (well, he's not really a kid anymore, he's over 21) has so much wrong with him, that I can't tell what symptoms go to what ailment. BUT, I can tell you this: Take the child to a child Psychiatrist and a child Psychologist. There are a battery of tests that they can put her through and if she is autistic, they will be able to tell you and help you with what ever needs done. Also with her being so young, if you live in Indiana, call first steps and have then give you a referal for an angency that can evaluate her free of charge. In Lafayette, when the kids turn three, the transfer from First Steps to GLASS. It doesn't cost anything to get her evaluated through first steps or glass and the therapy is free also as the state and federal governments give them the grants that they need for this stuff. It's always best when you suspect something is wrong to get it checked out. And don't worry about "what if somethig's not wrong, will I look silly" because the only stupid question a person can have is a question that they don't ask....because if you don't ask, then you'll never know.
Where are you located at? My Mothers & More group is having a guest speaker talk about Autism. She's the president of the Central Indiana Chapter of the Autism Society of America. If you are in Hamiliton County, you are more than welcome to attend the meeting on Jan 18 (at 7pm). Send me a private message for more details if you're interested.
My son may or may not have Aperger's Syndrome which is a disorder in the autism spectrum. When I first had someone tell me they thought my son had a form of autism I was like no way he talks and communicates well. But he is very strict in the routine that he needs. I never really noticed until my husband started being deployed on active duty assignments and my son started school. In Columbus there is an Autism Support group. There is a networking meeting for parents of children with extreme behaviors from ADHD to Autism to Shcizophrenia and all types of other disorders. My son is currently seeing an occupationl therapist 1 time week because what we do know for sure is that he has a sensory processing disorder and is triggered into meltdowns due to over stimulus. If you would like more info on any of these groups or the ot I would be happy to fill you in... ____@____.com Also if she is still 3 then she would still qualify for first steps which is a wonderful program. Like has already been stated early intervention is the best! Good luck and just keep at it until you get the answers you need.
Generally speaking, significant health problems and motor control developmental delays argue against a diagnosis of autism. The "classic" model of autism is a child who is developmentally normal until about age three, who then stops using previously learned words, starts avoiding communication (eg. no eye contact), becomes highly stressed by unfamiliar experiences, and engages in self-stimulating behavior ("stimming") such as repetitive movements or sounds in an attempt to block out external sensory input. Of course, that's just the classic, text-book model -- there are plenty of children who don't exactly fit the model but who are still diagnosed as having an autism spectrum disorder. It is also possible to have a diagnosis of autism *in addition* to another diagnosis such as cerebral palsy. BUT - in general, if there are significant motor delays and other medical problems, doctors/therapists will consider it more likely that any behavioral issues are related to the physical diagnosis rather than indicative of a separate autism-spectrum disorder.
Of the things you mention the only ones which sound to me like they might be autism-related are the not talking and the spinning in circles. However, the connection between those things and autism is mild. You might see those things in an autistic child, but you also see them in perfectly normal kids and kids with any number of other syndromes, so you wouldn't diagnose autism just because of communication delays and some repetitive physical habits. The tag thing is common to plenty of little children, which is why they sell those Taggy plush toys.
Given the number of health problems this little girl has, communication delays and some slightly unusual physical habits are to be expected. You can have communication and social delays without any physical problems, but it would be unusual for a child with severe physical problems not to also have some communication/social delays.
Is she getting therapy? Did she go through the 0-3 Early Intervention program in your area? Is she now enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program offered by your local school district? All those services are free, and they are just wonderful. Both my boys have benefited from them tremendously. They provide therapy, diagnostic testing and access to plenty of experts who can help your boyfriend and his daughter. If autism is a possibility, this would be picked up on by the people who provide these programs.
Cheers,
E.
well the best person to talk to would be my sister, her son has autism. But from the way he acts, it does sound like what he was going through at around the same age. He is now almost 10 years old. But i can say when he was younger he would put up a fight. Tags bothered him, button up shirts still bother him, ummm, he gets fixed on the smallest thing, stuff like, well anything, he just gos in his own world. We see a piece of paper as a piece of paper. Well he would make it to be anything he wants it to be. So anyway, hope that helps you. V.
K. -
I am a mother of two, my oldest, has "classic autism" and Kostmanns Syndrome, a bone marrow failure disease that leads to leukemia. Anyways, your post sounded so familiar! My child's behavior and development delay was dismissed as complication to his Kostmanns Syndrome UNTIL he began school. Then it was painfully clear there was something more to the mysteries of his verbal delays (three word sentences at age of 5), fixation on hotwheels, odd repetitive behavior (which started before his first birthday), and lack of social cues. He his very social and always has been, but he dosent understand things like personal space.
Here is a link of the DSM-IV Diagnosis Criteria for Autism. http://web.syr.edu/~rjkopp/data/dsm_criteria.html Perhaps this will help. If you want to chat, you can email me at ____@____.com and I will give you my phone number. I will be happy to share with you all of the information that I have acquired over the past 6+ years. Another good resource is ASA (American Society of Autism).
Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that Autism is a "spectrum" disorder. This means it effects each person differently. Therefor, the best way I know is to seek out a Pediatric Behavior Physician who can evaluate your child both physically, for her health issues, and behaviorally for your concern of Autism.
My personal experience with child psych docs is that they put my child on meds as a "fix all". It did not do any of us any favors. While my child is currently on medication, it is at a therapeutic dose and allows my child to learn to deal with life instead of merely existing. That is why I love the Pediatric Behavior doctors. They are more about teaching the child coping skills verses medicating them into compliance.
OH, just an interesting tid bit, recently there was a story in the Times magazine that indicated that Autism can be seen in infants. I have that article and can mail it to you if you like.
Best of luck!
Jen
K.,
We just had our 3 year old son diagnosed with mild autism. They are so many related disorders and syndromes that you definitely should have her checked. We noticed a lot of behavior issues with our son which prompted us to have him diagnosed. Our first call was to our pediatrician who referred us to a neuropsychologist. Early intervention can make a huge difference so this is something that you should immediately pursue. Even if she is not autistic, there likely could be something else there. Either way, with a diagnosis, you can begin to get her some services that would greatly benefit her.
The walking isn't associated with autism, i'm pretty sure. That sounds more like a physical development issue, I've seen in magazines how somehow the legs don't form correctly, something to do with the akili's tendon. The not talking, however, could. Most children get diagnosed with autism when they start getting to the social age and parents see that they have no interest in socializing with anyone and refuse to talk. Many children with autism are on low levels of learning in most subjects but one or two and the subject they are good in, they're unusually good in. My brother has Asperger's but was not diagnosed until he was in late grade school. If you get the chance, it wouldn't hurt anything to get her tested, boys seem to be more suseptible than girls though. If she was premature, that may have something to do with her development also. The legs however I would get checked by a doctor
I don't know much about the autism but a friend of mine has a little boy that had autism and didn't speak much at all until he started learning sign language from a set of baby signing videos. Just a thought on the speach part.
Much luck and many prayers to you and your family. I know how hard it is to be a step mom and have limited say so in the matter!!!!
B.
A friend of mine has an almost 2yo who is missing the corpus callosum that connects the right side of the brain to the left. She requires physical therapy as she isn't walking yet. The physical therapy has done wonders for her and I think the therapist has been able to offer a lot of encouragement to my friend as well.
Here's a link to the Autism Society of American website: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ab...
HTH!
