PDA

View Full Version : Questions about signs of autism ...


Mom2Ava
07-12-2007, 04:52 PM
Hi all. I am usually over at CN, but have been here a couple of times.

I have a 3 y/o with left hemi from stroke, epilepsy, & EDS likely w/ possible chiari.

From about 11 months or so she would do things that to me resembled autism. Rock viorously back and forth while flapping her hands ... or looking at objects in a strange manner and sometimes head banging. I was told it was normal and she would outgrown it.

Now at three she is doing these things more than ever. She does thiese things when she is excited, anxious or when you ask her to do something. I know any one of these things alone doesn't mean much, but she does so many of these quirky things. Here is a list of some of the things she does:

Flaps her hands which recently has changed into shaking her hands wih her palms up, she rocks from side to side several times a day, odd finger, hand and sometimes entire body posturing, sniffs everthing ... especially when someone touches her, has days where she has a hard time in which she will perseverate or become pretty obsessive, lately has been having touble with pronouns ( reversing) ...when she first started learning to talk, she seemed to have an easier time with language than now, with a certain puzzle she has, she rubs certain pieces on her chest before putting them into place.

She is very social, but sometimes very inapprpriately social, almost seems socially unaware or something. She will get right in another childs face and when the other child has asks her to back off ( directly or indirectly) she just doesn't get it. Even if a child pushes her, she doesn't seem to get it. She is waaayy too social with strange men ( I mean men that are strangers). We were at a park and there was a man juggling, again gets right up in his face and starts chatting, I mean inches away.


For the most part has good speech and language skills, but struggles in certain areas. Has a huge vocab and has always scored ahead in certain areas of speech, but MLU was always behind and eventually she was DXed w/ expressive language delay. Speech is better these days, but requires lots of consistent prompting.

I have been doing an ABAish type home program since she was a year old or so ( mostly for motor issues, and later issues related to her epilepsy ... this was something our NP recommends for kids with epilepsy and learning issues) If I go more than a few days w/o working with her, she really begins to unravel.

Anyway, Monday we saw our NP again. I brought up some of these issues, she did say one might think of autsim when they hear these things but does not think my dd has autism. She thinks she is too social. She thinks all of these issues are SI related and suggests more SIT ( I already do so much of that). She thinks most of the above issues are related to where her brain is injured. Now, I have heard from many other parents of kids that have suffered stroke that their kids also had a DX of autism, and I have also worked with children and adults that have had both DXes.

So what do you all think? Does it sound like autism? Should I do anything more or just leave it alone?

Thanks,

Jen

peglem
07-12-2007, 05:02 PM
What would be the benefit to your daughter in adding an autism dx to the list? Personally, I think if you've already got sufficient dx to get your child the services she needs, there's no reason to add this one. All the autism dx means is that your child has the characteristics you described and you already know about those anyway. SI difficulties are usually a part of autism, but a child can have them w/o having autism. Just my opinion, but I don't see the advantage of calling it autism.

Mom2Ava
07-12-2007, 10:02 PM
What would be the benefit to your daughter in adding an autism dx to the list?

I am not sure really ... and have thought exactly what you just typed. I could see more of a disadvantage than an advantage ... but there is just something inside me that wants to know for sure either way. Does that make any sense?

PainInTheNeck
07-13-2007, 09:35 AM
About "official diagnosis"....I have learned in my state(Indiana), the governor has decided that Asperger will no longer be covered as a neurological disorder but as a behavioral problem thus not being covered under state programs. Should I ask that my son's diagnosis be one of the other things they mention.....like depression? and then have the asperger, anxiety and adhd be secondary issues? Is that even possible?

Mom2Ava
07-13-2007, 03:53 PM
About "official diagnosis"....I have learned in my state(Indiana), the governor has decided that Asperger will no longer be covered as a neurological disorder but as a behavioral problem thus not being covered under state programs. Should I ask that my son's diagnosis be one of the other things they mention.....like depression? and then have the asperger, anxiety and adhd be secondary issues? Is that even possible?

The govenor??? How the heck does a govenor decide such a thing? Is he a neurologist too?

Mother's Heart
07-13-2007, 03:56 PM
The govenor??? How the heck does a govenor decide such a thing? Is he a neurologist too?

purse strings....he's the one hanging onto them

lisa6wks
07-13-2007, 04:11 PM
Mom2Ava,
I agree with the other posters. Many children with neurological damage have autism like symptoms. It sounds like your child really does have sensory integration issues. Another thing you may want to take into account is that in some states, there are no services available with adults with autism, but there are services for adults with Mental delays/retardation.

Lisa

PainInTheNeck
07-13-2007, 04:19 PM
Yeah...well-our Governor used to be the Head honcho of Eli Lily....you know- the drug manufacturers who sell us things like prozac and zyprexa and millions of others medications. I bet when he was with Eli Lily he lobbied for all medical issues to be treated equally. Thus making the sale of psychiatric drugs more available to those with insurance. But now that he is running a state government he has decided that some things are important to acknowledge and treat than others. He can't hardly deny coverage to a child who is blind or in a wheel chair. Any fool can see they need help. But ya know...asperger syndrome is just so easy to sluff off as bad parenting. He perpetuates the ignorance of the general population that to help asperger kids or mentally ill kinds would be to encourage bad parenting.

Of course....with the incidence of aspergers growing at alarming rates....I guess he isn't thinking that far ahead ...when all these kids who fell through his cracks have not had adequate intervention to be independant adults. We'll have another Governor by then and I guess that will be his headache.

I am planning to try and get a medicaid waver but am wondering if I should get it because of my son's depression rather than his asperger.....I wish I knew someone who could tell me which diagnosis would be best as far as getting help.

I have been down this road before. My husband makes a decent income. I can't work outside the home.......there is no one who can "put up" with my son. Our mental health coverage is minimal. So I fear that the next 10 years are going to mean all the money goes to try and help our son. Which I want to do anything I can to help him and I know that is a parental responsibility. I want him to be HAPPY!!!! and healthy and feel good about who he is. But the reality is that for my family this will mean....no dentists, no new glasses, no eating out, no frivilous moneyy spent on movies, vacations, amusement parks, and on and on. We are going to be a prisoner again because we werent fortunate enough to have his disability be an "acceptable" one.

Do I sound hateful? I dont like this bitterness in me. What have you all done to avoid this?

peglem
07-13-2007, 04:29 PM
Well, fortunately (yes, that's sarcasm) my daughter's problems are so severe, I don't have to worry about funding from the state. But, I do sympathize with you. The governor's decision doesn't make sense for long term planning and tragically, the prison system will probably have to take up the slack. So, you end up looking for a dx to qualify for care, instead of an accurate one. Does depression qualify? If it does, I'd go for that- but it seems like they'd just say take some prozac, eat some ice cream and get over it. I think depession is another one of those problems that doesn't get taken seriously enough by society.

I don't know what kind of treatment you're seeking for your son, but you may look into clinical trials for some free treatment.

Lara
07-13-2007, 04:50 PM
.....I wish I knew someone who could tell me which diagnosis would be best as far as getting help.

Hi there,
I'm wondering if you've had any contact with autism support associations in your state? They might be the ones who can help you sort a few things out. I was just looking at an Autism Association site from Indiana. I've absolutely no idea if they're great or not as I don't live over there, but it's worth a look. There are a few paragraphs there that make me think there would be a way of getting services and I'm not really sure what you've been through already.

http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/fdiagnosis.html
How and Where to Obtain a Diagnosis/Assessment in Indiana
"If your child is between the ages of 3 to 21, an educational assessment with a team of qualified professionals will be needed to determine eligibility for special education and related services. A “medical diagnosis” from a physician does not necessarily qualify an individual for educational services. Evaluations conducted through the school district are conducted at no cost to parents."

http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/fservices.html
Services in Indiana

p.s. don't worry about sounding bitter. That'll change when you don't feel so lost.
My son had zero (O) assistance unfortunately and he had numerous conditions for which he needed accommodations or assistance. His diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome came late at nearly 14 and he didn't qualify for services at all in school with the other diagnoses that he had at that time. (he's 20) These days it's different here but anyway, despite all that and despite falling out of the mainstream school system very early he's gone on to finish his studies in a different environment and he is doing OK now. It was just a different path to the same outcome. Unfortunate that it had to be that way, but that's how it was/is. It would have been much better for his whole life if it had been different, but I can't look to the past, we've just had to battle forward all the time.

p.p.s. Bear in mind of course, that not all children will actually need too much in the way of special services and not all children will need the same things. It all depends on your child. That's why it's important to figure out their strengths and weaknesses and have it done well.

Tootsie
07-13-2007, 05:58 PM
Have you considered having a complete evaluation done by a Pediatric Occupational Therapist with a special interest or secondary speciality in learning diabilities, Aspbergers, or autism? That might give you new ideas or insight. Cheerio.