# Autism?



## greeneyeddolphin (May 31, 2010)

So, as you may have noticed in other threads where I have talked about my sons, I have 2 boys, ages 10 & 7 who both have ADHD. They had their 6 month check ups today to make sure the meds are still working properly and that they're growing properly and all that good stuff. 

My 7 yr old has done some things that, although I didn't really think they were a big deal, I thought I'd mention them to the doc anyway. These things were: 

1. sometimes he chews meat until it's practically liquified, but it's not fatty or gristly or anything else that would make it difficult to chew. 
2. he stomps through the house, no matter how often told not to. But as I paid more attention, it's not a deliberate stomping. It's something he doesn't even realize he's doing. 
3. he covers his ears at loud noises. Sometimes, though, the loud noise may be louder than an average noise, but not necessarily "loud", if you understand what I'm saying. 

The doc then listed off some symptoms, and two of them are things that he also fits: not liking being touched, and always being colder than anyone else. 

The doc then told me that it sounds like it could be autism. He said it's not a severe, obvious case, so he wants me to take my son to be evaluated.

I know there are some other parents on this board who have children with autism, so I'm hoping you can maybe tell me what I might expect. What is the process to have him evaluated and diagnosed, if that is in fact what he has? If he is autistic, as the doctor said it would be very mild, so what kind of treatments or therapies or whatever might I expect to have to do/take him to? Is there anything I should know to make sure that he gets a correct diagnosis, whether it's that he does or doesn't have it? 

Any advice, suggestions, anything anyone wants to give me would be sooooo very appreciated.


----------



## woodstock (Feb 21, 2011)

Well, get the hearing checked first (Dr should have suggested that as if there is an auditory issue, then it can be knocked off the list of autism symptoms and also often fixed, also the hearing can cause a strange list of behavours on it's own)... The chewing and stomping can possibly be just odd things kids do (My daughter drives me to insanity with stomping, especially since she so damn heavy footed she already stomps!)... And I remember doing the same with chewing for a while because Bill Cosby told me too during one of his shorts in the old Fat Albert cartoon (lasted about 2 years, cause I thought it was healthier LOL) Just saying...

I have issues with loud in that certain decibles and tones cause me physical pain and in excess make me sick... My daughter has the same issues to a lesser degree and also we both hate chaotic noise as you will find in crowds.. the noise alone can cause me anxiety. I don't even remember being like that as a kid, I more grew into it (along with other hearing issues that my insurance won't cover to check )

Anyway.... Just take it one step at a time... DEbunk things before going to autism, since autism is so much based on diagnosis through symptoms.


----------



## greeneyeddolphin (May 31, 2010)

woodstock said:


> Well, get the hearing checked first (Dr should have suggested that as if there is an auditory issue, then it can be knocked off the list of autism symptoms and also often fixed, also the hearing can cause a strange list of behavours on it's own)... The chewing and stomping can possibly be just odd things kids do (My daughter drives me to insanity with stomping, especially since she so damn heavy footed she already stomps!)... And I remember doing the same with chewing for a while because Bill Cosby told me too during one of his shorts in the old Fat Albert cartoon (lasted about 2 years, cause I thought it was healthier LOL) Just saying...
> 
> I have issues with loud in that certain decibles and tones cause me physical pain and in excess make me sick... My daughter has the same issues to a lesser degree and also we both hate chaotic noise as you will find in crowds.. the noise alone can cause me anxiety. I don't even remember being like that as a kid, I more grew into it (along with other hearing issues that my insurance won't cover to check )
> 
> Anyway.... Just take it one step at a time... DEbunk things before going to autism, since autism is so much based on diagnosis through symptoms.


Oh, believe me, I'm doing my own research before doing anything else. Heck, I didn't take them in to be diagnosed with ADHD until I'd tried everything and anything natural I could think of. I am not one to try to get my kids labelled with just anything. And like I said, I'd almost talked myself out of mentioning those things to the dr., because I didn't really think they were significant. 

And I've been looking at a few sites re: autism (specifically Autism Speaks), and I'm not really seeing where he fits the typical symptoms. When my oldest was diagnosed with ADHD, the dr. he saw at that time tried to say he had Aspergers, which I disagreed and disregarded because he based the "symptoms" he saw on questions he asked that were very misleading (for example: "What kinds in interests does C have?" "Well, he likes lizards, and dinosaurs, and cars." "Oh, well, he has limited interests, a sign of Aspergers." Uh, no, he didn't. I just didn't know the dr wanted the entire 20 page list of things C is into.). And I kind of feel the same way right now about my younger son. 

But at the same time, I feel this niggling little doubt in my mind that says these things are significant and I certainly don't want my son to suffer because I want to live in denial and say, "oh, no, my kid is perfect and has absolutely no issues whatsoever." 

I had initially thought that if it was anything, it might be some sort of sensory integration disorder. But then I told myself that I was making too much of things that didn't matter. And my mind keeps going back and forth. I have depression and anxiety myself, and I think a lot of what I'm doing right now is just my anxiety. Which of course only makes me more anxious because I don't want my kids to pick up on it and get anxious themselves. 

Ugh....why is being a mother so hard????


----------



## Deejo (May 20, 2008)

Do go to a reputable clinic. Doing so means filling out a lot of paperwork and a wait period of anywhere between six months and a year ... that was our experience nearly five years ago when our son was originally tested, and two years ago, when he was retested.

Here is the odd thing to get your head around; from the practitioner's point of view the 'label' or diagnosis isn't going to mean much. Seriously. They will want to address the specific behaviors ... they aren't as interested in labeling the condition, not any more.

Autism is a wide array of symptoms and behaviors referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders or ASD's for short.

Where having a diagnosis becomes important is for getting services for your child through school.

My son for example, had been in a mainstream classroom with a 1 on 1 - basically his own teacher's aid to keep him on task. That wasn't working, so now he is in a different program for most of the day with 7 other children very much like him. None of these kids are what I would term severe. They are what my ex and I refer to as 'gap kids'. In other words, they can easily fall through the gaps if people aren't paying attention.

Is this news completely out of left field to you? 

Any questions, I'll be happy to address.


----------



## woodstock (Feb 21, 2011)

The label allows for specific help (insurance/school) but Deejo is right... the behaviors are what's important. I just know from past experience that the diagnosis is about observation of behaviors and that can change dramatically if certain symptoms can be identified/treated as something else (like the hearing) There are several strange hearing issues, not just under/over sensitive and I have heard of the strangest of symptoms clearing up with treatment for hearing. Just putting that out there.


----------



## greeneyeddolphin (May 31, 2010)

Woodstock - I am planning to have his hearing tested. I know my father definitely suffers from impaired hearing; he's in his 50s now but he's been hard of hearing for as long as any of us can remember, so not sure when it started or if it was a genetic thing or something caused by an outside factor. My intention, if possible, is to get pretty much everything that can possibly be checked out, checked out. Well, nothing that requires cavity searches, anyway. No need to traumatize my kid. 

Deejo - the news is somewhat of a shock to me. But I don't know if that's because I feel like that's not what it is, or if it's just that I had convinced myself that what I'm seeing isn't significant and simply expected the doctor to agree with me. 

He did have a speech impairment when he started school, and had speech therapy for Pre-K and Kindergarten. They expected him to need it into 1st grade, but he actually "graduated" from it before the end of Kindergarten. 

The thing is, he does great in school. He's got great grades (except for language arts, because he forgets his capitalization and punctuation), lots of friends. His teacher adores him; she sends home a behavior calendar every day with the kids, marking their behavior for the day. His is almost always a smiley face meaning he didn't do anything he shouldn't. On the rare occasion he did get in any trouble, it's usually for talking too much or not following directions, and even then it's usually a minor infraction. With the ADHD, I'm very careful to communicate closely with both of my sons teachers, getting very detailed info about their behavior so I can be sure that their meds are helping them and that any academics they struggle with can be addressed before it becomes too big an issue to easily overcome. 

The other thing that I was just thinking of is that some of the things I was telling the dr that my son does are somewhat similar to things I do. The loud noises thing - I don't cover my ears the way he does, but sometimes loud noises can really get to me. The chewing thing - if I'm eating a food I'm not a particularly big fan of (say fish or asparagus), I tend to chew it way longer than anything else. I don't know why, because it only makes me taste it more, but I do. LOL And with the whole touch thing....I absolutely abhor having my toes touched. And I know I don't have autism, or anything else...they're just weird little quirks I have. 

I think that's why I convinced myself they weren't significant. I don't know. I guess I just need to start the first steps, with getting everything checked out and then take it from there.


----------



## e.dawne (Mar 7, 2011)

AH, AH AH AH! atruckersgirl!! I also have a 7yr old who has been diagnosed with ADHD (by a idiot peditatrician) but we (more like I) are getting him tested for autism spectrum disorder. I have read hundreds of books on these subjects. My own 7yrold DS still runs away from my vacuum cleaner and covers his ears for most noises. It seems like you dont have behaviour problems (lucky duck) and so i would hesitate to be overly concerned. It could defiantly be some sensory issues, check out a website for sensory integration disorder and see if maybe they make sense. ALWAYS, ALWAYS listen to your heart when it comes to your kids. Its also common to have sensory and autistic like behaviours with ADHD, for some reason they seem to be very intermeshed. I think you are on the right road, at least if you get him tested and they say nothing is wrong you can breathe a little better. becareful though- most doctors seem to believe that kids "will just grow out" of disturbing behaviours and will tell you that you are seeing nothing. NEVER BELIEVE THEM. if it bothers you enough to write on a website-you know what to do..  Believe in what your heart tells you and just keep an eye on him (as im sure you do). Its easy to do some things for your son on a sensory basis to help him (there are some good books out there on it) and hey- he isnt screaming in a lump on the floor or beating his head against a wall, the symptoms you describe are pretty mild. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!! I think you are on the right track. :smthumbup:


----------



## Sanity (Mar 7, 2011)

Your Doc should be able to refer you to a specialist.


----------

