[QUOTE=naomi]jordons games are so full of rules it would be more relaxing in the army[/QUOTE]
Best quote EVER! LOL! I feel you! Sorry to interrupt the post but this just killed me!
Stephanie...congrats and good luck on Saturday...and I have to add, you do sound like a very "in-tune" mother!!! I still think half the battle (ok maybe 1/4) is just knowing your kids well enough that you can help them with the difficult stuff. Good luck at your appt. on the 14th!
I'd also like to leave those who are faithful a passage from John that my priest referred me to when I was feeling like it was my fault that Noah has problems. It helped immensely.
John 9:1 - 9:3
Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked him saying "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man or his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him"
The explanation in my Orthodox Study Bible says:
The savior rejects the assumption (common in the ancient world) that trouble and malady are necessarily a consequence of personal sin. Rather, that this man's blindness provides the occasion for God's mighty works to be revealed
Then goes on to mention more verses if you are interested: Ezek 18:20, EX 20:5
Hi Stephanie Welcome to the board! It sure sounds like you have been through alot with Noah. You sound like a strong person and a loving mom! I am so happy to hear his surgery went well and was successful!
As far as Noah I think it is wonderful that you have an evaluation set up in a few weeks! Always better to be safe than sorry. It does sound like he may be hyperlexic!
In my opinion there are a few characteristics that could sound like an ASD but Im not a Dr - just a parent,.. and without knowing your child and everything thats going on, its hard to say. Kids on the spectrum (especially that young) generally do NOT have any imaginative play skills. Are you sure its Imaginative play or is he playing a game during the day that you usually play at night or something? It also sounds like he has alot of speech, and yet some echolalia. I would think if he were on the spectrum you would probably be looking at an ASPERGERS dx. But I could be wrong.
The DSMV IV criteria
Review of the different PDDs
Please let us know how thngs go with the evaluation! And Best wishes for an Easy Birth and a HEALTHY NEW BABY!!
Hi Stephanie!
Welcome and hugs! you sure have been through a lot and I'm so very glad you're little guy is doing so well!
As for the dx...or evaluation, like Michelle said we aren't doctors just parents but sometimes when your child is or has been dx you have some insight lol
...It sound like no matter what you are enjoying each other, and that's so wonderful!!! His actions remind me of my son...he is now 4 1/2 and was dx at 29 ths w/ pdd/nos...he said his alphabets, sang songs, mostly sesame street ones, and could count to 20 all at around 2 1/2...he didn't stim much but did like cause and effect toys and other things that I know see were actually stimming...but children w/ asd can be imaginative and can play and be silly...my son is living proof, he loved to play little games w/ us and some were part of routines some we'd just make up...no matter what weither your son is nt or on the spectrum, he's the same lovable funny guy he is now and I'm glad that you are getting the evaluation because if he is on the spectrum he'll get lots of help he needs and the results will be worth the early dx and if not then at least you cleared any suspision of it!
I wish you the best and please keep us posted!
Glad you found us!
hugs!
Ali
hi stephanie . jordon and ryan both use imaginary play although not how others do. jordons games are so full of rules it would be more relaxing in the army and ryan can only play if he has two objects like little action figures or two pencils ,anything really. but the two items dont talk to each other he just makes loads of odd noises . good luck on the 14th keep us posted
Hello everyone. I've been lurking here for quite a while and just want to say that this forum is filled with so many wonderful people and helpful information.
My ds has an appointment to be evaluated on July 14 by a pediatric neurologist for his speech delays. He was born with spina bifida which has been corrected by surgery when he was six months old. Thank God is was only a mild case and he is walking, running, jumping, kicking and all the wonderful things that many take for granted. Now, enter the communication problems. He is 2.5, makes minimal eye contact (he won't maintain it like other children unless you are making goofy faces he thinks are funny), he won't always respond to his name (we had family members thinking he was deaf which is not the case) and I believe that he stims with toys. He will grab a flimsy toy and shake it near the side of his face while he runs around the house, usually singing or repeating sesame street or any other of his favorite shows. He loooooves wheel of fortune. He will scream out letters that he wants the contestants to pick and he will push on the letters like he is Vanna while he yells out the letters. He can read several words, knows the alphabet, can count to 30 and will see a number or letter in almost any situation. At the playground his contact with other children is usually reading letters on their t-shirts. From what I've read this sounds like hyperlexia.
On the other hand, he does have a couple imaginitive games. One is where he will say "night, night", and I will have to pretend I'm sleeping. Then he will yell "wakie, wakie" and I will have to jump up and tickle him. He also seems to be playing an imaginitive game with his little people farm, like the animals are running around chasing each other. He is constantly talking but most of the time I have no clue what he is saying. I don't know if this is just age-appropriate learning or repetitive jibberish associated with PDD. He doesn't really have major tantrums but I may have nipped that in the bud from the beginning by ignoring him when he was tantruming. They never last more than a minute or two anyway. Then he would feel bad and give me a hug. He will give you a kiss if you ask and sometimes will even voluntarily give out kisses. Once, when his father and I were picking him up from his grandma's house, he looked us right in the face, smiled, and gave us both a kiss like he missed us. It's the few moments like these when I wonder if he doesn't have autism. The other day he saw a dog on tv and said "dog". I said "yes, dog, very good" and I rubbed his leg, and then he smiled like he was proud of himself. In the morning he will shake me to wake me up, then push me out of bed. Then he says "good job". If there is something on tv, like a car going over a cliff, he will say "Uh-oh", or a fight he will say "ouch".
Back to that first hand. He doesn't make sentences unless it's one that he has heard us say. There are only a few words that he does communicate with. One is ba-ba-ba, where he will grab my hand and ask for a bottle. I know he should no longer be on a bottle but that is a another story. I had him completely broken from them when my in-laws started giving them to him again and now I have to start over. Or he will say "cookie monster" and hand me the remote that works the dvd player (we have it locked up or he would play it himself) so I will play his Happy Healthy Monsters video. I usually play that video before his naptime because there is so much jumping that he wears himself out and it helps him sleep good and hard. What he will eat is very, very limited. He will gag at the sight or smell of something he finds undesirable. He can memorize a show after only seeing it once or twice.
No matter what his dx I will still love him the same. He is the most beautiful person I've ever seen and totally fun to be around. He is precious beyond words. I just want to know what you all think because July 14 seems so far away. Just knowing one way or the other is all I need. I'm on such an emotional rollercoaster. One day he seems NT, then the next it is crystal clear that something is going on. My second child is due this Saturday and I have a lot of research to do on the childhood vaccines, which now I have some reservations on giving my new child when before I thought was so responsible with Noah.
There is one more thing I forgot to mention. When he was born his MRI showed an underdeveloped corpus callosum (the bridge between the right and left hemispheres of the brain). His neurosurgeon said that it would eventually develop but I can't find a lick of information that links an underdeveloped corpus callosum to these autistic behaviors my son has. Oh well, I guess I will find out on the 14th but I would still like to hear what you experienced folks have to say.
Thank you,
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie Welcome to the board first of all! Noah's mom I also love that biblical passage thanks for posting it!
Stephanie, you sound EXACTLY like me lol. I go back and forth every day, sometimes 4 times a day on Aiden. He is not dx'd yet. If he is on the spectrum, he's high functioning/mild. I am thinking pdd-nos if anything as I don't think he quite fits everything for autism itself. He will do "normal" things and it makes me think he's fine. If only you knew how many times I have said to myself "oh look he's doing such and such so he's normal I'm the crazy one." But, then later he's back to some of his "strange" things that I just can't explain. Things I just haven't seen my dd or other children do.
I was freaking out about all this not long ago, but I have definitely relaxed a lot and I just try not to worry too much. I still have my moments though. If he is on the spectrum he'll be ok. But I do feel where you are coming from just wanting to KNOW one way or the other. Being in limbo is very hard with anything. I will be glad to get his diagnosis over with, if the waiting list isn't a mile long, and just be able to know. Maybe then if he is on the spectrum my and dh's family will finally shush themselves and stop giving me advice and opinions!
What you describe does sound a lot like my son. The hard part is that some things for autism can be seen in regular children as well, and each child on the spectrum is as diff as the snowflakes. I've seen that on this board. I wish you luck in finding out what you need to know. This is a very good and supportive place to be! Amber Hi Stephanie!! Welcome to the board!! I think you are a great mommy too! Already been through so much with Noah yet you seem so strong still. I agree with these ladies that as parents we do have some insight but we are not doctors. Michelle had mentioned that kids that young on the spectrum generally do not have pretend play and she is right...THey usually don't. Now on the other hand...MY SON did. It was no where near normal pretend play and it wasn't all the time but he did have some pretend play at that age. It has increased in the past year. He is almost 3 1/2 now. His pretend play is still behind but it is actually one of his great strengths considering that he is PDD-NOS. It's the one thing that doctors and evaluators will ALWAYS comment on and get excited about. I do see a lot of autism traits from what you have described about your son...but also remember that a lot of the things that come along with autism cause some of these behaviors. I have a niece that has a language impairment that had a lot of autism features when her language was really behind. My sister even had her evaluated at vanderbilt university because that's exactly what we thought she had. They immediately after the eval said that there is no way that she is in the spectrum. She does although also have sensory issue's too. So with that language impairment along with sensory issues...my neice to us at least...seemed autistic. She is 10 years old now and you wouldn't be able to tell she ever had a problem with any of this. I'm glad that you have an evaluation planned. And until you have it done you will never know for sure and will question everything probably. I know I did at least. But once you find out what is going on...regardless of what it is....it's so much easier to deal with. Take care, Karrie
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