Nina ASD? | Autism PDD
Allegra,
They are probably being cautious, because of Sharlet being her sister and all, but this is a really stressful time for you in any case and our prayers are with you. I only have 1 child and he is mild PDD/NOS so I don't have any help for you, but you seem like a really together Mom, so you can handle anything.
JohnGood luck ALlegra! If anyone can handle it, you can. EIther way, Nina will have you with all your experience to help her through!(((Allegra)))....I hope all goes well. You must be nervous right now, and I hope that Nina will start meeting all of her milestones. I know that if I were to have another after my son, I would nit pick everything he or she did, and worry constantly, but that's how I am.
You seem like such a caring person, and very well informed, so I know you could do it, if it came to be.
Best of luck, and please keep us posted
nakama
I am glad they are proactive with your little one..I think all parents with little ones and older asd kids need extra attention just to be safe:) I think they are being very cautious and that is a good thing:) Let us know if there is anything we can do:) You have all of us to help you through whatever happens... and your a wonderful mom..you will survive this! ((((HUGS!!)))) Yes, you can do it. If that is what it takes. It could be though that Nina is just fine. Keep your head up and stay positive. Post here when you need support. How old is she?Probably something different then. I think the reason the M-CHAT is at 18 months rather than a little earlier is because things like pointing often don't become established until 18 months. she is 15 months
actually, maybe it was something different they are doing next week, I can't
remember if the M-CHAT was for 18 months..My honest opinion is give it some time. She is extremely young and it is very common for babies and young toddlers to temporarily lose or fall behind on some skills whilst they are working out others. Eg if she has been getting more steady on her feet and learning to walk then she could in turn have a slight regression of speech, or temporarily slow down her speech development. Babies do not follow the rule book, some will be pouring out of cups of pretend tea at 14 months whilst another baby of the same age will be bashing said cup against the skirting board. By all means ask EI for help but I think that you might want to wait for an official diagnosis.
in August. But the M-CHAT will be done next week I think.
Obviously the eval for dx wont be done until 2 years
If she doesn't qualify for services, she will be re-eval in 6 months
The head of EI services who I talked to at length about my concerns today
seemed to think she probably will qualify... just have to wait and see. I just
can't imagine actually having the time to do all that I'm doing for Sharlet
with Nina too... It seems like such a massive undertaking 
Nina was officially enrolled at EL today. They think she will qualify for
services. She is showing delays in gesture and play. She has some
stereotyped behaviors and restricted play, she has lost some sounds.....
I don't know what to think, my head is spinning
Can I really do it with 2?...........I'm sure your head is spinning. That is really some really big news to adjust
to. All parents with one ASD child watch the others like hawks for signs, it
must be overwhelming for someone to say, yes, let's get her some
intervention. How old is Nina now? Are they just being pro-active because
Sharlet is her sibling? I am sending some positive energy toward Tasmania
right now, and I wish you the strength and support to see this through.
Keep me posted, I will be thinking of you. 
Keep us posted Allegra =0 I bet though that being the sibling of someone on the spectrum they will be much more likely to err on the side of caution - which really is a very good thing
From the very beginning, you've said that Nina is different than Allegra. That doesn't means she's not on the spectrum -- or that she is -- but it does mean that your experience with her is likely to be different from your experience with Allegra. I'm sure that they have looked at Nina keeping in mind that autism is already in your family. Sibs of ASD kids get scrutinized carefully. Be glad that you are getting early help with her. Of COURSE you can do this again. And "this" will be different anyway. Since Nina is getting help SO early, there's a great chance that she'll get enough intervention to prevent any really serious issues from developing. Most of us wish we'd caught our children's autistic tendencies at such an early age. Please keep us posted.
You can do this, one day at a time, but I can sympathize with your feelings since I'm in a somewhat similar situation.
Our youngest son has always been very different from his older autistic brother, and when it became apparent at age 4-5 that he had some social delays, my husband just about panicked -- the thought of having more than one special needs child is daunting!
If our youngest son is on the spectrum, he's not as affected by it, and we already know how to deal with it. Think about it, a huge part of the hard work with the first child is coming to terms with it emotionally, learning about the disability, and learning the law (ugh).
Good luck with everything, Allegra. I'll be thinking of you. Let us know how the testing goes.
Good luck, Allegra. You know, I've seen Nina in the videos and she didn't strike me as being autistic, so if she's ASD, I'd guess she's at the mild end, if anything. As a dad of two kids on the mild end, I can tell you that parenting a mild ASD kid isn't really that hard. It can be a little sad and it's worrying, no doubt, but the degree of difficulty isn't that much different than a typical kid. And like everyone else has said, if you catch it this early, you might be able to keep her head above water and prevent her from getting too delayed.
And yes, you're lovely - it's obvious where your daughters get their good looks (hope it's ok to say that) :)
Just to add (completely off topic here) I loved the video of you doing the horse rhyme with your daughters. Tom and Jacob love this as well (Tom still loves "round and round the garden" and "this little piggy"). Our version is a little different as it's lady (canter a canter), gentleman (trot a trot a trot), Old Major (schlorp a schlorp a schlorp) and Highway Man (gallop a gallop a gallop)
Sounds like they are being proactive, erring on the cautious side, at her age. And that is wonderful!
One day at a time, definitely. Your photo is beautiful, Allegra, BTW -- I keep meaning to tell you!
I have read many times that sibs of kids with ASD are at much higher risk for sorts of things realted to Autism (as well as Autism itself). Susan Senator talks about it in her book as a "smattering of the spectrum" (or something like that). I pray that Nina does not have it, or if anything, just some mild "stuff".
My oldest is multiply handicapped due to an extremely premature birth. We dealt (and are dealing) with everything except Autism. I remember when my middle son was diagnosed with Autism I thought it was some sort of cruel joke. I couldn't possibly have to go through this all over again.
And then here I am, with son number #3 obsessing over lip smaking and why won't he stick out his tongue to imitate me today.
So, yes, I know where you are coming from. All you can do is keep on by keeping on.
Hugs!
Raquel
yup - I also meant to add you are sooo pretty - lovely lovely eyesI don't really have any words of wisdom to offer, Allegra, but I think you're obviously a great mom, and your girls will do great, no matter what. Hopefully, they are just being a little cautious, and proactive with Nina.
Big hugs...
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