Maturity .... Puberty...... There are no two kids alike and it is impossible to tell what will happen.... MANY kids get worse, but some do improve. I say prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I know there is something like a 25% - 30% increased risk of seizure in an autistic child when they reach puberty...
http://www.specialneedsnurse.org/page31.html
About one in four autistic individuals begin to have seizures during puberty. The exact reason for the onset of seizures is not known, but it is likely that the seizure activity may be due to hormonal changes in the body. Sometimes these seizures are noticeable, (i.e., associated with convulsions); but for many, they are small, subclinical seizures, and are typically not detected by simple observation.
Some possible signs of subclinical seizure activity include:
Personally, I have known a few autistic individuals who were considered high-functioning prior to puberty. During puberty, they experienced seizures which were not treated. By their late teens, they were considered, however, as low functioning.
Some parents have an EEG performed to see if their child shows any seizure activity. However, even if the EEG does not detect abnormal activity during the testing period, one cannot conclude that the person does not have seizures. To increase the likelihood of detection, some individuals are assessed with an EEG for 24 to 48 hours.
Interestingly, vitamin B6 with magnesium as well as dimethylglycine (DMG) are known to reduce or eliminate seizure activity in some individuals, even in cases where seizure drugs are ineffective.
Note that the majority of autistic individuals do not have seizures during puberty. In fact, many parents have told me that their son/daughter actually experienced a dramatic developmental leap forward during this period.
Parents of autistic children should be aware of the possible positive and negative changes that can occur with puberty. Of particular importance is the need for parents to be cognizant of the fact that about 25% of autistic individuals may experience clinical or subclinical seizures which, if left untreated, can lead to deleterious effects.
Jeff,
Hello fellow Texan! You just described my daughter Logyn...except I have never heard of the Try*** word before...gonna have to research that one! Sorry, but she is a year younger. I am like you though...what does our future hold?
Anyway, Good luck to you and yours!
Jerri
As I was told it is where kids pull their hair out, which is quite common with kids on the spectrum. Also each kid on the spectrum is different. There is no way to tell what the future holds for our kids or for us. What works with one kid won't work with another. Consistency, repetition learning is the key. Pdd-nos kids do have a higher likelihood of being able to live independently but there is no way to know. People that have adhd have that their entire life. Being impulsive is quite common in adhd. All kids have tantrums. Is the obsessions an official diagnosis? Some kids on the spectrum will have obsesssions that are consistent with obessive compulsive disorders. But there is no successful treatment for kids that have the ocd like quality on the spectrum. You could try a mood stabilizer drug. But once again the results vary on that from child to child. Jeffrey has obsessions with landmarks and maps but the treatment so far is not helping. And he is a very visual child. He looks at it differently with the landmarks. For you and me we assume it will be there the next day because obviously if it disappeared it would be on the news. With Jeffrey he has to visually see it. Also once a child on the spectrum hits the teenage years their behaviours can get worse.
Tammy
Jeff,
Hi and welcome to the board. Hope you like it here!!
Karrie
Hi to all. Our 10 yr old son was dx about 7 yrs ago. He is currently with PDD-NOS, ADHD, and Trychotillomania(spelling?). He is extremely bright and has no communication problems. He is very impulsive, obsessive, and has tantrums. Those three headings pretty well cover it. He is also extremely shy to strangers but does well as soon as he gets to know them.
He is a wonderful blessing and can be the sweetest child. And he also drives us nuts. My wife deals with him best.
If anyone here has a similar child that is older, I am just wondering if maturity is going to improve things in the future.