What do you all make of children who have signs or symptoms but when these go away on their own, with no intervention? Would that be an aspect of ASD?
My son has had a few symptoms at age 2.5 that now at age 3.5 have disappeared on their own. We never addressed some of those specific issues. The only thing we've ever done for any notable length of time was pretend play with him.Sensory went away with Sarah with no interventions..the others sx were all worked on so cant gage what worked the most...probably everything as a whole:) The hardest to help her in is social and expressing herself..getting better but no big spurts yet!heh, i always feel like comin on here and talking about myself all the time is rude, but, i guess from my perspective:
As a kid my parents were concerned, feared id never really amount to anything, would always need care, and would be like that forever, when little (back in the 80's their was no real understanding like their is today obviously). I had no treatment other then special ed. Even when at that age I could do the school work, but had behavior problems, often the result of social or sensory issues. I always stuck out so much, played alone, said words or phrases as i heard them, was doin stuff with my hands... i dont think i need to explain everything cause most of you already know, you see this kind of stuff everyday in your kids. Lack of conversation, no imagination ect, no eye contact, slow speech (i dont know if that has anything to do with anything). The basic signs!!
Most dissapeared as I was gettin a little older 8-9-10. I seemed almost like a normal teenager by that time, tho i never socialized normally, so school could be rough. Friendships were difficult, little eye contact still but i talked decent enough, did good in school and it was apparent that I would function independently as an adult.
During high school i did even better socially, learned alot, became receptive to others ways of doin it, realized my quarks and worked to supress them, made more friends, did excellent in collage, tho never finished, i only have a 2 year degree cause i could not stand dorm life, had i not had the woods and mountains around me to escape I would never have even gotton that far.
Now, i live alone, own a small cheap home, drive a relativly new car, have nice things, i drive a forklift for a living in a warehouse, work alot, make decent $$ and still have plenty of friends, even a potential girlfriend (tho we r just hanging out on weekends, this is new)
I still have problems, as one is never cured of autism, i still make irregular eye contact, eather to much, not enough, i feel weird even attempting, but to convey sincerity i do it. I dont detect sarcasm (dont know if thats a thing or not) but i sure can use it. I dont socialize well if their is alot going on around me, i get unusually quit and kinda shut down a bit, keep to myself, Im very systematic, routine oriented, and if i cant be or something disterbs this, my day feels ruined, i dont like the feeling, like being lost, not knowing what do to next. I go to bars (my friends do this on weekends) only when I have to, i get dragged out usually now, b4 hand when i actually cared about making apperences (not even to long ago) i would go, but disliked it, and unforunatly always required a DD to get home cause i would over do it, as a way to cope, and loosen up, i did this for years every weekend, every night on fri and sat, i dont enjoy it anymore and decided not to do it except on occasion. I like solo activities, i work alone usually because ppl tend to get in the way, i hate shopping and am in and out quickly, I stim, but only privatly. I have a few others but this got too long.
I had no theripy (i dont think any existed back then anyways) my parents did their best, and i had to work hard, but in the end, wether the symptoms diminished or i can just cope better, or both, now I appear almost normal, maby a little odd, or 'smart.'
[QUOTE=ShelleyR] Sensory went away with Sarah with no interventions..the others sx were all worked on so cant gage what worked the most...probably everything as a whole:) The hardest to help her in is social and expressing herself..getting better but no big spurts yet![/QUOTE]
and itll come gradually, over many years, i dont know how u can teach this, one must be receptive enough to see what others do, listen to how they talk and express themselfs and kinda mimic it. I act very differently around my parents then I do with my peers or at work as a result, but i bet this is what everyone is like anyways, just for me its much more seperate.woodsman, did you have a language delay? I would love to think that the girls will someday be able to communicate as well as you, but with them about to turn five, and still not being 'caught up', I worry that they never will - or, at least attain full fluency like you have.
Some clinical research has shown that autistic children with normal or better IQs become less "autistic" over time. Their autistic symptoms tend to fragment and fade with maturity. My own experience has been that the symptoms indeed are fading with maturity, but are still present and clinically significant. We've seen most improvement in sensory defensiveness and ritualistic behavior. Language has also improved with age, though is still atypical.
Here is the small study:
The authors previously defined the triaxial model based on clinical experience and this study shows preliminary confirmation of their model, but it has yet to be replicated with a larger population and tighter controls (and better gender mix!).
We have had many go away on their own, some have been replaced by others, many have not. THey have far less symptoms now then they did at age 2. I could probably count them on one hand now.
Oh I'm not sure what to make of it, I know the therapists are always surprised by it and say "that's great!".
Fred, your daughters' talking may always be a little atypical, but they can converse with you and make their needs known, so I think they will get by
I have functional speech and, on the surface, it sounds fine. But I still talk through my husband a lot of the time to people, pause in odd places, start talking midtopic with no understanding I need to put things in context when I start off. I can talk very well about an academic subject, but struggle to ask for a drink or say if I'm getting stressed by something, or if I need to sort something out. I rarely initiate talking and find it difficult to join in conversations with more than one person. I can keep up a conversation with one person for a while, as long as they understand they have to keep talking or I'll dominate the conversation and not let them speak and I have a tendency to go on and on about things. I mutter to myself and have long monologues to myself sometimes. I used to talk very fast. Nobody would say that my use of language was difficult enough to prevent me getting by.
Tom has dropped a lot of his words recently, preferring to sign, but as his signs have increased then we're pleased he's communicating. He was waiting for a train to arrive when we were on a railway bridge yesterday and when I told him there were none coming he signed "train broken!" [QUOTE=fred] woodsman, did you have a language delay? I would love to think that the girls will someday be able to communicate as well as you, but with them about to turn five, and still not being 'caught up', I worry that they never will - or, at least attain full fluency like you have.[/QUOTE]
hmm... i know little about speech, but i do know I was able to communicate decently at that age, good enough, perhapse a little awkardly or a little slower then most that start to speak, but i never that i remember had a hard time communicating enough to convey what i need to. If that answeres your questions, I type far better then I speak, but im still pretty fluid for speaking, to the point where i blend in with others and have for quite some time.
The sensory stuff seemed to pretty much go away on its own. My oldest son often trotted like a horse until first grade. He also had some clothing sensitivities that went away around the same time.
My youngest liked to clutch a small toy in each hand until he was about 4. My youngest also had a vocal stim that went away once his language started to develop.
I think kids whise symptoms all go away probably didn't have autism in the first place. Like woodsman expressed it is a life long condition. Strange things happen and everyone can be quick to say autism.
I think kids on the spectrum mature and grow out of a lot of tendancies. The hard thing is to be paitient with some of them.
Some things that resolved: walking around holding a hotwheel in each hand (all the time), strange posturing with sideways glancing when walking down hallways, poor eye contact, etc. My son had sensory issues go away. But still has the need for deep sensations. Doesn't feel pain, etc. Ove the years, his stimming went from finger and hand twisting to flapping and now to jumping. But he is on meds that dull alot of his signs. I'm also noticing that he talks diffeent--but I don't even know if it's really different or not. His eye contact is worse----but maybe I'm just noticing it more. He even got ASD ruled out at 3.5y because he has good eye contact. He will look at someone when they are talking---but not when he's talking. One thing that has stayed the same is his special interests. We are going on about 4-5 years of Star Wars and Legos/ gameboy and now xbox. That's it! All I ever need to buy him is Star Wars Legos or xbox game----of course Star Wars also!! We got the provsional dx at the end of June. My son has been in private speech therapy (fortnightly) for about 3 months now. He goes to ECI once a week for help with social skills and language, and twice to regular preschool. He has made all the prgoress PRIOR to HFA dx, without getting ANY therapies. With the dx and OT assesssment, I am going to start him with OT as he has SID. For behavioural issues, I am looking into 10 hours of ABA per week. When he starts 4 year kinder next year Feb, he will hopefully qualify for an aide. I think this is all he needs. Mary My son had the following symptoms resolve on their own. lack of eye contact not responding to name covering ears (sensory) no response to smile delayed echolalia (from tv programs) still need to work on being able to sit still, joint attention, turn taking, and not putting things in mouth. He is doing so great.
Mary
But I wonder if it is a lifelong condition for those who have had aggressive early intervention? Woodsman, did you have early intervention? And Nick did you have EI also? Clearly the both of you have said you are both struggling with some issues that persist but I wonder if they would have been resolved with EI. How many adults are there that have had aggressive EI yet still suffer some lingering effects of ASD issues?
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