Pediatrician: "profound regression" I would take her to a child/adolescent psychiatrist who specializes in autism. I'd also review her standardized testing in school.  Also, one visit to a doctor is simply a snapshot of your daughter on one day.  Regression is different than lack of development, too. In other words, your daughter may have slowed her rate of progress, but if she has not actually LOST skill, then I would not think that would qualify as regression.She does seem to have actually lost skills. She has also regressed alot behaviorally/emotionally, but we have been blaming that on puberty and hormones. Don't all teenagers seem to lose brain cells and cognitive skills??Have you spoke with the neurologist about this?  i never heard of that happing .maybe something else is going on with her Maybe her body chemistry is changing because of her growth and puberty...so maybe the medicine that WAS working well is not what she now needs.  I have heard of kids on ADHD meds have to re-work their meds around your daughter's age, so perhaps its something similar. Please keep us posted.  Carrying you and your sweetpea in my prayers. I am keeping you and your beautiful daughter in my prayers. Harriet Please do not take the ped's observations entirely to heart.  I know there is some merit in having someone see your dd periodically, while you see her constantly ... but I believe you still know her better. My dd had an emotional regression in Kindergarten -- it was a stress response, not a permanent thing, it was very hard to take at the time, but she outgrew it. I hope all is okay, thinking of you and her! She sees a neuropsychiatrist, who treats her complex partial seizures and schizoaffective d/o. We see him later this month and are going to talk to him about some testing (MRI & EEG), as it has been years since she has had any done. It's sad, because Taryn knows that she's getting worse. She will cry, "I can't think! I can't think! What's wrong with my brain? I can't remember anything."   We had my DD 14 yr old well check-up yesterday and the pedi stated that she sees "profound regression" in her developmental delays over the last year to year and half. We have notest some regression, but I guess I hadn't noticed how much, since we are with her everyday. This really concerns me. Is this normal for PDD kids as they get closer to adulthood?? I couple of years ago, you had to be around her quite a bit to even tell if there was anything wrong with her. Now, it takes about 5 secs to tell she's not "normal". It is almost like her brain is deteriorating, like someone with alzheimers. Any thoughts?? No advise just wanted to say, I am so sorry for your beautiful DD and your family. I am sure you are devastated over this news. Can you seek another Doctor to find out what exactly is going on. We took our son who is 14 AS to a neurophysiologist , because of the problems that we are having with our son, that started last fall.  He was able to explain a lot to us about DS behavior.  I think, for us puberty has something to do with it. Keeping you in my thoughts. I hope her regression stops soon.  Sorry, no advice either.  It never occurred to me that regression could arise at any time.  I guess I always thought of toddlers regressing.  My heart goes out to you.  I am so sorry.  I can only imagine how difficult it is to watch.  I see your dd has a history of seizures, have you consulted with her neurologist?  I wish I had some answers for you.  I hope you learn more from others.  I would take her to a neurologist. Be sure to ask if all the meds your daughter is on could be creating problems. If your daughter is having trouble thinking straight, etc., I would take a close look at the psychotropic medications. My son went through a sort of regression last year. He had a bunch of major transitions (move, new school) and it was compounded by an autoimmune reaction. Within a few month  he went from being quite high functioning to being and looking very impaired. He couldn't think, he would meltdown a lot and he started having all sorts of odd movements. It felt like he was slipping through my fingers. Now eight month later he is doing lots better - we put him on new medication, he has OT several times a week (and it has really helped) and we have just been plucking away day by day. I don't think autistic regressions are something that just happen. I think there are reasons and if you can find the reason and work on them they can reverse. In my son's case it was autoimmune issues and stress. Maybe for your dd it is hormones or a medication side-effect or seizures. Don't panik - just keep looking at what could make sense, get tests and let your dd know that you will be there with her so she does not give up on herself. I hope you will find some answers soon. I would find the local expert in autism, hopefully a psychiatrist. I think they do a better job than neurologists because psychicatrists treat the MIND, not just the brain.  And, yes, the hormones can play a HUGE part.  Please try to find out what doctor in your area is the "go-to" autism specialist.  Especially since your child is a girl, she needs a doctor who has actually treated a lot of girls on the spectrum and they are in the minority.  Good luck. She is at a very tough age for any child.  I have a older child and they go through their ups and downs but mostly downs as teenagers (at least inour case).  Probably has a lot to do with hormones but could be other stuff going on as well.  I would think as a parent you would notice a "profound regression" are you sure your ped is not blowing it out of proportion?  What kind of skills has she lost-cognitive?  Or is it she is not keeping up as well with increasing demands of her age level.  That wouldn't necessarily be a regression... In any case I'm sure more eval is needed and you are in my hopes and prayers. DCmcay, I bet you find out that her regression is being caused by her schizoaffective disorder, not her autism. I have a family member with that disorder. It's cyclical, and it compromises the brain, and it is very sensitive to hormonal changes. I also would encourage you to keep looking for specialists, even if you have to look outside of your state. Thank you for all your responses. We are going to keep searching for answers. It is so heartbreaking to watch her slip away. I know that something HAS to be going on.
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