Our story. Glad to have you on the board.  Hope you find answers you seek here and make some friends in your journey. Nice to meet you!K well to start off this is my first post to this site.  I have been reading off and on for a few months. I have a 4 1/2 yo son who was diagnosed by the Dr. in May of this past year.  We have been receiving therapies since he was 2.  So needless to say I've seen my share of paperwork.   I will start by giving a short background... When he was just 2 months he would watch tv. (half hour show!) Did all the smiling and sat up around 10 months. Finally started crawling shortly after. (are you catching  the delay yet?) Yes now we're babbling..however not the mama dada thing everyone else gets.  At 1 year he's starting to stand up next to the furniture.  Hmm still no mama.  But we can crawl really really good.  And boy, does he like watching football. *ya know, I thought it was soo cool that he did that whole self soothing thing. Hindsight is 20/20 right? I mean aww how cute my little baby still being a little baby. Well my birth club had TONS of milestones! Uhm...we didnt. Everyone else was WALKING!!  Gosh Finally at 19 months..he did it! But the only word he had was mum. Everything else was garbled. Yeah I noticed other things..but they were small things. I mean, geez he's my Baby.  But very soon after they started to make me feel weird cause other kids his age were passing him up. But he didnt seem to care. He didnt notice. It almost seemed like he didnt like kids. Hes really into adults.  But hey..he's too cool for kids. (not) When his 2 year check up came I told the pediatrician that he was falling behind in a few things.  I got the "boys are just slower" speech.  So for the next couple months I started doing my own research.  And low and behold he was falling into the slots that a child with autism fits.  So I decided to call the local early intervention and see what they had to offer.  First, they do their assesments.  Yep.  We totally qualify.  And the teachers here are listening to me!! However, when they are all gone and its just me and him...All hell breaks loose.. Comes the hitting.. the screaming..trying to destroy things..walking outside in the snow with NO shoes...Biting...Smashing food into the rug..throwing toys...well You know..lol One week the teacher notices scratches on him and asks me about it..(no im not abusing my child) I tell her that he did it.  Yea..I got a look.   WELL...at the end of the next visit she is sitting and talking to us while Im trying to calm him down from her exciting bag of toys. He dont calm down today..thats when he reaches up and *ugh I forgot to trim his nails that night*Grabs his face and pulls his nails down his face and tears it open!  Yup her jaw just dropped. Thats when I got a referral to go to our first therapist. They did lots of those super in-depth questionnaires too.haha  Im almost a pro by this point.  They wanted to do rule outs of several different things..but the best they could come up with was called "Mixed Disorder of Emotional Expressiveness" Rule out PDD-NOS and a few different things that are slipping my mind at the moment..hmm Anyway..after a year..I decide that they are not much help..so I move to a bigger city.  Wow was it hard to find services.  *yea i kno..weird*  Okok back on track here...lol. I knew he needed dental care badly..Yes, tooth brushing is a HUGE fight for us..btw. Well the pediatric dentist wanted him to have a recent physical and ours was getting old..so we made an appointment to see a pediatrician in this city.  Just gimme the first opening I tell the receptionist.  Ahh Dr.M.  Ok so his appointment is kinda early.  He gets upset if he gets woke up too early. Ugh.  That morning I wrestle and argue with him about getting dressed.  An hour passes and FINALLY.  We walk the 3 blocks to the clinic to sit in the waiting room for enough time that hes attached to things and wants to keep them. Fine we can take 1 thing into the office with us..sheesh.  NO my son doesnt like to step on that weight thing.. NO he dont want to take off his shoes to do it. NO he dont want to stand under that measuring tape. *screaming and dragging* Finally we get into the room..HOLY CRAP did she just tell me to undress him?!? Does she know what I just went through to get him dressed..Crazy? In enters Dr. M  He starts by saying I dont have to undress him.  is this normal for him? how long does this last? Finally... Has anyone talked to you about Autism before? AHA!! I knew it!! He called the school and told them to put in the IEP that he has Autism.. He called the dentist and told him that we'd need special services.. He called this place that does in-depth assessments AND made us an appointment. All While We Were Sitting There!! WOW! Now I've moved back to the sticks and hate the new teacher... Apparently she got off the bus with my son last week and says to my niece "I dont think that he has Autism" *I was at work* So now this week she has me signing a paper that gives permission for them to administer the ADOS. OkOk well heres the thing...I have applied for SSI for him. I cant have some stupid backwoods teacher talking to the SSI people!! Thats gonna screw us for Sure! I mean what gives her the right to say that? I dont care if she does have 17 years under her belt.. Yes..he thrives on a schedule Yes..he thrives with consistancy Yes..he knows what to expect in school..hes been in for a couple years. But she isnt up at 1am with him because he wont sleep She doesnt see the aggressiveness She isnt listening to him scream just because he feels like it. BUT she did get to witness a small 'freak out' yesterday... And now she wants to know if he's ever had a problem with men?? No...he's had great experiences with every man thats been in his life.  All I can say to his 'Freak out' in school is...Yup..it happens..I dont know why..it just happens..and Yes I see it everyday.  Sorry to have not told you that he was diagnosed with Autism(k thats sarcasm) I really dont know if she even knows what PDD-NOS means... And to be clear...I don't know it all...I just know what I've dealt with personally.
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