Serios question about my 2 year old?

Question

ok I asked about this 4 months ago and wanted to add some additional info on it.

Ok my daughter who is 28months old she is dx'ed with a speech delay. she gets speech therapy, developmentalist comes too along with an OT person and a behavoirist. this is a typical day.

She is up at 6:00am and will scream until she has something to eat, she will zone out for about 2-3 hours every morning watching blues clues or sesame street ( dont give me hell about that she likes it and it keeps her calm and she dont play until late morning) she still doesnt eat very much and yes she still take a bottle ( dont even go there with me since even her developmentalist and dr. who is seeing her for developmental prob is not worried about it she is not your normal 2 yr old) she doesnot get full on the bottle and mainly only gets water in it anyway. She mainly will eat crackers, cheese, popsicles, cereal, hotdogs, bread and spaghetti what i make is what she has to eat and i wont make anything else

ran out of room so here is the rest
she can not self calm yet and is mostly copying words she hears off the tv and doest really help you out when she wants or needs something bc she dont know the words to use. she still cant answer question like whats your name or how old are you. She can still throw a fit to scare anyone and its usually for no reason at all. she will not keep clothing on she tugs at them and just hates them. baths are a dread she screams and HATES them so much. hates hair being brushed. when she gets stuck on an thing and its that for hours and hours. she still throws fits that last hours on end. she will cry at night some night so long that she dont get much sleep and she wont make up for it during the day wither. We have tried the ferber method but i dont work with her we have done it for months and nothing but sheer hell. they say its not austism and that theydont liek to label kids at 2 with anything. she will not seperate from me without screaming the whole time

she still spins and jumps almost like she has to do it. she cries and whines almost 1/2 the day and it is getting stressful here.we have been to the developmental specialist and they wont dx's this young, all they say is that she will eventually be given a mental health dx's. but for now we dont know where else to turn.

forgot to add she also eats apples and carrots.
no i dont give koolaid to her
I cant force food down her throat and can only offer it to her and if she dont eat it then she gets nothing else. If she dont eat it what you offer what can I do? I dont replace her meal by giving her a bottle or cup of anything instead when she dont eat, I let her go hungry thinking that if she is hungry enough she will eat.

MY QUESTION IS WHERE CAN I TURN FOR MORE HELP? AND WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WITH HER TO HELP HER OUT?

She doesnt seem like the normal 2 year old, and why would the developmentalist tell us that she will eventually end up with a mental health dx's?

If you could please read prior question it is hard to fit it all in with so little wording aloud.
thank you

She eats all natural food cheese is lowfat cheese, milk is skim milk, juices is all natural no added sugar and is watered down too, popsicles are sugar free or i make them myslef out of pureed fruit. crackers and bread are all whole wheat, hotdogs are turkey hotdogs from my butcher so i know they are not filled with fillers. I try to make sure what she does eat is as healthy as I can make it or have it.

I wanted to thank:
suggir_be
mayasmom1
blondi
augustine
and MarieK

thank you all so much with your engouragement. I know this probably isnt hte best place to ask these questions but didnt know where else to turn. I also thank you for not putting me down for the stuff I do with my child. its hard enought ot deal with her much less have ppl putting me down for what I am doing.
I have always thought that she might be somewhere on the autistic side but no one else sees it including all the ppl that come to our house. I do have one question though how do you go about getting an appt with a nuerologist? do you have to have a referral and what do you tell them as to why I need an appt?

Answer 1

Ok, now with additional info I can try to answer :) It sounds very much like she has an autistic spectrum disorder to me. I would take her to see a neuropsychologist and have her evaluated. Also if you can get her to see a developmental pediatrician, it would be very helpful. Early intervention is important. I assume that her speech therapy is through EI? When she is 3 the local school district will pick up her therapies and you can request a full evaluation through them at that time.

Answer 2

What is the serious question?

All I see is someone asking not to be lectured about the horrible eating habits of her delayed two year old. If this was my baby I'd make dam sure that he was getting the best nutrition that he could. Hotdogs and popsicles are junk foods. No veggies? No fruit? Do you feed her Koolaid in the bottle too? You could always thaw a popsicle and put that in her bottle.

I'm sure zoning out to TV is making great strides for her developmental progess.

If you want to help your daughter you will be a more responsible parent.

__________________________________

Okay, I just read your previous question on your daughter. And, now I have a clear picture.

I had a good friend who passed away, but her daughter had autism. And she sounds EXACTLY like your daughter!! I used to babysit her. And, she would go into screaming fits if she went outside and came back in. She hated coming back inside.

She also threw a fit when seperated from her mom. But, through special classes geared for autistic children and a horse camp she has made great strides.

Autism comes in many shapes and sizes.

As far as food goes...just do the best you can. With autism any change can be cause for a screaming fit that only another who has seen it can understand. It is truly like no other child's temper fit.

And, you are right. The ferber method will most likely not work.

Have you tried seeing a specialist? I would nag and nag at your doctor until he sends you to someone that could help. Tell him the truth that as a single mom you are stressed...and need answers NOW.

I wish you all the best of luck. Please disregard the top half of my message. Had I had more info I would have made the last half my answer.

____ xxxxxxxxx___________

I don't know why they don't diagnose earlier. I believe four or five is the standard age of diagnosis (just from friends whose children have been diagnosed - school age). Perhaps, they feel that they don't want to worry the parents. But, early intervention provides great help to the child. And, as you are probably well aware every doctor is different.

The girl I babysat was diagnosed at two years old. Just because her mom couldn't handle the stress any more.

Answer 3

Okay well i just read both of your questions and all i can say is, I'm not a doctor so i can't tell you what is wrong. I don't think that if a doctor read this they could tell you without seeing this for themselves. But if you are not happy with the information your doctors and therapist are giving you then you should get a second opinion and if that doesn't work then get a third opinion and keep doing that until you find someone you are comfortable with. They might not want to diagnose but they could at least give you some idea of the possibilities.

Also some of these things sound normal for a 2 year old. My daughter throws herself around like that she's 3 now but she used to do it a lot more.

Answer 4

The first thing I would do is make a regular breakfst. that is quick and easy and she can expect the same thing every day. Probbably the best thing would be oatmeal (you can use instant, but use the kind with less or no added sugar), or cereal. Again, don't get her a cereal with added suger. Trust me, it''s not a good way to start the day. Cut up fruit in her oatmeal or cereal, like banannas or strawberries.

This routine will not only let her know what to expect, but it will make life easier for you, since you won't have to think about it at 6 am, it will just be automatic.

She may not eat much at one time, but you may be able to get ther to eat more if you give her small snacks throughout the day. maya loves to eat baby carrots, she will munch on them continuously if I let her, cheese is also good, and crackers as well. Just make sure that any cracker (or any other food for that matter) does not containe high fructose corn syrup. All kinds of foods contain this ingredient because is it a very cheap filler, but it is basically condensed sugar, and can lead to all sorts of problems.

Avoid sodas at all costs. If she really likes sodas, then go to your local health food store and get the sodas that are nothing but fruit juice and carbonated water with no added sugar. Or you can make your own.

I know you are wondering why I am focusing so much on diet, but I worked with developmentally challenged kids for years, and it was amazing what a change in diet could do! I actually saw an autistic child go from beating his head on walls to acting almost like a normal child just by removing sugsr and glutin from his diet.

I know you don't want to hear about her watching TV, but there have been recent studies done connecting excessive TV watching before 3 to autism, which your daughter is already showing signs of by her lack of communication skills.

It sounds like she is getting a lot of interaction between all of her therepy, so it might help to slowely get her into playing alone, without the Tv as much as possible. Mabey you could try playing together after breakfast by turning on music instead of cartoons and dancing and singing.

And about the bottle. I am not going to tell you that you are wrong by allowing her to have it. If none of her health care proffesionals are worried about it, then no one on this site should be. what does worry me is that you are saying that it is okay because she is not a normal 2 year old. Just because she has a speech delay, does not mean that she has an excuse to not do what she is supposed to, and it does not mean you have an excuse to not do what you are supposed to. Taking a bottle from a child is very difficult, normal or not. Most things about being a good mother are difficult, weather you child is advanced, delayed, or inbetween. But we still have to do what is best for them. Which means being strong all the time, even when we have a ready made excuse not to be.

Also, don't let them tell you it isn't autism because she makes eye contact. I have worked with plenty of autistic kids who made eye contact, some who would even respond to and issue comands.

Go to http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer

This is the site for autism society. Also, look into some of the new therepies. They can teach children to communicate better and even to lead normal lives, go to college, and have careers. Autistic children are generally highly intellegent, they are just not good at communicating.

Answer 5

Try and take the whole wheat out of her diet. Some kids with these types of problems have allergies to wheat, the gluetin, etc...To me it sounds like Autism ( I have a son with mild high functioning autism) But like they said you would have to wait a couple of years to diagnose her. Probably when she starts kindergarten. Go to a sight about autism and diet and it will tell you what they shouldnt have. DOnt worry about what others tell you about her having a bottle , or watching tv. They dont know what they are talking about if they try and lecture you on that. Basically all you can do it wait or try and find a different pediatrician and specialist to see if they can give you different answers. Its going to be lots of work and time, but you know that since she already does ST and OT. Good Luck and I hope it all comes together for you soon.

Answer 6

Have you tryed taking her to Infants and Toodlers or Child Find? My daughter was 2 at the time and was not talking, not potty trained and still drinking a bootle. She went through play therapy and speech therapy and she is now 4 and a half and talks perfectly, is potty trained and dont drink a bootle anymore. I would try them, they are very good people to work with...p.s. turn off the TV! Only allow her 1 hour a day. YOU sit down and read books to her. Point to pictures and repeat the words over and over, even if it drives you crazy! Be consent!

Answer 7

Is the OT working on activities geared for children who have Sensory Integration Dysfunction? A lot of times this will be mistaken for Autism. But I have to be honest; it sounds like your daughter is on the Autism Spectrum Disorder.

You might want to try visiting a Pediatric Neurologist to see if other things can be ruled out (like seizure activity or other Neurological conditions).

Many doctors don't like to diagnose children that young b/c sometimes behaviors can be outgrown. I know how painfully difficult it is to wait for answers. My daughter was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at 27 months. I only had to wait 2 months for the official diagnosis; and it was awful. So I can just imagine how much more difficult it is to have to wait longer. My heart goes out to you.

It's very hard, but you have to try to dismiss what some people will say to you b/c they can't understand unless they have walked in your shoes. My daughter came off of her bottle very late by 'society's standards' (she was 22 months old). But she was born premature, and luckily did not have feeding difficulties like most do. But she wasn't able to hold her sippy cup until then. I wasn't willing to sacrafice nutrition for "method" when it came to feeding her. So just ignore what others will say about stuff like that.

I find comfort in being around others who know where I'm coming from. I belong to an online support group for parents of children with disabilities and special needs. There are children there who exhibit similar behaviors to your daughter's; so you might want to consider joining. It's www.specialparent.org There are quite a few children there on the ASD; as well as children with speech delays for other reasons, and children with Sensory Integration Dysfunction too. You'll get loads of information from these 'experienced' parents.

I hope you find answers for your daughter. And I hope her therapies help her to continue to make progress. It's not easy having a child with special needs; but there is nothing more rewarding either.

Answer 8

Honey, god bless you, label or not , your child sound s like my nephew who is mild to moderate autistic....if it makes you feel any better, they didn't fully decide he was until age 4. Fight the good fight honey, she needs help now and the people you have coming to help her are the right ones. The things you say about spinning like she has to and zoning out are very autistic oriented. Get on the web and start doing autistic searches and you will find lots of resources for dealing with these behaviours. These kids are very sensitive to sound,touch, and taste among other things. My nephew loves soft things, and has never worn a pair of jeans cause they hurt......

Answer 9

Having a son that's 4 with obsessive compulsive disorder I can relate to some of your child's behavior. Let me also note Shame on all of you who are responding negatively. She is asking for your help not ignorance.
I completely agree with getting her seen by a neurologist. Autism spectrum disorders are hard to diagnose at an early age but they can spot some familiarities and help with them. As with most disorders at that age.
As with the foods, my son was along the same lines of just not eating. Finding out he has an issue with textures. he likes hard crunchy things over soft foods. Like raw vegetables, but don't cooked ones. with him he CRAVED carbohydrates. which is not healthy. we also bought Kids Ensure, multi vitamins to make sure that he is getting enough of the nutrients his body needed. But I know we struggled for a long time with his eating problems. They will get better.
Check in your town to find a good doctor, and maybe even a support group for yourself. I know how stressful it can be. Our group is great it always help to know you are not the only one having problems.

Answer 10

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