What do I do if I think my son has Autism or related disorder?

Question

My mom says I am just a "worry wart" and my pediatrician is passive with a "wait and see" attitude. My child is three and is showing some traits of the disorder.

Answer 1

You can contact local branches of the Autism Society of America and they can really help you. Don't go with your doctors attitude, at age 3, even if it's not autim, but another sort of problem, he needs intervention. The sooner the better. My son is mildly autisic and for years I let the doctor convince me to give it time for him to catch up. I waited a little too long (he was 4) and I regret not going with my instincts.

Answer 2

My prayer for you is that you are in fact a "worry wart".

You must go with your instincts though. Whatever it is - you need the reassurance that someone listened to you and that every chance is given to your child. And if nothing else, you need your fears given rest.

My dad continued to tell me my son "would grow out of it". I really felt alienated by him. It was like no one would hear me. Denial I decided. From them - not me.

We live in KY & we have a wonderful place in Louisville called the Child Evaluation Center. I would recommend taking your child to such a place either here or in your state. Ask your doctor for a referral or call the health department or your state AMA to find out where the nearest such place is located.

At our location (and I assume each state has at least such facility) in Louisville - they put our son through a few days of testing (a lot it play therapy) - not typical doctor visits. They observed, etc etc. There were psychologist, speech & language therapist, OT, PT, peditricians, a whole myrid of specialists. Then you leave. A few weeks later you go in for the results. These specialists have by now met & compared their findings & an educated diagnois is made.

Treatment plans & interventions can be discussed - that can be & will be implemented at your home location by local facilities.

Our trips were covered by insurance.

Early intervention is a great key to successes. The Autism Society is a great resource.

Best of luck to you and your family. Should this prove to be autism or a related disorder, there will be hard times ahead as well wonderful times. To each of you I say "best wishes".

I hope all goes well - for each of you. Good luck.

Answer 3

Your concern for child's possibility pf being autistic is not being a worry wart. You need to take him to a specialist as soon as possible to be tested for autism. If he does have autism, you will have a long road ahead of youl But if you catch it soon enough you can learn how to deal with it and there are wonderful places out there that can really help him learn. like a normal child. I know someone in a vey similiar situation. Good Luck, Sweetie. Let me know the results. I'll say a prayer for you and your son.

Answer 4

You know your child better than anyone else. I would rather be a worry wart and take my child to a specialist than to wait and put off starting treatment. My family was convinced my son was autistic, so I insisted that our pediatrician send him to a psychologist, who determined he was not. But I wouldn't have been able to rest easy had we not seen someone about it. My pediatrician is a wonderful man who listens to my concerns. If yours doesn't, maybe you should find someone who does. I always remind myself that I am my childrens' advocate. It's my job to stand up for them and make sure that they are taken care of. Good luck!

Answer 5

Call the local school district and request an assessment. They will look at your child's development and see if he qualifies for services through them now, like speech, and will be able to tell you where to go for an autism evaluation. Most parents of children with autism complain that their doctors told them to wait. Research suggests that early detection is key, so do not wait.

Answer 6

Have him checked out - as soon as possible. It's better to be a worry wart and then be told that you have nothing to worry about from a doctor & specialist than to run the risk of him actually having something that could be helped with early intervention.

Better safe than sorry. Listen to your intuition.

Answer 7

Take him to another doctor for a second opinion. It's more than a disorder, it's a mental illness. You're NOT a worry wart, you're a concerned parent. Take him to another doctor to be looked at. Time is important.

Answer 8

Don't worry. Autism is not a disease it is a catagory of behaviors. If your child has behaviors that you are concerned about you should work to improve or mainstream those behaviors. If you are not sure how try to seek the help of professionals. Applied behavior analysts are experts in behavior change. Also read up on Applied Behavior Analysis.

Answer 9

ask for a referral to a Dr. who specilizes in autism.My grand son also has the symtom's.There is a good hospital in Cincinatti Oh. He needs to be tested.Follow your instinct's.It's better to know early so you can learn all you can to help your son.Get a new pediatrician that is not passive about your son's health.

Answer 10

According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Autism Facts, "a doctor should definitely and immediately evaluate a child for autism if he or she:

Does not babble or coo by 12 months of age
Does not gesture (point, wave, grasp, etc.) by 12 months of age
Does not say single words by 16 months of age
Does not say two-word phrases on his or her own (rather than just repeating what someone says to him or her) by 24 months of age
Has any loss of any language or social skill at any age.

There are a number of things that parents, teachers, and others who care for children can look for to determine if a child needs to be evaluated for autism. The following “red flags” could be signs that a doctor should evaluate a child for autism or a related communication disorder.

The child does not respond to his/her name.
The child cannot explain what he/she wants.
Language skills or speech are delayed.
The child doesn’t follow directions.
At times, the child seems to be deaf.
The child seems to hear sometimes, but not others.
The child doesn’t point or wave bye-bye.
The child used to say a few words or babble, but now he/she doesn’t.
The child throws intense or violent tantrums.
The child has odd movement patterns.
The child is hyperactive, uncooperative, or oppositional.
The child doesn’t know how to play with toys.
The child doesn’t smile when smiled at.
The child has poor eye contact.
The child gets “stuck” on things over and over and can’t move on to other things.
The child seems to prefer to play alone.
The child gets things for him/herself only.
The child is very independent for his/her age.
The child does things “early” compared to other children.
The child seems to be in his/her “own world.”
The child seems to tune people out.
The child is not interested in other children.
The child walks on his/her toes.
The child shows unusual attachments to toys, objects, or schedules (i.e., always holding a string or having to put socks on before pants).
Child spends a lot of time lining things up or putting things in a certain order...In most cases, the symptoms of autism are measurable by certain screening tools at 18 months of age. However, parents and experts in autism treatment can usually detect symptoms before this time. In general, a formal diagnosis of autism can be made when a child is two, but is usually made when a child is between two and three, when he or she has a noticeable delay in developing language skills.

Recent studies show that at least 20 percent of children with autism experienced a “regression,” as reported by their parents. This means that the children had a mostly normal development, but then had a loss of social or communication skills. To date, however, there is little information about this type of regression, such as the age it seems to start, how severe it is, and what, if anything, triggers it. NICHD researchers are looking into a variety of possible causes for both early onset and regressive autism
if you have concirns for your child at any age....take him to a different doctor.....