I need info on autism, pdd Asperger's Syndrome, delays?

Question

I think my daughter has one of them.The school hasn't been helpful. They keep saying ADHD. I know she can pay attention for an hour on coloring but at school she seems to be having problems with everything. She has problem with changing activities, noises touch, following directions, behavior issues. I told the school she scored a 156 on a PPD and they (the school)said it could be of other things. At 3 ys 11 months she had a 25-20% delay in all areas(gross motor,fine motor, pre writting, cognitive,lang,self-help personal) .She is now 5 and had delays in all areas except cognitive.Which, I'm getting another opinion. She can talk 3-4 woords at a time. She is going 2 specialist ,a Neurologist and a sensory eval.So I can figure out what is wrong with her. Do childern with a lot of delays usually have a form of autism?

she has an iep. She gets really hyper when giving coffee

she does run in circles and walks her hand

I was reading that kids are morely to be misdiagnosed ADHD when they have one of the above autism,pdd, Aspergers from parents http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1042 My mom, my Aunt, my cousin, my MIL, my husband all think she's got PDD or Autism. I'm sure she has one of the 3 but I'm not sure which. I'll know in a month.

another thing she doesn't understand jokes or hummor

school was sposed to check her 5 months ago of autism but still hasn't go the paperwork together.They aren't being helpful. My insurance is paying for it all these test. I don't trust this school system, they've already made errors in her IEP.

Answer 1

Children with autism can have motor delays, especially if there is a codiagnosis. From what you have written, I would strongly suggest getting more information on Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Please check out the book called "Out-of-Sync Child" (I do not remember the authors name but look it up on Amazon. It is a GREAT book and I think it will help you a lot. There is also "The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun" which provides tons of activities to help with SPD. SPD could lead to delays in any or all areas of functioning including gross and fine motor, langauge and social/emotional development, cognitive, etc. You say she is getting a sensory evaluation which should shed a lot of light on this. Children with SPD, especially if caught early, are usually really responsive to sensory integration therapy. SPD is often codiagnosed with ADHD or autism along with many other conditions so please look into this area even if she recieves another diagnosis. SPD is very underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed.

You can also talk to your physician about a referral to occupational therapy (OT). The only thing that OTs can diagnose is SPD (not autism, etc--that is up to other medical professionals). An OT trained in the Sensory Intergration and Praxis Test (SIPT) would be your best bet if available. However, an OT will work with your daughter on her limitations and areas of need even if she has not been diagnosed, which will help her get a head start until a formal diagnosis is made. If she is that delayed in all of those areas she should qualify for services through school under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act -IDEA- (depending on your state...)--Usually a 20-25% delay in 2 areas is enough to qualify a child for services under IDEA.

I wish you the best of luck. Keep advocating for her at school--It will make all of the difference in her future!

Answer 2

Children with autism or another pervasive developmental disorder should not be mistaken for ADHD... they have very few similar characteristics. Other than the impulse control, attention problems and behavior difficulties- symptoms of PDD and autism differ extremely from ADHD. The quality of interactions is completely different... a neurologist can do a brain evaluation that can find differences in the brain structure that may suggest autism, and a psychologist can diagnose it using an autism test. Children can have multiple delays and not have autism. Children can have several symptoms that are congruent with autistic traits and not have autism. Your child will need to be assessed by a psychologist to get this diagosis. A sensory eval will be very helpful, and you should ask to get a form to take home that you can fill out to explain symptoms you see at home. This will give valuable information to the person evaluating your child. Even if she does not have autism, she may have a sensory integration disorder that could explain a lot of the characteristics you see. Trouble with transitions, sounds, touch, and behavior can all be explained by Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Since she has an IEP currently, talk to her worker to get these evals moving along... she is 5, and the school district has a responsibility to follow up and find out what is the cause of the problems in order to prescribe the best therapies for her. If you want to find out the diagnostic criteria for autism, PDD-NOS, Asperger's, Rhett's Syndrome, look at the DSM IV, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4, on the internet. It will give you the criteria for meeting the qualifications of these disorders so that you can compare them with what you see. You can also check out the criteria for sensory processing disorders in a great book, titled, The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz.

Answer 3

The behaviors you list are often found in children with autism spectrum disorder. Most children on the spectrum have sensory integration dysfunction, so it is great that you are going to get a sensory eval. SI problems can have a huge impact on a child's ability to participate in the classroom environment, but are definitely treatable. If you haven't done so already, I would recommend speech and language therapy. This could address your daughter's language delays, sensory integration of the face/mouth, and social skills deficits.

A great website is www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger

You might also consider contacting an organization such as SPAN or COSAC for a list of advocates who could help you get what you need from your school district.

Also, the teachers/staff at you daughter's school are not qualified to determine whether or not you child has autism. Only a neurologist of developmental pediatrician can do so. Good luck!

Answer 4

To be quite honest sometime it is quite hard for the school to give a diagnosis of a child. They usually have to go with whats on the report from the doctors. But from what I read you are doing the right things. You may want to look into having a nuropyscological exam done which usually gives a better diagnose. You may also want to look into getting a speech therapist, ot and pt. They all work on different things. Try this for the help with changing activities do a visual board and let her know that this is what she is going to be doing so she knows what comes next and this tend to help. The problem with autism is that it is a wide spectrum and there is a lot of area. You may also want to look into a school that work with autistic kids and High fuctioning kids with add, adhd, pdd and asberger syndrome. I know that there are school that do this. It may be better for her

Answer 5

ADHD/ADD has become a very popular thing with our young children (even adults) these days. To find out if your child has Autism she will have to go through a series of tests...push for them. Share your concerns with your doctor and let him know you want your daughter tested for Autism. It is a large spectrum of disabilities so the testing is more-less "process of elimination". Remember, you are her mother, they are the specialist. You have the maternal instincts that they don't. No one will fight for your child's accurate diagnosis like you. Don't give up! Many children with Autism have the inability to communicate well with others, depict between real and fake, and put what's in their head on paper. It's all up there, it's just very difficult to get it out. But with proper diagnosis and treatment they can lead productive lives. Also, a person can and often times has multiple disorders. If you get a chance read a book called, "When Autism Strikes", I forgot the author (sorry). Best wishes!

Answer 6

Your young lady could have a number of things. Certainly it sounds like she does have Sensory Processing Disorder/Dysfunction, and should see an OT for sensory therapy.

She may have an autism-spectrum disorder, or it may be something else. You really do need to see a pediatric neuropsychologist to pinpoint her specific neurology.

When he was little, my son presented to non-specialists as on the autistic spectrum (hyper-focused on specific interests, severe sensory issues, motor delays, inattentiveness in school, delayed development of early milestones such as walking, etc.). However, when he was 7, a pediatric neuropsychologist ruled out autism (the physical wiring), warned us that it was probably neurochemical, and told us what symptoms to be alert for.

He is now 12, has had repeated confirmations through formal testing of high-average intelligence, and is diagnosed with inattentive ADHD, psychotic disorder NOS (hallucinations), and OCD, all of which are under reasonable control with medications. Due to severe dyslexia, he also is delayed in reading skills, and he is using technology (keyboard, CoWriter) to bypass his severe motor skills issues. He currently recieves psych counseling (both in the schools and private), OT, PT, and is receiving full-day special education supports.

You really do need to see a pediatric neuropsychologist to ensure an accurate diagnosis.

If your young lady IS on the autistic spectrum, be aware of the benefits, not just the drawbacks. Autistics are meticulous, highly focused people, who can be very successful in certain career areas as adults, if they have had proper supports during childhood. Unfortunately, "normal" schooling is very detrimental, unless the teachers are motivated and well educated in autistic concerns. Be a strong advocate for your child, believe in her, and be an integral part in selecting her programming. There are several successful programs out there, all involving highly structured environments and predictability.

Answer 7

Sounds like autism spectrum, but of course I have limited info and I'm a layperson, but you have a mother's instinct and your description sounds like what I went through with my two. The public school initially was suggesting that my ds might have ADHD but he had very few of the symptoms of that. Both my two were initially diagnosed as toddlers with Sensory Integration which a lot of autism spectrum children also have. Here's a good link for info about that: http://www.sinetwork.org/

Then when my dd was about 4 and my ds was about 11, they were diagnosed with PDD-NOS by the University of Washington Autism Center. They did have developmental delays. Both had fine motor skill delays (writing skills). Both had some potty training delays, they were 3 and 4 before they were toilet trained. My ds did not start talking until he was 3 and started seeing a speech therapist. My dd though oddly started talking early, 6 months, short sentences with a large vocabulary. They both walked on tiptoes a little. She flapped her arms which is another AS sign, he did not. He had a lot of sensory integration, couldn't stand to walk on grass barefoot, she could. He hated water (would scream), she loved it! They both hate sticky substances, like syrup or greasy chicken for example. Kind of trying to make the point that there can be a lot of differences among children with autism spectrum, but there are some commonalities. I like this website re: PDD-NOS: http://jaynagirl.cwd-cragin.com/?Script=signs

I was reading Smart Kat's description of the child bringing the coloring page and head banging symptoms and since neither of my two autism spectrum children had those kind of symptoms, I think the symptoms she is listing might possibly describe autism and/or severe autism spectrum. My children are probably moderate autism spectrum (PDD-NOS) and for example, both my children have brought me coloring pages, my dd quite frequently as she is actually a great art lover, & neither did head banging, so I would not rule out autism spectrum because of those descriptions. I think autism children are very different in their symptoms and delays and there is not one list of complete symptoms that every autistic child has or doesn't have.

Answer 8

Schools in my state (QLD, Australia) are far more likely to diagnose students with ADHD or a mild form of autism. Teachers are now facing the role of educator, child carer and behavioural specialist. I wouldn't listen to a thing your school says... whilst they are professionals they are not well versed with behavioural problems and simply know some of the signs for diagnosis for various conditions. in an academic journal I read earlier in the year it was stated that it's far easier and better for the teacher to have a student who has a labelled condition than it is to simply have a naughty or non responding child. this makes their job easier, their success as an educator monitored with sympathetic eye and increased funding for their school.

I would get a second opinion on any diagnosis from a reputable source. So many conditions are misdiagnosed or simply diagnosed to solve a problem in the effort of labelling everyone.

Answer 9

My husband is well published in education journals with autism. Instead of giving you a long-winded answer, I am going to tell you to call your nearest Autism Center (if you don't have one in your states, call a University's Special Education or Psychology Department). Tell them you want your daughter evaluated for Asperger's or Autism and you have had trouble finding the proper help. They can refer you to the proper people. My son, who is high functioning autistic, sees a psychiatrist. My son has ADHD with it. Please be gentle on the school. Many people don't realize that it is a Spectrum disorder that can manifest differently in each individual. They all aren't "Rainman". I hope you get the help you need. Best of Luck

Answer 10

It's odd how everyone assumes autism these days.

Your daughter is definately more than just ADHD, but I haven't heard anything yet that points to autism.

Her language delay is one of the three most important traits of autism.

EYE-CONTACT - Does she avoid looking you in the eyes? When she colors a page she is proud of, does she want to show you or do you have to take the initiative?

REPETIVITE MOVEMENT - Does she rock or flap her hands? Does she incessantly spin? Does she bang her head when frustrated? It can be more subtile than this, but stil this kind of thing.


*edit* I can see better now how you suspect autism, but I would still be cautious about assuming that would be the correct diagnosis. Whether the "label" of "autism" would be accurate, or not, I'd suggest learning the best ways to teach mild to moderate autism. She would probably benifit greatly. (If I were forced to bet on what I've heard so far, I'd say she would be diagnosed PDD-NOS. Which roughly translates "She doesn't have classic autism or Asperger's but she's close enough to benifit from autism treatments & training."