My son is 3 yrs and is showing signs (according to teachers) of autism. I have a 1 yr baby girl as well and he can't stand her. I live in a city with NO family so it's hard to get good advice. Im going a little nutty. Im not sure what to do. I can't put him in anything because all he does is cry...I want to shoot myself sometimes. I need some real good advice.
2007-10-17 06:15:49 · 9 answers · asked by Kilikina 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
His speech is delayed...he can only say a few words. He says the whole alphabet but won't say sentences at all. He screams for any tiny thing.(not exagerated)
2007-10-17 07:10:45 · update #1
I have worked with children with autism for about 10 years now. If your child is showing some delays, then you need to contact the local school district's special education office and ask for an evaluation. They will do an overall evaluation that will include speech and cognitive testing. Tell them that autism has been brought up and they will tell you what they think, and how to go about obtaining an evaluation for that. These services are all free. A clinical psychologist is who diagnoses autism, anyone else is just giving you their opinion.
2007-10-17 06:20:36 · answer #1 · answered by Melissa 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I have an 8 year old who started out with severe autism- he was diagnosed when he was 3. autism is not the end of the world, it's certainly nerve racking at times! in the beginning for me, we had alot of phone calls to do, many different people involved and to this day, I'm not exactly sure where they all came from :)
you can get throught this and no matter what the signs are that your child is displaying, early intervention is the key.
call the autism society of your state, locate support groups locally and do a search for Y Groups- I belong to many groups and here's a great supportive- informational group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/children_with_autism/
it may not be autism, the signs could be caused something else. do not alter diet without speaking to your doctor.
my motto is a delay is a delay no matter the cause and deserves attention.
if you'd like to talk through IM, your welcome to IM me
a speech delay can be caused by many things as well- early intervention through your school district can help and provide Speech and Occupational therapies at no charge.
you will want the school to do this:
MFE (mutli factored evaluation)
ask the school for a MFE (mutli factored evaluation) that is the over all term for the below, but with some schools, you may need to list them out what you're expecting it to include. they should find the appropriate age level evals for each of the below.
time period is 60 days of request. I believe by that day 60, they had better have had a meeting with the parent, or soon there after. parents have to sign for these evals to be performed by the school, and on that paper should be a list of what they plan to eval and the names of those tests. when you get that paper to sign, find someone to help you read through it, what the evals are. a parent or school can eval at request, even within the 3 year time period. any time a parent feels there child is not doing well, or needs something addressed, they can call a meeting or write a request. more often than not, it's the parent writing that request
MFE (mutli factored evaluation)
Adequate articulation skills
Communication skills
Receptive and expressive language skills
Comprehension and vocabulary recognition skills
Cognitive development skills
IQ tested/ Academic level testing
Self help skills
Sensory Disorder's
2007-10-17 14:06:25 · answer #2 · answered by crazy_mom2_1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Signs of autism include but are not limited to; not making eye contact, rocking, spinning objects, and speech delays. If he laughs at appropriate times and can use 3-4 word sentences but still shows some of the other signs it could be a spectrum of autism like Asburger's Syndrome. My advice would be to have him evaluated. Chances are he is a normal 3 year old boy, but if he does have some type of autism getting him into training and therapy at an early age can mean the difference between having a child grow up to be a much bigger child or a productive member of society.
2007-10-17 13:37:11 · answer #3 · answered by Jayme S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi! I have a five year old son that is milded autism and he was digoinsed around 19 months old. when he started showing the signs screaming, not talking, head buting, not walking. If you son is showing signs of austim then i would ge him evaluted as soon as possible. They told me the early they get it dected the more they can help him. My son still has a speech defected. Some people can not make out what they say . We have gotten screaming down pat and no he doesn't play with his other brother and hus younger sisters. I will tell you this much start a schuled with him now and don't get him off of it. Watch what he does in the sitiution that make him uncomftarble like does he yelll out or try to run away from it. Get him a appoiment at the doctor and between now and then keep a note book about how many time he screams what sets him off and vise versus and take it to the doctor with you and go over it with hi. If you would like someone to talk to bbecause you live no where near your family i would always be glad to share any emails with you or if you would just like someone to talk to you can always email me at mammabear_327@yahoo.com thanks and good luck
2007-10-17 14:23:43 · answer #4 · answered by mammabear_327 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hun please don't beat yourself up about Autism until you know for sure, all i can say is Thomas my twin son was three and a half when he was diagnosed with severe autism, signs were never playing with his twin sister lining bricks in rows rather than building, rocking in the chair, no eye contact at all and no speech at all, i talked to my health visitor who was also concerned about Thomas, she referred us to an assessment unit for 6 weeks but within three we had a diagnoses, have they said what signs your son shows ?
Thomas is now 9 still in nappies and his speech is still not really there but he tries more, take a look at my videos on you tube the link is below, it shows autism at a positive i made these because all always seen the negative but no Thomas is who he is regardless of his autism
if you want to chat email me x
2007-10-17 16:11:28 · answer #5 · answered by Autism's Beautiful Face 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Before you do anything, see your doctor for a referral to another doctor for testing. Autism has many levels. If he does have it, don't panic. There are many agencies to help you but you must be strong. There are parent groups you can meet with. These people will become like a family to you. YOU must be willing to fight for his education. Be a pain in the the butt with the school district you live in. They must provide him an education. You will have to help him too. Your life will be very full and at time, very hard. Ask for help! People will do it if you ask. Do you have a husband or boyfriend? Ask for his help and get some for yourself. Don't go throught this alone.
2007-10-17 13:37:32 · answer #6 · answered by cynthia n 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well if you think your child has autism you have to keep trying and dont give up no matter how fustrating it get. my son is 3 and i have a newborn sometimes he likes the baby and sometimes he dont. It is perfectly normal for your three year old not to like the baby. He is going to be very jealouse of course the three year old needs the most atttention right now
2007-10-17 13:27:17 · answer #7 · answered by Jeni M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even with family around its hard to get good advice! Although your first answerer sounds right.
2007-10-17 13:24:58 · answer #8 · answered by lillilou 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The new book by Jenny McCarthey (who has an autistic son) is fascintaing. She found out that a wheat & dairy -free diet really helped. I recommend reading her book.
2007-10-17 13:41:55 · answer #9 · answered by Suddenly Me 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋