Not sure where to go from here

I have adopted 2 of my 3 children, one of which is turning 2 in Nov. She was born with meth and cocaine in her system and weighted 3lbs 2 oz. We have had her in early intervention and are trying to understand what is going on with her. She says mama & dada. She doesn't point to things she wants. She gets really mad and bangs her head on the wall for reasons I have yet to figure out. She only wants to eat bread or crackers but will drink anything. She covers her ears and curls up in a ball. She is very cuddly. I was told by one of our early intervention people that they thought she had Autism and that she would send people more qualidied out to evaluate her. They came and said she has sensory issues. I don't know where to go from here. What do I do? I just want to take her to a doctor and they tell me whats wrong so we can help her.

[Deanna L Aftab Guy, MD]

I would work very very closely with your pediatrician. The early intervention services are a wonderful help but ultimately they are there to help screen at risk children, provide basic PT, OT and speech assessment and direct the more complex children towards more specialized care. If you live near a Children's Hospital there are pediatricians that specialize in behavioral pediatrics and developmental disabilities. Your daughter has obviously been through more than you can imagine prior to you even getting her and you are working with both issues from her initial development and prenatal issues as well as the adaptation related to adoption itself. She may or may not have a clear diagnosis but as you mentioned she clearly has feeding, integrative issues that can affect her developmentally in regards to growth and socialization. So start with your pediatrician and ask about referral to a child developmental specialist. The treatment may not be clear but you will be on the right path towards addressing her needs over time.