waiting for neuro consult

[kelly42]

I posted a question on april 9th about symptoms Im noticing with my son,My son is 8 years old took him to mD today she spent over 1 hour with my son watching him asking questions (this is a new MD) in her observation she was pretty sure he has aspergers syndrome, I have to take him for a head ct, she also thought my son also has mild cp may be diabetic and hypothyroidism, Just waiting for blood results and scans she refered me to a psychiatrist,to do exam to confirm diagnoisI really been hit with a ton of bricks today ; do most children go to psychiatrist when diagnosed with autism ? MD seems to think my son has ADD also do most autism children have ADD? Im not sure  what to expect What kind of treatment do autism children recieve? I feel bad it took me this long to figure it out My son has regular MD appt since he was born he was born a preemie and always had regular checkups I have mention his toe walking to the other MD she said this was normal and he will grow out of it.She told me he will always be behind due to his prematurity (born at 29 weeks) Im glade I changed doctors and she told me at 8 years old toe walking was not normal and had a concerned look on her face, Im glade I changed MD's.

[SueNYC]

Wow.  You have been through alot.  My children came at 36 weeks and they were so tiny - (about 5 lbs each) - so I can't imagine a 29 week baby.  Your child's premature birth is probably also playing a factor into all this too.  

The therapies are geared toward building an interaction between you and your hcild and helping them deal with the world outside their comfrt zone.  Depending on your child's strengths and weaknesses - a program will be designed that best fits your child.

As far as the future goes - and though it's hard - try not to focus on it too much.  It won't change anything that is gpoing on in your life today.  I am trying to learn the trick of putting my worries in a drawer and setting aside a specific time to worry as I am a very anxious person.  

Don't ecome overwhelmed by the DX.  

[Sally44]

Yes we do grieve, but we may still find our children exceed our expectations or their diagnosis limitations.  As they don't tend to develop in the same sequential way or at the same time as other children you can sometimes feel that they are falling further and further behind their peers in some areas, yet are way ahead of them in others.  The hardest part, from the parents point of view, is not knowing what the future will bring.  Will they be able to work/marry/have kids etc (but then there is no guarantee that a 'normal' child will achieve those things).  
My advice would be get as much support for your child as you can.  As he develops you will see opportunities for improving on certain behaviours eg. my son only recently started asking me to play with him (he didn't want it before), so he now goes to Play Therapy and he loves going.  He is now in a group of about 6 other children and they 'play' together under the observation of a number of Play Therapists who model back behaviour and help to give them better ways of interacting.

[Sally44]

It is very hard when you receive a diagnosis.  It is a relief in some ways because most mothers have had concerns for quite a while beforehand that things were not quite right.  But we are still hoping for something less serious/pervasive/not life long than autism.  But how you are feeling is probably down to the fact that you will have to change your perceptions/expectations of your child.  Throughout all of this your child has not changed, they are still the same.  But the knowledge that comes with a diagnosis means we may have to 'let go and grieve' for some things.  No professional will be able to tell you the prognosis, or how your child will develop.  I found for some time that I was having to 'let go' of expectations because he wasn't developing in those areas.  Then he would suddenly progress in other areas and almost catch up.  Someone sent me a good article about how you feel when you get a diagnosis and I put in in my journal if you want to read it.  Someone else put another explanation called Arrived in Holland (I think).  But it is very early days for you, and there are lots of parents who have walked the path before you and are there to give you support and advice.
Regarding what diagnosis your son gets.  There are a number of conditions that tend to cluster together (autism/ADD/ODD/OCD/Tourettes/Anxiety/Depression/Dyslexia/ Dyspraxia/Irlen Syndrome - to name a few!).  Some children are just one diagnosis, some are more than one, some are traits from alot of conditions but not enough to get a diagnosis in any of them.  Think of it as a fruit salad (which is how it was explained to me).  A fruit salad can be made up of one kind of fruit or a mixture of fruits, but it is still a fruit salad.
I would say read up as much as you can about any condition your son is diagnosed with.  Get as much help/intervention as possible to help support your child.  Find what support groups are in your area and find one you feel comfortable with.  As your child matures, it is not unusual for diagnosis to change or even be removed.
As far as I know all children are seen by Clinical Psychologist along with others prior to getting a diagnosis.

[jeanie01]

I just wanted to let you know our 5 yr old also walks on his toes occasionally, He has been given a diag of high functioning Autism. Several psch tests have been done. We are told this is common practice to see how their cognitive, adaptive skills are. He has a iq of 75 with alot of sensory issues. His is smell, taste, running into walls, chairs, anything that causes impact to his body. He craves deep pressure to his joints. He is beautiful, as all our children are, but, the challenges are so many! We applied for State Medicaid and that has a 3 yr wait. We applied to our develop disabilty center board, but, just got notified he was found ineligible so now I am appealing. The finanacial drain can by astronomical. I have found alot of help on Autism speaks website. Our love and prayers are with you.

[kelly42]

Your reply was very helpful and comforting, I understand he is the same child but with diagnoisi of autism , your right we grieve for things we want our children to do and become,I will just be the best mother I can and support my child in whatever diagnosis he may have ,Will keep you posted tomarrow is the MD appt for his first evaluation. Thanks again for your time and advice.

[MaryannesMom]

Your son being diagnosed at 8 is around when most diagnoses of Asperger's Syndrome are made.  And yes, alot of Aspie's are also ADD.  My daugther's MD suggested it when she was 7, and she had seen her every year until then.  I don't think many MDs know what to look for, especially the older ones.  Remember, this is a fairly new diagnoses for the medical professionals.  Our only "formal" diagnosis came from the public schools.