Anyone has a son like mine ?

[blessedmom3]

I still don't know what is wrong with him or if something is wrong.

He just turned 5 last week. He has a slight speech delay , was tested and the ST said he is at about 4 yrs , mostly delayed in expressive language.

His eye contact seems either very intense or poor . He is frustrated when we don't allow him to do something and hits us or pinches or steps on our foot , etc . We can't have a real conversation with him and he can hardly answer question . He doesn't seem to understand stories from books or maybe he does but cannot express himself . He seems overwhelmed when I read books and asks me to stop , "it's too much reading" .

What I find strange is that he carries with him a map from Busch Gardens (a theme park in Fl) , before used to be Universal Studios . He looks at it and studies it all day and the map is so worn ... I always keep a new spare one.

 

He also seems obsessed with snow and throws in the air little things like leaves , paper towel ripped in small pieces , etc . When I ask "why do you do that?" he says "because it's snow" .He has never seen the snow, we live in Fl.

 

At church , he doesn't play or talk with anyone but he likes watching everything .

 

Otherwise , he seems normal academically. He just started to read , does some basic math and has a good memory. His IQ was slightly above normal.He is even learning very well a foreign language (which is mine ) although I mostly speak to him in English.

 

We brought him to a developmental pediatrician , but he said he is not in the autism spectrum . His dg was "social anxiety and language delay" .He said he doesn't have auditory processing issues either.

 

However, since he is affected in the 3 areas i.e. --speech , social and behavior , why wouldn't he qualify for autism?

I say that because in this case he could qualify for more services like speech therapy.

 

He did go to a preschool for language delay for 6 months but was so anxious and crying every morning that I gave up. And he didn't seem to learn anything or change in a better way. Also , I brought him to a speech therapist at school for 30 min. 2 times/week but with an infant, a toddler and a kindergartner it wasn't easy to drive ... so I gave up with that too. Anyway that service didn't seem to help him either. He seems to learn in a relaxed place (home) but the progress is still slow...

 

In the top of that , my husband says that it's my fault , because I don't do enough with him. I have an infant , a toddler and a 6 yrs old...4 kids , it's just not easy . Besides I don't know what else to do : I read to him , we do his math&phonics( he is doing great with that) , I ask his comprehension questions ...I do have a stroing foreign accent but I don't think this is the cause of his behavior and delay. My 6 yrs old is reading at 5-6th grade level , 3rd grade spelling and doesn't have my accent at all ! I taught him the same as my 5 yrs old. So it's not my fault.

 

Anyone with a similar child ? I would appreciate any advice or just to know that I am not alone ...:bigear:

Edited October 25, 2009 by blessedmom3

[IsabelC]

My son with Aspergers has/had a lot of the characteristics you describe: difficulty with eye contact and body language, social developmental delay, no significant impairment apart from communication and social skills, tendency to have little obsessions and carry favorite things around at all times, prone to anxiety. I'm not saying your child is necessarily aspie, just that it might be worth getting a second opinion if finding out answers is important to you. (Of course, if you're not that concerned about a diagnosis but simply want ideas for how to help your child, you could borrow some books and just try various techniques to see what works). Also there are quite a few useful ideas if you browse back over some of the old threads here.

 

ETA - Aspergers Disorder and HFA include kids with normal to high IQ, whereas "normal autistics" (this is shorthand, I do know that they are all different!) have some degree of cognitive impairment that would usually show up as a lower IQ.

Edited October 25, 2009 by Hotdrink

[blessedmom3]

Great , thank you ! I am not that concerned about a diagnosis but I figure that if I would know what is wrong with him , I would read and read and learn how to help him.

[sbgrace]

He sounds like my spectrum child. I can't imagine that he wouldn't meet the criteria for Pdd-nos. http://www.bbbautism.com/diagnostics_psychobabble.htm

 

As you look for ways to help him I think spectrum/autism interventions would be a good starting place.

[Pippen]

As you look for ways to help him I think spectrum/autism interventions would be a good starting place.

 

I agree. If there's a way that you can work it out so that he can get speech therapy, that would be helpful. ST works on so much more than just articulation and what we typically think of as speech delay. Social speech, facial expressions, eye contact, approaching and speaking with other children and adults, having appropriate language for specific situations, etc. all fall under the umbrella of ST. When children are young the brain is more maleable and interventions such as speech are more likely to be effective. I know how inconvenient therapy can be--it never will be convenient--but it's something you really want to consider sticking with because it can be really helpful to young children.

 

How long ago was he seen by the developmental ped?

 

There's an online screening tool for Autistic Spectrum Disorders at the childbrain site. It's not accurate for children who don't have speech delays but it can be helpful in convincing doctors that an evaluation (or reevalution) is in order.

http://www.childbrain.com/pddq6.shtml

Edited October 26, 2009 by Pippen

[specialmama]

:iagree: with all of the above posts. Please see if you could see another pediatric psychologist who specializes in identifying childhood developmental disorders. I'm fairly certain the one you saw was a quack. ;)