8 year old son has very sensitive teeth!?
We've gone to the dentist and my son complains that his teeth are in pain and very sensitive but the dentist say there's nothing wrong with his teeth. I'm not sure what to make of it..but my son is clearly in pain when he eats anything cold or warmer than usual food or even when he's brushing his teeth. Is there anything that can be done?
PDD-NOS diagnosis for 3 year old son?
Hi. In answer to your first question, Pdd-nos is what they use when it doesn't quite fit autism. Almost all the symptoms but not quite enough to fit the diagnostic criteria. It would be called an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Some say that it's much higher functioning than autism, but I don't believe that's always the case. The "spectrum of autism" in my opinion has to do more with the severity of symptoms within the diagnostic criteria. A child with mild autism can be less affected than a child with severe pdd-nos for example. In answer to your second question, even though it doesn't seem like it, this can be a good sign. He wants to communicate, for example, but can't. He gets frustrated and hits himself. If he's only doing it when frustrated, I would ignore it as much as possible, even though it is disturbing to see. Work on trying to understand and head off frustrating events. Start learning about social stories so he'll understand what's happening, and how to react. A desire to communicate is HUGE when talking about a child with a spectrum disorder. Is he getting speech therapy? Are they working on any alternative communication skills like PECS or sign language. When my son, who had severe speech delays, started using sign language, his frustration level went down 10 fold. My daughter who has autism, also learned signs before speech. Reading also came first, and as I realized that, I put word labels on every surface in the house, to give objects names. It was easier for her to process written rather than spoken language. I have to get ready for school now, but if you add me as a contact, you can go through my "best answers". I have alot of detailed answers on autism, and I"m sure you'll find some information in there that will be usefull to you. Good luck.
20 month old son doesnt talk diagnosed with mild autism?
What stands to me the most is that speech issues. He is severely delayed in that aspect if he is only babbling. By 2 years old he should be saying about 50 words and combining words to make 2-3 word sentences. My son only said 10 words and was not combining and he was 12 months behind in his expressive speech. His receptive speech, or what he understands, was just fine. It bugs the hell out of me that so many people shrug off speech delays and do not pursue treatment because thier child "understands everything I say". My son had some very violent and intense tantrums from his frustration at not being able to communicate. My husband was convinced that he too would be diagnosed as being on the spectrum ( my 13 year old was dx with PDD-NOS at 11 years old). When he finally was diagnosed with verbal apraxia at 27 months old and started therapy the change was amazing. We started teaching him sign language and within a week a lot of the grunting and pointing went away, as did the tantrums. Here we are 13 months after his diagnosis and i actually get compliments on how well he speaks! It is possible that he may be showing autism traits, and actually that is sort of a good thing if he is getting a diagnosis now...it opens a lot of doors for him. If you have not already, contact your local early intervention program and let them know about his diagnosis and ask what servcies he would qualify for. I will tell you now that autism can be a hard thing to identify if it is mild. I had a friend who is a school nurse, ask if my 13 year old had been screened for autism like 5 years ago. Her daughter ( a former school teacher) and I were totally confused...but the school nurse was right! What you can do to sort of get a second opinion is to visit a site www.childbrain.com and do the PDD/autism screen for your son. it is pretty anonymous, just asking for first name and age. It asks questions about development and behavior then gives you a score such as "indicative of mild PDD". Take the score with a grain of salt though. It was 100% accurate with my 13 year old, but also gave my 3 year old a score of mild PDD. I think his speech issues and behaviors messed up the score. His therapist ( mom of a boy with autism) and his EI specialist, and even his preschool teacher have seen nothing that worries them.
How do doctors diagnose Autism in toddlers?
If you feel that your child may have autism the first place to go is your pediatrician. I'm sure that he's been marking her progress since her birth and can tell you if he feels your child is behind, or needs additional testing. There is no precise test for autism. Is it a spectrum disorder, meaning that different children will be affected in a variety of ways. To be diagnosed a child must fit a certain criteria to receive a label of "autistic". Autism is diagnosed by observing behavior. There is no blood test, or medical intervention that will give you a definitive answer. The person observing behavior will be looking for specific traits. These are found in the DSM-IV. It's a big book listing symptoms for all sorts of disorders. They'll be looking for three BIG things. The first: Impairment in social interaction. Meaning no looking others in the eye when being spoken to. No playing with others or looking to share experiences with others, and finally no peer relationships. The second: Communication delays. Meaning no verbal communication, no sustained conversation, and finally the use of repetitive speech a.k.a Echolalia The third: Stereotyped patterns of behavior. Meaning the inability to break routine, the obsession with parts of an object i.e. spinning the wheels of a toy truck, repetitive motor movements i.e. hand flapping, spinning, finger movements. Hopefully this helps. Go to the doctor first and he will advise you from there. Good luck.
My son is bypolor and cod and add and adhd sence he was 3 years old?
That seems like a large number of diagnosis's for such a young child. You may want to explore opinions of other doctors, especially a Pediatrician. Medications for mental health disorders are tricky, what works for one person does not always work the same for another. That is probably why they are starting and stopping medications. I believe you need some important answers to some serious 1questions. See if perhaps a child psychologist can do a new evaluation on him in order for you to have assistance not only with his medication, but also the problems he experiences at school.
My 3 year-old son wont stop playing with himself?
Don't punish him for doing what is natural. Doing this will only make him self-conscience about his body. You need to teach him that it isn't appropriate to do in public. It is something very natural and normal, it feels good. Teach him it is not right to do in cerain situations.
How can I tell if my 3-year-old is autistic?
To get an accurate diagnosis, you should take your child to a developmental pediatrician. There are all sorts of individual differences in people that don’t make them autistic. Some kids are more quiet…some cry more. The developmental pediatrician will be looking for specific things in your child to try to figure out what is causing your child to experience delays.With my son, he stopped talking altogether, started walking on his toes, stopped making eye contact, and started showing repetitive behaviors…like hand flapping and lining things up. The lack of eye contact is one of the first signs parents notice. I remember hearing about that BEFORE I realized my child was autistic. I heard that a baby can recognize his mother’s noises…like the way they clank the dishes when they are preparing food….and will react to those sounds when they recognize them as mom’s, and may not react when someone else makes those sounds. I tested it…I was watching when I was preparing his food. He didn’t react. I started getting closer and closer to him, calling his name. He wouldn’t look at me. I got RIGHT UP IN HIS FACE and tried to get him to look at me and there was NO eye contact. He was looking everywhere BUT my face. He was purposely avoiding looking in my eyes. That is when I knew…but I didn’t get the diagnosis until later.
How can I know if my 3-year-old daughter is bipolar or has ADHD if her doctor told me that she can't get checked until she's 4-5 years old?
It may be early to diagnosis, but it's not too early to get clinical/therapeutic help/coaching/treatment to start managing whatever symptoms lead you to ask this question. Unless your daughter, at home and in other settings, is extremely different from other kids her age, it is indeed hard to know at this age whether there will be a lifelong pattern of mood swings (bipolar) impulse control problems (ADHD) or behavior problems linked to mood regulation problems (Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder). It can be hard to tell what is an issue "inside" the child (a MH diagnosis) and what is tied up in a situation such as family issues or a mismatch between parenting style and child temperament. It can be hard to tell what is a temporary variation along a normal developmental pathway (like a kid's teeth coming in very late) and what is a potentially lifelong problem. But you can still dive in and help your child and your family, if you seek treatment along with differential diagnosis. I have had several clients as young as 2 1/2 years old, with many referred by physicians for help with differential diagnosis. I have formed impressions of possible anxiety, autism, ADHD, learning, mood regulation, and other problems. But in my sessions, I am playing, trying exercises which serve to screen for disorders but are also building the child's abilities to learn, focus, manage moods, manage behavior. I focus less on definitive diagnosis and more on trying different interventions related to the likely diagnosis, and sometimes that changes my working diagnosis. I suggest that you take your daughter to a child therapist, someone trained in behavioral, relational, play-based, and cognitive-developmental interventions. This may be a clinical social worker, a counselor, a psychologist, or even an occupational therapist or speech and language pathologist... very rarely a physician, although if you ask a variety of pediatricians, they may know a good child therapist/diagnostician. Ask around at counseling practices locally; you never know where some hidden talent and knowledge might be around. Preschools or Kindergarten teachers or school counselors may also be a source of referrals. Good luck.