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My son was just recently diagnosed with Autism and ADHD

Last post 07-02-2009 9:09 PM by serial mommy. 6 replies.
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  • 06-24-2009 9:58 AM

    • CANDY GURL
    • Top 100 Contributor
    • Joined on 09-18-2004
    • MAINE
    • Posts 7,016

    My son was just recently diagnosed with Autism and ADHD

    I was devestated, he has been put into Occupational therapy and Developmental Therapy, he may also be getting some 1 on 1 and some in home therapy, is anyone else dealing with this??
  • 06-25-2009 12:55 PM In reply to

    • jamiexyz
    • Not Ranked
    • Joined on 12-28-2004
    • Posts 1,516

    Re: My son was just recently diagnosed with Autism and ADHD

    Hello. I don't have a child with Autism but I work as a behavior therapist one on one with kids with Autism. How old is your son? You are doing the most important thing you can right now by getting him help as early as possible
  • 07-01-2009 9:49 AM In reply to

    • heather249160
    • Top 200 Contributor
    • Joined on 10-21-2003
    • Northern Ireland (UK)
    • Posts 4,679

    Re: My son was just recently diagnosed with Autism and ADHD

     My son has ADHD and was diagnosed in January he has come on leaps and bounds since we started his meds and hsi development has caught up some which is good. He has SLT, Behaviourthereepy and OT! The merry go round of appts can be exhausting.

  • 07-02-2009 7:35 AM In reply to

    • CANDY GURL
    • Top 100 Contributor
    • Joined on 09-18-2004
    • MAINE
    • Posts 7,016

    Re: My son was just recently diagnosed with Autism and ADHD

    Avery is 4 I also forgot to put in there that he also gets speech therapy
  • 07-02-2009 10:38 AM In reply to

    • heather249160
    • Top 200 Contributor
    • Joined on 10-21-2003
    • Northern Ireland (UK)
    • Posts 4,679

    Re: My son was just recently diagnosed with Autism and ADHD

     My son will be 5 next week, I knwo for us the relief of the diagnosis was amazing, he is our third child, the first boy and for about a year I was questioning what I had done wrong. Now 6 months after the diagnosis its like a different wee boy and he is so much happier he comes and asks for his "medicine jam", his speech has improved DRASTICALLY even tho hehas been in speech for 2 years the last 6 months have been amazing.

     

    Its a tough diagnosis but you just have to bring to thier level and adapt the world instead of them adapting to the world. If he was ina wheelchair you would makes structiual changes to your home etc to make life as "normal" as possiable, you just have to do that with life. Not dumb it down but give it to him in ways that he can cope with. 

  • 07-02-2009 2:09 PM In reply to

    Re: My son was just recently diagnosed with Autism and ADHD

    Getting the diagnosis and the treatment to go along with it is a Godsend!  I know it seems like a lot to deal with now but you, your child, and your family will be so much better off.  I am glad to hear that the diagnosis came early and you are addressing it head on instead of overlooking it.

    I always knew something was off with my oldest (now 5 1/2).  She's as sharp as a tack but life is a struggle for her.  She just doesn't behave like most children her age.  ADHD was suggested but here a diagnosis for that can't be made until age 6 with certainty.  Knowing she can keep at task (doing a puzzle, artwork, math problems into the thousands) for over an hour rules out ADHD in my mind but the child can not sit still for the life of her.  She bounces off the walls and other kids, can't keep things out of her mouth, and does down right bizzare things.  She doesn't feel pain unless it is super severe yet the *** of a feather the end of a feather will set her off in a panic.  After over a year of going to behavioral therapists and being told there was nothing wrong ... she just needed time to develop, she was recently diagnosed with sensory processing disorder (SPD) or sometimes it is referred to as sensory integration.  The gravity center in her brain never developed as it should by 18 months old.  She has no sense of feeling centered in the world so to her life is chaos and she is trying to feel grounded.

    We go to occupational therapy once a week.  We do at home treatment daily (work with exercize balls, motor skills, rocking, brushing, etc.)  The therapist will work with you so that you can make things easier for your child so he can adapt to the world at an easier pace. 

    I've gotten a lot of help from Kirk Martin at Celebrate Calm (www.celebratecalm.com).  He addresses ADHD, SPD, and a variety of other challenges that children and families face.  Just signing up for the free email newsletter is worth the visit to the website.  The thing I love about his perspective is that he can help the parents focus on the positive nature of the child rather than the challenging parts.  He also gives a fantastic undersanding of what is actually going on in the brains of our child that is easy to understand.  Another great resours is the SPD Foundation based in Colorado.  They deal with SPD and autism (as they so often go hand in hand). 

    You are not alone.  The sooner your child gets help the better the results you'll see.  My prayers will be with you!

  • 07-02-2009 9:09 PM In reply to

    Re: My son was just recently diagnosed with Autism and ADHD

    you are going to learn about the autism spectrum...so i'm going to ask, what kind of autism?  yes, there are MANY different kinds...and adhd is ON the spectrum...so he may not actually have adhd, and you'll find that out as he gets older....my 10 year old has pdd-nos and mood disorder-nos...it would be straight asperger's, but with the mood disorder, it kind of throws off the results enough to make it "questionable" about it being asperger's or not...aspergers, pdd - nos (not otherwise specified) , and a few others are on the spectrum as well....for a long long time we had an alphabet of what was going on with james...it was like they pick up parts of the puzzle, but i always knew it was the entire picture...yes, it's taken about 6 years to get the full picture of what is going on...and it wouldn't surprise me if in a couple of years it changes a bit...also, don't be surprised if it changes for you as well...o.t. may or may not work, same with d.t....james was on o.t. for over a year and it made no difference....take it a day at a time...find a support group....you'll find a lot of relief in talking with other mom's of kids on the spectrum...raising kids like ours is a challeng that NO ONE prepares you for and you may end feeling things that you are ashamed to even admit to yourself...do yourself some good and find a private therapist for yourself...you WILL need someone to talk to who you know won't judge you and who will allow you to unwind and vent to without trying to "fix" the problem....prayers and blessings...

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