# 2 "officially" has issues
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| Thu, 06-08-2006 - 2:44am |
I love the "I just don't see it," thread. My 4.9 year old Aspie DS is adorable (okay, his mother is biased) and tiny, and gets a lot of slack for his off-beat behavior. And, as other parents have mentioned happens with their own children, he has learned to hold it together in tough situations, and saves the meltdowns for me. Many friends and neighbors just don't see it.
The ones that do fall into the same trap I have, which is contrasting his 2 year old brother, and holding the baby as an example of all that is typical. He is much more social, he is not tangental in is conversation, he is not obsessed with any toys or topics to the exclusion of all else.
Yet I have always felt that there is something "up" with him, too. I just had him evaluated by early intervention. So far he has seen the OT, who said he definately has sensory issues and needs therapy for that, and the psychologist, who said she will recommend a SEIT to follow his communication and social skills at daycare. The psychologist really validated my feelings. She said she is not willing to diagnose PDD, because he has good eye-contact and is very socially engaged. Yet she said, maybe PDD or something on the spectrum, or at least something there that needs to be watched. She only met my son for an hour or so, but she really is reading him just as I am. There is something going on. It is clearly not the same thing as his brother, and I do not know if it is a terribly disabling thing or not, but it is something worth paying attention to. So I went to bed feeling validated and satisfied. Then I woke up realizing that I have a lot of work in front of me. What an emotional roller coaster.
Hurray for the OT and psychologist who "see it!"
Sidney


Dear Sidney,
Good for you for jumping on it. I have heard so many parents tell where they DIDN'T want to believe there could be anything up with their second because of comparing to first. There is so much good to be gotten from getting the therapies started right away when they are young, as we were also able to do.
My son always had good eye contact, and was social and extroverted. He is still like that, and now he has tons of language and humor, so he is often on the "I don't see it" list. Like another poster, this also makes me happy for him -- even though it can also cause him more difficulty when people really don't understand why he is having an outburst. His official dx didn't come until he was 6, and it is PDD-NOS, sorta yes, sorta no. But we got lots of services because of delays anyways.
Take a deep breathe. At least you are now very experienced. ((((HUGS)))))
Sara
ilovemalcolm
I am so glad for you that they do see it and are willing to start addressing it! That is great.
We started the process with Dave when he was 2. The first doctor saw something there but didn't know what. Same with the second one. They thought SI. The OT from EI said she didn't see anything despite David falling in a rose bush when she was there, getting a thorn stuck in his hand and he never even flinched. The school district OT later said Dave had no sensory issues despite his refusal to wear coats, socks or underwear and the fact that he would get so incredibly overstimulated he would tantrum for 30-45 minutes straight.
We had to fight to get Dave services at all. SI was and is his biggest area of need and we were never able to get services for that so I did it myself with some consulting from my OTR/SIPT friend. He eventually was diagnosed as possible PDD-NOS and ADHD and definite SID. The PDD is pretty much gone with a few little quirks left. I think all his problems stem from the SID and being really smart.
But the early work helped so much. Dave is still SI and still awfully squirmy but he has learned how to adapt, cope and even thrive in school. He just makes sure he sits far away from other kids and at the end of the day he comes home and usually naps because he is so worn out from trying so hard all day.
Renee
I am in the very same boat as you right now. My older child was diagnosed last year with PDD-NOS and my DD has major sensory issues but beyond that everyone keeps telling me shes fine. I know her development is not normal but she is not as obvious as my son was because she too has good eye contact, social skills and plays well without obsessing but still there is this nagging feeling something more is going on. Reading Renee's post and her description of Dave reminds me a lot of Ella because most of her issues stem from sensory problems.I guess we just play the waiting game and in the meantime gets as much help as possible.
Teresa