Re: Visit to Allergist and Strategy for Picky Eater

[Guest guest]

Jeanne,

so glad you did a " long " post! I have never posted to this list, but

try to keep up with the digests. It was really great to hear about

someone who's experience sounds almost exactly like ours! I am mom to

a beautiful 2 1/2 yr old boy diagnosed with pdd that sounds very much

like your son. Although we did have some ear infections the first 2

winters, he never had reactions to shots, was very social, had a few

words,some used only once or twice, and reached most physical

milestones early. The way you described language as not " taking " is

perfect. He was/is a very " intense " demanding baby and we were always

the parents chasing him around at group functions--and still are

often times.

We went CF about 4 months ago and within 2 weeks he became echolalic.

So we went GF 2 months ago. I guess we were hoping for something

dramatic again, but we haven't seen anything. In fact, although his

language is very slowly improving, we actually have had new difficult

behaviors deal with, oh well! But we're planning to stick with it.

Although we have a lot of reasons to hope for a good outcome, I

experience that sinking heart feeling often when I can tell he just

doesn't understand simple things that other kids his age do. I spent

a lot of time thinking I was not a good, disciplined mother because

the amount of energy it was taking to parent this child was and still

is tremendous.

Did I mention picky eater?? So far we're just waiting out the food

strikes and allow him to have extra bottles. And texture issues?

Sometimes just looking at someone eat something slimy will make him

start gagging. He actually started gagging and threw up a little

watching a segment on Sesame street where kids were blowing bubbles

with bubble gum.

I won't go on anymore.. I'm learning these kids are all so different,

but your experience is the first I've read of that I can really

identify with.

Thanks

Kathy S. mom to

> Hello everyone,

>

> I'm new to the list. My son is an adorable 2 1/2 years old. He

has

> been gfcf for the past 5 months with beneficial results - however,

> nothing dramatic. I believe we are finding there may be other

issues

> affecting my son at this time and we're still researching it. He

is

> sociable with us, eye contact is not too bad, smiles a lot, enjoys

> himself. He has been in speech therapy for the past 4 months and

has

> a daily functional vocabulary of about 15 words that he uses

reguarly

> and has attempted to say many more than that.

>

> He did not gain all his skills and then lose them. He did not have

a

> series of ear infections. He did not have a terribly negative

> reaction after any one of his vaccinations. What I can say is that

> he seemed quite easily frustrated and " intense " from birth. He

> didn't nurse all that well. However, he developed all his physical

> milestones on time or even early. His verbal and eye contact

seemed

> good. What I think is that his language never " took " . We'd hear a

> word and think, hooray! It's starting! But then we wouldn't hear

it

> again after his initial attempts - maybe twice. And in conjunction

> with that, he was increasingly hard to keep in a group with his

> little peers. I was constantly the mom running to round him up and

> have him stay with the other kids and their moms. He preferred to

be

> off doing his own thing. I used to wonder why I had to work 3

times

> as hard as the other moms in the groups.

>

> The day I realized something was wrong was this: It was about at

22

> months. One of the other moms said to me, " I told little that

> he was going to see your son and all his little friends today and

he

> got SO excited! " I smiled and my heart just sank to the floor. I

> knew that not only would my son not even react to that statement,

but

> that he wouldn't even have understood my saying that to him. And

> that's when I started to realize that his pushing the stroller in

the

> backyard in circles was not normal play, etc.

>

> Long story short, we PANICKED! We took him to specialists, read

the

> Seroussi book, put him on the diet. With the implementation of

lots

> of play and speech therapy, he was fairly easy to turn around in

many

> ways and the prognosis looks better and better. However, I have

many

> challenges.

>

> I have since learned that my son has poor auditory processing and

> something called developmental verbal apraxia. This is sometimes

mis-

> diagnosed as PDD or autism, but I suspect he has both the apraxia

> (poor oral motor planning) and autistic like features. He is

sensory-

> defensive and inwardly directed. If you try to make him sit on

your

> lap and sing songs face to face, you'd think you were trying to put

a

> cat in a bathtub! But when he settles down, I get eye contact and

> him watching my mouth.

>

> Where was I??? What a long post:

>

> Okay current problems.

>

> 1) He is on a food rebellion and will only eat a few items. What

> have others have you done in terms of waiting out the rebellion?

> Sneaking in foods into other items he will eat?

>

> 2) We are authorized to see an allergist. His IgE was high - 475

> (normal should be reference range at or below 12). Is it worth it

to

> do the skin testing or should we ask for blood testing? We may be

> giving him other things he's allergic to.

>

> Thanks for listening,

>

> Jeanne