Is it PDD/ASD/Asperger's?

[Guest guest]

Just adding my two cents, I very much agree with the other posters

that I would not let the diagnosis, or rather, lack thereof from the

neurologist stop you from pursuing your instincts.

There are some doctors that are my favorite people,but they are not

gods. I continue to be astounded about the number of medical

professionals who practice in this field and know amazingly little

about the spectrum. If you've done much reading at all, the sad

truth is, you're likely to know as much as your " specialist " .

As some one else stated, this is a spectrum disorder. There is a

continuim of behaviors from severe to mild. There are lots and lots

of symptoms and you're never gonna find two kids exactly alike. One

professional I know described it as a grab bag. Throw all the

symptoms in a bag and draw out a handful for each kid. One might

have great eye contact, another, terrible eye contact. One might

have severe sensitivity to sound, the next, no auditory problems at

all. You get the picture. The ability to make eye contact, and

respond to a command does not rule out a spectrum disorder.

Many doctors went to school when they were only talking about severe,

classic autism. The children who sit in the corner rocking and

biting themselves, are essentially non-verbal, and show very little

affection. The new wave of autistic children, or the " little A's " as

Dr. Kartzinel likes to call them, are often very affectionate.

It's also worth mentioning that many doctors are not used to seeing

very young kids who have already been identified. Heck, our school

system is dealing with this now. My daughter (5, Aspie) is one of

the first girls this young with identified Asperger's that they've

had. Also, early intervention is changing the picture for many of

these kids and allowing them to make progress earlier (like my son,

4, autism).

Finally, I had a psychologist tell me this once; " if a family comes

in and tells me they suspect an autism spectrum disorder I'm inclined

to believe them. Nobody knows the child better than the parents, and

this isn't exactly something people WANT to believe, so if they've

gotten to the point where they are out of denial enough to suggestthe

possibility to me, I'd bet money that they are right. "

So, I totally understand what you mean about not WANTING it to be

true, but if it is true then you just want to get your child what he

NEEDS! Good for you. I know it's tough, but good for you.

Bless you! Sara