Hi I am new here and could use some advice desperately

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Hi. My name is Pam. I have a 7yr. old boy who is just absolutely wonderful in every way. He was born one month premature, and he was delayed in sitting up, walking, talking. When he was born he wouldn't eat and he was in the NICU for a week Ever since he was about a year old I noticed something wasn't right about him, not trying to be mean or demoralize him, but I felt something just wasn't "clicking" with him. I thought it was because of him being born prematurely. As he grew older his cognitive skills, speech, mental focus, hearing, and eye contact were "not on track." I took him to his primary care Doctor and he said nothing was wrong and that he was fine. I didn't think so. I would ask my son a question and his response would be three different answers jumbled into one that didn't even correlate to the question. Sometimes he would say something to me and keep repeating the same word's trying to get his statement out, for example: "hey mom, can we go, can we go, you you know to that place, where we, we went last time?" He needed surgery on his eyes because he couldn't focus well, they were both lazy eyes and sometimes they would cross, he couldn't follow my finger going up or down, or left to right; instead they would cross, and his right eye (once this happened and freaked me out)went to the right side and his left eye to the left side. He would fall up and down stairs, and has numerous times, and I think because of his eyes mostly that is why that happened. He has glasses now. When I took him to be tested when he first entered school, the special needs person's who evaluated him (whom looked like they were in their 20's) said nothing was wrong. Today he can't stand loud noises, when he watches tv if he see's something he doesn't like he puts his hands over his ears (the same he does with loud noises), I ask him to hand me something and sometimes unless I point directly to it he doesn't know what I'm talking about, he act's like he is deaf but I know he can hear (sometimes I have to say his name loudly), he trips and falls often, he is 7 but his voice is that of maybe a 4 year old, his speech is repetitive, he has trouble expressing himself, he has tried to injure himself before (such as bang his head, or scratch himself when he got angry), he is very emotional as well. All these thing's I've stated were much worse when he was younger and have gotten better a little. He used to have nightmares, where he would get up and move around while talking angrily in his sleep. He hardley wants to sleep alone. Am I totally off here? One of my friend's said he may be autistic, but I am unsure. Is what I stated symptoms of Autism or something else? He can read very, very well for his age. Basically he function's well too, like a normal child, but many have asked me if there was "something wrong with him." I don't know where to go for help, and any advice would be very appreciative. Thank you.

I don't know. I can sort of relate with the not liking loud noises part, but the rest sounds sort of unusual. I'd take him to a psychiatric specialist to see what might be wrong. My personal unprofessional opinion is that he may have been brain damaged during birth.

He wasn't brain damaged during birth. It was a normal birth, no complication's. I should have stated that earlier.

How does he interact with the other kids at school?

I'm personally terrified of loud noises. My mom told me that when I was like 2 months old I would get really worked up over noises like her turning the water on. So, she figured out if she made clicking noises (a noise to correspond with each upcoming loud sound), I would repeat the click and not freak uot when the sound came.

I know that I embarrassed my relatives by having temper tantrums (or what I now see as meltdowns) in public when I was about your son's age. But I don't know if he's just a moody kid.

The social interaction is a big part of the picture that seems to be getting left out. In any event, I would look for a clinic in your area that specializes in diagnosing and treating autistic children. At your son's age I was originally diagnose by a school resource office as being very gifted, but they didn't really pay attention to my severe social impairment. Only when it became a huge issue was I diagnosed as autistic.

dabears,

Some of the symptoms ARE autistic(That is why he sounds younger, sensitive to senses, repeats words, and still writes well, and development isn't on track), and some are possible comorbid. It sounds like he has some of the worst comorbids, (strabismus(eye problems), and synesthesia(This is probably why he covers his ears when he sees something he doesn't like.)), and one of the worst stims(head banging), but may otherwise be ok. Things will probably settle down.

Some people here had similar problems.

BTW with regard to brain damage? The most popular type of brain damage in birth is cerebral palsy. This doesn't sound like that, and is pervasive, so it is likely it was genetic.

Steve

Hello,

I have a 7 year old boy as well who was diagnosed with PDDNOS. I would get him to a specialist as soon as possible. If he is diagnosed with Autisim or something on the spectrum, get him an IEP NOW ! !! Early intervention will help out. My son hits his head on his desk at school sometimes and he can't tell me why. Your son may have difficulty expressing himself and his wants and needs verbally. We had to teach our son sign language and use a picture board when he was young due to a speach delay. We put him through private thearopy for speach and set him up with an IEP at 4 years old I believe. At any rate, we had him in an EIC class through the school system and it has had a great impact on his life. It really helped boost him so he wouldn't be overwhelmed with school issues now. He still struggles, don't get me wrong, but he does just fine with extra help from us and the school. You have a lot of bennifits through the school system that you need to take advantage of. Let me know if you need any info!

he does fairly well in social setting's. he likes to have friend's, but if someone laughs at him he will either cry or get angry (which i guess is normal). sometimes when he is playing with kid's i have seen him act really goofy, like making goofy sounds or words and go running to the ground. he wears glasses but likes to sit really close to the tv. specifically what kind of specialist should i look for?

Hello,

Find a good child Psychiatrist who specializes in Neurological disorders such as Tourette's, Autism and or Spectrum disorders. Do your self a favor and start reading about the Autisim Spectrum disorders. My son does some of the same things you have just described. Please feel free to contact me direct on my PM email, it would be faster and easier for us to discuss issues. I can send you links that will help. Keep in mind that your son may just be delayed in his developement. He may seem slow in some areas now, but down the road, he will sort of catch up if you will. Look for specialists in your area and start there. My specialist does not take insurance, each visit is $190.00. It's worth the $ if they can help ! !!

You know, your boy sounds alot like I was as a child. I am ASD, non asperger's. classic autism, or whatever. I would think that when he says a bunch of stuff that doesn't relate, he is visualizing, and he might assume that you know what he is thinking, so he doesn't say a full sentance. I have a lot of sensory issues, UV lights drive me nuts, certain smells, chemicals, etc. He might also be a bit ADHD. External stimuli may cause the self harming stuff. Cleaning products are the worst for me. If you would like more info, private message me. I started out slower on the social, esp. comprehension, but now I excel in pretty much everything, I am a very gifted person. I am genius intelligence, musical, artsy literary, science, social science, and I have a very kind and compassionate heart. YOu are very blessed if you are lucky enough to have an autistic child!

I have had my son evaluated when he started school, and they said nothing was wrong with him. His teacher, when he was 6, said that teaching my son sometimes is difficult. She said she had to be "right on him" in order for him to get thing's done, sometimes it seems he was in "his own world," and that it is hard for him to process information. I have seen my son's school work today and he does a great job, so I am just trying to figure all this out. I think to myself maybe he is fine, he does well at schoo, he can read, but then again all those thing's I've stated on my earlier post.....I am confused and don't know what to think. His primary care physican thinks nothing is wrong either, but then again none of these dr's are with him all the time like me. Any info. you can provide would be of great help. I am trying to find a specialist in my area, which is Springfield, VA and I'm having not much luck.

I don't know anything about psychiatrists and their helpfulness. I do know that it's best to seek out a pediatric neurologist.
The fact that he is 7 and isn't speaking in complete sentences and acts deaf should be alarm enough that he has significant speech delay. I would really be suspicious of your school. On one hand, they say nothing is wrong (did they do an actual evaluation?) but the teacher points out his "deficits" as an issue.
He has some really common autistic traits and needs help with communication. If no one at school will help you, you need to learn how to better communicate with your son. He's a good reader, write him letters instead of trying to hold a conversation with him. Draw cartoons, do pantomine. You probably do a lot of that already.
If the teacher is using the issues to punish him, I'd go to the principal or higher up and complain. If the teacher is bringing up the issues out of curiosity-ask her/him for advice. Sometimes the schools don't want to confirm or investigate an educational dx because of budget reasons. This is illegal. The district may be unaware of this school policy/habit. They need to be notified.

My son was in day care when the teacher stated her concern to me, and he was evaluated by another school that he was going to attend (but he didn't). Someone mentioned that he may have apraxia of speech instead of autism. I am so unfamiliar with all this, but am looking into it all. It was my ignorance to think that Autistic children just sat there and didn't speak, didn't want to be hugged. I thought to myself my son speaks, loves to give and recieve huggs, does more than sit there. His speech has gotten better than it was when he was younger, but at times it still is a little off. I just want him to get the best help. He get's so frustrated when he can't communicate what he wants, and I can understand.

I don't have any practical knowledge of apraxia (other than its definition) but it certainly could be a possibility. I'd say my son's frustrations and meltdowns are 80% at least due to communication problems.
I wouldn't dismiss some brain injury during birth. Just because your son wasn't diagnosed by doctor doesn't mean he didn't have some complication due to a premature birth. I have seen similar traits and/or developmental delays in brain-injured children.

"It was my ignorance to think that Autistic children just sat there and didn't speak, didn't want to be hugged. I thought to myself my son speaks, loves to give and recieve huggs, does more than sit there."

You can thank the mainstream media for that ignorance. I was the same way when I first went to the neurologist. Now that my son's communication is near "normal", people think he's not autistic. But he has had to work very hard to learn language and we still rely on written communication and pictures at home.

do you think i should look for a neurological doctor for him? i ask cuz i don't know what kind of doctor to locate. thanks.

My son will cover his ears, hum, and pace furiously if there is something on TV he doesn't like.

I would have your son evaluated if you can find a clinician whom you trust or who comes recommended from a trusted source.

Paediatricians can say some weird things... one told me not to worry about the fact that my son was still not talking at age 5!

pediatric neurologist
Honestly, I don't know if you need a referral to see one. I was sent to one after taking my son to the family doctor for a skin problem! We went to him twice and he suggested "autism". He said he didn't diagnose, formally. He directed me to state services (early childhood intervention). He said that a developmental psychiatrist did the formal diagnosis, which we had done when my son was 5-after he had received services for 2+ years.

Every state is different and has different procedures to follow. If you have good insurance, I'd call the neurologist directly and see if your son can be seen. If not, I'd apply to state services and have them evaluate him, to see if he is eligible to be diagnosed through their stable of professionals.