Is 15 months too young for psychiatric diagnosis?

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Hi there, I'm posting for my 15 month old son. He has been to Harbor Regional and was confirmed as having developmental delays in all areas, and we are currently in the process of ruling out physical problems (CT scan, neurologist appt, hearing test, GI testing, genetic testing, ect.) So far we have come up with no physical reason for his development, so it was recommended I have him see a child psychiatrist for potential autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, sensory integration disorders or other PPD-NOS.

The problem is I can't find anyone who will even see him. I called my insurance (Pacificare) and all the names they've given me won't do children under 3. I live in the Los Angeles area so it's not like I'm in the middle of nowhere. Do people just not diagnose psychiatric problems before age 3?

If anyone knows of any psychologists or psychiatrists in the Los Angeles area that might take PacifiCare please let me know. I just can't believe that it's a standard to wait until 3 years old before providing help for a child who is so delayed.

The problem is that the first 3 years of a childs development are the most unpredictable. There are several "mental growth spurts" that the child goes through during these years but there isnt really a set schedule for it they could occur at any time and any diagnosis would have to take into account what phase they are in which is nearly impossible to determine.

If after 3 years old the child is still having develpmental problems then its time to seek professional help otherwise your child may just be taking a bit longer than average which isnt that uncommon and the child ends up being perfectly normal.

Attempting professional intervention may do more harm than good at their current age.

His behavior should absolutely not go on until he is 3. He is vomiting anything I don't finely puree (no food allergies, he just likes it liquidy), he wakes up screaming 1-6 times a night for no reason, he screams and screeches nonstop during the day, and engages in self-harm (hitting his head against walls, scratching himself bloody, biting his fingers).

If no one will diagnose him before he is 3, then I would like the name of a behavioral therapist who will at least HELP him until he is 3.

Has anyone referred your so to a pediatric neurologist? They are the ones qualified to make these determinations. At 21 months, my son had his hearing tested (perfect) and at 2 1/2 years he was referred to the pediatric neurologist. There are "Early Interventions" for children under 3 for developmental delays and you should directed towards that.
15 months is young for an autism diagnosis, but not for general developmental assessment. I'm surprised you haven't been directed to that by this time.



editted to say, I see neurologist in the list of specialist you have already seen. Was it a pediatric neurologist? I'm surprised in Southern Cal you having a problem finding someone to help. A developmental psychiatrist can help, but I don't think they can actually do the work. Ask for Early Intervention or "First Steps" for your region.

And what are they going to do? Sedate him?

Anything a behavioral therapist can do you can do yourself.

From the symptoms you described it does sound like hes on the spectrum but again its too early to really tell.

In any case if he is you need to find what is upsetting his senses and correct it. The screaming at night may be due to tactile sensitivity.. try using softer and/or smoother bedding and pay attention to what was occuring before his "meltdowns" since those are usually due to sensory issues as well.. was there a lot of noise or bright/colorful visual stimulation?

Solid food might be upsetting him because of the tactile feel of it or it might be an actual stomach problem on that you'd need to see a doctor to make sure.

Theres nothing you can do to change these bahaviors this early in his life other than avoiding things that would trigger an overload and finding ways to calm him when it does occur (I hear a lot of people have success with moving the child to a dimly lit, quiet room and playing one of those "ocean waves" tapes on the stereo at low volume).

Definitely too young.

Tim

15 months is too young for most psychologists to determine if someone is on the spectrum, but not too young to diagnose some other developmental delay. One thing you should know about Harbor Regional is that several parents of aspies have filed a class-action lawsuit against them because even though Aspergers is on the autistic spectrum, they don't like to provide services for them.

The specialty area you would want for a child that is this young is called Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. A referral is needed from a pediatrician.

I don't know that much about all this, but for my internship i was forced to operate the laptop wich held the powerpoint presentations of all the speakers at an international autism concress in the netherlands 2 years ago (imagine it, sitting there in a huuuuuge hall filled with smart ppl, all on your on at a little table in the middle and everytime some guy asks for the presentation to start, they ALL look at me....) and i picked some stuff up there.
One thing of it was that autism develops in its final state in the grow spurt at around the age of 3 (as Fraya mentioned) and only after that will you start to get real autism behaviour.
Before that, children with ASD aren't that much different from normal children.

Mage,

You said you were checking for potential autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, sensory integration disorders or other PPD-NOS.

Frankly, I think 15 months is too young to get that close. Is he reactive visually and audibly? Does he handle food properly? If so, he is probably half way there. Does he have seemingly normal motor control? If so, give him say 9 more months or so before you make any diagnoses. You seem to have done all you can do anyway.

My mother talks almost like I took longer to say my first word than I should have(When pressed, she hem and haws) but, when I did, I spoke in clear sentences. So I ended up developing AHEAD of schedule! Sometimes things just aren't so cut and dry. Some milestones may be missed but, if you get to your destination within a reasonable amount of time, WHO CARES!?!?

Steve