|
Hi, I have a 4 1/2 year old son, and the consultant he used to see, had me believing he could be Asbergers or High functioing autism. Now I am crushed because I took him to a speech therapist and started with a new consulting firm as the previous didn't follow through on alot she promised. And the speech therapist said he is "loweer" and the new consultant said he is in the middle functioning. He is non verbal but will talk(they all agree on that) as he does have words but is in his own world 75% of the time, and he doesn't seem to have the comprehension of a typical even 3 yr old. Lot of sensory issues too. And is constantly making sounds that make him sound mr. Can he still be pretty functional when he gets older? I really have felt lousy and lost alot of sleep these last few days wondering now after I was told one thing to be told another. How can 2 professionals see such different stuff???? ↓
|
|
| Name: Fran | Date: Feb 10th, 2007 7:49 PM |
| Dianna, What does your heart tell you? You know your child better than any "specialist" does. After the specialist told me my 4 1/2 year old son might have some mental impairment, I said "no" and thought to myself, "you have only been around him for a couple hours, how can you possibly know that?" Also my son was very upset during the evaluation process and didn't cooperate for them at all. I know my son is smart and his preschool teacher doesn't see any mental impairment either. You can't always take to heart what a specialist tells you. Sometimes you just have to let some of their theories go in one ear and out the other. These children are very smart, but just can't express it very well. The specialist we saw diagnosed my son as PDD and also told me he isn't autistic, but PDD is still on the autistic spectrum! Sometimes you get told a lot of crap from these professionals. I know he has issues and my plan is to keep working with him. I wondered what he might be diagnosed with if I took him to somebody else, but it just doesn't matter to me. He gets great services through the school and I couldn't ask for better teachers. So, I know it is hard, but try to not get wrapped up in the "label." I went through that also and got very depressed. I now see my son as "my son" instead of "my autistic son". Good luck. ↑ |
| Name: dianna | Date: Feb 10th, 2007 11:20 PM |
| Thanks Fran. May I ask since your son is a little over 4 years old like mine. Does he talk? My heart tells me maybe he is worse off because why is he not talking yet, and appears more into his own world. Believe me. I would love to nt listen to them. But I don't see him doing much better. He's not even potty trained yet. I don't think he'd understand if I tried to explain it to him. ↑ |
| Name: rachtwins | Date: Feb 10th, 2007 11:34 PM |
| http://thiswayoflife.org/contact.html have a look at this website its an adult living with autisum it helped me alot. I do hope it helps you too as I was in the exact situation you are in now 2 weeks ago. ↑ |
| Name: Help. | Date: Feb 11th, 2007 1:36 AM |
May I say that your speech therapist is not qualified to make assumptions like that. She is not trained to diagnose autism. Have you taken him to see a psychologist and a pediatrician that specializes in this area? I not go to both of these people and get yourself a proper diagnoses. I'm angry because I had a speech therapist do the same thing to me. The nerve!!!!
I would also like to tell you that the way they class low functioning and high functioning is: low 80]IQ, high 80[IQ. So less than 80 low functioning. The doctor will be the first to tell you that the IQ doesn't stand for intelligence. It's based on how they can react and answer to questions, this of course is greatly linked to speech and being verbal. A low functioning non verbal autistic person can have an IQ off the charts. Sometimes they just need the right equipment. Like those personal talking computers.
But you have to have the right staff working with your child. If you're not feeling comfortable with your new team get a new one. You know your child best and you know what's right for him. Good luck! I wish you all the best. You and your son are going to find your way. ↑ |
| Name: Help. | Date: Feb 11th, 2007 1:43 AM |
| My son is a year younger than yours. Same characteristics though, no speech, in his own world a lot, fixates on certain toys (trains in particular), not potty trained etc. I'm taking a course right now that doesn't necessarily focus on speech. It focuses more on communicating with your child. It teaches you different ways of listening, asking questions, and interpreting your child. I swear by this course. It really has change the way I interact with my son. It's called the HANEN course. Go to www.hanen.org/ There is a book called: It Takes Two To Talk. I would really recommend reading it. some of the best reading I've done in a long time. ↑ |
| Name: onlinedizzy | Date: Feb 11th, 2007 1:39 PM |
| Hi Dianna, as someone here has already statedHigh functioning is a measure of IQ. A speech therapist is not qualified to even diagnose autism let alone measure IQ. If your child doesn't have language or very little language it is very hard to test for this, and professionals tend to make assumptions about a childs language. Donna Williams a very intellegent lady who has written many books and has autism has stated that she had no functional language until nearly nine years old. Jasmine Lee another autistic author cannot talk but can type. Dont confuse language with intellegence and don't give up on your kid. I definitely recommend the Hannen program. Get your hands on a copy of the book. It really helped with my daughter who has very little spoken language. Liz (Mum of two kids on the spectrum) ↑ |
|
|
