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    rthapa's Avatar
    rthapa Posts: 8, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Feb 28, 2010, 02:45 PM
    Does my son have autism? Cannot speak clrearly
    Dear all,
    My wife and I am going through depression nowadays. My son is 2 years and 10 months old. But he cannot speak clearly. Also, when we call his name, he doesn't turn towards us and doesn't answer. But amazingly, he knows A-Z in any order. More than 70% of those pronunciation is clear. The behavior specialist told us that he has autism but I am skeptical to accept it. But I think he just ignores us. He is going to speech and occupational therapy. Can somebody please, whose child has gone through this, suggest us what to do.
    cdad's Avatar
    cdad Posts: 12,700, Reputation: 1438
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    #2

    Feb 28, 2010, 02:47 PM

    Has he had a good hearing screening? Also a good check up for fluid in the ears?
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    rthapa Posts: 8, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    Feb 28, 2010, 03:06 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by califdadof3 View Post
    has he had a good hearing screening? Also a good check up for fluid in the ears?
    No, nothing was done. Since he didn't speak well even after his second birthday, we asked his physician. She recommended to go to the behavior specialist. We got an appointment after 4 months. The specialist watched him and in front of her, I called him 3-4 times but he didn't turn towards us. He kept on playing with the toys in her office. Those toys were new to him. Then she said she suspected he had ASD and recommended speech and occupational therapy. After 4 months of speech and 1 month of occupational therapy, we revisited her. This time, she said she was confident he has autism.
    He cannot speak well but he speaks frequently with us bu we don't understand.
    By the way, he has sharp ear I can tell because whenever we open door even very carefully, he can hear it and want to go out to play.
    Nobody suggested us to do what you asked. He can turn on computer himself enter 3 letter pswd and play games all by himself.
    Also, the specialist was saying at age 4, he was supposed know A,B,Cs. This is disorder. I was thinking he was smart.
    cdad's Avatar
    cdad Posts: 12,700, Reputation: 1438
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    #4

    Feb 28, 2010, 03:13 PM

    I think I would get an appointment with a competent audioligist and just do it for the peace of mind. Get the hearing check. You have to keep in mind that sound isn't just 1 tone but an entire spectrum of tones and vibrations. Im not saying he's not autistic but I think I would at least have him checked to be sure.
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    rthapa Posts: 8, Reputation: 1
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    #5

    Feb 28, 2010, 03:22 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by califdadof3 View Post
    I think I would get an appointment with a competent audioligist and just do it for the peace of mind. Get the hearing check. You have to keep in mind that sound isnt just 1 tone but an entire spectrum of tones and vibrations. Im not saying hes not autistic but I think I would atleast have him checked to be sure.
    Thank you. I will talk to his pediatrician about it.

    But one thing hurts me that he shows completely different behavior at the specialist doctor's office than he shows at home. At home, he shows interests in us including our 10 years old daughter. He plays with us. But in the doctor's office he is ignorant. In parks, he plays with other kids as well. But, the specialist tells us that he is using us as tools. He is not relating to us.
    Are autism and autism disorder spectrum (ASD) same? Will my son never be a normal?
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
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    #6

    Feb 28, 2010, 03:27 PM

    I have an autistic son who is now 39 years old. When he was small, he had a lot of ear infections and could not hear well because fluid had built up. I took him to an audiologist who said what my son heard was like what a swimmer would hear underwater if someone talked --- bubbling noises but no clear words. My son was given medication to dry up the fluid, and his hearing (and speech) improved greatly. My son also has an inherited problem with ear wax buildup (another hearing problem), so must have his ears professionally cleaned at least twice a year. This, of course, had nothing to do with his autism.

    One of the marks of autism can be speech difficulties. This is especially true of hyperlexia, the type of autism my son has (early decoding of the alphabet and of reading). Interestingly enough, my son's hearing and speech difficulties were caused by his ear problems, not by hyperlexia.

    I am not so sure it is a good idea to label such a young child as yours as autistic unless signs are strong. Did the doctor mention any other reasons he thinks your child has Asperger's? (My husband has Asperger's, so I know about that diagnosis too.)

    Here are two links that note symptoms of hyperlexia and Asperger's:

    Hyperlexia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    (The American Hyperlexia Association site seems to be temporarily down.)

    What are the diagnostic criteria of Asperger's Disorder?

    Feel free to ask me questions.
    cdad's Avatar
    cdad Posts: 12,700, Reputation: 1438
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    #7

    Feb 28, 2010, 03:29 PM

    Onething you might do is video some of the experiences you have with your son. Don't force it on him just keep it on the lowdown and then they can be reviewed. Children are so different at that age the bell curve is very tall. As far as will he be normal? I have no clue because to me normal has a different meaning then for you. Again its about the bell curve. Don't reject what the professionals are saying. Just flow with it and be a responsible parent. Try to consider your options and flow with the concept. It may be that he just takes extra effort and its your job as parents to fill that gap. Accept what your being told and study up. Things could turn around in a heartbeat.
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
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    #8

    Feb 28, 2010, 03:38 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by rthapa View Post
    Are autism and autism disorder spectrum (ASD) same? Will my son never be a normal?
    Autism is the entire disorder, the "spectrum" as it is called. Inside that huge spectrum sit a number of types of autism. Hyperlexia is one kind. Asperger's is another kind.

    Those two (Asperger's and hyperlexia) are similar, but have many differences too. Every autistic person I have ever known was very smart. The problem can be that they are not socially outgoing, don't like to be in groups in the classroom, don't want to ask questions of the teacher or other students, etc.

    By the way, ASD means Asperger's Spectrum Disorder. People with this are called Aspies for short.

    As for wondering about your son ever being normal -- what is normal? I cannot begin to tell you what joy my autistic son has brought to me all these years. He sees the world from a slightly different perspective, he remembers everything he reads (so he helps me with hard crossword puzzles and would probably win lots of money on a quiz show), and he is very particular about keeping his room (and our house) clean and his books in order (and he works in a public library for his real job).
    rthapa's Avatar
    rthapa Posts: 8, Reputation: 1
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    #9

    Feb 28, 2010, 03:38 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Wondergirl View Post
    I have an autistic son who is now 39 years old. When he was small, he had a lot of ear infections and could not hear well because fluid had built up. I took him to an audiologist who said what my son heard was like what a swimmer would hear underwater if someone talked --- bubbling noises but no clear words. My son was given medication to dry up the fluid, and his hearing (and speech) improved greatly. My son also has an inherited problem with ear wax buildup (another hearing problem), so must have his ears professionally cleaned at least twice a year. This, of course, had nothing to do with his autism.

    One of the marks of autism can be speech difficulties. This is especially true of hyperlexia, the type of autism my son has (early decoding of the alphabet and of reading). Interestingly enough, my son's hearing and speech difficulties were caused by his ear problems, not by hyperlexia.

    I am not so sure it is a good idea to label such a young child as yours as autistic unless signs are strong. Did the doctor mention any other reasons he thinks your child has Asperger's? (My husband has Asperger's, so I know about that diagnosis too.)

    Here are two links that note symptoms of hyperlexia and Asperger's:

    Hyperlexia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    (The American Hyperlexia Association site seems to be temporarily down.)

    What are the diagnostic criteria of Asperger's Disorder?

    Feel free to ask me questions.
    Thank you a lot. I don't know why my son's behavior specialist feels herself proud when she says my son has autism. I don't like her attitude. My son speaks a lot but doesn't speak clearly those words. At the specialist office, when he was busy playing with the toys, we called him 3-4 times but he didn't respond. Also, he was pulling us to help him play. By watching these 2 things, the specialist doctor tagged him with autism saying that he was using us as tools not as human being. That's all.
    He play with us and our 10 years and he enjoys it. He talks a lot but unclearly.
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    rthapa Posts: 8, Reputation: 1
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    #10

    Feb 28, 2010, 03:49 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by califdadof3 View Post
    Onething you might do is video some of the experiences you have with your son. Dont force it on him just keep it on the lowdown and then they can be reviewed. Children are so different at that age the bell curve is very tall. As far as will he be normal? I have no clue because to me normal has a different meaning then for you. Again its about the bell curve. Dont reject what the professionals are saying. Just flow with it and be a responsible parent. Try to consider your options and flow with the concept. It may be that he just takes extra effort and its your job as parents to fill that gap. Accept what your being told and study up. Things could turn around in a heartbeat.
    Thank you for your advice. Though I am not satisfied with her way of treatment, I am following her advice completely. I just want to do something extra.
    The one reason for my suspect is that this is the place where doctors order unnecessary things. You might have seen this a week ago on CNN about a week ago about this place in Texas health-care. This place spends twice as much as that of whole US.
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    rthapa Posts: 8, Reputation: 1
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    #11

    Feb 28, 2010, 04:05 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by rthapa View Post
    Thank you for your advice. Though I am not satisfied with her way of treatment, I am following her advice completely. I just want to do something extra.
    The one reason for my suspect is that this is the place where doctors order unnecessary things. You might have seen this a week ago on CNN about a week ago about this place in Texas health-care. This place spends twice as much as that of whole US.
    I am following all the advices given by the doctor.
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
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    #12

    Feb 28, 2010, 04:05 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by rthapa View Post
    By watching these 2 things, the specialist doctor tagged him with autism saying that he was using us as tools not as human being.
    I've been involved with autism for many years, and do not believe your doctor has enough evidence to label your son autistic (if those two pieces of evidence are all the doctor has).

    Is your son clumsy? Does he trip and fall a lot?
    Does your son rock back and forth while sitting or lying down?
    Does your son flap his arms back and forth or up and down, especially if he is excited?
    Does your son become very interested in one thing for a long time and will not turn away from it, such as spinning a wheel or building a tower with blocks?
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    rthapa Posts: 8, Reputation: 1
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    #13

    Feb 28, 2010, 04:30 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Wondergirl View Post
    I've been involved with autism for many years, and do not believe your doctor has enough evidence to label your son autistic (if those two pieces of evidence are all the doctor has).

    Is your son clumsy? Does he trip and fall a lot?
    Does your son rock back and forth while sitting or lying down?
    Does your son flap his arms back and forth or up and down, especially if he is excited?
    Does your son become very interested in one thing for a long time and will not turn away from it, such as spinning a wheel or building a tower with blocks?
    Thank you a lot.
    No. None of these applies to my son. But he always wants to open our door and go to the park which behind our house. He is not potty trained yet.
    Your comment gave me hope. I am following the doctor's advice too. In addition, I want to do something extra to help him improve. He started walking at an age of 10 months. He is very tall and is in 95% height.
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    rthapa Posts: 8, Reputation: 1
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    #14

    Feb 28, 2010, 04:36 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Wondergirl View Post
    I've been involved with autism for many years, and do not believe your doctor has enough evidence to label your son autistic (if those two pieces of evidence are all the doctor has).

    Is your son clumsy? Does he trip and fall a lot?
    Does your son rock back and forth while sitting or lying down?
    Does your son flap his arms back and forth or up and down, especially if he is excited?
    Does your son become very interested in one thing for a long time and will not turn away from it, such as spinning a wheel or building a tower with blocks?
    And he doesn't understand what we tell him.
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    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
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    #15

    Feb 28, 2010, 04:52 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by rthapa View Post
    He is not potty trained yet.
    Both of my sons (the autistic one and the "normal" one) were three years old when they finally understood what to do and were willing to do it regularly. Boys are slower than girls. Girls are fussy and want to be clean and neat and wear cute panties. Boys don't really care much. Even Superman or Star Wars underpants did not excite my sons.
    Your comment gave me hope.
    I'm glad. Read lots of books to him and play with him -- build towers with blocks, play with little cars and trucks, roll and later bounce a ball to him to catch and throw back to you. Play with simple jigsaw puzzles or build Lego things or play with Play Doh or paint in children's watercolor paint books. Treat him like a normal child. When you go for a walk, count the flowers or chimneys or blue (or red or white or black) cars. When you go grocery shopping, take him along and let him help pick out food, and talk about what you chose ("Hmmm, should we buy apples or bananas today?"). Have fun with him.
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    annfar01 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #16

    Mar 10, 2010, 08:46 PM
    Hello:
    I am both dyslexic and hyperlexic. I would suggest you see if there is a Masgutova Method specialist in your area. They examine whether the child's reflexes are developing correctly. Through the Masgutova method I discovered that several of my reflexes were immature. (eg, I couldn't as an adult crawl on my tummy. My left side reflexes were not developed) Here is the website information http://www.masgutovamethod.com. And, there is a very active support group for the Masgutova Method - operates globally. Here is the link. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/childrenwithchallenges.
    You can introduce yourself on this link and specialists and parents will give you points of view.
    If you want to explore my journey go to my website: www.dyslexiadiscovery.com.

    Good luck. Ann Farris
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    Jandy_Chic Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #17

    Jun 22, 2010, 08:45 AM
    I was just wondering how your son is doing now since your post is from February? Has he been improving his speech skills? I am asking all this questions because I read your post and feel my son is the same way as yours and I feel exactly as you felt back in February. Please let me know so I can have an idea of what type of help my son may need. Thank you,
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    JoeCanada76 Posts: 6,669, Reputation: 1707
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    #18

    Jun 22, 2010, 08:52 AM

    Did you get your son tested for hearing. It could be simply down to having problems hearing but only way to find out is to get hearing tests.

    To expect a child to talk so clearly so young is well unrealistic.
    At least you are proactive and got speech therapy started but other things need to be done as well.

    I also want to comment about the not being potty trained that does not mean anything.

    Boys take longer to potty train. My boy is close to 4 years old now and just getting the swing of everything.

    Anyway, good luck with everything. Be proactive, not depressed about it. Love your son, make sure he is happy and your lucky you have him in speech therapy to get an early start.

    He sounds like a very smart boy.
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    DrBill100 Posts: 3,241, Reputation: 502
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    #19

    Jun 22, 2010, 11:45 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by rthapa View Post
    Dear all,
    My wife and I am going through depression nowadays..... The behavior specialist told us that he has autism but I am skeptical to accept it.....
    Psychiatry is an imprecise practice from diagnosis through treatment. Further problems develop from general practice physicians issuing diagnoses without reference to the diagnostic manual (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV-TR) and absent specialty consultation.

    You should always be skeptical of psychiatric diagnoses and completely research everything possible on your own while obtaining a second, or third opinion. The diagnosis has long lasting influence and once entered into the medical record will effect treatment decisions for years to come. Challenge the diagnosing physician on every point where you have a doubt.

    Following is a link to the diagnostic criteria (Autism) as contained in DSM-IV-TR and also a procedural check list.

    Autism signs & symptoms, qualities & quirks
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    Vivco Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #20

    Feb 10, 2012, 04:45 AM
    How is the condition of your son now... my son is just the same just he speaks 2 words and nit that clear... he even rhymes poems but not clearly... doctors say he is on spectrum... but he makes eye contact, plays around... just sometime he does not want to be with his peers as he cannot speak clearly... I am just worried about is speech...

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