The Imperfect Community

[honeybee]

It's been a long road to get to the heart of what has been going on with Owen. After seeing how he has responded (very well, actually) to being in the special ed preschool class, the psych said this is what we are most likely looking at. There's really no doubt in my mind and I've been trying to prepare myself for it. Still sucks to hear it.

Sigh.

[mammaX3]

I'm so sorry to hear about this. But I'm sure you're glad to finally know for sure. I hope your family gets access to the resources that will help all of you deal with this together.
Sending warm thoughts your way......

[Jessica]

HB, no matter how much you prepare yourself, having an expert tell you what may have already known in your heart is still quite traumatic.

With appropriate therapy, I truly believe that the majority of these kids can be integrated into the mainstream schools and refocused to apply their unique talents.

I think the hardest thing about it is learning how to cope with a child that often leaves us frustrated ourselves.

It sounds like you are doing all the right things and if Owen is benefiting from the special ed. school, I think you'll see that go a long way in his development.

Let me know if I can offer anything that might be useful.

[ExCareerGal]

Sorry for the diagnosis but I am also thrilled since a diagnosis means he can have early intervention. I have met several kids that with good early intervention they end up having very little to no disability when they are elementary school. I know you may be bombarded by information now but my favorite site for begining information autismspeaks.org
http://www.autismspeaks.org/video/index.php
This link takes you to some good videos. I like the first one and the educational strategies one. I disagree with a few of the points in the educational strategies video where they say you need to choose treatments. The one's they mention also work sometimes in combination. Good luck to you and Owen.
Janna

[Anthromomma]

I can't imagine how shocking it must feel to get an actual diagnosis of autism, no matter how much you may suspect beforehand. I agree with Janna, though-- it sounds like you and Owen are on the right path with therapy. I hope you feel better about this soon. I'll be thinking of you.

[DietCokeHead]

Oh, my heart really sank when I read this. I hope it's not offensive to say "I am so sorry" about something like this. You know what I mean..I am sure that is so hard to hear that diagnosis and accept it. He is lucky to have a mom who is on the ball in getting him diagnosed and the right services though. Does he enjoy preschool? Does Ethan like Kdg?

I miss your posts here!

[honeybee]

Thanks girls. The psych doesn't want to officially diagnose him until she sees him at home and in his class some more. After doing a lot of research I'm thinking we will be getting a dx of PDD-NOS when it's all said and done.

ExCG, that link looks interesting and I'll have to check it out more. Thanks for that.

Annie, I am not offended. My heart sank too. Thank you for caring. Yes, Owen really likes preschool. His class has 8 kids in it, 4 of them have various issues and the other 4 are typical kids - peer models. The teachers are phenomenal. He has an occupational therapist in the room two days a week and a speech therapist the other two days, along with the lead teacher and para pro. He gets a lot of attention and has really blossomed there.
Ethan adores Kindergarten and doing really well. We had some behavior issues the first few weeks but all is great now.

[tflorence]

I also have a son named Owen who is most likely PDD-NOS. We're in the process of trying to get him into a PPCD program. He does Occupational Therapy twice a week and Speech Therapy (to try to improve relational and communication skills) four times a week. How old is your Owen? My Owen is 3 1/2. I also have an 18 month old son. I know how stressful waiting for the diagnosis and finding the appropriate therapies and/or preschool programs can be. It feels a bit less lonely knowing there's another mom out there with her own Owen traveling the same road I am with my precious Owen.

[honeybee]

[DietCokeHead]

Melissa will he still be able to receive the same services with or w/o the label? If so, I would wait. He's so young and sometimes it's hard to remove a label like that if things change a lot and it doesn't seem to fit anymore.

[tflorence]

I know what you mean about the label. I'm still waiting for the psychologist at our local school to complete his assessment. That has to be done before they'll place Owen in the preschool program here. Everything I've heard about the program here has been good so I think we'll also be blessed with a great program for Owen. For me, the medical diagnosis is more for my information. I'd like a clearer picture of what I'm dealing with! My son started reading before his 3rd birthday but still has great difficulty answering a yes or no question. He doesn't really communicate much although he can parrot anything he hears including foreign languages. He is gifted in so many, many ways but sometimes the seemingly simple things absolutely baffle him. He is filled with joy though and makes me smile every day!

[ExCareerGal]

Only get the label if you feel you need it. First of all, diagnosis is fairly fluid until children are older than 6 and sometimes as old as 9 years old. So a real diagnosis may change.

Secondly, even if you have an accurate diagnosis, Owen is different than all other children with the same diagnosis. All good treatments and interventions are tailored to the individual child's strengths and challenges. It sounds like your child is getting excellent care. If you are satisfied with that then just sit back for a while and see what happens.

I hope this helps a little.

Janna