I Need Some Help - Tampa, FL

I know exactly what you're going through. We have a 2 1/2 year old son that was diagnosed autistic when he was 20 months old. He was also not progressing normally. He wouldn't touch anything, so when he was only 12 months old they said he had tactile defensiveness and put him in therapy but as he got older and still wasn't talking or showing any progression in other areas where he should have been they started looking for other answers. We didn't know anything about autism and my husband is an RN. At 18 months we started researching the disorder after his speech therapist mentioned it. Then 2 months later we had an evaluation with specialists and they said he was autistic. He's been in therapy for a year and a half. If you live in the pensacola area there is a lot of groups and help you can get. The support is amazing! Good luck!
S.

L.
Best of luck with your son. I just wanted to let you know, that I am glad that you have caught this early enough to get the help you son will need for his future.

My daughter has been diagnoised with ADHD and now it maybe something else or have in addition... But, I had someone constantly keep telling me....THIS IS NORMAL- HOW A NORMAL CHILD WOULD ACT... I knew better and did not listen till finally my husband agreed with me-(it took 2 years) and said go have her tested...that was in August 06...now next month for Bi-polor....

Best of luck! I do know someone who also knows about autism and know it can be difficult. You are doing the right thing and researching it and finding the right DR. is the best thing you can do for both you and your son.

May God also bless you with the Strength you need for your son.
I don't ask for patience anymore... :)lol.

If I can be of any assistance let me know :) L.

I work in the mental health profession.

I refer lots of parents to C.A.R.D. Here is the web site: http://card-usf.fmhi.usf.edu/

If sound like you have the evaluation started but here is another good resource: http://www1.sdhc.k12.fl.us/~fdlrs/childfind.htm

hi my name is C. im 34 years old i have a 5 year old son he is is autism i have a hard time with him all the time if you ever want to talk im open ears for you email is ____@____.com

There is a local group of parents in Valrico/Riverview that have a support group for children with autism. Their website is www.cpoac.org. (Concerned Parents of Autistic Children) It's a group of 150 parents who get together to support one another. There may be other groups closer to where you live, but this is the one I am aware of.

Also, Discovery Toys has a toy guide that lets you know which toy works on specific skills for children with autism. Once you know the areas your child needs help with, I can help you find products that will help strengthen those skills. My website has some information about autism on it also, www.janskidtoys.com.

There is also a wholistic pediatrician in Tampa who is supposed to be excellent. He also has a website www.wholisticpeds.com.

Hope this helps. Please contact me if you need anything. Praying for the best for your family.
Jan

A good book for you to read would be the Out of Sync Child most libraries have it or you can pick it up at the book store for apx $15. I thought my son might have been autistic but was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and this book talks about SPD, Autism and ADHD and might be able to give you some help. It came highly recommended from both his Speech and Occupational Therapist. Hope this helps.

http://www.amazon.com/Out-Sync-Child-Recognizing-Integrat...

Hello L.,

I was touched by reading your request. Thank God for today's technology we are doing ten times better than we were a generation ago. I am very sorry I can't relate. However I just happend to come across two amazing articles in two seperate baby magazines (April 2007) Baby Talk and Parenting. Here are the websites I have saved for you;

www.babytalk.com
www.autismspeaks.org
www.firstsigns.org
www.NICHCY.org
www.CDC.gov/actearly
www.nationalautismcenter.org
www.autismresearchnetwork.org
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/

I am so sorry for your situation. I cant imagine what you must be going through. Although I dont have any first hand experience with this problem, I do talk to many mothers who are dealing with it. Long story short, there is a Doctor in Melbourne FL whose son had Autism and he apparently "cured" him or at least helped him dramatically. His name is Dr. Bradstreet ###-###-#### - check out his web site at www.idcrc.org (I think) You can google him and get all his info. I first heard of him because I have a condo that I rent in Melbourne Beach and I rented it to a family who was seeking treatment from him. Since then, many families have stayed there (I think the first mom put me on some kind of a web site) Anyway, my brother in law is also a Doctor in Melbourne and I mentioned this Dr. to him one day and he told me that he had seen one of his patients who had made some dramatic improvements. The families I spoke with travel from far away to seek his treatment. He must be doing something right. I hope this helps. I will pray for you and your family as I hope and am sure all the Moms out there will do. Good luck and God bless.

hi L. H,
i'm a mommy of two little boys, Caleb is almost 5 and Jacob is 2 1/2 years old. my name is M.. I'm 26. I read your question and i wanted to ask you a question. Was your little one vaccinated at his 18 month check up? I've been doing research on vaccinating and health for the past year and 1/2 and with all my research, i have decided not to vaccinate my boys. I know it's been said by the medical field that autism is not connected to vaccinations. but it most definately is. So are alot of other health problems. I will be praying for you and your munchkin. Here is one of many websites that i found useful: www.thinktwice.com also, if you find that your son may have autism now, you can help heal him thru proper nutrition. Eatting the right foods and the right supplements can have a huge effect on the seriousness of autism. let me know if you'd like to talk more.
M.

My son was diagnosed with mild autism at age 2. He is a very happy child but does not have good eating habbits no matter how hard I try to get him to try new or different foods. He has sensory issues with different sounds and textures. He also doesn't talk. since he has been diagnosed he has been in speech and occupational therapy, it has helped some but its still a "work in progress" He is going to 4 on Friday. He has been in preschool since last year to get him socialy ready for school, because he was pretty much a loner and didn't want to play with kids his own age. He does things diffently then others like playing everything has its place... as far as blocks, balls, trucks and dinosaurs ect...they have to be together in groups. He isn't too bad with change but there are times we have to jump a few hurdles. I don't know how much this has helped but good luck with everything.