My daughter turned 2 at the end of January. She has a speech delay, and has also been exhibiting other odd behaviors. She has hit all of her developmental milestones (with the exception of speech) on time or early. It has been worrying us for awhile now that she may have some form of Autism. I know just because she isn't talking, does not mean she is Autistic. She is exhibiting other behaviors that concerned us. So we googled "signs of autism in a toddler" and she had 20 out of the 31 possible signs listed. (We found the list here: http://teachmetotalk.com/2008/03/14/could-my-toddler-be-a...)
I made an appointment to discuss this with her pediatrician. I know it may be nothing...or something other than autism, but I really want to stay on top of things. If she does have autism or something else I want to get her all the help she needs to lead the best life she can. We just switched pediatricians a month ago because our last pediatrician blew me off about EVERYTHING. Every time I approached her with concerns about my daughter's speech she said "oh, she's fine!" when obviously she wasn't. She also missed obvious illnesses like ear infections. Our new dr has a great reputation, so I am hoping she can help us.
Does anyone have any tips for discussing this with our dr? I want to make sure I am able to convey all our concerns clearly. I want to be taken seriously. I am hoping my husband will be able to come to the appointment with us, so it is not so chaotic (I have a 2 year old and a 1 year old) but I may be by myself depending upon the time of the appointment.
Thank you for all the great responses! :)
We have an appointment with the pediatrician on Wednesday. We are going to print out a list of the symptoms and highlight the ones we think she may have. I am also not leaving without the referrals in my hand this time! First we want to have her hearing tested. Then have testing down with a specialist regarding Autism and SPD.
I spoke to her SLP today and she is helping us get more information regarding testing and specialists. My daughter receives speech therapy through Babies Can't Wait (it is an early intervention program in GA). The coordinator is going to be calling me with all the details regarding referrals, paper work, etc.
Thanks for the info regarding SPD. I spoke to her SLP regarding that and she is actually familar with it. A couple of her other clients have it.
Another thing these symptoms may indicate is hearing loss. Hearing loss could be only at certain frequencies, yet affect speech, language and social development. Generally a speech therapist will also recommend a hearing test but just in case I'd ask for one since both autism and hearing loss are communication problems.
I would try to tell your new Dr. that you printed out this list and you feel your daughter has met 20 of the 31 signs and this is why you are bringing her in. Tell her/him that you want to stay on top of things and you know it's early, but you know that finding out about autism early is so important. I wouldn't say too much else. I would also try to go without your other children if possible so he/she can really listen to your concerns and pay attention to your daughter. Good Luck.
I agree about printing out the list and highlighting the ones that are relevant to your daughter.
The only thing I wanted to add is, if you have anyone that you can leave the 1 yr. old with, it would make things much easier for you. I also think it's great that your husband might go. I'd still leave the 1 yr. old home, if that were an option.
Very best wishes =o)
I would bring up this list, and also ask for an M-CHAT evaluation. It is simple questionnaire that is designed to screen for autism and other pervasive developmental disorders. It is offered by some pediatricians at the 9 month and 24 month visit.
I would also strongly recommend contacting Early Intervention, so as to get the ball rolling yourself on therapy that is offered by the state. You should be able to get the number to call online; if not, ask your pediatrician.
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You'll want to find a D.A.N. doctor (defeat autism now) who does biomedical therapies to address autistic spectrum issues - they can tell if your concerns are valid and if your child is having issues to be concerned about they know how to reverse autism, especially if you catch it early and detox the child and balance the immune and digestive systems.
My 3 yr old definitely does not have autism, but also exhibits a few of the items on that list. So I wouldn't worry too much. But if I were you, I'd print that list out and highlight what she DOES exhibit consistently and take this with you to the new dr. I think most Drs would have you change your child's diet first to see if any positive changes occur. I don't know much about it though.
Another idea too is to type your questions with space avail to write an answer. Hand the paper to your doctor and while you hold the two children in your arms, discuss the questions. If there's something you won't likely remember, ask the dr to write it down on your paper, ie: "What was the name of that brand of vitamin? Will you write that down under that question?" "What percentage was he weight? Will you write that down on the back for me?" If new dr has a great reputation, then it shouldn't be a problem.
Good luck!
Sensory Processing Disorder and Autism look exactly alike. Drs can't tell the difference and SPD is not in the DSM manual yet so it's not an official diagnosis yet. All children with autism have SPD but not all kids with SPD have Autism. One of the hallmarks of SPD is speech delay. You are in GA so go to a free seminar at one of the Brain Balance Centers in your area. Also read Disconnected Kids and Raising a Sensory Smart Child. Most of the problem is in the child's vesibular and proprioceptive senses. The child cannot process sound and movement normally but that can change with great OT. Do not settle for mediocre. Find a SIPT certified OT and start there. All thought is movement first. Primitive reflexes must be integrated. Drs do not understand this and that leaves us who work with these children in disbelief!! We see them get better quickly with the right treatment but you must seek it out. I have a friend who lives in Duluth who can send you to the best in the area.
Write all of you questions down. If you aren't able to concentrate on all of the answers see if the doctor would mind writing the answers down on paper (especially if your husband can't attend) and just stick to telling her symptoms and general concerns at the appointment. You know your going to have many questions to answer from your husband if he can not make it to the visit, you may even get more questions from him once he reads what the new doc says. Print out the document from the link above (If you can) that shows the early signs you compared to your daughters symptoms/ behaviors and highlight the ones you say can match up to your daughters. Let them know that your the best advocate for your child and your not looking to self diagnose but you do have legitamate concerns and you want to stay on top of things. Good luck and I hope that you'll get the ball rolling, you sound like great parents!
Good for you for switching peds. Bring the checklist to the doctors and mark ahead of time which ones. It might be a bit hard to diagnos and your peditrion might want to wait to later to confrime diagnos.
But it sounds like you are doing the right thing.
i don't know anything about autism but i can tell you that my daughter had a speech delay and at 2.5 i got her into speech and i saw immediate improvement. after about 3 sessions she was caught up and now she won't stop talking :). Good Luck!
Have you had her hearing checked? This can cause all kinds of issues, especially speech delay.
