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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 332278" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Be careful with multiple diagnoses; often they can overlap and simply be facets of other things the child has got.</p><p></p><p>For example, difficult child 3 has an overall diagnosis of high-functioning autism. His initial diagnosis was mild-moderate autism spectrum disorder plus ADHD. Now since then I've heard that ADHD is considered to possibly also be on the autism spectrum somewhere; i which case difficult child 3 doesn't have ADHD plus autism, he has ONE condition which is a composite, with facets of both.</p><p></p><p>difficult child 3 also has hyperlexia - again, it seems to be a subset of high-functioning autism, overlapping to not have enough criteria for an autism diagnosis but close.</p><p></p><p>Other facets of difficult child 3's condition - he has anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) and some ODD. Again, all of these are manifestations/consequences of the autism. Considering these to be separate labels can distract me from the main problem - the autism and exactly how it manifests in difficult child 3.</p><p></p><p>Of course, these separate labels do help when we stop and think, "What kind of support do we need to put in place for difficult child 3?"</p><p></p><p>Welcome on board here. It's not unusual for Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) in its various forms to be found in other family members. It's even easier to recognise it with 20:20 hindsight. I know that "autism" wasn't mentioned in our family until after difficult child 3 was diagnosed. But as we look around the family (and back a couple of generations) we have been finding more and more cross-connections we had either forgotten about, or had never fully made the connection with.</p><p></p><p>If you're Aspie, the label doesn't really matter now. difficult child 3 stresses about getting husband formally diagnosed, but as husband says - we're fairly sure, but what would be the point? He's working in a job where they love him and don't want him to leave, so there's nothing to be gained there. His working hypothesis is that at the very least, he has some Aspie traits. We keep these in consideration and they only really come up when he's acutely stressed and not coping. I then remind him that the problem is likely to be aggravated by the Aspie connection and that it's OK, there's no need for him to be as anxious as he is presenting. Between us we are a team.</p><p></p><p>difficult child 1's Asperger's has changed a lot as he has grown and adapted to it. He is more independent than we ever thought he would be. His wife has anxiety issues but generally is the organiser in the family. However there are times when she needs a support, and then his innate strength kicks in like I never thought he would be capable of. He steps up to the plate, takes control and holds things together for her. In his case we know he's Aspie, but his wife took a long time to believe it because all she ever saw was a very intelligent, capable young man.</p><p></p><p>There are natural qualities in someone with autism, ones which society values. Loyalty, honesty, a good work ethic - this is where Aspies and autistics end up, especially if they are supported as they develop.</p><p></p><p>Looking at the list of problems you describe, I note the combination of allergies, asthma and obstructive sleep apnoea (which can be greatly aggravated by swelling of the nasal tissue due to allergies). It's not just the kids, it's you too. So it could be connected to the autism, or it could be a separate package the kids inherited from you (a highly atopic physiology) but whatever it is, have you tried diet? I don't mean weight loss diet, but an allergy diet.</p><p></p><p>We tried this five years ago. We are fortunate to have a really good allergy clinic in Sydney, at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. We went there because I knew the reputation of the place and the staff concerned. They were doing research into the link between autism and food sensitivity. They said that their research showed that about 30% of people with autism (kids mainly, because this research was via the pediatric unit) found that autism problems improved once the children were able to avoid certain foods. In other words, some naturally-occurring chemicals in the food (different chemicals for different people) were making things worse for them.</p><p></p><p>This was not a cure for autism - merely a way to reduce some symptoms such as anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) etc. The main natural chemicals to consider are glutens (as in wheat and oats); dairy; glutamates (MSG, a lot of Asian foods, Parmesan cheese); salicylates (just about any food with decent flavour, such as herbs, spices); amines (bananas are a classic example). To identify possible problem food groups we had to put difficult child 3 on an Elimination Diet, which was extreme and would NOT be approved as a maintenance diet by any dietician! difficult child 3 lost weight on it, but he was only to stay on tis diet until the problem symptoms subsided (in our case these were primarily nausea and vomiting). Any other symptoms improvement was also to be noted. For example, if we found anxiety improved, or the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) improved. Unfortunately, we were unable to prove any problem improved in difficult child 3's case.</p><p>The diet at its worst was very limited - lamb, chicken without the skin. Peeled potato, boiled. Dairy-free. Pears without the skin. Plain white sugar (so he could eat home-made honeycomb brittle or toffees made with white sugar). No artificial additives at all, no herbs/spices/flavourings. That was it. He could drink one brand of lemonade only (because all it had in it was sugar and water). husband called it a food-free diet.</p><p>The aim is to get the individual stable on this diet with problem symptoms minimised, then slowly introduce food groups one at a time to see what changes there are. Every group that is reintroduced with no problems, greatly expands the diet possibilities.</p><p></p><p>As I said, the research team found that only 30% showed any link between diet and symptom severity. That means 70% did not. But I'm glad we tried it.</p><p></p><p>Another suggestion I can make, probably a more practical one under the current circumstances, is for you to read "The Explosive Child" by Ross Greene. If you go to the Early Childhood forum you will find a sticky that discusses how to adapt this book to younger children. A lot of us here have found this book to be really helpful especially in helping you cope with the ODD-type symptoms.</p><p></p><p>Again, welcome to the site and I'm sure we can help you.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 332278, member: 1991"] Be careful with multiple diagnoses; often they can overlap and simply be facets of other things the child has got. For example, difficult child 3 has an overall diagnosis of high-functioning autism. His initial diagnosis was mild-moderate autism spectrum disorder plus ADHD. Now since then I've heard that ADHD is considered to possibly also be on the autism spectrum somewhere; i which case difficult child 3 doesn't have ADHD plus autism, he has ONE condition which is a composite, with facets of both. difficult child 3 also has hyperlexia - again, it seems to be a subset of high-functioning autism, overlapping to not have enough criteria for an autism diagnosis but close. Other facets of difficult child 3's condition - he has anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) and some ODD. Again, all of these are manifestations/consequences of the autism. Considering these to be separate labels can distract me from the main problem - the autism and exactly how it manifests in difficult child 3. Of course, these separate labels do help when we stop and think, "What kind of support do we need to put in place for difficult child 3?" Welcome on board here. It's not unusual for Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) in its various forms to be found in other family members. It's even easier to recognise it with 20:20 hindsight. I know that "autism" wasn't mentioned in our family until after difficult child 3 was diagnosed. But as we look around the family (and back a couple of generations) we have been finding more and more cross-connections we had either forgotten about, or had never fully made the connection with. If you're Aspie, the label doesn't really matter now. difficult child 3 stresses about getting husband formally diagnosed, but as husband says - we're fairly sure, but what would be the point? He's working in a job where they love him and don't want him to leave, so there's nothing to be gained there. His working hypothesis is that at the very least, he has some Aspie traits. We keep these in consideration and they only really come up when he's acutely stressed and not coping. I then remind him that the problem is likely to be aggravated by the Aspie connection and that it's OK, there's no need for him to be as anxious as he is presenting. Between us we are a team. difficult child 1's Asperger's has changed a lot as he has grown and adapted to it. He is more independent than we ever thought he would be. His wife has anxiety issues but generally is the organiser in the family. However there are times when she needs a support, and then his innate strength kicks in like I never thought he would be capable of. He steps up to the plate, takes control and holds things together for her. In his case we know he's Aspie, but his wife took a long time to believe it because all she ever saw was a very intelligent, capable young man. There are natural qualities in someone with autism, ones which society values. Loyalty, honesty, a good work ethic - this is where Aspies and autistics end up, especially if they are supported as they develop. Looking at the list of problems you describe, I note the combination of allergies, asthma and obstructive sleep apnoea (which can be greatly aggravated by swelling of the nasal tissue due to allergies). It's not just the kids, it's you too. So it could be connected to the autism, or it could be a separate package the kids inherited from you (a highly atopic physiology) but whatever it is, have you tried diet? I don't mean weight loss diet, but an allergy diet. We tried this five years ago. We are fortunate to have a really good allergy clinic in Sydney, at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. We went there because I knew the reputation of the place and the staff concerned. They were doing research into the link between autism and food sensitivity. They said that their research showed that about 30% of people with autism (kids mainly, because this research was via the pediatric unit) found that autism problems improved once the children were able to avoid certain foods. In other words, some naturally-occurring chemicals in the food (different chemicals for different people) were making things worse for them. This was not a cure for autism - merely a way to reduce some symptoms such as anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) etc. The main natural chemicals to consider are glutens (as in wheat and oats); dairy; glutamates (MSG, a lot of Asian foods, Parmesan cheese); salicylates (just about any food with decent flavour, such as herbs, spices); amines (bananas are a classic example). To identify possible problem food groups we had to put difficult child 3 on an Elimination Diet, which was extreme and would NOT be approved as a maintenance diet by any dietician! difficult child 3 lost weight on it, but he was only to stay on tis diet until the problem symptoms subsided (in our case these were primarily nausea and vomiting). Any other symptoms improvement was also to be noted. For example, if we found anxiety improved, or the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) improved. Unfortunately, we were unable to prove any problem improved in difficult child 3's case. The diet at its worst was very limited - lamb, chicken without the skin. Peeled potato, boiled. Dairy-free. Pears without the skin. Plain white sugar (so he could eat home-made honeycomb brittle or toffees made with white sugar). No artificial additives at all, no herbs/spices/flavourings. That was it. He could drink one brand of lemonade only (because all it had in it was sugar and water). husband called it a food-free diet. The aim is to get the individual stable on this diet with problem symptoms minimised, then slowly introduce food groups one at a time to see what changes there are. Every group that is reintroduced with no problems, greatly expands the diet possibilities. As I said, the research team found that only 30% showed any link between diet and symptom severity. That means 70% did not. But I'm glad we tried it. Another suggestion I can make, probably a more practical one under the current circumstances, is for you to read "The Explosive Child" by Ross Greene. If you go to the Early Childhood forum you will find a sticky that discusses how to adapt this book to younger children. A lot of us here have found this book to be really helpful especially in helping you cope with the ODD-type symptoms. Again, welcome to the site and I'm sure we can help you. Marg [/QUOTE]
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