Just wanted to introduce myself!

[Irishangel]

My names Christina! My almost 5 year old daughter was diagnosis with Autism, ODD, and ADHD all rolled into one hyper, goofy, brilliant child. BUT, we're struggling to find ways to help her. We have 2 other children, 2 boys, ages 3 and 1. We're a military family and are once again preparing for a move half way across the country. So with her just getting her diagnosis, we can'the start any services other then her Occupational Therapist (OT) until we get to Georgia in 8 weeks. :-(

 

[buddy]

Hi Irish Angel... Glad you found this group of amazing people. You have a big move ahead and that is hard on any family much less a child with autism.

May I ask... did she get all three diagnosis at the same time? Many of us have had kids diagnosis adhd/odd then they finally get the real diagnosis of autism which really has symptoms that overlap with adhd and odd....

So was just curious if that was similar in your daughter's case?

Is she in any early intervention program in the public schools yet? If not and you know where she is going, you can set up meetings etc. even starting now to speed up the process once you get there... (well even if she is... you can send copies of records over etc. right now)

Welcome and hope to hear from you frequently!

 

[Irishangel]

We have no idea what School district shell be in, we don't even know what town well be in! daughter actually adhd and odd first in TX, then we moved here and pushed for further evaluations. It seems to be getting worse as time goes on, or we might just be noticing it more. Her melt Downs are getting longer and more physical.

 

[TeDo]

My guess is the autism is replacing the other diagnosis. The increase in behaviors and aggession is usually a sign that her frustration and anxiety are increasing. The more demands that are placed on her and/or her growing older and not being able to cope with it, the more these things will increase. You need to figure out what kinds of things "set her off" and try to accommodate those situations. She's not trying to be difficult, she really doesn't think like "typical" children do. Will you be moving in the next 60 days?

 

[buddy]

That sounds like many kids we see and many I have seen in the schools.... on this site you will see that many of us find odd nothing more than a description of behavior. It is pretty useless, in my humble opinion ESPECIALLY for such a young child. (can be used to get services though....if you didn't have the autism diagnosis). But once you go to the schools, just a heads up that an odd diagnosis or suggestion could push her into an emotional/behavioral disorder track of education which while wonderful and appropriate for many kids with authentic EBD issues, for a child with neurological/developmental issues.... have them put her on an IEP for autism. Once you know your destination, if you are not living on base housing, and if you have a choice...you might want to research which school districts around there have better reps. for working with kids with autism. Does she have any school programming yet?

I can totally relate to meltdowns.... at 15 my son still has them. We go thru stages though and it is not forever, I promise. (we have hit a growth spurt so that is why we have had an increase in them over the past months) How does she do with her communication? Can she play with other kids? Glad you at least get the Occupational Therapist (OT) help for now! that was a miracle for my son and we are actually starting again.

big hugs to you with all those little ones. I can only imagine dealing with the meltdowns along with toddlers! WOW!

 

[pajamas]

Welcome (almost) to the South
Here are some useful Georgia links for services - regardless of where you end up:

Parent to Parent of Georgia (includes resource database)
Emory Autism Center - Parent Resources (with links for others) http://www.psychiatry.emory.edu/PROGRAMS/autism/Genresources.html
Marcus Autism Center

There was a post about services to military families with exceptional children awhile back - maybe someone can repost the link here? (or perhaps a search on military would work)

Best,

PJ

 

[ABS]

Hello Irish! My daughter is 12 but I can remember vividly what five was like. I don't have any advice but did want to welcome a soon to be fellow Georgian

 

[Renea]

Hi Irish Angel! We're a military family as well and my almost 9 year old has a current diagnosis of Asperger's. He was diagnosed with ADHD in the past and generalized anxiety disorder. The Asperger's diagnosis seems to be the one that sticks the most though. Welcome to the board! There are lots of wonderful people on this board and it's been a huge source of information for me. Good luck with your move to Georgia!

 

[InsaneCdn]

I believe it was DS3 that posted the links and info for military families - you could search the forum for posts by her.
(I'm working late... or I'd just do it)

 

[TeDo]

Yes, I think it was DS3 that did that. They are also a military family that struggles with getting appropriate services.

 

[Steely]

Welcome to the board....everyone here has lots of great advice....and we have all walked a mile in your shoes. Welcome.

 

[southermama3]

My kids was ad military brats and due to frequent school changes it has severly disabled them. I hope I'd family gets the help u need Doll

Lots of love

 

[Irishangel]

Thanks for all the welcomes! And thank you for posting those links to the services in Georgia! As it stands now, we will be leaving here in about 6 weeks. So much to do, so little time. I've started looking at the school districts around the base, and I think we're going to make our choice of where we live based on that. husband is being a trooper tho, and said he'd drive up to 45 mins if it means she can be in a good school. The "preschool" she's in now is a SMALL (8 kids) class 3 times a week for 2 hours Christian preschool that's working on getting their accreditation. The poor teacher is fresh out of school, very soft spoken, 23 yo who has NEVER had to deal with a child like mine. I think we scared her! They are being so great about helping me figure out services and IEPs and navigating this entire ordeal. At least we know and it's a starting point