What do I do??? LONG!!

[tjg4god]

Hey everyone! I don't know if you remember me cause I haven't been on in awhile, but I need some advice ASAP! For those who don't remember, my difficult child 2 is 4 1/2 and has been diagnosis with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)-not otherwise specified, DBD, and possible Aspergers. But they don't know for sure about Aspergers. They are afraid to label him. He is aggressive, will not listen to ANYONE, has alot of sensory issues, (food, clothes, blankets, etc.) He is developmentally delayed, taking speech, going into feeding rogram and Occupational Therapist (OT). Ok, in the mean time he has been on Clonidine 3x daily and was on Residone 2x daily and the Respidone made him REALLY aggressive. More than usual. So we put him back on Clonidine and today will be his 2nd day on it. He goes to pre-k for 5 hours a day. For the last month, every day I go and get him he is in time out. EVERYDAY!! I go and get him today and he has no shoes or socks on and the teacher informs me that he has also taken ALL of his clothes off today in the classroom. ***??? Why would he do that?? I feel like I am not getting a straight answer from this doctor. She is a psyc. doctor. He has been to behavior therapy etc. Didn't do anything for him. What is wrong with him? Am I supposed to punish him? Does he know what he is doing is wrong? What kind of punishment is suited for a child like him? I ran into the behavior therapist the other day and he asked about my difficult child 2 and I told him what had been going on and he sai he thought they were missing something and to make an appointment to see him and maybe he could get some testing arranged where as the psyc. doctor said they could not do much else until he was older. He has already had the educational testing done but not like autism testing if there is such as thing. So I made an appointment for next week. He said there is a test for 2-6 year old kids. Does anyone know what he is talking about? I am just so frustrated. Sorry this is so long!!! I just need some advice and a sympathetic ear. (or eye) and one more thing..did you ever notice how other parents look at you like you are the worst parent in the world?? Talk about kicking you while your down huh?

 

[SRL]

Yeah, I think given all the signs you are seeing it's time for him to be formally evaluated for Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Typically the diagnosis is made at this young age based on parent interview along with how parents and sometimes teachers answer to a written diagnostic tool. There are a number of those in use for this age group.

The newest (I think) diagnostic tool specifically for Asperger's is the ASDS but it's for ages 5 and up.

One thing I will mention is that if you're going to have this area evaluated it's important to have it done by someone who has expertise in that area and not just the doctor you can get into first. You might want to check with other parents in your region and get a feel for who you're scheduled with in terms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) diagnosis.

I'd suggest contacting the nearest Autism Society of America chapter. It's a network of parents providing support and they will be able to tell you who is best at diagnosing/ruling out Autistic Spectrum Disorders in your region. That may wind up being a neuropsychologist, an Autism Clinic at a university or hospital, developmental pediatrician, etc.

http://209.200.89.252/search_site/ch...name=&state=WI

If you're feeling like you're not getting straight answers from the psychiatric doctor then I'd strongly suggest she's not the one to do an Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) evaluation. If you do decide to go through with it, don't sign off to have her report sent to the school district. Review it to see if you agree, then hand deliver to the school.

Is he attending an early intervention pre-K? If so, I'm surprised that they are emphasizing the punishment aspect of his taking off his clothes instead of trying to get to the bottom of why he's doing it. Often preschoolers with sensory issues will ditch their clothes when they are feeling sensory challenged and a change in his sensory diet (does he have one?) may be in order. Even getting classroom breaks with an aide can be helpful if it's sensory related. Using strategies like social stories can help the little streaker understand what it expected of them.

 

[Hound dog]

SRL gave you some very valuable advice. And I don't have more to add there.

But I'm wondering......removing clothes is usually a signal of sensory issues. An Occupational Therapist (OT) would be very helpful in this area as there are proven techniques to help desensitize problem areas and help them cope.

Hugs

 

[tjg4god]

Thnak you both for the suggestions. It is so nice to talk to parents who understand and are not looking at me as if I am horrible. He does have sensory issues with his diet. He is very restricted. He will NOT eat anything with a mushy/soft consistency. No potatoes, eggs, cake, icecream etc. He cannot stand having "dirty" on his hands. Like melted chocolate, dirt, etc. He only complains of clothing issues occasionally but has NEVER taken his clothes off in public. Now at home he strips as soon as he is in the house, but not his underwear. He often says mommy I hot, but is not hot to the touch. I am going to have him evaluated for Occupational Therapist (OT). He is already getting the speech part and will start feeding therapy soon. I just feel as is the doctor is missing something and I don't know how to help my son anymore. I feel like I am out of options.
He is in an Early Learning Pre-K. It is through the school system. He gets speech therapy at school but that is all the services he recieves. He does have an IEP. We are fixing to meet with the school to having things in place for him for the transition to kindergarten. Any suggestions??

 

[SRL]

Since this is causing him problems now, I would suggest sending in writing a letter to his teacher and his case manager saying two things:

1) that you believe his current issues with clothing are sensory related and that you would like the school to approach it from that standpoint as opposed to punishing him for bad behavior. I'd include a blurb like you did above which suggest other sensory struggles he's having so they just don't think you're looking for an excuse.

2) request an Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluation.

Honestly, if I were in your shoes I would also pursue a private Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluation. Kids respond much better to the therapy if the strategies are done on the homefront and the school won't help you there.

If he's recently upped his sensory responses, then what he's probably trying to tell you is that the sensory assault has risen for him and he's looking for ways to combat it. He more likely needs therapy to help bring him in balance and to learn socially acceptable ways of countering the assualt.

Check out the book "The Out of Sync Child" by Carol Kranowitz.

 

[tjg4god]

Good Morning! I just wanted to thank you for your responses. I will be getting a private Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluation done ASAP. I took difficult child 2 back to doctor yesterday and they are going to do the developmental testing on him. In the mean time they have gave me some papers to fill out as well as some for his teacher. They gave us a test called the M-CHAT. I am supposed to think back to when he was about 18 months to 2 years old. That form is a "modified checklist for Autism in toddlers" to detect Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). Then they gave me and the teacher the BASC-2 rating scale to fill out about him for the way he is now. Has anyone done any of these?

So I am supposed to take him back next week. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will FINALLY do the appropriate testing and give me an actual diagnosis so I can help him more. Again thank you all for the tips and advice. I appreciate all I can get because I feel like I am going through this alone.

 

[SRL]

As you mentioned the M-CHAT is a screening tool to surface Autistic traits in the little guys. BASC is a tool which examines behavioral and emotional issues. Diagnoses should never be given out based on the results of any tool, but in conjunction with the child's history, parent interview, and diagnostician's observations.

Here's something on the BASC.
http://www.pearsonassessments.com/bascbess.aspx

It sounds like they're listening and have some direction to go with. You should be aware that often it's parents, teachers, other friends who bring up the possibility of Autism ahead of doctors. For kids who are borderline or atypical it's really easy for them to slip under the radar so parents need to educate themselves and be proactive if they have a child who looks like they may be in this neck fo the woods.

Did you get a referral for Occupational Therapist (OT)? I'd ask for that regardless of the outcome of the screening tools.

 

[Auntie]

Man, this sounds like my child when he was younger! And, they try SO hard!

I learned to take my son clothes shopping to help pick out the clothes. As it turns out, he was picking out cotton clothes to wear, which explained why he would not wear that really cool Samurai Jack shirt! As soon as I put it on, he would take it off!

He left his COTTON clothes on, though. That means jeans and a t-shirt are acceptable to him.

We praised him on his efforts to eat: it really was hard work for him.

It sounds like they are doing more work with the young ones: my son is now 15. I hope you get enough answers to make all of your lives earlier!