My son who has been diagnosed with autism and is non-verbal is crying out of the blue like he is in pain. He sometimes puts his hand in his mouth while he is crying, Do they loose teeth yet? Is that possible? He can't talk so this is very frustrating. This just started up a couple of nights ago. One time at night. The next day he was a happy as can be. Today at school, he cried once out of the blue and when he got home he cried and put his hand in his mouth. I gave him some tylenol and he seems to be better. Another thing I should note, I have a hard time brushing his teeth, It's hard to get the back one's because he fights me all the way. Any suggestions? I guess this could be a cavity. Oh gosh how do you sit a autistic child in a dentist seat? If he puts his hand in his mouth could it possibly be an ear infection? I am going to make a doc apt but this is just so hard with no communication.
thanks for any thoughts.
W.
I just wanted to let you all know how much I appreciate all of your time and feedback. You have given me some really helpful ideas. It feels so awesome to know there are parents out there that are so thoughtful and caring.
The information about the behavorial changes was very helpful also because I have noticed a extreme behavorial change as well in the last couple of weeks. He was put on a new neurosensory medicine (a natural one from neurosensory Centers that deal with autism) and I thought the changes maybe from this. Even when he seems happy, he is very hyper and stimming and biting me and pulling my hair. He is not biting me out of frustration, he is jumping around and hugging on me and then he bites. So he is definatley trying to let me know something is wrong. Thank you, thank you. I tried to reply to a few post but I don't see this option so I sent you flower! ;-)
Have a wonderful weekend.
W.
Colds are going around, my guess would be a sore throat. See if it develops into a runny/sneezy nose. Unfortunately strep is also going around so watch for signs of fever.
Does he have a Pics book? Can he use pictures to show you what hurts? If he doesn't use verbal communication yet, this is the best way until he can sign to tell you what he needs/wants/hurts. If he doesn't have one he uses at school he can bring home, you can make your own. I'm sure there are websites where you can download pictures, cut them out and create a book. If the tylenol helps, it probably is a tooth problem, which can FEEL to him like ear pain, still I would probably bring him in to have his ears checked.. Find a pediatric dentist who specializes in special needs kids, ask you doc or teacher or other moms at school for a name. Good Luck!
my sister is autistic and cannot talk either. using pictures for him to point to is a good idea you should try it. Also brushing my sister's teeth is really hard and getting to ones in the back is nearly impossible. We make sure she goes to the dentist for regular cleanings but she usually has to be restrained or sedated or both. For any dental work she has to be sedated. However, so does my son and he is not autistic. Find a good pediatric dentist who is understanding of your son's condition and willing to be very patient to help him.
My son has SPD and I'm worried about the dentist-issue, too. I found a pediatric dentist who will use sedation if necessary (this will probably be necessary for my kiddo if/when a cavity occurs). I'm sorry your little guy is struggling - we're in the 5th pencentile for language and it's so hard not knowing/understanding everything your child tries to communicate.
Hi W., my son has a spectrum disorder and it can be hard with limited communication. If you take him to the dentist they will have to sedate him which they are used to doing with children. If he does have a cavity then it needs to be addressed of course. I know you don't want him to be in pain but giving Tylenol can be dangerous too. It's hard on the liver and kidneys so should be used sparingly. At this point it might be process of elimination. Is he sensitive to loud noises, other sensations that are painful? Children on the sprectrum are very sensitive to sounds, sights, etc and every day ordinary things to us can be very painful to them. I have a nephew who cries if you even talk to him because it's painful for anyone to even talk to him. Hang in there girl.
Oh, if I had a nickel for everytime I was sitting in a doctors exam room not knowing what was wrong! Our youngest child is Autistic and was non verbal until age 3, and then not intelegible until nearly 5. We would just go to the doctor, urgent care, or the ER and have her checked for the obvious things, and try to figure it all out. Ears, throats, and teeth are the easy ones. It is much harder when it is something like a urinary tract infection, or stomach cramps or a sinus headache. If you have a good doctor who understands developmental disablities, they should be able to help you sort it out, and hopefully, it will be one of the obvious things that is easily treated.
We used a pediatric dentist at our nearest childrens hospital. They had a dentist on staff who worked with kids with these kinds of needs, they had a special room form them that was quiet and low key.
We tried our best to make her comfortable like you are with tylenol and to be observant of everything we could that might be a clue. We had more good experiences than bad when we took her in to be checked out, not really knowing what to say, other than we knew something hurt. It is frustrating.
At some point, you might try the PEKS system with him, pointing at what hurts may help, but it would not help you this time. You could, as well, included a goal in his IEP about learning to indicate discomfort. I don't know if that is an option that would work for him or not, but that has always been something we raised as one of our goals for our daughter, particualrly early on, that she be able to tell us, or show us what was wrong.
I hope it is one of the easy ones this time!
M.
i'd run him to the dr this afternoon, but that's just me. i have an autistic child as well, and i was always one to err on the side of safe than sorry. hope it's "nothing" and that he's feeling better soon.
Do you do sign language with him? He must be so frustrated since he doesn't talk. Have him learn sign language (or a little bit) so he can communicate with you.
Another suggestion - have you heard of Chelation? It is controversial, but might be worth checking into. It may help him speak. Best of luck.
I am really sorry to hear what you are going through. That sounds very tough. For your own peace of mind, look him over and if he still does it, take him to his doctor for a check up. If it continues, the doctor will possibly tell you what to do from there.
Maybe an ear infection? Usually most children don't start getting loose teeth until 5-6 and it would more than likely be one of the lower front middle incisors. I'd take him to ped and have a look over. A pediatrician and locate a larger cavity too, if your child will let you look. If not, I would find an excellent pediatric dentist. Not sure what part of TX you are in but are you at all close to any of the dental schools. They will probably be so very accommodating and helpful. Good luck, I can only imagine how difficult this must be! Blessings.
Hi W.
I work with people with Autism ,some of whom are non-verbal.When one shows signs of a behavioural change our first port of call is to check for physical pain.If it is pain that is causing your son to cry and not been dealt with it could lead to a lot of acting out behaviours-his way of communicating.
You know your son best so I would advise to seek medical help.
Ring ahead to the doctor to explain that your child is Autistic and that you cannot spend any time in the waiting room.Get them to give you an exact time so you can be seen straight away.This will lesson the stress to you and your son.I would give him pain relief until you get to the doctor.
As for communication ,do they teach PECS,sign language or picture exchange at his school.Now is a good time to introduce this as he is still young.
Try a Visual Schelude Board,take picture of all aspects of his day and change the pictures to suit that part of the day.Morning time have a picture of his clothes,brushing his teeth,the car,his school,evening routine,his dinner,tv,books,his pjs,brushing teeth,bed etc.This helps them to feel secure as they know whats coming next.
As for tooth brushing,people with autism like to have a strict routine to be followed each day.Try to turn the tooth brushing into a fun game.Brush your teeth beside him,hand him his own toothbrush and let him do it himself by mimicing you.It might take a while but worth it if he can do it independently.This should be the case with all aspects of his life,try to help him to be as independent as possible,now is the time to start.Try not to do everything for him.
Wishing you all the best
B.
Hi W. , does he use picture directions at all? Could you draw some pictures to find out what the pain is? Teeth or something. Will he let you look into his mouth at all , just to look at his throat to see if it is sore at all. My son is also on the spectrum but he is verbal , he also has issues with teeth brushing (although better now that it was). We had success with a battery operated tooth brush as he was able to do this himself and the teeth were still being brushed properly at the same time. Also call some pediatric dentists in your area and ask if any of them deal with sensory issues , my kids dentist does so knows how to check kids like yours and mine that have these issues.
If it is his teeth, you could take him to a dentist who will use sedatives/nitrous to relax the child so they can do what they need to do.
Best wishes to you. I'm sure this is really difficult.
