Whats Next

Well, the first thing I would do is early intervention through the school system. Or contact Monroe Meyer Institute in Omaha and see if you can bring him in and get a better evaluation. There are many things they won't be able to tell you since he is so young, but if it is severe enough to notice now, the best treatment is EI. We got my son tested when he was just 2 years. They said he was borderline. We did receive services in the home for EI for speech delay until he was 3.5 years. He too has Sensory Integration Dysfunction. He was tested at Monroe Meyer last July and diagnosed PDD-NOS. Why do you have to change your lifestyle if your son has autism? I haven't been able to find much in the way of support around here, but if you want to e-mail me for more information that would be fine. We deal with it daily. No day is the same! But, our son is very special and it makes him who he is.

First, I'm sorry to hear you have these concerns about your son. I know having these suspicions and concerns is frightening.
I'm certainly not an expert on autism but have read up on it since I was concerned my son might have it. Autism is a spectrum of symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Your son might fall anywhere within that range - or may not fall within it at all. I'm sure you have some idea of what is "normal" because you have an older child. I have read that the earlier you start intervention, the better success you'll have in treating it. If you feel like you'd like to do some testing and take action now, but your doctor is dragging his/her feet, please get a second opinion.
I asked God for a little peace for you and your family during this crazy time, and healing for your son. I hope your suspicions are unwarranted!

My son doesn't have autism, but does have sensory processing disorder--the two are slightly related. Because your son is so young still, read all you can on the web and there are some Great books out there! I would also keep a journal of behaviors that you wonder about. That way you're "doing something" and hopefully by the time you get to your assessment you'll know exactly what kinds of questions/answers you need to ask and find out. Autism has a very large spectrum ranging from very disabled to highly functioning. A lot of the therapies done for sensory processing disorder would be helpful for autism--especially occupational therapies. Any therapies you engage in with him are not going to harm him in the least. Good Luck and hang in there for the next six months...

When your doctor tells you something like that, how can you not expect the worse? Men dont get that side of things, I personally think they are programmed wrong!! WedMD.com is a great website for medical questions, but it also give links to sites that let you talk to other people who are going thru similar things. I love WebMD and refuse to look anywhere else. I also will say, DO NOT Google Autism, as you will find more scary stuff then helpful info. Most of the Google sites, though not all, are about all the bad experiences people have had with a particular situation, and that doesnt mean that will happen with your son. I wouldnt worry about your daughter having to adjust to a new life style, because to me, even if he is autistic, that doesnt mean much has to change, he can grow up and have as close to a normal life as possible. Yes he will need a schedule that will have to stuck to closely, but depending on many factors he should be able to make some minor adjustment. If it is true, the best advice I can give you is to still treat him like he doesnt have any limitations. I have many friends who have an autistic child, and though some days they get very frustrated with them, what parent doesnt, they still treat them like any other kid and their child is thriving. Good Luck!

I'm not sure if this will be helpful. I just finished taking a work shop for work, I'm an education assistant for speacial needs, called STAR (stratagies for teaching based on autism research). They had several kids start at age 2 on the program who increased in all academic fields and social as well. There were some parents at this workshop. www.starautismprogram.com.
Also, if I remember correctly, your son is already seeing someone about speech. I would talk to them about people in your area who can be of help. Chances are they have a wide network of patients in the same situation.

My son has autism as well. I use autismlink.com for my info. Your best bet is to go to the sites that cater to that diagnosis. You have to remember that there are severe cases and mild cases. For example: There is Rainman and then you have a child that is highly functional autistic. Meaning they can function in today's world. You will need to learn "the tricks of the trade". Our oldest is the one with autism and we have had to really pay attention to how we treat our middle child because we don't want to hold him back because of the odlest's limitations. You can get a lot of tips from the websites. Repetitive learning is most important and so is early diagnosis so you are already on the right track. My mother works for a doctor and they have all kinds of magazines in the waiting room. As she flips through them she finds articles on autism and such. She copies them and hands them to me. The girl from 21 Jump Street is married to an ex-NFL star and they have an autistic son. They were told that he would never say, "I love you mommy." But he does it everyday when she walks through the door now. If you treat them like they will never live a normal life, then they won't. Expect a lot and you will get it!

Oh, my son also has Sensory Integration Dysfunction. It is linked to autism as well. In fact, most of his problems stem from SID rather than autism. Basically he has to have stimulation. He loves to jump and flap his arms. When there is a loud noise he covers his ears and screams. The slouching is from this as well. If there is any distraction in the room he can't concentrate. And when I want him to look into my eyes he won't. I think that is the worst part. I would just love for him to look right at me and say I love you but instead he looks over my shoulder.