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Got a group email from Elizabeth regarding this and I thought it would make a good discussion :)
Zachary (age 5) has been diagnosed as ADHD and early onset mood disorders (along with the anxiety that goes along with them). My husband is ADD and bipolar.
We just recently started meds are are doing a lot better!
I have a 6.5 year old who was diagnosed with PDD-nos at age 4; however, his diagnostic category may be slightly different now. (The doctors who first diagnosed him painted a grim picture, saying he would be nonverbal and below-average intelligence; in reality, he is incredibly academically gifted and has no speech problems! His difficulties are with social quirks.)
I have a 3 year old who would probably test positive for ADHD, though we haven't had him formally tested because he is doing fine in preschool and his bubbly social personality is a welcome change from what we went through with our eldest!
Hi,
My grandson is 3.5 and was diagnosed at 30 mos with PDD-NOS. One doctor told us the same thing, that he would be non-verbal but the little guy has come a long way. He signs some words and says others and although his pronunciation isn't very sophisticated, we can understand much of what he says. He is a very bright, loving little boy who makes frequent eye contact and becomes snuggly with us. I think that he will always have his quirks and differences. He is our little angel (although not always a very happy one LOL)
My two teenage daughters both have bipolar disorder. The older one has ADD. Both take meds and seem better.
My son was dx'd with ADHD when he was 8. He is 20 and does not take medications because he doesn't believe they work. He struggles a lot with disorganization and poor memory. He's my Albert Einstein.
In our household we deal with depression, anxiety, OCD and sensory integration disorder. On the Web site A Wild Ride, our contributors are dealing with ADHD, eating disorders, fetal alcohol syndrome, oppositional defiance, and No Label Just Often Challenging issues.
Hi! My name is Sadie. I have two special needs-ers.
Molly is two and a half. She has Russell-Silver Syndrome (no dwarfism, she's a giant-tall, but super skinny). She is also waiting on her "official" PDD diagnosis. Her geneticist won't give us an official diagnosis until she's three. Until then, he has allowed that she is "highly likely" some form of PDD.
K is one and a half (Yes, I have irish twins). She has Cystic Fibrosis (Hello super-vest), severe hypotonia, a leg-length discrepancy, and needs to be monitored for scoliosis (My mom has it, I have it...and with her left side weaker, she's a prime candidate). We go next month for our final (Lord I hope) "new" specialist, the orthopaedist, to evaluate her need for leg braces.
My eldest is 10 and has never had any special needs except some possible ADHD, that is very minor and requires no intervention at this time (his hardest time is the beginning of the school year...and we passed that bump).
Oh yeah...and my husband is depressive, RSS as well, and possible PDD.
Have I mentioned that I'm hanging onto my own sanity by a little bitty thread?
I am a teacher of 3-5 year olds with a variety of special needs. I teach a half-day class for students on the Autism Spectrum which is awesome. My other half-day class I teach students with a variety of needs such as Down Syndrome and visual impairment. I am planning on posting some things this month about the types of interventions I use in my classroom....would love to hear feedback from parents!
My son is 6.5 and has high functioning autism. Sometimes I wonder if he has adhd as well. But right now, I am still dealing with all this big time and wondering about all those what ifs. What if I change his diet? Go the medication route? Do more speech therapy? I'm struggling, but I know I've got a great kid and we'll get through these challenges as they come.
Hello! Although neither of my children have been diagnosed with anything, my oldest is definitely 'high needs' or 'spirited'. We had to learn how best to deal with him to avoid meltdowns. However, I teach first grade and have a child with multiple disabilities and a child with Asperger's Syndrome in my class. I have a very special place in my heart for all children who have difficulties, hence the reason I joined this group. I taught Visually Impaired students and special needs preschoolers for 2 years as well.
Hi! I have two boys and my youngest was just diagnosed with autism at 18 months old. He also has some sensory issues. He has no language skills yet-he says one consistent word (GO!) and other words come and disappear. He doesn't point consistently, so his meltdowns come from making choices or being forced to use language. He then head bangs and throws himself around with no really sense of falling or getting hurt. That part is scary.
We are new to the world of autism, so I am reading, talking with anyone I can find who has experience and waiting on our first therapy to begin. He will receive speech, OT and developmental therapy. We are busily printing out PECS pictures this weekend in an effort to try a new approach to lessen his frustrations.
My blog is about my life in general-mostly my boys and in the mix, I recently wrote my first post about my son's autism. It felt like a weight lifted just from all of people who commented and offered support.
I'm not sure we're we fall yet- our doctor suggested ADHD although we've also heard the suggestion of Asperger's as well. We're still in the beginning of all of the evals and appointments so who knows...
I have Aspergers Syndrome. It was diagnosed when I was twelve, but a large number of my family members work in a variety of learning and mental health-related jobs which is actually the reason I managed to get diagnosed, along with the fact that I was in therapy for severe depression by the time I was ten :S
Both my Mum and my paternal grandfather have the classic (and lesser-known) signs of moderate-sever Aspergers, which is what I was originaly diagnosed with. Over time, and with a total of four years taken out of school, I see myself as a pretty normal teenager. I'm still really, really odd in comparison to the kids I go to school with (although that might be because I'm two years older than most of them?) but hey, I do performing arts. Who isn't weird in that class?
I'm in the process of gathering ideas for a blog on Aspergers that I started a while back, and I'd be really interested in anything that parents/teachers would like to know from the point-of-view of someone who's overcome (or learnt to get around) the challenges that we face. I can also ask my parents things, for anyone who's interested in the years before I can remember :)
Finally, good luck to all of you who have or work with kids with special needs. I can say from experience how much your help and support means to every one of them.
I have two kids with fragile X syndrome that also have autistic tendencies (flapping, biting, etc). My son is 11 and my daughter is 8. My son is pretty severe and my daughter is getting by in a regular ed class but we are about to pull her out for math. We currently don't have them on meds but I'm loving Zoloft :)
I have a 4 year old daughter who is autistic. There are also a host of sensory issues as well. Communication is limited to one and two word functional language only although her receptive language is pretty advanced. We're currently struggling with the change in seasons and the need to wear clothes....I hope this is a short phase....
I have Autism and Asperger's here at home with my 3 and 5yr old. I know I think our life is hard sometimes, but then I read about some of you and I'm humbled. You are all amazing.
Hi everyone! I have a 6 year old son who was diagnosed on the Spectrum when he was 2. After years of therapy and enrolling him in a special school, he has made huge progress! He's gone from eating 3 things (oatmeal, saltines and juice) to eating a nearly normal diet. He was almost completely non-verbal, but now has a great vocabulary as well. We still have our issues of course, but not nearly as severe.
