A Tough Week

mechanicmom

Many of you know that I posted a prayer request for my son last Thursday. Well, I am finding that I need help, so I decided to post what the request was about. We were confronted by our pastor and his wife last Wednesday night about our son. They believe he is autistic...at least to some degree. We have known our child is "different" but we just thought it was quirks that he had. I didn't know anything about autism so I have been doing some research, and found that he does have some of the symptoms, but he can also act like a normal child at times. I think we have decided to hold off going to a doctor because they are very expensive and I have not decided where to go. I've read a lot on the gluten-free casein-free diet. We are thinking of at least trying that (being it is probably the cheaper method) and seeing if that makes a difference over a month or two. We may in that time decide to go to a doctor but right now we just don't know. I am leaning more towards the diet now because after getting my son's BMs regulated (prunes mostly) I noticed some improvement in his behavior, not a lot but a little bit.
So, all that to ask if any of you has a child with autism and/or a child on a dairy/wheat free diet? Can you offer any advice? I guess autism can get worse if not dealt with so I want to get some things started right away. If you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area do you have suggestions for doctors that won't cost an arm and a leg?
Thanks,
Melissa

mechanicmom

Many of you know that I posted a prayer request for my son last Thursday. Well, I am finding that I need help, so I decided to post what the request was about. We were confronted by our pastor and his wife last Wednesday night about our son. They believe he is autistic...at least to some degree. We have known our child is "different" but we just thought it was quirks that he had. I didn't know anything about autism so I have been doing some research, and found that he does have some of the symptoms, but he can also act like a normal child at times. I think we have decided to hold off going to a doctor because they are very expensive and I have not decided where to go. I've read a lot on the gluten-free casein-free diet. We are thinking of at least trying that (being it is probably the cheaper method) and seeing if that makes a difference over a month or two. We may in that time decide to go to a doctor but right now we just don't know. I am leaning more towards the diet now because after getting my son's BMs regulated (prunes mostly) I noticed some improvement in his behavior, not a lot but a little bit.
So, all that to ask if any of you has a child with autism and/or a child on a dairy/wheat free diet? Can you offer any advice? I guess autism can get worse if not dealt with so I want to get some things started right away. If you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area do you have suggestions for doctors that won't cost an arm and a leg?
Thanks,
Melissa

age1389

I think you should go to his regular pediatrician first to see what he says and if he agrees he can steer you in the right direction to what to do next like which doctors to go to.
Changing his diet is not a bad idea. Ive worked in child care many years and if he has any intolerences to wheat it will affect his bahavior. So it's worth a try. But I wouldn't wait a month or so I would change his diet and make an appt. with his doctor. Nipping this in the bud is the best way.
Keep strong at times like this and we will all pray for you and your family.:flowerforyou:

crystalicfusion

i now what your going through.

My son is six yrs old and we thought that he may of had asperger's syndrome. He displayed lots of the symptoms. Anyways, we ended up finding out that he simply has a sensitivity to wheat.

I pray that your problem is just that as well.

babyhippo

I have no advice for you as far as the diet or what doctors you should seek out. But, I just want to let you know that I have been praying for Alex, and will continue to.
God will help you through this.

WillPillageYourVillageForFood

Melissa,

Keep a level head, I know how scary it can be when you feel that something is wrong with your child. Having 3 kids, we have dealt with multiple scares of all sorts of problems, some unfounded, some were actual problems, but we dealt with them all. We used to live outside of Ft. Worth and I can tell you from personal experience that I would never again deal with Cooks Children Hospital in Ft. Worth. In my opinion, they are too big and see way too many people to give you the time and consideration that you deserve. Not to say that they don't have good doctors there, but I feel they are stretched too thin. I had good success with the doctors associated with Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas when dealing with what we thought were neurological issues, but instead turned out to be heart related, with our son. The doctors there spent as much time as we needed to have all our questions answered and never made us feel rushed or silly for our concerns and fears. I don't know what, if any, type of insurance you have, but they generally will accept all insurance. I would start first by going to Alex's regular doctor and expressing your concerns to him and see what he says. Also too, it is usually helpful to have a doctors referral to a specialist, it generally gets you in quicker than if you call to make the appointment yourself. Unfortunately, many times well meaning people will diagnose a "problem" in your child without any real basis for making that assumption. They don't mean any harm, but it sure is scary for you when you are suddenly confronted with something of that nature. Hope this helps a little.

reallysteve

I do know some details surrounding the autistic child. I do know sometimes we doctors and others alot of times tend to have fall backs when we can't find answers. I know that is hard to believe but we are human too. Autism is a very broad condition and should not just be diagnosed no disrespect to the people in your church. Please don't get me wrong. Complete examination over a period of time is needed to diagnose such a condition, not one examination. If there is anything I can do for you over the computer let me know.

STEVO

catlover

I have a degree in ECE and worked at a site where we had children with a multiple of diagnosis, one of which was autism. Because the families were low income, they received much of the testing, evaluations, and treatment for free through the school district. Getting a doctor to find the correct diagnosis is often the hardest part, the treatment seemed easier after that. I had one client who did try the gluten free diet. She had to order 90% of the food online as it was not offered in our hometown. It was very expensive but so worth it to her. The thing is, you can't screw up, not once. Mom and Dad were faithful to the diet, only to discover the housekeeper gave him fudgesicles during the day so they had to constantly keep starting over, it was frustrating but they stuck with it. Both Jenny McCarthy and Holly Robinson Peete are bringing much light on the topic of autism and I've seen some wonderful interviews by both women. See if the library has books on real life cases and not just medical jargan. Also, find a group in your area or join an online group. One of the problems my clients had was the feeling of isolation because people did not understand the condition and were quick to criticize both parent and child. Do keep talking and let us know how we can support you because this is a very trying time for your whole family. I do have one question, what makes the pastor of your church feel qualified to make that diagnosis for your son. He may have jumped the gun on that one because autism is hard to diagnosis even by professionals who work with it every day.

mommyskis

I am a teacher and have had a kid in my room who had autism. Please, please do talk to your doctor. New research is really exploding in the area of autism and one thing they have found is that the earlier you start intervention, the better the progress. It would be much better to "waste" your money now and find out that he isn't autistic than regret it later. Catlover had excellent advice. Check out your local school district. Many states require them to provide testing and services to children with disablities even though they aren't old enough for kindergarten. I don't know the law in Texas, sorry. Good luck! PS- If it is autism, it's a huge spectrum. Don't judge your kid compared to others with autism.

pam0206

I agree with the other posters. I would set an appointment for the doctor and bring a list of questions with you to ask. I believe that this "diagnosis" is very premature. How old is your son? If your pediatrician feels a need to investigate further, then he/she could point you to a specialist or the services offered by the school system, if there are any. I believe that it is difficult to diagnose any young child with various problems, because children are so different in maturity levels. It is for this reason that most schools don't do much diagnosing during the kindergarten year (at least here) unless it is an extreme case (adhd, etc.). Please keep us updated and try not to worry too much until you have something more concrete than a hunch. :flowerforyou: