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Your child has been labeled with Autism, ASD, or PDD, now what?
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You must put the pieces together to find an answer....
When your child was first labeled you most likely felt like you just survived a train wreck. Perhaps you understood what the Dr. was saying, or like 95% of parents, you blocked out every single word after “the label” your child received. The Doctor probably sounded similar to the teacher from the Peanuts cartoons, and the whole world began to spin. Perhaps you felt like a 1000 lb anvil was just dropped on your head. Then like a student with medical student’s disease on speed the following questions most likely surfaced
“WHY Me?”
“How did this Happen?”
“WHY my CHILD”
”Was it something I did wrong?”
“Was it that glass of wine before I found out that I was pregnant?”
Before another question comes to mind, it suddenly turns into the blame game.
”It’s HIS/HER side of the family….”
“HE/ SHE does this, HIS/HER MOM is like this, HIS/HER Sister’s this, HIS/HER cousins’ got that and so does 4 OTHER people on HIS/HER side of the family.”
Before very long, you might look at your spouse as if they are a stranger, and blame their evil genetics; the true cause for your child's differences. You might start wondering why you married them in the first place, or perhaps was this really even your child.
When you've done enough soul searching, you'll return to the reality of the situation. Your life has just changed and will never be the same. You probably have questions you need answered such as
What is this label? What is Autism? What is PDD? What is ASD?
The definition of Autism has mutated over the course of the past 66 years since Leo Kanner originally defined the word in 1943. The current definition of autism describes a condition that is identified by an impaired ability to communicate with others and exhibition of specific unusual behaviors. ASD or "Autism Spectrum Disorder", which is fairly new, recognizes the fact that children range from low to high functioning, and there is not one decisive marker. ASD describes a host of different behaviors which are a superset of the original definition of Autism. PDD, or pervasive developmental disorder/delay, is a label which describes your child as having several defining traits on the spectrum and your child is delayed relative to the "suggested milestones" for their age.
You now know the definitions, so what now?
First things first, there is no magic bullet, no one shot cure, and no doctor who will tell you that the rest of the planet is wrong, and that he knows the all powerful answer. There is HOPE however, do not be discouraged. With extreme determination, a positive attitude, unyielding patience, and the key: unconditional love, your child will progress. The amount of time and effort you spend toward helping your child will increase your child's progress. The internet will be a vast reference, there are many different therapies out there, some proven, some experimental. As the parent of a special needs child, it is your responsibility and ultimately your decision to pick and choose what will help your child. Be vigilant with your interventions, start a journal, document EVERYTHING. Keeping your medical records and observations current, and as time progresses it will be easier to interpret the data to see where your child's individual strengths and weaknesses lie. It will also serve as a re-enforcer for yourself as you use it to look back on where your child started and see how far your child has progressed.
The author's son was originally diagnosed as a low functioning child with autism. At the age of 15, he has been declassified as low functioning and has been relabeled as a person with Asperger Syndrome. He is high functioning, and is currently situated in a general High School setting. His parents, teacher and doctors attribute his success to the efforts put forth by himself and the extensive intervention he has received. The interventions listed below are all believed to have attributed to his success in some way:
• GFCF diet
• Early Intervention Home based and Center based settings
• Pepcid therapy
• Charting or PECS
• Probitiocs
• Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy
• Stanley Greenspan Floor Time
• IVIG
• Vitamins
• IV Secretin
• Sacreal Craneal massage
• Hippotherapy
• Auditory Intergration Training (A.I.T. Tomatus)
• Oral Chelation and Topical Chelation (Magnesium Sulfate cream
Glutathione cream)
• Antifungal/Anti Yeast Therapy (Diflucan/Nystatin)
Future articles will weigh the positive and negative results of each intervention. Inform yourself of different interventions and options available. There is no right answer, there is what you decide is best for your child, and do not second guess yourself. Remember that is important to make your child feel not that you are there to fix them, but that you are there to help them adapt to the world around them.
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