Hi, My name is Dodie. I am the mom of 3 girls. My oldest is 16 and is diagnosed ADHD, however I do suspect possible Aspergers/PDD-NOS going on. My 14 yr old is NT. My 11 yr old is diagnosed PDD-NOS, Mood Disorder-NOS, ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder, Visual-Motor delay, and Generalized Anxiety. She was fully diagnosed at age 9, although I have been trying since she was 4 to get a diagnosis.
I feel, after doing all the research, that I am probably on the spectrum myself. I have always had difficulties with social situations (never had more than 1 or 2 friends growing up) and am very rigid in my routines. I have very similar issues to my 11 yr old daughter (didn't have the severe meltdowns, just cried very easily when frustrated, angry, etc). Maybe that is why I can relate to her and understand her so well.
My 11 yr old has finally been pulled from the mainstream class (after fighting the district for 2 years). She is in a class called "FOCUS" that is mainly a class for kids with behavior issues. That is all the school would recognize. The district's "autism specialist" reported (after evaluating my daughter) that she wasn't "autistic". Then she turned around in the next paragraph and said she "has inconsistent eye-contact, social difficulties, and a flat facial affect when you speak to her". But she isn't "autistic". The psychiatrist says that while my daughter makes eye contact, she is not comfortable doing so.
Anyway, there isn't a class specifically for children with autism that are higher functioning except in the primary grades. So kids like my daughter who are really bright and academically at or above grade level have no place to be unless they qualify for the behavior class. My daughter's behavior jumped off the charts at school in 4th grade. She is currently in 5th. These were behaviors I had observed and dealt with at home, but the school said "she is such a charming, well-behaved young lady". Like I was making up these behaviors. They found out last year that I wasn't exaggerating.
Anyway, I need a place where people understand what I am going through. Most people think that I pursued this diagnosis so that I had an excuse for my child's behavior. The school district told me that getting a diagnosis was only going to "put a label on her uniqueness". I wanted and needed that "label" to help me understand my child better and find the right therapies to help her.
Glad I found a place for people to discuss these issues.
18 May 2011, 11:55 am
