I have a 6 yr old diagnosed with PDD-NOS and could use any info and advice would be much appreciated.; thanx?

Question

I am a single mom and my 6year old son was diagnosed pdd-nos and adhd and I could REALLY use some advice. He has social problems and can be quite aggressive. My main concern is disapline. Not sure what to do.

Answer 1

I would talk with your son's pediatrician and get a prescription for occupational and physcial therapy. Both of these disciplines, especially occupational therapy, can help children with PDD-NOS. There are OTs in the school system that would be able to help your son during school and perhaps upon evaluation, be able to give you a better course of action.

Signs and symptoms of PDD-NOS vary so much, it is hard to give exact advice without meeting your son. Hope that helps at least a little!! :)

Answer 2

The public school should be addressing all of your concerns in an individualized education plan. Please contact them in writing and request an IEP meeting, include the evaluation papers and ask if they can use that in lieu of undergoing a complete evaluation process. They can help with setting up a positive behavior support plan, which will help with discipline and agression, and they also should have social skills lessons for him. Read more about your son's rights for education at www.wrightslaw.com

Contacting the autism society and asking for referrels for a psychologist with whom you can regularly consult has been the biggest help for me. We see ours once a month and she helps us talk about what to work on at home, what the next step is, etc. It helps a LOT.

Join a support group, asap. Especially since you are single, you will need all the moral and emotional support you can get. At yahoo groups there is a great group called parenting_autism, there are hundreds of parents of people on the spectrum, ranging from just developmental delays and adhd to severe autism.

Answer 3

If your child is having behavior problems/ aggression I would request a behavior specialist. If you are in the U.S. preferably someone who actually has a certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (www.bacb.com). This person can conduct a Functional Assessment which will determine why your child is acting aggressively and appropriate alternative behaviors that should be targeted as part of your child's education plan to replace these difficult behaviors. The person should write up a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) which states specifically what the adults should do in the environment to teach your child related to these problem behaviors and how to react when these behaviors occur again. www.wrightslaw.com has legal explanation of your students rights as a student with an IEP who has behavior difficulties. If these problems are home specific a behavior specialist can come to your home and conduct the same type of assessment and behavior plan however funding for this type of thing at home can sometimes be difficult. If the problems occur both at home and school you can ask for home consultation to generalize the plan to his home setting as part of the school service. Let me know if you need additional information.

Answer 4

PDD-NOS or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified is a diagnosis. It means that some of the characteristics of autism are present, but not all. So, basically all of the criteria needed to receive a diagnosis for autism are not met. This is why your child was diagnosed so late. Children with this disorder come to the attention of professionals later than those children with autism.

I currently work as a behavior specialist and I could tell you what I would do if your son was one of my students. He would need a behavior plan to address his behavioral problems. Social goals need to be addressed by his classroom teacher in his IEP. I might do a functional behavior interview to break down each behavior and decide the best course of action. Without knowing your child personally I can't really offer any functional advice.

Talk to your school district and learn about the laws in your state. Be prepared to fight for what your child is entitled to. Start the IEP process immediately. Send a letter to your child's school asking for an emergency CSE meeting. Contact your district's SEPTA and talk to other parent's who know what you're going through.

Best wishes and Good Luck.

Answer 5

go to www.autism.com It is the website for the Autism Research Institute.You will find tons of information that can help you decide whats the best way to help your child.Read about  vitamin therapy and DMG, we have found it very helpful with our son., especially with communication and aggression.I think a lot of times,they are aggressive out of frustration because of difficulty with communicating.Another thing that may help is talking to the Behavior Specialist at school.(he is in school?)We had a great one,she always had great ideas for alternative behaviors for negative  ones, and rewarding good behaviors.Positive reinforcement!Good luck!

Add on: Another thought I had was to pay attention to the environment when your son is aggressive,it may play a part.If your son has sensory issues,like my son does, it could be one of his senses is being effected by the environment.It could be a noise or the lighting, a smell.You have to be like a detective.

Answer 6

Not familiar with it myself, but I bet your kid's doctor or the local hospital could get you in touch with a support group or more information.

Have you tried a web search?