Today we saw a doctor to tell us if my son has Autism. (Note: He is 21/2 and he has been getting OT, Speech,?

Question

ABA, he has tutors who come to him for 2 hours Mon-Fri. ) Today by asking me and interacting with him she says he is on the "autism spectrum". Thinking about it..I have no idea what the heck that means. She said stick with getting the help and he will improve his skills. WHAT THE HECK DOES "AUTISM SPECTRUM" MEAN? Can someone tell me in English what that means, please?

Answer 1

When someone says your child is on the "Autism Spectrum" they probably mean PDD-NOS.  There are three types of Autism: (1) Classic Autism which is typically severe and is genetic; (2) Asperger's Syndrome - A mild form of autism which is genetic (3) PDD-NOS which is a mild form of autism that is probably caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.  But, the person who told you this is giving you the best advice.  Early intervention and consistent speech therapy (with good speech therapists) is the key.  Make sure your child is improving and if not do whatever you can to get a new speech therapist.  Also, ask your child what they think and try to sit in on the sessions.  But, base everything on results.   Also, from what I know PDD-NOS and Autism are about as related as the common cold (a virus) is to an upper respiratory tract infection (a bacteria) in that they have somewhat similar symptoms but almost certainly aren't caused by the same thing.  So, in my thinking it's somewhat of a misuse of the term autism but that is the medically accepted terminology now.  BTW, you should also ask yourself if your son snores, he has swollen tonsils, or his father snores.  This may be a sign of sleep apnea and the symptoms of that are sometimes similar to PDD-NOS.  Also, I would encourage you to learn some of the techniques of foot reflexology and CranioSacral Therapy and try applying them in addition to the early intervention and speech therapy.  I am extraordinarily skeptical of any "new age" stuff but I've read on enough blogs where this stuff works so it might be worth a try.  Best of Luck.  Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a broad term. Autism is a huge "spectrum" in that there are children who are less sever than others.  Also, go to autismawareness.org and there are so many linked sites that can help you with all the terminology. This will help so much in the future.

is one of the five autism spectrum disorders. Of the other four autism spectrum disorders, Asperger's syndrome is closest to autism in signs and likely causes; Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder share several signs with autism but may have unrelated causes; finally, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) is diagnosed when the criteria are not met for a more specific disorder.[2] Unlike autism, Asperger's has no significant delay in language development.[3]

The terminology of autism can be bewildering, with autism, Asperger's, and PDD-NOS sometimes called the autistic disorders,[4] whereas autism itself is often called autistic disorder, childhood autism, or infantile autism. ASD in turn is a subset of the broader autism phenotype (BAP), which describes individuals who may not have ASD but do have some autistic-like traits, such as avoiding eye contact.[5]

One review estimated a prevalence of at least 1.3 per 1,000 for autism and 6.0–6.5 per 1,000 for ASD; PDD-NOS was the vast majority of ASD, Asperger's was about 0.3 per 1,000 and the atypical forms childhood disintegrative disorder and Rett syndrome were much rarer

Behaviorally, certain characteristics identify the autism spectrum. The type, severity and/or number of autistic traits present determines the severity of autism in the individual. These autistic traits may be beneficial for some disciplines like science, mathematics, engineering and computer programming. Some autistic individuals might show a marked proficiency in rote memorization which may help learn the foundation of these subjects; however, the exceptionally good aptitude (in these subjects) of high functioning autistic spectrum persons may be due to their ability to readily identify patterns and apply them consistently to new situations outside of established knowledge or teaching. These savant skills, although popularly considered to be a major part of autistic disorders, are evident only in a small fraction of autistic individuals, with estimates of the fraction ranging from 0.5% to 10%.

Also, check out a diet that is called a gluten-casin free diet. That should also be on wikipedia. If not, then you can contact me through Yahoo and I will help you through this process of understanding what this all entails.

Good luck b/c I know what it's like to be in your shoes. It's a rough road, but it will get better. You are in my prayers along with your son.