I feel like I am all alone in this.

[MommyOf3]

Hi Everyone I am new here & I just wanted to come somewhere where people will understand what I am going through. I just don't know what to do anymore, how much crying can I do. My daughter is 2 1/2 years old & has not yet been diagnosed with Autism but I think she does have it, we are currently going through Early Intervention and we are at the second level. She has just been evaluted & now I am waiting on the Psycologist & Speech therapist to come in. Since the age of one I have had strong feelings that something might be wrong with my daughter, I went online and looked up her symtoms and Autisum was the only thing she fit. I ask relatives and friends and everyone told me No she doesnt have that, saying OMG how can you think that, whats wrong with you, she does do those things, alot of my family is in denial & others just dont want to believe it. The lady who did the evaluation said she could not tell me all she could tell me was that the psycologist would have to make the diagnosis, & they still want to do more tests such as checking her hearing and vision. I asked her but am I right is it Autisum? She said I am in the right direction & its a very good thing I called early intervention. The symtoms my daughter has are.... she is 2 1/2 and still not talking she will say words and then stop saying them. She has a vocabulary of about 4-5 words, she doesnt understand me, she does not follow directions well, she points to tell me what she wants, she rarely shows affection, she is not aware of your feelings like if you cry, alot of times she doesnt realize that someone has just entered the house, she will respond right away to a movie or a toy rather than to a person, she plays alone alot, when she is playing with her sister she doesnt interact with her the way children usually do, she seems to stare off, she doesnt make much eye contact, she likes to receive hugs and kisses but never gives them, she gave my aunt a kiss ONCE and never again after that, she is not aware of what words mean, she likes to line up her toys, and when it moves or gets out of the place she put it in she gets mad and starts yelling and crying, the only way she expresses herself is by yelling and crying. Please can someone tell me if I am off base here. I really feel like I am all alone in this no one that I know understands. I know I shouldnt jump to conclusions until they diagnos her themselves, but by what her sysmtoms are she does sound like she has it. I am loosing my mind over this. People I know are making it sound likes its the worst thing in the world and that I am going to have such a hard road, but I have been doing it with her this whole time. Please someone respond, I just want someone to talk to and understand. Thank You so much for reading, any thoughts or comments are very much appreciated. Thank You.

[Lisa S]

Hi,
At least now you know that you are not alone in this. There are others here who do understand what you are going through. I am not sure if your daughter has autism or not, but she may be somewhere on the spectrum. Some of the things that concern you are similar to what our kids do and others are not. Each of our kids is unique. Know that you are always welcome here no matter what diagnosis the professionals give your daughter.

Also please know that no matter what they tell you, it is NOT the end of the world if your daughter is diagnosed with Autism or some other Pervasive Development Disorder. She will be the same adorable child you love more than you ever thought possible, no matter what label the doctors give her. Your life with her will not be the one you imagined when she was born, but it will be an amazing one.
Lisa

[Belladonna]

Have faith. It will all be clear to you and do not doubt your instincts. It doesn't matter what label they put on your child. You have to fight for her to get whatever help she may need.

[viv'smom]

I am also a mom of three. MY 15yr old is fine very athletic and smart. My two year old seams to following his biggest sister. However my 3 1/2 yrold. Is currently beieng test for both Autism and Retts Syndrome. I know how your Feeling. your scared and don't know who to turn to for help easying the stress and the sleepless nights from worry. With Vivian we notest something wasn't right because she kept falling walking across the room. She also won't make eye contact and hates load noises. I can't run the vaccuum when she is home. Any type of argument she hides under her bed. We have started a no yelling policy in my house. We have gone through early intervention and SHe is now in the school system. Since starting school in March her vocab has gone from 10 words to over 100. A good speach therapist does help. Vivie had gone to one for six months and had little improvement. Two weeks with the new one she was talking more. She still does not like to talk alot she likes quiet. I hope this helps you not feel quit as alone as before

[sabrina dreams]

hi every one . i been talking to mommmy of 3 and she is kind of alone . she has us but do to her age her parent are giving her a very hard time about it. she is fighting night and day with her parents of her daughter may have this. I 'm asking if you all can help her during this hard time.I am senting info and some things to get her startied to understand it and how to start at home I also told her to get the out of syn child book to understand her daughter. she has had ot and st come in and they say they do think she is on pdd but won't say what. She still beleive she needs to wait for the school set the appiontment but myself and all of us know you have to fight to get the help for very thing. i hope you all can help her she really needs it .She is dealing with alot and just had a new born to top it off. nicole

[mlwear]

Going through a time of uncertainity and then early into diagnosis is very difficult on so many levels.
First, wait for the evaluations. This is so hard, huh? I begged the people doing the speech and developmental evaluations to tell me if my son has autism. I just wanted to know from a professional (really I knew in my heart already.)
The whole time (this past denial) I was so depressed. I would cry at the drop of a hat. I remember seeing "typical" kids my son's age and holding back tears (not always so well). Truly, I was grieving. I didn't understand then, but I was mourning the loss of the dreams that I had for my child. I still had the same little boy that I loved with all my heart. His life is just going to be different than what I anticipated. Over the years I learned that this is not necessarily a bad thing. There is believe it or not some upsides to autism (I know you aren't buying this now, but later..) I still hate that there are obstacles in his life, but everyone has those some more than others and handled correctly good can come from those. BUT, right now, if you feel sad, it is OK to feel sad. You are not alone. When my son was diagnosed, my husband was out of town a lot and when he was home kept himself detached (his way of coping), I felt so isolated. On top of my grief, there was so much to learn. Don't get overwhelmed. It will come with time.
Regarding others (parents, relatives), I would just stop discussing it with them for now. You don't need to convince them. Time for that later. (Plus, IF you get an official diagnosis this will be easier.) You are just putting more stress on yourself.
Take some time for yourself. This is very important.
Hang in there. This is a great forum. You can come here day or night.

[Ry's mom]

Keep at it. When My son was 2 1/2 I started to take my son to see Dr.'s and specialest and to be honest I had to fight with them every step of the way. At the time I was 24 and looked 20 - 21 no one took me seriously. My family treated me like I was looking for a problem where none excisted. My husban told me I was crazy that Ry was a late bloomer. I love my son like crazy and I knew something was going on. So I pushed and pushed and did it all on my own with my son. I stoped talking to my parents and family about what was going on and now well they all sing a diffrent song. Ry is now 4 and without a dought PDD-NOS. I have done the gauntlet of Regional Center, Early Intervention, School District, HMO and Family. When Ry's advinture begain he had 15 single words, and most things he needed and wanted was done by pointing in responce to my question of " show me". Before I found the magic words of " show me" he would have horrid tantrums that would last for hours. now he has 4 to 5 word sentances. Ry has come so far, for that matter my family and I have too. Mommyof3 please get in touch with me, if you would like.

[themary]

I heard the same thing from some faimly memebers. Still here it even though its more obvious now that she is almost 4.
Trust your instinks always.
My daughters language seemed to stall out at 2 and though she would point she wouldn't play w/other kids well, hardly ever smiled and never ever let anyone hold her and didn't talk to people....that was then. Now she talks to complete strangers!
It came because of hard work on my part and hers. We use sign language and learning software. I used picture cards and parallel talked and labeled everything.
It is all worth it..you will always have critics and people who think they know better. Hang in there..your not alone. We all deal w/those same type of people and poo on them....(: Trully, your worrying is what is going to make your child progress. (:

[Autismskat]

Hello,
We have been through alot with our two boys. Keep at it. It seems to me your in the
diagnoses faze. With my older son two different agencies have two different diagnoses.
One says he has delays, the other says he's mildly autistic. My younger son is severely
autistic. Right now they are on summer vacation. The month of August is sooo long.
My boys did alot of hand flapping, screaming @ high pitches, and they needed alot of
prompting. My family keep their distances. I tell them to this day these are our boys,
they have issues and I'm raising them. My husband work many hours to support us so
I can stay home. Our lives have changed tremendously. You not alone. I feel the same
way at times. Well take care.
Autismskat

[Autismskat]

:) Hello,
We have been through alot with our two boys. Keep at it. It seems to me your in the
diagnoses faze. With my older son two different agencies have two different diagnoses.
One says he has delays, the other says he's mildly autistic. My younger son is severely
autistic. Right now they are on summer vacation. The month of August is sooo long.
My boys did alot of hand flapping, screaming @ high pitches, and they needed alot of
prompting. My family keep their distances. I tell them to this day these are our boys,
they have issues and I'm raising them. My husband work many hours to support us so
I can stay home. Our lives have changed tremendously. You not alone. I feel the same
way at times. Well take care.
Autismskat :)