positivemum

Good morning everyone,

I haven't been on Mumsweb for quite a few months but some of you may remember previous posts about my ds who has special needs.

My DS who is now 7 yrs old was originally diagnosed as having a Specific Language Delay in his Receptive & Expressive communication a few years ago. He was in kindergarten last year and did OK although he was showing signs of anxiety in the classroom throughout the year. Anyway, over the January holidays we had a major move from Sydney to the Mid North Coast so a total new life for him. He started Year 1 at his new school up here were his behaviaour just totally went downhill in the classroom and he didn't cope with the move very well at all (in regards to a new school).

To cut a long story short, I had an intake meeting with a clinical phycologist at community health recently & then my DS had an appointment with him. AT this appointment he was diagnosed as having PDDNOS which is a condition in the autism spectrum. I also had a few meetings with the school counsellor and his teachers prior to meeting with the phycologist and had to fill in all the forms and questionnaires about my son.

Due to the severity of his condition atm he will qualify for funding for a teachers aide which is a huge relief for myself and his teachers. He actually started getting an aide a week ago.

Although it is a shock to come to terms with my son having a disorder in the autism spectrum, it is also a relief as at least I can understand why my son is the way he is and I can understand his strange and odd behaviour better (making strange sounds & noises since pre-school age, strange physical and facial expressions and not understanding "normal" social expectations). I wanted to cry when he was diagnosed but the tears couldn't come out. The week before the diagnosis when I got the 6 page report from the school counsellor I was a mess after reading it. It said how my ds was academically and socially not doing very well at all.

The clinical phycologist said that the most important thing for the family and my son is acceptance and to accept how he is.

Anyway, I've rambled on enough. I was just wondering whether any M/W members have children with this condition or have any experience with it.

Thanks in advance,

Positivemum

take2

i con only imagine how hard it would be to read a report like that from school and then get the next diagnosis...huge hugs.

I wish i had some words of wisdom...but all i have is hugs!

kirsty34

Hi
There certainly is other mums on here with similar experiences and I am sure, words of wisdom.
I wanted to say as hard as it is to get a diagnosis, the best thing is you have one, and this mean you and your son will get the support and direction you need. He is still the little boy you have always loved and that will never change.
Good luck, its always quite hard and at time frustrating to deal with ( I have child with special needs of a different nature) and am still struggling to find options and answers to best fit him.So can appreciate how it feels to see reports like you have had.

positivemum

Thanks for your replies Take2 and Kirsty.

It must sound strange, but it is a relief having the diagnosis because for many years my ds has been "different" to other children but so far nothing has been picked up from all the professionals that he has seen besides the language delay. In a way its good that this has happened as if things continued the way they were maybe he would have been swept under the radar so to speak and just been seen by others as being a "strange and odd" child.

All of the staff at his new school that I have dealt with have been fantastic and all just wanting the best for my DS & to get him the help that he needs. They have been amazing in the way they have got onto this straight away and their dedication to him is appreciated. One of his teachers (he has 2 teachers in a job-share role) suggested he had Aspergers and so did the school counsellor, but the clinical phycologist said he didn't suffer from that or autism but instead the PDDNOS which is a less severe condition under the autism spectrum where the child has some, but not all of the signs of autism. Last year at his school in Sydney when he was showing the signs of anxiety in class, it took months for the counsellor to observe him and then no action was taken. This school is much larger (almost 800 students) than his previous but they have got onto it straight away and haven't wasted any time. Also being able to get an appointment with the clinical phycologist so quickly was great.

Well at least now the ball is rolling & we can help my ds. I should get the phycologist's report next week and when I receive it he wants me to go back and see him for another appointment. I have booked into the peadiatrician up here who specialises in conditions under the autism spectrum but unfortunately can't get in until June. Once the school & I get the report we all meet up & do all the paperwork for the funding & teachers aide. ATM DS has a volunteer teachers aide which is much appreciated. So I suppose its all good and we all have to support my ds and get him the help he needs. He'll also start back at speech therapy soon.

Thanks for listening.

Positivemum

4mycol

sorry for not replying sooner.
My son's first initial diagnosis was PDD-NOS, its since been changed to Autism.
Its a bit of a shock i know. I was shocked when the diagnosis changed.
If you need anyone to chat to i would be more than welcome to have a chat with you.
My son is 5.
Bronwyn

Wendy with child PDDNOS

Hi everyone, this website is new for me, us (hubby of 23 years and 3 siblings now aged 21, 18 and 15) - 5 years ago we had our youngest boy J (now 11) whilst we poured copious quantities of cash into the private and governmental diagnosis machine looking for an acronym to classify J so the teachers didn't feel it was their fault they couldn't teach J. From grade 2 (Grade 7 now) J would run out of the classroom frustrated with the wheels of education in the main stream system and head for the playground to get some space or crawl under the transportable classrooms to evade capture from his pursuers. Sounds somewhat amusing to the delight of the Principal crawling under the classroom to fetch this wayward child. Not unlike the Presidential Hot Line - we too it would seem had a direct line to the school for those frequent and consistent telephone calls from the school informing us of J's antics and how we would need to "collect" (their words) J from school as they couldn't do anymore with J that day. As we humans not unlike our state school teachers have their breaking point and J would continuously attempt, not necessarily with malice, try to reach this threshold. It wouldn't be the first time that my husband or myself would attend the school and find not one, two but perhaps three teachers, VP or P in attendance with our J for "collection". It took a number of years and the run on acronym drugs to finally be presented with the diagnosis of PDDNOS. We have had intelligence tested rating him in top 5% of grade for spatial cognisance. He is a lovely boy with great intensions and manners. As you all would know sometimes that disappears into the world of PDDNOS children. He receives great support from all the family - extended as well. Last year his tolerance of state school systems came to a head where his Special Ed Unit didn't feel they could offer any more for J. My husband works full time on shift work for the Government and I work 3 days a week - even with this work schedule we decided to pull J out of school this year and enrolled him in BSDE with a medical waver. He should be in Grade 7 this year but he has been enrolled in the Grade 6 system, after teaching one week we realised that he can do the work however the workload is too much for the little guy. Somehow we gather the strength for my husband to teach him 2 days, I teach another 2 days and my mum teachers one day. My husband is working and teaching 24 days out of 28, and I am teaching or working 22 days out of 28. Hopefully we shall not burn out. Fortunately my husband is off work with an injury at the moment so he is able to teach theory at least. He is doing the lion's share at the moment and I fill in where I can. The BSDE are great and very supportive with their adjusted programs for kids like J with PDDNOS. We didn't really have a choice as he seemed to be heading on a downwood spiral and soon to enter high school with its already existing primary to high school problems for children. J is our child and we love him greatly and he needs our support in the influential and scholastic years. When will it end, who knows, hopefully we shall not need to take too many pills to keep us going as well. J is currently on Concerta to clip those sign waves of symptoms over 10 hours. The one on one teaching is definitely an advantage and he takes to it very well. He still has his good and bad days but at the end of the day - he is still an 11 year old as well. Very regular breaks from school work seem to be a great help even to go and get the mail from the letter box. There is a predominance of the 1000 yard stare when we are explaining school work to him - that has always been there though. Perhaps once or twice a day. Earth to J, come back J. If anyone has any more ideas - please feel free to speak up.