Saturday, 21 July 2012
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We Need Help: Dealing with Autism
My son was diagnosed with autism officially last November. It has been a real struggle in everyday life.
He is a very picky eater, which worries us that he is not getting enough to eat, or the vitamins and minerals he needs, even with daily supplements. He is almost always in his own world, a master of ignoring you, and only comes to us when he needs help. He is brilliant though, drawing things he hasn't seen in months, or only once. Figuring out how things work quickly (like factory resetting his tablet) and making use of anything that is available to him to be independent. Potty training is the hardest thing we have faced so far. He did great while he was in school, but now refuses to go for us unless we fight and scream. He is non-verbal, he can talk, I think he just chooses not to, which makes things that much more difficult, and frustrating. He just recently started a study for buspirone, we don't know if we have the meds, or the placebo. He is increasingly agitated and violent, which is a completely new experience for us. It is frustrating, and heartbreaking to hear him cry and scream, and not knowing what he needs; wants; or if he is in pain.I was wondering if anyone out there has had similar experiences, and if anyone has tips and tricks, specialists to look out for, or informational websites that can help.
He is only five, so we are pretty new at this, and the places we have been don't have a whole lot they can help with, anything at all for a step in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
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About the Author
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- From: silverstorm187
- Name: silverstorm187
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- About Me: I am 27, and hopefully a soon to be stay at home mom. I'm happily married, and our son is the love and joy of my life.
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Comments (5)
Hi! My son has autism too. He is about to turn 5 and we have already been through several meds. The best one for him so far has been Abilify. He takes 1 mg per day and his mood has improved dramatically. He previously had 4 - 5 unpredictable and severe emotional breakdowns per day over the smallest little things. Now we are down to about one per week. We haven't had any major side effects besides a little sleepiness in the beginning.
It must be frustrating not knowing if your son is on the med or the placebo. I don't know anything about buspirone - is agitation a side effect? Some of the meds can take a while to work.
Have u tried the gaps or scd diet?
Have u tried the scd or gaps diet.?
Get him off the trial and to a proper doctor. Buspirone is a steroid derivative and can cause violent mood swings. Your child needs therapy like OT, PT, speech and social and behavioral support not to mention educational support. He doesn't need to be a guinea pig.
I have two children on the spectrum and we've had some progress, but only with intervention. He will likely need speech therapy, behavioral therapy and possibly OT.
Be careful about the diets people recommend and don't put too much faith in them. Both of our children have psychiatrists and specialists at Kennedy-Krieger working with them and I have been told by several doctors there that unless the child has one of the intestinal/digestive issues associated with autism, it will not help. Some parents believe that it helps reverse the symptoms of autism in terms of behavior and learning, but this has yet to be proven by a clinical study and it's a hit or miss. On some rare occasions it works and no one knows why. The majority of the time, it doesn't.
Your son's behavior sounds a lot like my daughter's, so it's possible he may have an additional issue (PDD-NOS, mood disorder) and could benefit from medication. If he were my child, I'd remove him from the study and take him to a pediatric psychiatrist to have him evaluated for associated disorders and see if meds would help him. Not every child responds to them but a child with severe behavior issues generally will.