My son is 6 years old; his speech was always been slower than other kids and because of that, he was diagnosed with autism at age 4. Now I'm being told that he does not have autism, but ADHD. (long story short)
I am pretty sure most of his problems (we're now having behavioral issues as well) are because of his language problems. He has a hard time understanding spoken language, and speaking effectively. He has trouble organizing his ideas, says things that don't really make sense (but to him it seems like they do). But he can read well--he's the best reader in his class--and comprehend what he reads. He's also always been very good at math, and even with his behavioral issues and language challenges, he has straight As in a regular first grade classroom .
Can anyone shed some light on some language disorders? I need a new evaluation, but while I can afford to I want to start helping him, I feel like we've lost so much time and the main problem is still there. Please help. Thanks.
Update:The reason why we were told it is not autism is because, although he does not fully play with kids his own age as he should (probably because of his language impairment), he is actually very social and enjoys being around other children. I never said his speech problem was because of ADHD, but that I think that I need to separate that from everything else because once a child is labeled, it's very difficult to treat everything individually, which may be just what he needs. Mind you, he's in a regular classroom with other peers his age.
Thank you all for your responses, unfortunately the Departmet of Education here is not very good, his worst evals have been from them and we're still fighting the system (very long, painful story-his autism evaluation was done while he was asleep and the reasons they said he had it were because of things he does not do-such as does not make eye contact which he does, does not respond to his name, also false, etc.). In the meantime, I'm
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You are on the right track. Labels are often not useful. None are really definite. No reason that your son could have some degree of ADHD and some degree of autism plus other things. He might even have neither! Also, labels are sometimes used as an excuse not to work to improve or solve a problem and are sometimes used to discriminate against people.
At 4? Even at 6? No labels can be absolutely certain at such a young age. Maybe your son is just maturing faster in some areas than others. Also, this might be something like a hearing and speech disorder. His behavior issues could be learned behavior or just very understandable frustration for a very bright kid who is having problems understanding other people and having others understand him.
I suggest (as a retired school counselor with lots of IEP experience and the grandma of 4 boys) that you continue on your very wise path of determining exactly what he is having trouble doing and seeking symptomatic help.
For example, identify what behavior needs to be changed. Work on it. Get help through experts and your own research and trial and error about what works for your child at this stage. Does he understand what behavior is appropriate? What would motivate him to behave appropriately?
Certainly, I would have him checked soon by a speech therapist and a hearing therapist. Speech disorders can be more than just making the sounds and hearing disorders aren't just being hard of hearing. Having problems in this area certainly impacts behavior. Think of how terrible it feels when you are trying to understand someone speaking on tv or in real life and how it feels to try to talk to someone who can't understand you.
One thing that could be exacerbating his problems could be over stimulation. I know that it is hard to do, but limit his "screen time" (video games, tv, computer, etc.). No more than one to two hours a day is the Mayo Clinic recommendation. Hard to do, I know. But it will help. Encourage active play and socialization (with kids that are well behaved!) or just with you playing games with him. Often children with your son's type of problems can benefit from play dates and other activities with other kids who have different strengths and weaknesses. They help each other. Perhaps there is a laid back verbal guy with a lot of patience who can have fun with your son and maybe learn some math skills from him. Talk to other moms. (My second grandson is actually a tiny socialization therapist! He just loves helping other kids. Befriends those who need a friend. They help him back in other ways.)
Of course, there are also play therapists and you yourself can do a lot of this on your own. Does take time though. Get others to help as needed.
First grade is difficult for many children and their parents. He is making those great grades. Relax about this as much as you can. From my experience, with such a smart little guy and with such a good and caring mother, it will work out!
Hi,
Like the other answerer said before, the labeling system is inaccurate sometimes and it can be time consuming because you want your child to get the best treatment as possible. I can do a little research for you and give you a few topics and definition on each language disorder. If your child has language delays occurred to having social delays, then your child is most likely on the autism spectrum. But since I don't know your son in person, I can't give you specific details on what disability your child may have. So here are some common language disorders:
*Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder is diagnosed when a child has problems expressing him-or herself using spoken language, and also has problems understanding what people say to him or her.
*Expressive language disorder is a communication disorder in which there are difficulties with verbal and written expression. It is a specific language impairment characterized by an ability to use expressive spoken language that is markedly below the appropriate level for the mental age, but with a language comprehension that is within normal limits. There can be problems with vocabulary, producing complex sentences, and remembering words, and there may or may not be abnormalities in articulation.
*Pragmatic language impairment (PLI) is an impairment in understanding pragmatic areas of language. This type of impairment was previously called semantic-pragmatic disorder (SPD). Pragmatic language impairments are related to autism and Asperger syndrome, but also could be related to other non autistic disabilities such as ADHD and mental retardation. People with these impairments have special challenges with the semantic aspect of language (the meaning of what is being said) and the pragmatics of language (using language appropriately in social situations).
These are all the language disorders that I know of. I looked up the definitions and it is very specific. My advice for you is to take your child to see ANOTHER psychiatrist. Refer him to a psychiatrist that specializes in Autism Spectrum Disorders or other developmental disabilities. I know how tough it could be. I wish you the best.