autism or hypothyroid

[ttatina]

my son was born with hypothyroid,he seems to have all the signs of autism,he is now 18 months old,his physical therapist said kids with hypothyroid have some of the same characteristics of autism is this true.

[888mom]

finding a support group would help.  You might also find another parent in a similar situation who can tell you what they've been through or offer advice.  Sometimes they aren't helpful (I tried going to one once for lupus and it was just a bunch of people complaining and not wanting help and not wanting to offer help either so I thought it was a useless waste of time, but support groups generally are good but just don't get bummed out if it isn't).

[ttatina]

yes my son has been taking synthroid since hes been 2 weeks old,but for some reason his body is rejecting the medication,the endo doctor tells me his blood is getting to much med but for some reason his brain needs more thry tryed upping the dose which he started having problems sleeping so he told me to go back to a lower dose,i am just so worried about him theres not one day thats passed i havent cried,yea i think i need to look into a support group to help me through this.

[888mom]

Hypothyroidism in children can cause developmental delays.  The earlier it is caught in children, the more that doctors can do, especially if it is caught at birth.  Is he being treated with enough thyroid hormone to help him develop?  You could also ask your doctor if autism can coexist with hpyothyroid (I have read that autism may have a link with autoimmune diseases but the studies have not been conclusive and not many have been done yet).  It sounds like you are focusing on early intervention therapy already.  I'd read up as much as you can on hypothyroidism.  My mom has graves disease (hyper thyroid) and what I know about thyroid is all for adults.  WIth children it is more complicated since they are still developing, and also more life threatening.  

I can understand why you might be really worried.  That's a scary thing to have your child have something that can be life threatening and/or life altering.  Are there any support groups in your area for parents with special needs children?