Aa
My 3yr old son Jaden
My son turned 3 a few days ago and I'm fearful that he has autism. He is an extremely picky eater and refuses most foods. He speaks a few words and a couple phrases. He attempts to sing his favorite songs and will sing along to the ABC song with a sing song tone, but not all the letters. His pronunciation of words is not clear to others, but my husband and I can decipher most of his speech. He's been to private speech therapy, and had a little early childhood intervention, but he was evaluated by a developmental pediatrician who says she could not diagnose autism...primarily becuz he was very active during the testing and did limited focused play. Jaden started a daily 3 HR a day preschool program a couple days ago and he will continue at the regular daycare for the remained of the day. We are optimistic, but don't want to br in denial.. Yesterday was really a bad day. I tried making my son ask for juice before I gave it and he wanted to just point at it. My husband says I went too far and if he could have asked for it, he would have. I feel like such a loser! I don't want to mistreat my boy. I love him dearly. It was awful watching him scream and throw a tantrum. He's never behaved like that, to that extreme.
Jaden does have limited eye contact that has improved but compared to his peers is still lacking. I don't want to limit him labels, that might be with him for life... but I want him to get better, eat better and speak more.
Jaden does have limited eye contact that has improved but compared to his peers is still lacking. I don't want to limit him labels, that might be with him for life... but I want him to get better, eat better and speak more.
Hi. I have a son with sensory integration disorder and he does a few of the things you mention. With his "picky" eating and difficulty speaking, I'd look into this. There is a part of the sensory system called motor planning. It is the brain's communication and organization system. My son is a picky eater for a couple of 'reasons' beyond what is normal picky eating often seen in kids. He has difficulty chewing so meat is something he will avoid. I would have to cut it up into tiny little pieces for him. He also has an issue with certain textures. Did your son gag a good deal when switching to solid food? Does he spit food out now? I did not realize my son had this developmental issue and it was a preschool teacher who brought it to my attention when he was 3. In retrospect, there were clues. He had over reactions to things, the issues with food, not loving loud places, etc. And what the preschool teacher noticed was he had articulation issues and he was tripping. He's actually really athletic so the tripping always confused me. Tripping and speech issues go hand and hand------------ it is all motor related.
Some kids with sensory issues also have trouble with clothing. Socks for example are notoriously difficult which sometimes can be a problem when getting the shoes on to leave. Does anything like this go on with your son?
I want you to go to a website "SensoryProcessingDisorder" and take a look. I will tell you that although my son has sensory, after working on some of the issues--------- he is doing Fantastic! He's now 7 and in first grade and we couldn't be happier with his progress.
We still see an occupational therapist. She works on things that are related to his nervous system--------- we tackled picky eating earlier this year. He's still picky but it is better. We have some things in place that help him along which involve exposure to things and trying. One thing to try is to use a "dip"--------- ranch dressing for example. My son also love barbeque sauce. He's not hip on ketchup but that is another to try. My son will eat all kinds of meat (still cut up small) and various vegis dipped in something. He does not like things mixed--------- which was good for me to know. I don't force feed the casseroles now but make dinner with seperated items for him. We also worked very hard on what they call "regulation". This is actually also part of the sensory system. It involves emotions and the ability to self soothe. A sensory kid gets either super red hot mad or overly emotional and then can't calm themselves back down. This is hard because pretty quickly in the preschool years, this becomes socially difficult for a child. Other kids react badly to it and it is hard on caregivers, teachers and parents. We worked hard on this and I can offer some tips as well.
I think one other piece of advice I would give is to do many physical things with him. He should be involved in physical activities such as taking swim lessons, going outside and kicking a soccer ball, jumping on a trampoline or at home, on a mattress. Go to parks and run, jump, skip, climb (really good), swing (soothing), rolling down a hill and running back up, hanging off the monkey bars, etc. All of this directly works on the nervous system and has a positive effect.
So google sensory and see what you think. I am so thankful that I did when my son was 3 as now things are much easier for him and he is so much happier (which makes me happy). good luck
Some kids with sensory issues also have trouble with clothing. Socks for example are notoriously difficult which sometimes can be a problem when getting the shoes on to leave. Does anything like this go on with your son?
I want you to go to a website "SensoryProcessingDisorder" and take a look. I will tell you that although my son has sensory, after working on some of the issues--------- he is doing Fantastic! He's now 7 and in first grade and we couldn't be happier with his progress.
We still see an occupational therapist. She works on things that are related to his nervous system--------- we tackled picky eating earlier this year. He's still picky but it is better. We have some things in place that help him along which involve exposure to things and trying. One thing to try is to use a "dip"--------- ranch dressing for example. My son also love barbeque sauce. He's not hip on ketchup but that is another to try. My son will eat all kinds of meat (still cut up small) and various vegis dipped in something. He does not like things mixed--------- which was good for me to know. I don't force feed the casseroles now but make dinner with seperated items for him. We also worked very hard on what they call "regulation". This is actually also part of the sensory system. It involves emotions and the ability to self soothe. A sensory kid gets either super red hot mad or overly emotional and then can't calm themselves back down. This is hard because pretty quickly in the preschool years, this becomes socially difficult for a child. Other kids react badly to it and it is hard on caregivers, teachers and parents. We worked hard on this and I can offer some tips as well.
I think one other piece of advice I would give is to do many physical things with him. He should be involved in physical activities such as taking swim lessons, going outside and kicking a soccer ball, jumping on a trampoline or at home, on a mattress. Go to parks and run, jump, skip, climb (really good), swing (soothing), rolling down a hill and running back up, hanging off the monkey bars, etc. All of this directly works on the nervous system and has a positive effect.
So google sensory and see what you think. I am so thankful that I did when my son was 3 as now things are much easier for him and he is so much happier (which makes me happy). good luck
PS children are often picky at this age I had a couple of horribly picky kids ,again make less of the eating process, put the food down let him have plenty of time to eat, and get on with something else..
Yes you are right they do get caught up and its good that you see some help in how to cope to help him,could be a good thing. it is easy to be stressed out, yelling children will do that ...I always found if I took a step back, let it go I did better , sometimes the more we make of it the more it will become .I hope you dear boy does not have autism .The hectic schedule isn't helping you or him is there a way you can adjust that ,I have always found that if you get up earlier in the morning so there is plenty of time to get ready it helps, children hate the morning rush Good luck I like your attitude ....
You're probably right that I caused the tantrum, he can usually get what he wants and my stubborness on top of his new hectic schedule of 745am-1045am at the ppcd preschool program and daycare until 5:30pm... He was pooped out and I was stressed out. I will contact my EAP about parenting help or counseling for parents dealing with special needs kids. Thanks fir that suggestion. I think as parents we get so caught up in trying to find help for our kids when the best help is for them to have healthy happy parents. Thanks and God Bless!
It sounds as if you instigated the tantrum and I have to agree with your husband .,you say you don't want' to mistreat him so maybe some child/parenting counseling help would be good ..I understand your concern but it also sounds as if you are not coping with him so some help is needed .If the pediatrician doesnt seem to think its autism you can always get a second opinion ..good luck
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Pediatrics Community
Fearing autism, many parents aren't vaccinating their kids. Can doctors reverse this dangerous trend?
Is a gluten-free diet right for you?
We answer your top questions about the flu vaccine.
Learn which over-the-counter medicines are safe for you and your baby
Yummy eats that will keep your child healthy and happy
Healing home remedies for common ailments
