Autism Question - Behavior Concern

It sounds like it could potentially be seizures that aren't the shaking kind. That is exactly what they are like, but if she was tested and does have them... That would be strange for a PDD-NOS, as it is usually with more severely affected individuals or those with autism and other disorders combined. It could just be her tuning you out because of her social/communication problems and she doens't want to hear you.

I have never heard of PDD-NOS but I did know a teenager who spaced out like you just decripted. She was diagnosed with a form of seisures though. Good luck in find out what the problem is. You must be terrified. I know I would be if it were my child.

as i have known, kids with autism are hard to catch attention, they have world of their own, but proper care and attention is needed to teach them to interact with others. your child needs special care dear, and she needs it from you, accept her for what she is and give all your love and attention, i know everything will be alright with your daughter,goodluck and happy parenting... salute to all mothers.

My son attended an IEP preschool for a severe speech disorder and he didn't understand directions when he first attended. I used to get so frustrated. The teacher suggested breaking the directions down. Something like put your coat on could be broken down into a bunch of steps. It sounds silly or so much harder for us. Or telling her to get in her car seat would be. Get in the car, sweetie. Now hop up onto your seat so mommy can fasten you in. Or asking them to pick something up. Would be. Walk over by the chair. Look at your feet. See the book. Pick it up. Now bring it to mommy so we can put it away. They just freeze because it is to hard for them to handle. It is like overload and it is easier to go away. At least in my case it was. My child wasn't ever diagnosed with anything specific but I've often wondered if he had more. He was born 10 weeks early and has always had a speech disorder. He was always behind on his motor skills, following directions. I worked and worked with him and finally got him in the IEP program and it did wonders for him and for me. I'm definitely not saying that following directions is her problem but if you notice that it happens a lot more when you are talking to her or asking her to do something, you could try breaking them down into a lot of steps. It really helped us so much!

My son does this, but has never been tested for seizure disorders. I had thought maybe they could be Petit Mal seizures, but at this point the doctor at the Autism clinic doesn't seem too concerned about his behavior. And almost every single test he's had at his clinic has come back negative or normal, so I have a pretty typical kid, so far as I know. (keeping my fingers crossed) I think we all space out from time to time, and so I try not to worry about it too much. I do hope it's not seizures, and I will keep an eye on it.

My son does that too. I remember when he was about 3, the doctor saying it could be absence seizures, but like you, we were tested and there was no seizure activity at all. We believe that it is his way of steppign back a bit when he feels overwhelmed. The situtaion you described - your daughter getting into the car - seems minor but could easily have overwhelmed her. There is the transition from the library to outside, then the transition from the outside to the car, then the different noise of outside, and trying to process your request at the same time. That's a lot going on, and she may have just needed some space. That's what our guy is like- it's kind of a retreat. With infants, when you are playing, they make eye contact and giggle at you ... but the first sign that they are getting overstimilated is when they look away ... I think this is just our kids way of 'looking away' by looking inside.

Hi Clownfish, how are you today? It's a big worry isn't it! I know what you mean as Bong does this, when I mentioned it to his special needs pead she didn't seem too concerned, I often have to yell before he realises I'm there waving my hand in front of his face, this can be really strange and I wonder what the effect of me having to do this to get through to him has. He often has bad headaches too, like migraines, which the community pead thinks may be stress induced so we have to go for a scan sometime, he said it may be part of the autism, and the zoning out may be connected but he wants a scan to make sure nothing else is wrong. He said he did not think there was anything serious to consider but I will feel better once a scan date comes through. I know this is not much help but at least you are not alone, I will watch the other responses and see if I can get a clearer view of it. I hope you can get some better ideas what it is and feel calmer about it really soon! hugs R***

I do not care what the tests came back, I still believe your daughter has seizures. I had the same kind of seizures when I was a child. If you really want to find help for your child I would suggest that you go to the web site for the Autism Research Institute. They have worlds of information about autism there. Also, you might very well consider joining the Yahoo group Autism Mercury. There are a lot of children who are no longer on the autism spectrum because of research done by people connected to these two web sites. There are a lot of parents and scientists who are doing great work on autism. My son is much improved by using the biomedical approach. We are chelating him and giving him supplements and he has greadually gotten better, but not yet well.

PDD-NOS is a neurogical disorder, and symptoms can range from mild to severe. Sometimes this diagnosis is given to very young children with limited communication skills who also show characteristics of autism. As the child's communication skills increases, other symptoms of autism may become more apparent. No two individuals diagnosed with PDD-NOS are alike. however, have some common characteristics: 1. Deficits in social behaviour. 2. Uneven skill development (strengths in some areas and delay in others) 3. Difficulty with changes in environment 4. Poorly developed speech and language comprehension & skills 5. Uncommon response to taste, sight, sound, smell and touch 6. Unusual likes and dislikes. The causes of PDD-NOS are still unknown. Medical community believe that the disability's origin is genetic and/or biological and affects brain function. [there are no factors in a child's upbringing that are responsible for PDD-NOS. Parents do not cause PDD-NOS] Treatment includes: 1. An early and accurate diagnosis 2. Specialized and intensive intervention, which may include educational, behavioral, occupational and speech therapy. I would suggest you to check more about this disability and take an opinion from the CARD (Centre for Autism and Related Disabilities) in Florida.

autism is otherwise a reality no one can ignore. some children with this syndrome often times want to get what they want. if they do not get it, he will hurt himself out of frustrations. he may not cry because of sensitivity to pain. as a parent, there should be a need of urgency to face with this matter. early diagnosis is very important so as to lessen the pain maybe incurred in the future. despite it's condition, if detected early and have been aided with medical help as i have said, it will reduce suffering to both parents and the kids.in one study a child who do not speak at the age of 3 can now speak at 13 because he has given some medical aids by professionals. don't fret over this. i know God gave you this special child because he knows you can take care of her more than others.

I think possible momtocryskal has it. I used to work in a day program with autistic and developmentally delayed adults, and often the few with autism would just zone out if it got too loud or they were asked complicated questions. It sounds like your daughter just got over stimulated. Try the one step program with her, it takes longer, but she will be better able to cope, and will eventually be able to take longer instructions. Good luck! It might help if you asked her to look at you before you gave her any instructions as well, so she is focusing on just one thing.

I know a child who is autistic, she is now 11 and started saying a few words last year. She also started to read. She used to have that blank expression on her face when talked to but not anymore! She is now a normal child who just talks differently.

My sister has slight autism. She outgrew some of it but still doesnt talk, wears diapers, eats baby food mostly and will be 21 in September. She has other things wrong too and is mentally only 3 yrs old. I did a report on autism for school a few years ago and my sister had a lot of the signs. I hope your child turns out okay. If not, there a lot of great support out there. I love my sister despite the fact she will never be normal.

how old is your daughter?my daughter is also diagnosed with very mild autism and im still in the stage of denial.. right now she's undergoing the occupational therapy and speech therapy for 5 months already,i see lot of improvements in her at her age (2years and 11 months old) she memorized the alphabet ,numbers (almost 1-20), shapes and colors..she can write letters like I , T , U , O , S , F , J , L , C. Before she diagnosed with autism, she doesn't have eye contact with the help of her therapist she can say what she wants with one or two words only..don't lose hope...everything has a reasons..good luck