Expert: Catherine Ridenour - 9/10/2007

Question
My son Hayden is 4, he has had dev delays from birth. As a baby he did not respond to people. He did not respond to his name until he was almost 2, did not talk, point, babble etc. He started having very severe problems when we put him in daycare, so bad I had to take him to a child psychiatrist who diagnosed him with PDD and put him on Respirdol. The meds have worked, and he has been in occ and physical therapy. Speech therapy too. He can chatter now, but often makes no sense unless it is a very simple conversation(what do you want to eat), he doesn't hold converations appropriately, doesn't make eye contact.
He is starting to become more social but often is inappropriate(hitting, pinching). He doesn't pretend play but loves to have everything just so, it is obessive.
I feel the meds have worked wonders in his aggression and physical stims(hand flapping, rocking) but if you watch him closely he still does some. He says the word bootiebutt over and over again. He will not respond to some questions, and tantrums frequently esp with new routines.
I am concerned that the school will say he is not autistic.
He has a lot of sensory issues, will only eat certain foods, chews and spits out what he doesn't like.
He has never pretended to be spiderman but if another child he is used to being around tries to play he can for a little bit but must be watched. His speech is improving but his psych said she could tell expressive and reception issues along with a disorganized speech pattern. He did not make eye contact nor did he seek to share enjoyment with her. He also went off topic when she tried to converse with him and made no sense at times. He cannot tolerate change.
What do I do next? I have heard that ASD evals can miss it depending on who evals. A lot of professionals(ot/pt, psych, teacher) have noticed ASD traits.
Thanks, Corinn

Answer
Hi Corinn,

It does sound like your son has an autistic spectrum disorder. Technically, "pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified" PDD/NOS, is considered to be on that spectrum.

At this point, he is very likely to be diagnosed as autistic. But, even if he is not, the PDD/NOS diagnosis will entitle him to the same therapy for speech, social skills and food sensitivities.

Best wishes,
Catherine