Expert: Catherine Ridenour - 12/19/2005

Question
My adopted child is now 10. He was a foster child. He was severly neglected for the first year of his life and failure to thrive. His pediatrician will not discuss the possiblity of autism, but after lots of reading and adventures, I'm wondering if this boy falls in the autism spectrum.He has always had sensory issues. I took him on my own to an OT familiar with SID. He rocks alot. Always has. He was a headbanger in his crib. Wore out three rocking horses and even now, he is in the rocking chair ,rocking. He turns on music with a certain rythym and rocks. He can zone out everything else when he is doing this and often falls asleep.He went to speech therapy at age three and talks fine. Communicates well. We are homeschooling because he was falling behind in school. The light were too bright, The kids made too much noise,too many people moving in the classroom. etc. He is going at his own pace and is doing ok. though he has a hard time retaining the things learned. If he wants to learn it, he can.He is ADD. Not on meds. He complains about food being too hot but has a high tolerance for pain. He likes to play with his friends but when he's ready for them to leave, he tells them. Lots of times, he just wants to be by himself.He was terrified of loud sounds and is still not comfortable with them.He is sensitive to clothing with too many restrictions.For example, I have a devil of a time getting him to wear a button up shirt.
Sorry this is so long. Are all these just sensory issues ? Or am I just a worring mother?  
Is this like the pediatircian says and "He's just being a boy."
We live about 30 minutes from Savannah Ga.

Thank you. Linda


Answer
Hi Linda,

No, you are not just a worrying mother.

Your son is showing symptoms of an autistic spectrum disorder. Rocking, hypersensitivity to sound, light, clothing and limited tolerance for people are ALL on the list. It is very important to know that no two individuals are affected in the same exact way which is why your doctor may not think there is a problem. However...

Pediatricians, until very recently, received no education about autism beyond the very severe form in which the child is not able to speak.  Many still believe that a child who can talk cannot be autistic.  This is out-dated information.

Autism is often mistaken for ADD or can exist along with it. Our daughter has Asperger's Syndrome as well as ADD.  Medication was and is very helpful for her. (She's now 20 and doing very well in college majoring in flute performance.)

To find a specialist to evaluate your child, call the nearesty University hospital or children's hospital.  I find some web references to Emory University in Atlanta.

Their psychology department might have some leads for you.

Below is a list of web sites that have more information.  Some are lists of resources, some are pure educational material.

Some people believe autism is evidence of mercury poisoning.  I'm not at all convinced this is so.  I mention this because one of the web sites is of that bias but I include it because it has great articles by Temple Grandin, herself a high-functioning autistic.

http://www.patientcenters.com/autism/news/resources.html

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/asperger.htm

http://www.autism.org/temple/meds.html

http://www.autism.org/

http://www.autismasperger.net/intro.htm

Best wishes,
Catherine