07-12-2008, 03:55 PM | #41 | |
Charon
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The point is, kids with developmental delays often have a package of issues. There is no reason to delay a diagnosis.
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07-12-2008, 04:14 PM | #42 |
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Parents know best
I think you can take a mixture of all these opinions/inputs. I guess that's truly what this whole board is for, but ultimately you are his parent and father. You and your wife know him better than anyone. It's tapping into those instincts and listening and observing that will help you come full circle. Which it sounds like you are doing. Your laid back approach just might have been the right thing and have saved a lot of needless worry, but now something (age, observations, even instinct) has made you feel like being more proactive. It sounds to me like you ARE paying great attention, and earlier urgency was unnecessary. And if something is amiss - don't beat yourself up over it, it's likely something you wouldn't have been able to prevent in any monumental way. You did say he imitates, shows emotion and gives and receives affection, that is leaps and bounds ahead of some disabled children. I agree with Cardiac a bit. I think therapists/doctors do tend to throw around titles and diagnostic opinions a little too much sometimes. The trouble with this is lots of times is that it is just that - an opinion. Autism, Asbergers, etc, are very hard to specifically diagnose and usually take years (and a lot of money). I am no expert, but I think the best thing I have learned about parenting so far is to trust myself more, and hone those special parenting instincts. I do believe they exist. If you think you should be more proactive now, then you probably should. Good for you.
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I am a philosophical Goldilocks, always looking for something neither too big nor too small, neither too hot nor too cold, something jussssst right. I'll send you a card from purgatory. - PaloAltoCougar Last edited by Gidget; 07-12-2008 at 04:18 PM. |
07-12-2008, 04:39 PM | #43 |
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Cardiac,
Have you spent much time around small children? You don't seem like you have. I've spent my whole life around countless ones. I have five children and dozens of nieces and nephews. My youngest are 7, 4 and two and a half. I visit their pre-schools and schools constantly. I'm the oldest of seven children. In my experience by two and a half a normal child is speaking in sentences, often somewhat complex ones, all the time repeating phrases they hear, and enunciating fairly well. They jabber constantly, in real English. This is what is NORMAL. If by two and a half a child is not even saying yes and no properly and nothing else, doctors and parents are being irresponsible if they don't have the child thoroughly checked out. I'd also be skeptical if some sort of therapy weren't recommended. Contrary to some suggestion here, there's more at stake here than utlimately learning to speak. These ages are irreplacable in a child's development arc.
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07-12-2008, 04:55 PM | #44 |
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Despite the protestations of everyone here, nobody seems to be a specialist in the area.
SU is claiming expertise now because he has lots of nieces and nephews and because he hangs around school zones with binocs. Here is a question for anyone (I don't know the answer).....what is the rate of occurrence for austism and ASD in children? If it is 1 in every 100, that is a really low probability. If it is 1 in 1000, that is even less. And if so, then it is fair to say that generally, paranoia is unfounded. The chances that your kid has any ASD is extremely remote. Again, it is not to say that your child should not be diagnosed or tested. But I agree that milestone paranoia is rampant in our generation. The thing that is skewing this discussion here is that there are 5 or 6 of us with kids in speech therapy (this includes me) or other developmental delays. Most people here also have advanced degrees. That doesn't make it the norm.
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07-12-2008, 05:17 PM | #45 | |
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Some of us are being explicit (Waters is the most extreme example) here so that folks like you and Cardiac don't mislead into complacency, when there are so many resources to help young children with developmental hiccups, or more serious problems. There didn't used to be antibiotics, now there are. Now we have sophisticated means of checking hearing, all kinds of things, and helping children learn to speak. There are developmental benefits to speaking at 2 and a half.
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07-12-2008, 05:51 PM | #46 | |
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Nobody has ever said to not enroll kids into therapy or classes, nor to avoid diagnoses. I have never once advised anyone to not seek medical advice. I believe it is you who is being misleading on this one. You also ignore Cardiac's reality....that misdiagnosis is not uncommon. I know at least 5 of my wife's friends that are worried their kids has autism. Why? One of the women read on the internet that if a kid likes to watch wheels spin, that the kid may have autism. And so one day, the mom noticed that the boy was playing with his train and looking at the wheels as he pushed the train along the track. Maybe I am just a rarity in that I happen to befriend or converse online with all the autistics in the country. Or maybe people need to chill out a bit and stop playing WebMD because their kid is shy. I say go with what a doc advises, not what anyone here advises (including myself). Despite your chest thumping, you know no more about this than anyone else here.
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07-12-2008, 05:58 PM | #47 |
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I think it's pretty well founded at this day and age that the definition of "NORMAL" when it comes to child milestones has an extremely wide range. Yes, everybody wants their children to be speaking complex sentences at 2 1/2, but when it doesn't happen I don't think your child qualifies as "behind" in development. Obviously, Levin is ready to take some action, and I think 2 1/2 is a perfect age to do so if he and his wife feel like it is the right thing to do. According to SU's expertise (his genius neices and nephews) my 2 1/2 year old would be developmentally challenged. Complacency is not the issue, no one wants to be complacent regarding their children's health, but not everyone parent needs the opinion of a Dr. to make them feel at ease. In this case, I think a Doctor's visit is in order, but I don't think "urgency" is warranted, that would just make a family anxious and overly worried, and most parents know that your children can feel that nervous and insecure energy, and it ususally isn't the healthiest environment to foster.
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07-12-2008, 06:09 PM | #48 |
Demiurge
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maybe some urgency is in order, because IF you want to do something, it can take a long time to get it started.
Waiting lists, etc. |
07-12-2008, 06:20 PM | #49 | |
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Our boy was bumped to the front of the list simply by virtue of being a preemie HOM, but the list was there, nonetheless. he gets speech therapy.
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07-12-2008, 06:20 PM | #50 |
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For clerical reason I can see why some urgency might be needed, but I just wanted to make the point that rushing to a diagnoses isn't the best route in my opinion. Ironic, that these waiting lists are likely partly caused by frantic parents looking over their kids shoulders to see if they're are wheel watching.
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I am a philosophical Goldilocks, always looking for something neither too big nor too small, neither too hot nor too cold, something jussssst right. I'll send you a card from purgatory. - PaloAltoCougar |
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