What is the real difference between ADD,ADHD,AUTISTIC etc

[Playball]

and just a very lively boy.

My son is now 3 and 5 months. Lots of people and friends tell me that when Kids pass 4 o'clock they becaome tired and go quite hyper and manic etc.

I have a little boy that acts this way all day from the moment he wakes. He is so loud and and bangs everything so loudly too. I really can not see any difference in him from the moment he gets up to the moment he goes to bed.

I have looked at so many websites but they do not really difine symptons. ANyone know?

[Chandra]

Luckylady, my child is not autistic but my nephew is.

Just in the last year I have heard a bit too many people worrying about their children being autistic, people saying that other's people's children might be, etc. But what annoys me is not that they worry bout their children (which is a perfectly normal quality of every parent) but people saying some child might be for reasons as simple and common as the child being a bit meethodic or because he doesn't speak as much as his sister even when the poor kid is barely 2 years old. Then you ask "is s/he pointing" and they say... Of course s/he is, but what relevance does pointing have? [rolls eyes]

[mytwopenceworth]

and theres the PDD assesssment

and CARS (childhood autism rating scale) is quite useful. i found this sample but you'd have to ask for the full one.

[mytwopenceworth]

chat:

THE CHAT
To be used by GPs or Health Visitors during the 18 month developmental check-up.
Child?s name:................................. Date of birth:............... Age:................
Child?s address:................................................. Phone number: ................
SECTION A: ASK PARENT:

1. Does your child enjoy being swung, bounced on your knee, etc? YES NO
2. Does your child take an interest in other children? YES NO
3. Does your child like climbing on things, such as up stairs? YES NO
4. Does your child enjoy playing peek-a-boo/hide-and-seek? YES NO
5. Does your child ever PRETEND, for example, to make a cup of tea using a toy cup and teapot, or pretend other things? YES NO
6. Does your child ever use his/her index finger to point, to ASK for something? YES NO
7. Does your child ever use his/her index finger to point, to indicate INTEREST in something? YES NO
8. Can your child play properly with small toys (eg. cars or bricks) without just mouthing, fiddling or dropping them? YES NO
9. Does your child ever bring objects over to you (parent) to SHOW you something? YES NO

SECTION B: GP OR HV OBSERVATION:
i. During the appointment, has the child made eye contact with you? YES NO
ii. Get child?s attention, then point across the room at an interesting object and say ?Oh look! There?s a (name of toy)!? Watch child?s face. Does the child look across to see what you are pointing at? YES NO*
iii. Get the child?s attention, then give child a miniature toy cup and teapot and say ?Can you make a cup of tea?? Does the child pretend to pour out tea, drink it, etc? YES NO**
iv. Say to the child ?Where?s the light??, or ?Show me the light?. Does the child POINT with his/her index finger at the light? YES NO*
v. Can the child build a tower of bricks? (If so how many?)(Number of bricks:.............) YES NO

* (To record YES on this item, ensure the child has not simply looked at your hand, but has actually looked at the object you are pointing at.)
** (If you can elicit an example of pretending in some other game, score a YES on this item.)
* (Repeat this with ?Where?s the teddy?? or some other unreachable object, if child does not understand the word ?light?. To record YES on this item, the child must have looked up at your face around the time of pointing.)

[luckylady74]

chandra - is this because , like me, you have a child with autism that youbelieve there is an epidemy of using the word autism or that you believe that there is misdiagnosistaking place? just interested because every time another school run mum says ni think my dh is autistic or says their child has autistic traits i want them to come and live in my house for 24 hours lol!

[luckylady74]

you are far better to post this in the special needs section where posters have lots of experience of this, but might need a few more details!

[Chandra]

Enough difference as to make it difficult to describe it in a post. If you are concerned it will be a good idea to talk to your doctor.

I can not speak for ADD, ADHD or perhaps not even for autism, but there's a basic test for autism that can give you some pointers (It's called CHAT test, I believe). For what is worth, I think there's an epidemy of people using the term autism far too often with full ignorance of what autism entails, so don't worry much about it, google "CHAT Test" and take it from there.

[Playball]

Hiya What do you mean the diagnoses is different in the US.