MRI scan? Does it really need to be done?

[adrianna22]

Hi, my DS is four, has a severe language delay and has a recent diagnosis of autism....

I posted sometime during the week about my DS having to stop breathing while his asleep and confirmed by a doctor, it is sleep apnea.

Good news! my DS is being referred to ENT- But I do not want him or I'm scared if they would say he needs his tonsils taken out.

Also my DR, discovered that my DS fontanelle has not fully formed yet, so there is a gap and referred my DS to have an MRI scan... Does this really need to be done? I heard that the fontanelle would fully close when the child reached 6..

He also tutted and rolled his eyes when I told him my DS has been recently diagnosed with autism.

They don't hand out MRI scans like sweeties, I don't mean to scare you, but rather than autisum it could all be interlinked so an MRI could be important. They're really not that awful.

chocolatecakeystuff Thanks for replying. I think it's just the thought of him having an MRI scan is scary.

Dd1 had one at 3 years old. Quick GA, scan, wake up go home.

It's not as aweful as it sounds I promise, as lougle says, quick GA they're down for less than an hour, come round, eat.... go home xx

Why are you worried about the scan? It is the diagnosis that matters surely.

Hi- I'm worried that something may be actually wrong with his brain, due to the fact he fell down so many times when he was a baby and he was premature...

Oh that makes more sense, it sounded like you were worried about him having a scan, like it might be painful or something.

I hope all is well but it is worth checking and then if there is a problem the right help is more likely to be there.

it is much better to have the scan and know now whether or not there is anything structural that explains the issues. mri might not give all the answers but if they referred then it will be to help with diagnosis. it is scary for you but not a big deal really. it wont hurt.

I was worried about the results of our scan too - especially as they said we'd have to wait two weeks for the results... But actually when we got the results, and it had showed something (they phoned the next day) it was a huge weight off my mind to know what it was we were dealing with. Helped as she got older with statementing & other bits & bobs too.

If something comes up on the scan then that could be important in the support that you get as time goes on (eg a place in a speech unit). Any sort of testing is scary, the actual tests and the wait and worry, but ultimately it can shine a light on your child's issues and hopefully help them get support.

With ds they did an MRI along with genetic testing - the MRI was mostly normal, with some high signals, and it is thought that ds has a genetic condition, but we are now being referred back to neurology as well as genetics. The MRI was over very quickly, he had a general anaesthetic, the scan was done, he recovered on the ward and we were home in the afternoon.

A friend's ds had his tonsils and adenoids out due to sleep apnoea, he had been waking multiple times a night and stopping breathing - his adenoids were HUGE! It had caused him difficulties with swallowing, eating certain foods, speech, behaviour and learning. The difference in him since having the operation is enormous, he is leaping after a long time of really struggling.

Autistic tendencies, speech delay and delays, health issues (like sleep apnoea) and motor delays can all be caused by neurological issues (prematurity, brain injury etc). They can also occur in many genetic conditions - has your ds had blood tests done?

My ds had an MRI a few months ago when he was 18 months old. The procedure itself was fine and I really felt, if there was an issue, we needed to know what it was and what we could do about it.