Could it be more than GDD?

[anon1110]

Hi,

I prob post on here way too much as I constantly worry about my DS whos 3.4 now, we were told he has GDD and now he is getting older i'm wondering if there is more to it, can anyone give opinions on these

struggles to play with toys, has a gun, we said bang and then he uses it like a hammer! (thats just one example)
screams a lot (even goes up to people and screams in their faces)
repetitive turns light switches on and off, bangs doors constantly
very bad speech
cannot sit still at all
no sense of danger, constantly runs off
no empathy
very messy eater and shoves food in mouth all at one time
crys a lot

He does however give very good eye contact and lots of hugs and is a very happy boy. He is also toilet trained although he had regressed slightly due to us being away from him as his little sister is having health problems too.

We have an appointment to see the paed next month, so I will mention all this but am I just panicking or is this alarm bells ringing, I see other 3 year olds and my DS sticks out like a sore thumb next to them!

Often small kids are diagnosed with GDD, which then later gets refined to a more specific dx (for example ASD)

It may or may not be something more........ DS was given a dx of GDD at 2.5 but was referred for further assessment into ASD. He was diagnosed a year later with ASD and learning difficulties.

If you have concerns make a list of everything and take it with you when you see the paed.

yes I am going to write it all down, but last time we saw the paed he basically told me that einstein didnt talk til he was 5, so keep hoping he will catch up!

I have a new paed now though as that one has left so maybe he might shed some more light on things.

What Indigo said. Often GDD is a dx for develo

pmental conditions for which the cause cannot be found -yet. It can become clearer as the child gets older. With ds he made so much progress that he became very easy to asses and as such we discovered he had some severe problems we didn't know about. It's a hard job being the parent of a child with SN but you just have to keep seeking information to inform your decisions.

That Einstein thing is so rude.

Firstly, I don't think it's true that he didn't talk till late - just one of those urban myths that is conveniently bandied around.

Secondly, there's every chance that Einstein did have ASD (especially if he did really talk very late).

I would be really rude to that paed :)

One thing that takes a long time to come to terms with - is the profs are often not on our side. Many of them don't believe in 'labelling' children, and have no experience of SN. I mean they see a child in their surgery once every six months, but they have no idea what it's like to live with them day in, day out.

And they often have no experience of the Education system and what's available. That's just not part of their job.

He sounds sooo similar to my DS at that age, my DS is 6 and still has GDD, no ASD on the horizon.

Wise words from Indigo.

I agree that when children don't develop 'normally' they are given the GDD diagnosis until they are old enough to have more definitive tests done. It can take years, it can be a battle. You've just got to shout loud, make yourself heard and not give up.

I was also told not to 'label' my sons, although it was obvious from a very early age that they had significant eyesight problems. 7 years later (yes, 7!!) I have a 'probable' diagnosis for their eye problems, not their other problems.

Good luck. There's loads of great advice and experience on this SN board which has helped me beyond belief.

And finally, as cwtch says, write everything down. As you go through the system they will want to know - how was the pregnancy, birth, was oxygen given, when did you first notice problems, when did your child gain head control... you get the picture

timetoask how is your DS now, is he in mainstream school, is he well behaved etc, I need hope!!

it might be something else. ds was dx with gdd at 3.5. at 4 the nursery senco made a few discreet noises about asd which i dismissed as it didn't fit with my v limited knowledge of the condition.

now at six he is still very delayed but it is clear that he is also somewhere on the spectrum (still awaiting official dx -grrr).

he is quite "lively" and prone to the old meltdown over trivia but at heart a happy loving little chap who talks a lot (and sometimes even makes sense!) and tries to make friends wherever he goes.

Try to get signed up for an early bird course if you can. Ours masde me realise that ds was on a spectrum and was brilliant in terms of coming to terms with his SN by dint of being able to moan on endlessly discuss the problems with were having behavioural-wise