quote:

ORIGINAL: lusciouslips19

So I am dredging this wonderful thread up to check in. How has your child done this year? My son has matured. He no longer threatens to shoot everyone and himself. He has figured out his triggers and has permission to walk away when he is over-stimulated and about to blow. So he excuses himself to a quiet corner and reads or does homework. He hasnt had a meltdown in school since september. Success!!!!

quote:

ORIGINAL: sirsholly

This thread was my outlet for the nearly overwhelming frustration we felt when the LoudOne was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder last year.
Everyone was so encouraging and positive, sharing your experiences. You gave hope when at times i was too tired to see the positive. Now, it is my turn to perhaps give encouragement to someone. An update:

The LoudOne was diagnosed at three with Autism as well as Oppositional Defiant Disorder. The ODD diagnosis was due to the violent behavior he would display when he became frustrated. At three he is a big kid and was beginning to do harm.

One the many, many things the Ph.D suggested was the Feingold diet. http://www.feingold.org/
Loosly put, it is a method of eliminating dyes, additives and preservitives from the diet. It is highly recommended for children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD but also suggested for behavioral issues irregardless of the diagnosis.  The most commonly mentioned culprit is Red Dye #40, so i focused on that to begin with (not as easy as you might think. Red Dye #40 is even found in white cake frosting). Within 2 days without this and most dyes, the change is the LO was noticeable. Within a week, i had a different child here.

I was able to pinpoint the allergy to dyes only. Additives and preservatives had no noticeable effect on his behavior. The main problem is the red dye, but green dyes also cause his behavior to be altered.

I waited a few months before going back to the diagnosing doctor. Truthfully, i was afraid he was going to think i was telling him i "cured" the LO's Autism, or, at the very least, was in denial. Neither happened. The Dr spend a great deal of time interacting with the LO, and kept referring back to his previous notes. After an hour he readily admitted there was a mis-diagnosis.

We are not out of the woods. The chances are very high that there will be a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD in a few years. That is expected and we will deal with it when/if it comes.

The reason i am writing this...there are entirely too many labels being tossed onto our kids. I am not blaming the Dr that diagnosed the LO...he worked with what he saw and the information we gave him and his diagnosis was correct for the behavior he witnessed. Thank God, the doctor and the contributors in this thread were encouraging about how detrimental additives in the diet can be.

I am not a nutrition expert, or an expert in anything, for that matter. What we did was by trial and plenty of errors.

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ORIGINAL: MonicaLeigh
But moms and dads, there is hope that things can get better. I remember when i got diagnosed, the doctors told me not to have high expectations and pretty much insinuated that i was a hopeless case. But i am now 19 and have come off of all 5 medications and am functioning in the real world and i found happiness.. Never give up hope.