2Yr 2Mo. Old Son Diagnosd with ASD...what Now?

I think Carrie might have been confused. The Out of Sync Child was written by Carol Stock Kranowitz, and is a book about Sensory Processing Disorder.
Tony Attwood is the author of The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome, and some other Asperger's books. He also wrote a cognitive behavior therapy book about managing anger.

Added: My mistake, I misread Carrie's post. I see now that she recommended Tony Attwood's book 1st, and that The Out of Sync Child was in 2nd place.

While it might be worth looking into, as well as fish oil etc., probably the best thing you can do is to advocate for him and make sure he will receive any & all services available to him: OT, speech, PT, etc whatever he needs.
In other words, invest your energy into the things we KNOW will help first, then add in the things that MAY help.
Don't be lured by smoke & mirrors, theories and hunches.
Early Intervention services are amazing from what I've seen in friends' kids.
Ask your pediatrician for resources as well.
Good luck & God Bless.

Hi M., my fave book on the subject of parenting a child on the spectrum is Then Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You knew, by Ellen Notbohm, who is not a professional in the field, just a mom. I'm sure she's written other things as well.

Keep posting, there are many many Moms here with wonderful experience and ideas, not sure WHERE they are TODAY?! tehehe

I'm sure you will completely immerse yourself in information, freak out a few times, then come to peace with your own ideas of what's best for your child.

Keep us posted!

:)

Holly Robinson Peete wrote a book about her son and his diet.
http://www.amazon.com/Not-My-Boy-Familys-Journey/dp/14013...

This one has won awards
http://www.amazon.com/Things-Every-Child-Autism-Wishes/dp...

I believe Jenny McCarthy has one too.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_26?url=search-al...

Hi there! My son was evaluated at 18 mos. and diagnosed at two as well. Here are some resources that helped me:

www.kennedykrieger.org
www.autismspeaks.org
http://www.ianproject.org/
http://www.autism-society.org/

As far as the diet, from my perspective, I have chosen not to go this route with my son. Every child on the spectrum is so different in my experience and different things work and don't work on a day to day basis sometimes! My godmother has worked with special needs children and in special education for thirty plus years, and shared with me that the diet might be helpful for children that have what's called "autism stomach". Not sure exactly what that is. In short, it never hurts to try different things, just do your due dilligence and talk to other parents to get different perspectives
Hope this helps! You should find out what resources are available in your county and reach out to other parents, I have found that connecting with others brings new resources and opportunities I otherwise would not have found on my own.

My son was diagnosed at age 3. He has done fabulous with a Dairy Free/Gluten Free Diet/Soy Free diet. He also has other food and airborne allergies which effect him. We see a DAN doctor (Defeat Autism Now!). He takes many supplements which help his body get what it needs to develop. If you're looking for more information, you can go to www.generationrescue.org. That's the website that Jenny McCarthy created. It has tons of great resources.
My son is now a mainstreamed kindergartner and is doing very well. I hope you find the right combination of diet, services, etc. for your child!
M.

Check out the National Autism Association website; lots of good resources there. I've also seen kids helped by getting the chemicals out of the home and off the body. Happy to email testimonials or more info. Good luck to you and your little guy!
www.saferforyourhome.com

My son was diagnosed at 19 months. (That was two years ago.)

We tried GFCF for a while. (I had to do the diet too since he was still nursing.) The only thing to do is give it a shot and see if there's any change in his behavior. It didnt do anything for us, but trying the diet was ^something^ I could do. I was desperate for what I could do.

Jump on early intervention with both feet. They shuffle you off to the public school system at the third birthday. Get what you can now.

I have lots more I could share,,,,, Feel free to PM me if you want GFCF suggestions or thoughts on therapy options, or just to vent.

Best of luck to you and your little man.

I don't know about diets because my son will only eat certain foods served specific ways, but I can offer some other suggestions that our health care team says have made a big difference for our son. Get involved in social activities early- MOMS Club, preschool, playgroups etc.Even if this seems challenging at first, it will pay off in the long run. Encourage fine motor skills with toys like Legos, Lincoln Logs and Kid K'Nex. Regular play with these toys will help your son be ready for school skills like writing. Find a class that works his gross motor skills- my son loved My Gym where they worked on balance, hand-eye coordination and self-confidence (as well as waiting in line for your turn). When he he is ready (as early as age 4 or 5), a counselor may be very useful in helping him cope with anger and frustration. Some professionals claim counseling does not help with ASD, but we've seen a HUGE change in our son. Create a fort or other special safe place for him. We turned a corner of our sons closet into a nest of blankets and stuffed animals and books. He loved it so much he slept there for a couple of weeks :). Most importantly, relax. Anxiety is common in ASD kids and they are very sensitive to our moods. You've been given this special little guy for a reason, and he is lucky to have a mom who has worked to get an early diagnosis and is ready to jump in and help him!

My son was dx'ed at about age 5. The only thing I wish I could go back and change would be for Early Intervention when he was younger.

You will find a million and one diet and supplement suggestions out there. When making decisions, just keep in mind that NONE of these have been successfully proven on a large scale when using the scientific method. That does not mean that none of them have helped any children, but do keep it all in perspective.

In my non-credentialed opinion and parental experience, behavior modification is the ultimate key. Various therapies (in our case speech - for pragmatics, not articulation - and occupational, with a bit of psych) have helped along the way.

The best print resource imo is Tony Attwood's book, with The Out of Sync Child as a close second place. I'd recommend becoming as familiar as possible with the disorder and how it SPECIFICALLY affects YOUR child before implementing any dietary changes so you can pinpoint the manifestations you want to focus on and accurately measure the improvement or progression of those behaviors, rather than throwing a bunch of spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.