Pdd-nos

The first thing I would recommend is to contact FEAT (Families for Early Autism Treatment) at ###-###-#### or ____@____.com will send you a Parent's Handbook that will guide you step-by-step through these early months after your child's diagnosis. My son has had this diagnosis for over 5 years now, and I still refer to my FEAT handbook regularly (they send you an updated copy every year). There are fortunately many therapies available for treating autism spectrum disorders (which PDD-NOS is just another term for mild autism) but unfortunately most of them are not effective or of questionable effectiveness. FEAT will help you wade through the hundreds of people and companies and products that claim that they can cure your child, and they will direct you to the proven, scientifically based treatments that have been demonstrated over time to help our kids. That way you don't waste time and money doing treatments that are not likely to help your little boy. I personally can HIGHLY recommend Bridges Behavioral Language Systems if you are in the greater Sacramento area; they have brought my son from "severely autistic" at 2 and 3 years old, to now just barely meeting the criteria for autism at all (on the assessments that the school district, regional center, and our developmental pediatrician do on our son every 1 or 2 years, he is only one point away from being in the "non-autistic" range now, where as before Bridges he was in the "severely autistic" range). Their website is www.bridgesBLS.com . I will warn you though, that the regional center will probably not pay for more than 20 hours per week of therapy, and your son will most likely need 40 per week. You can get free therapy from the school district, but if you look at the outcomes over time for autistic kids in school district preschools versus 30-40 hour per week ABA therapy in-home, there is no question that the ABA therapy is vastly superior to what the school districts are able to offer our children. A full-time therapy program is also much more time-intensive on your part than a school district program, but if you are at all able to do it even for a year or two, it will improve the quality of your family's life and your son's future unimaginably. We live in a small house and drive old cars and do not go on vacations and my husband works two jobs (one full-time, another part-time) in order to pay for ABA therapy 40 hours a week (the regional center funds half) and it is worth every single penny we have spent over the last 5 years, a hundred times over. Finally, I would highly recommend the book "Facing Autism: Giving Parents Reasons for Hope and Guidance for Help" by Lynn Hamilton, and the website www.aboutautismlaw.com . Please feel free to email me if I can help in any way.
Best wishes,
A.

I saw someone mentioned Jenny McCarthy's info on a gluten-free/casein-free diet and the autism spectrum. I would take it seriously and read this:
http://www.gfcfdiet.com/Successstories.htm
Do you own research. Read as much as you can by searching online. Try "pdd-nos gluten celiac" or similar word combinations. It is worth it!! It is very likely you can help your son with diet no matter what the doctors tell you!
Good luck!

Our youngest son was diagnosed when he turned three years old. We had him evaluated by the Regional Center for the East Bay ###-###-####)and they gave us the diagnosis. I believe RCEB treats children up until the age of three but it wouldn't hurt to call them anyway to find out if there are any free services you can still receive from them. Our son gets behavioral therapy through them even though he is now over three. They could be a good resource regarding what regional center services are available in your county.

You can call your school district and have your child evaluated, too. Our son was evaluated by the Hayward School District and they quickly placed him in a preschool class that not only focuses on everyday preschool activities (sorting, coloring, tracing, etc.)but also works on the special skills he needs to improve in like socialization, play, sensory, and speech skills.

In my area, the Family Resource Network ###-###-#### was a great help in guiding me through all the services out there that are available in Alameda County for children with this diagnosis. Banana Childcare ###-###-#### is another Alameda Cty resource program for parents. I don't know if you live in Alameda Cty, but even if you don't, one of these programs can refer you to the program in your county. These programs also offer parent support groups and information meetings.

If your son has any speech therapy needs, you can probably get services thru your pediatrician & health insurance or contact CSU East Bay Communicative Disorders dept ###-###-####. They offer services for a reasonable price. The Scottish Rite Language Clinic in Oakland ###-###-#### offers free speech therapy but you have to get on a waiting list.

Jenny McCarthy's book "Louder Than Words" was a good resource for me regarding information on nutrition as well as many other areas that can help children on the spectrum.

I hope this info helps. You are not alone :). Good luck with everything.

Dear R., I love Happy Talkers School of Imagination in Dublin, they have a high teacher ratio and a wonderful program. Also, the Pediatric Motor Playground in Lafayette is excellent however a bit of a hike maybe. The Regional Center of the East Bay or your public school will be able to help you with the next steps... which is lots of intervention as much as possible. maybe a good fish oil tablet too :) Best of Luck!
http://www.childdevelopmentmedia.com/upload/pages/File/Au...

http://www.schoolofimagination.org/4.html

the following video shows the mission of happy talkers...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=63187560708787271...

http://www.wrightslaw.com/ a good resource

You have some great answers. PHP is a wonderful place for more information. Also, Golden Gate Regional Center in the East Bay but services all of the bay area and Community Gatepath in Burlingame are other resources.

Good morning,
I have worked with kids with PDD/NOS, autism etc. for over 13 years. There is alot of help out there. Where do you live? Is you son talking etc.. If you can let me know alittle I can try to get you some different information that might help. I will get some names of some books etc.. If you would like you can e-mail me at ____@____.com and let me know the best way to get ahold of you. Just remember there is alot of resourses out there.
J. Ledson

First he must have a formal diagnose and then the school district and regional center must provide proper education & therapies... I have 2 Autistic boys my self and I can assure you that you can get rid of that diagnose... it may not be easy, but it is possible!!! I also live here in MODESTO... if you wish to contact me, let me know and I can show you all the resources available in our area!!! Do not worry, your child will be fine!!!

Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

I sent you a personal message, but did not mention that Parents Helping Parents is an excellent resource. It is an organization that is staffed by people who have special needs kids themselves. They provide training, advice and education for parents of special needs kids. If your local school district is like mine, there will be a parents group for special needs kids sponsored by the school district as well. These are great places to connect with other parents with children like your own. You will find networking will be very helpful for finding out things you wouldn't know about otherwise. I wish I had done more of that early on when my son was diagnosed with pdd-nos.

NOW is the time to educate yourself and set up a support system. www.autismspeaks.org; autism-society.org; thehelpgroup.org is a start. You are starting on an adventure of a lifetime, be prepared by becoming aware of all your resources.

Good Luck!

Hi R.,
You might find it very helpful to join the Peninsula Parents of Special Needs Kids yahoo group. The group has over 600 member families who can help guide you through this process with a wealth of information, experience, resources and support. To join, send an email with a brief description to ____@____.com

Best wishes, R.

Hi R., I'm not sure where you're located but I would love for the community to be aware of a social skills group, "Connections" that my co-teacher and I facilitate in Portola Valley for 3-6 year olds.
Some children that we work with are on the spectrum and others are either "slow to warm" or have sensitivities regarding personal space, noise, etc.
I would be happy to share more with anyone who is interested and I can be reached directly at ____@____.com.

When my now 18 year old autistic son as about 4 a lot of parents with autistic spectrum children wanted the diagnosis pdd/nos becasue they didn't think it sounded as bad as "autistic". Then they realised that it was often easier to get services from the school districts and regional centers if they child has the diagnosis of "autism".

Remember that labels are made by man and not by "god". The purpose of labels is to point you in the right direction for help and get the maximum services you can. (speech therapy, occupational therapy, ABA (applied behavioral analysis))

The best book in "Let Me Hear Your Voice" by Catherine Maurice. Thanks to many parents who were in your shoes 10+ years ago, nowadays you can get regional centers and school districts to pay for programs like Mrs. Maurice describes.

As others said, contact FEAT (Sacramento) and Parents Helping Parents (php.com) (San Jose)

Assuming that you have had a formal diagnosis, with psycoeducational testing, take the report to your school district and ask for an IEP (Individual Education Plan) and see what preschool programs they have available for kids with PDD-NOS. With early intervention and educational support he should do fine. Some of these kids need OT (occupational therapy)and PT (Physical Therapy) for fine motor delays/sensory motor integration delays. Also, speech therapy is often needed.
The school should be able to provide what you need, if you act as an advocate for your child.

A little about me - I'm a mother of two - HS graduate and 6th grader - and am a Child and Adolescent psychiatrist practicing in Palo Alto.

I'm not sure where you are located, but if you are in the bay area contact Parents Helping Parents www.php.com. they have a lots of information and parent training and support. Also, get in contact with your school district ASAP and get the process started for determining whether he is eligible for any services through sepcial education. Please feel free to contact me directly as well.

http://www.dds.ca.gov/rc/RCLookup.cfm

Try the above link to look up the Regional Center in your county. They provide a variety of services to children and families with special needs, some up through adulthood. An assessment will be done to determine qulification. A caseworker will be assigned who can explain all the services your child will qualify for and for how long. They can provide support through parenting groups, respite, and advocacy. Some may help financially as well.

My 5 1/2 was just diagnosed with PDD-NOS as well. So far what I have learned is that therapy, therapy and more therapy seem to be what has been thrown at me. My son is in Speech, and OT. he has been since the age of two. Now that I have a diagnosis I want to change his therapy services to include an aide to help him socially. Perhaps you can get in touch with your counties office of education and get him into early intervention special day classes where they can begin on working in these areas. -J.