PDD-NOS possibly another disorder in 2 yr old?

My son just turned two last month. He has a diagnosis of PDD-NOS but at this point half the professionals/doctors/therapists think he does indeed have PDD-NOS and half don't.

We know our son is delayed and has sensory problems with how things feel ie: clothing, food etc. He will flap his arms sometimes as well. He is not saying any words, he makes lots of noises, yelling, screaming lol and babbles all the time. Just about the last month he did say one name and he will if we persist he will attempt to say up if he wants picked up. He wants to communicate so much and will get very frustrated when he can't tell us what he wants. He does know a few signs and babbles at us like he's carrying on a conversation. He seems to have really great mouth skills in terms of blowing bubbles, making noises, etc.



The reason we doubt the diagnosis is because he is so extremely social with adults and kids. He makes perfect eye contact as well as always wants hugs, kisses and loves being with us and playing with us. It really seems like the biggest issue is speech and understanding communication. He can't follow a one step directions unless we show him how to do it, he has had his hearing checked and it was perfect. He has to be shown things instead of told verbally. He is very active no motor skill problems and to be honest when my husband and I are out and about besides him seeming very active and not saying actual words people never believe us when we say he is on the Autism Spectrum.



Is it possible he just has a speech delay and the sensory issues cause it to appear like he has Autistic like behavior? I have a lot of sensory issues and I'm not on the spectrum. When kids have speech delays can they still understand and follow verbal directions?



He is still so young it's hard to tell what's going on but I'm telling you a diagnosis of speech delays and ADHD or something would always be better then Autism Spectrum. Plus I hate saying oh ya he's on the Autism Spectrum if he's not.PDD-NOS possibly another disorder in 2 yr old?
His speech delay can add to his stress level which can make it harder to deal with things that might usually only bother him a little bit.



Here are a few sites that you might try for speech help (I'm going to assume that you've already contacted Early Intervention for evaluations and therapy. If not, call your local school district and request that they evaluate him so that he can get speech services).



www.apraxia-kids.org This site explains what apraxia of speech is and also provides the link to join their email group which is a great resource for helping kids learn to speak regardless of whether or not they have apraxia as parents and therapists are always willing to offer help and suggestions. It's also a great place for "vent" and cry and rejoice with others who know what you're going through. Basically, though, apraxia is as if the wires from his brain are crossed--he knows what he wants to say, but can't because the message isn't getting to his mouth muscles properly.



www.do2learn.com provides both free and subscription pictures you can print out for PECS--picture exchange communication system. Basically, you can use theirs along with pictures you draw, cut out from ads or magazines or that you've taken and printed out to create posters and/or communication books (using 4 x 6 photo albums works nicely) that he can point to or bring to you to let you know what he wants, needs, feels, etc. This can help relieve his stress level (and yours) a lot.



All that being said, my son is now a teen and has high-functioning autism. He has always been loving, out going, social (without understanding others' social cues), etc. He has learned how to maintain eye contact (that was difficult for him), and he lost all his words (which weren't many) around 2-ish. Through miracles and a lot of work, he now talks so much I have to sometimes remind myself that I prayed for this. :-) !!!! He continues to progress so much. He went from not even being able to hum (though he adored music) to singing along with his favorite songs at the top of his lungs. So, even though it may seem odd that your son acts mostly "normal," but has been diagnosed with possible autism/PDD-NOS, he may have it, or he might not. For now, continue working on helping him improve his communication and try to help him learn to tolerate the things that bother him. That's another area where EI can really help.



Best wishes!PDD-NOS possibly another disorder in 2 yr old?
at this point the diagnosis does not matter as much as the treatment. With a serious language delay, time is of the essence and it needs to be addressed quickly and aggressively. If you get too hung up on not labeling him, you run the risk of losing out on essential services. Autism, PDD_NOS, sensory processing disorder, whatever. Get as much help as you can and push for more. The more work you put in now the better the outcome.



And FYI, not every autistic child will be anti-social. My son was diagnosed with autism at 18 months, but was a very loving, friendly child. But he did not talk, did not make eye contact, self stimulated, threw tantrums etc. We began therapy right away, and at age 8 he is almost at peer level, most of the time people don't realize he is at all different than any other kids his age. Only when you spend a lot of time with him, then you start to see his little quirks. Nothing major, just a little different.