Two year old was diagnosed with PDD-NOS?

How likely is it to be misdiagnosed? I have been researching it all day and I just don’t feel like this is my son. I contacted early intervention because I was concerned due to a speech delay and he has been evaluated several times by different people. Now the person who evaluated him today tells me this and I just have a hard time believing it! Sure he tunes out a lot and has a lot of what I used to call “eccentric” behavior, but at the same time there are a lot of big things here that don’t add up. He is very affectionate. We usually stay 15-20 min in bed in the morning just cuddling and hugging. He rarely throws temper tantrums. He does “tune out” but he can also make a lot of eye contact and responds when he wants.

He just got a cold so he wasn't’t in the best of moods today. He had a rough night and didn't’t sleep well so maybe today he just wasn't’t in the mood to socialize with her! She mostly asked me questions and I don’t know if maybe I got some of the stuff wrong or described it incorrectly.

Example, she would ask if he ever flaps his arms and walks on his toes when he gets excited. My answer was yes, but it is not as if he does this all the time. Which of course I didn't’t say because I didn't’t know where she was going with these questions!!

I am going to ask for a second opinion by someone who isn't familiar with the case and who just evaluates him without asking me questions (especially now where I might be biased).

Do I sound like I am completely in denial? Or are these real concerns?

Is it normal for parents to feel like this is a LOAD OF CRAP!?

I apologize for my attitude I am just a nervous wreck.Two year old was diagnosed with PDD-NOS?
HI, I have 2 sons dx PDD.NOS and 1 dx autistic. My boys are 10, 5, and 4.

Before 6 PDD.NOS is very likely to be misdiagnosed. Many many kids look a bit quirky, some look very quirky in the preschool years and you would never ever know it.

My oldest son who is 10 when he was in kindergarten he was in a full inclusion regular ed. classroom that had 3 identified children in it, the other children that were identified included 1 selective mutism, 1 down's syndrome and 1 severely apraxic. In this class of 18, getting to know the parents of all the students since I drove everyday I came to find out by the end of the year that EIGHT students of 18 had been at one time diagnosed autistic. By the time my 10 yr old turned 7 his neurologist dropped him and said he grew out of the autistic spectrum. Others have said since that he is still PDD.NOS but it is up for debate. Autism is not something you grow out of either he was never on the autistic spectrum, or he still is and its just very very mild.

Autism and the autistic spectrum is not about a few symptoms. Both my dx PDD.NOS sons never flapped and never toe walked. My youngest son currently dx PDD.NOS, very social with speech delays I don't believe to be on the autistic spectrum at all. I am autistic, I recognize autism no matter how mild or severe its like a magnet and gravity takes over. My 4 yr old I believe to be bipolar. He had first been dx with ADHD @ 18 months, another catchall dx.

My sons went thru early intervention too. Unless you saw a neurologist nobody else can dx PDD.NOS. Go see a neurologist or a developmental doc and take whatever therapy they are willing to give him, esp. the speech.

Have you looked online at the MCHAT or the childbrain PDD assessment?
http://www.childbrain.com/pddassess.html

I find the childbrain to be very accurate. My sons score a 60 (10 yr old), 72 (autistic 5 yr old) and 50 (quirky 4 yr old). Scores of 0-50=no PDD, 50-100=mild. These numbers do change over time. My kids got worse betw 2-3.5 and then began improving. My oldest 2 sons @ their worst would have scored over 100. My youngest son, his highest score has been in the 50's.

ETA:
Yes his speech can be affecting his other scores. What I've found in my sons is that all 3 of them have deficits on all areas of the childbrain assessment. Each score at least 2 questions in the moderate range and 3 or more in the mild range for each section. If your son has nothing going on really except the speech section, then it doesn't hold water.

The big problem I have with the PDD diagnoses is that its usually all subjective. Other than my input on the childbrain assessment none of my kids have been tested for autism except my oldest had the GARS and CARS with results of none for CARS and possible for GARS, actually it was unlikely. Even to get into the autism program basically some degreed people observed them, asked questions and then decided ok they are autistic. Based on subjective opinion? Because none of mine meet the DSM-IV criteria either.

http://www.autism-world.com/index.php/20…
http://portal.wpspublish.com/portal/page…
Two nurses I know at the hospital I work at have children with Autism to different degrees of severity and both of their children were not definitively diagnosed until after 4 years of age.



I think it would be very difficult to diagnose a toddler at 2 with complete confidence of the diagnosis. Perhaps they see some characteristics that are concerning, this would be cause for the child to be evaluated over time to see if the symptoms or behaviors worsen or continue.



I would seek another opinion regardless. It is a difficult diagnosis to swallow and I can understand your frustration. However this is your baby, your child you should absolutely seek another opinion. Not necessarily to seek one until you get the answer you want but to make sure he is getting the best most accurate care possible.





I wish you the best of luck.Two year old was diagnosed with PDD-NOS?
please PLEASE tell me you had his hearing checked BEFORE you did these evaluations??





my son WAS case book ASD-NOS and so even tho we KNEW he heard 1st step was to check his hearing to "100% rule it out" turns out he had a 100% loss in his left ear and a 80% loss in his right.. it was corrected with a simple 30minute surgery and 4 mths later he is a 80% diffrent kid....



if his hearing has been done RECENTLY then yes i bet your child IS ASD-NOS, the NOS is the key, it pretty much means boarderline or grey area autisim... so your child with help might fall off the scale and become "normal" with early help.... but a "normal" 2 year old dosnt flap when nervious and NOS children do tend to like to cuddle but on THIER terms, same with eye contact...





of course the 1st reaction is NOT MY CHILD ... well that dr was full of bull.... we all want the normal perfect child who is smart and funny and talks in well rounded sentances.... but not all kids are "normal"



do get a second opinion.. im all for thoses,.... i wish we had when my son was younger we might have caught his deafness sooner becuse as of right now my almost 3 year old has the emotions and vocab o a SLOW 15mth old............ so yea lots of people think hes ASD. but i can see how far hes come ...........



so test test and when your done RE-Test again... then fight for EVERY drop of theapy you can get
You are so right for questioning this diagnosis!!! My son was in therapy for delayed development and during the therapy the parents would be in another room talking. I've heard about all the doctor "assessments" and they are so wrong.



Just give him any therapy offered and leave it at that. If you know he is ok, then likely he is. Moms know best. BTW - my "delayed" son is right on track......Two year old was diagnosed with PDD-NOS?
It could easily be misdiagnosed. You know your son better than the doctor's do, so you would have to make that decision on your own. Go see more doctors and tell them your concerns, if you really feel you must, but I wouldn't. Consider how overwhelmed your son must feel being prodded and poked and questioned by so many strange people. He's only two, and many two year olds flap their arms and walk on tippy toes. I know I did.



On the other hand, you might be in denial. And that's normal, and okay for you to feel that way. You have seen a lot of doctors, and you must be under tremendous pressure right now. That's okay. If only one doctor has even considered PDD-NOS as an option, then it is safe to say it was most likely misdiagnosed.





You're okay. I know you must be freaking out right now, and that's okay. Take a deep breath, set your son down for a nap, and settle in with a good book. Don't let your nerves run your life. Your son is only two, and it's hard to diagnose what's wrong with a person if the patient can't yet talk for themselves.





Don't worry too much. Just give your son the best childhood possible. Fill it with love, warmth, and a sense of security even if it turns out he has PDD NOS.



I hope I helped you. Really, though, you're going to be alright.