My 3 1/2 year old niece was recently diagnosed with PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified). Her biggest issue is that she is 3 1/2 and doesn't talk very much, yet she seems to have an understanding of language. She mostly talks using one of two words at a time (example "mommy's food" etc). She is very intelligent and knows all of her letters, numbers (up to 30), shapes, and colors. She has an incredible memory too. One doctor said that she may even be reading books to herself. She also shows a lot empathy and love for all of her family members, and is getting better and better with dealing with strangers. She doesn't fall into the PDD characterization completely, which is was they are saying Not Otherwise Specified.
My dad (her grandfather) brought something to my attention tonight: he was over visiting with my niece and her dad (who is recently divorced from my sister) and noticed how tense my niece got when her dad was yelling at the tv while watching a sports game. My dad had a distinct memory of when my niece was 6 months old and crawling on the floor and collapsed to the ground when he dad started to yell while on the phone (he's a lawyer); this made my niece shake with fear. Her dad is a good dad to her, but he was a bad husband....and has many personal issues. He yells a lot. I'm sure that while he and my sister were still married, during my niece's first two years of development, he probably yelled every single day. He yelled at her mom, too.
Now, do you think that my niece's issues with speech could be a result of the this early life trauma?
Don't worry, my niece is currently seeing a speech therapist, an occupational therapist and goes to a special school - we are not seeking our answers through yahooanwers alone. This new idea of her being possibly traumatized by her dad's excessive yelling has got me thinking. It's sort of a sore subject, so I don't want to bring it up to my sister just yet. She's going through enough.
Thank you.Could my 3 1/2 year old niece have post traumatic stress disorder?
Could your niece have post traumatic stress disorder?
Yes, children can have PTSD. Situations where a person feels that they are unsafe or where they lack control over things can often be at the root of PTSD and her dad's erratic behaviour could certainly fit that.
Does this mean that the diagnosis of PDD-NOS is wrong?
Probably not. While PDD-NOS and PTSD may have some behaviours that overlap they are two distinct conditions. A diagnosis of PDD-NOS is not made lightly and your niece would have had to meet some specific criteria in order to qualify for the diagnosis. I think your niece's dramatic reaction to her father's yelling is more likely to be a combination of 2 things that are common to kids with PDDs:
1. Difficulty recognising facial expressions and emotions: My daughter (who has Asperger's, a mild PDD) has no trouble recognising the main emotions - happy, sad, angry etc but has a lot of difficulty recognising the more subtle emotions - frustration, annoyance, disappointment etc. Because she often fails to pick up on the social signals that someone is getting angry, when they do raise their voice it usually comes as a huge surprise and she often reacts badly to the situation. Your niece probably gets a big shock when her dad starts yelling as she is probably not seen the signs that he was getting worked up; this would be very unsettling for her.
2. Hearing sensitivity: Many children with PDDs are VERY sensitive to certain noises. My daughter is sensitive to a range of noises (not just loud noises) but raised voices are probably the worst. As a baby/toddler she would often fall to the floor or even throw-up at a sudden noise. As a 4 year old she has learnt to tolerate sounds better but she can still not cope with anyone yelling or raising their voice for any reason. If your niece has hearing sensitivity it is very important for anyone who spends time with her to understand just how difficult it is for her to cope with the constant bombardment of sound around her.
It is possible that PTSD could affect your niece's speech but probably not to the extent that you describe. It is far more likely that the speech issue are a result of her PDD (speech issues, exceptional memory, and concrete learning - numbers, colors, words etc are all common in kids with PDDs).Could my 3 1/2 year old niece have post traumatic stress disorder?
It is possible, definitely. Many children exposed to a lot of yelling and arguments around the house learn to tune out and it doesn't bother them. The sensitive ones tend to withdraw because they know something bad is happening and its scaring them, but they don't know how to make it stop. Being exposed to excessive yelling could have given her a slight complex with talking because if she has seen her mum get drowned out by her dad's yelling, then she may think theres no point talking if thats going to happen. Has she got any hearing problems? Thats the most common cause of speech problems. Or she might just not be ready to talk properly. My friend's little boy couldnt talk at almost four because every time he spoke he was told to be quiet or his mum couldnt hear him over the arguments, so he just gave up and stopped talking alltogether. He is now in school and has slight speech difficulties, he sounds tongue tied sometimes when he isn't, but he is a lot more confident since he has started talking. He just needed to be taught that its okay to talk, nobody is going to get mad and we will always listen to him.Could my 3 1/2 year old niece have post traumatic stress disorder?
sure -share your concerns with her shrink %26amp; pediatrician.
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