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Discovering Pervasive Development Disorders
Finding Help for Special Needs Children By Debbie Vallejo, M. Ed.
Parenting is often a joyous, exciting, frustrating and scary proposition. From the day our children are born we are determined to create the best possible life for them. Days are filled with cameo moments: the first smile, first word, first step, first haircut. The list is never ending.
However, along with the cameos comes the worry. We wait with bated breath to make sure each "first" appears in a timely manner and blow out a sigh of relief when a developmental milestone is crossed and we can check it off our list.
Stacey's son Parker was just 17 months old when she began feeling concern about his development. Stacey, who asked that her last name be withheld, couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong, even when family and friends were telling her everything was fine.
Her concerns continued to grow as she researched more on developmental milestones and realized how far behind her son was. "Parker could only say two words and he stopped speaking those two words not long after I realized there was something wrong," says Stacey.
Other issues began emerging as Stacey spent months searching for answers. Parker would go "crazy" when his routine was changed, he never smiled and he would stare at the TV for hours if allowed. Stacey took Parker to an ear, nose and throat specialist to check his hearing in an attempt to eliminate possible issues. The ear, nose and throat doctor was the first one to validate Stacey's concerns. "His hearing was fine, but the doctor listened to me and said that he also thought there was a reason for concern," she says.
Two pediatricians and one developmental specialist later and Parker was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a pervasive developmental disorder in the same family as autism. "He was so young when we realized the problem that it was hard to find a doctor willing to diagnosis it," says Stacey. "The waiting was agony."