Do you think she is autism?

mommy7x

mommy7x

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Hey, I have an question to anyone of you who have deaf child with autism, or whoever have experiences or work with deaf autism. I've been so wonder if my daughter has autism?

I have had speak with her doctor, explaining to him and he said it'll be hard to tell because she is deaf but will refer my daughter to OSHU (Oregon State Hospital Unit), so now she is on waitlist, been waiting for 3 months, I am afraid if they have no experience with deaf autism. Anyway they will evaluation my daughter to see if she is autism.

but would like to hear from your opinions.

So here about her, she gonna be 3 in two weeks. I've been struggle with her for long time, she is very hard kid! She would just run across street all the times without look for cars, she don't understand what I was trying to say.. She ignored me, look down.

She hates many foods, won't try most of foods. She only eat very few foods, likes to eat some always same foods. I tried many different foods, she refused eat them.

She always throw temper tantrums all the times if not get her way. I never give up and get her way at all, for a year now, and she still throw temper tantrums. Throw things, try to damage things. I did put her timeout all the times for a year, nothing works. Also she hurts herself a lot, always bited her own arms or legs too hard, and slapped herself on her head a lot everyday..Sometimes when she don't have patience when I told her to wait, then she slapped her head.

She always flipping her hands and kicks while sitting in carseat, acting like a baby. She really hates to wear shoes that long. She took socks and shoes off everytime got in car, restaurant, store..she took them off and throw it. must be barefoot. I tried to put back on, she would scream and fighting with me, kicking.. It been like that for a year.

She don't really play with kids, she only playing with my son (her big brother) who is 3 years older than her. But she loves to kiss and hugs a lot with everybody.

She screams everyday for no reason, at stores and restaurant, any public..many people stared at us, or distract at her. They told me she is very LOUD voice, hurt their ears. I tried to stop my daughter for scream, she just don't understand.

She only know very few words, maybe at least 10-15 words. She walked late 14 months old, finally potty training last month almost 3 years old but not fully potty training yet, tho.

She don't make eyes contact with people or me when we tried to talk to her. She just ignored us, stared at something and frozen..or walking away. my friend talked to her, she turn around and walk away. my friend was like huh?..I said sorry, i have no idea why she dont want to look at u. lol I told daughter to look at friend, friend want to talk to her. She wont make eyes contact with me. look away from me too.

She slapped her big brother's head all the times for no reason. I told her, don't hurt him, she fast ignored me. And slapped more harder. I put her timeout. never stop.

I showed her which do she want, choose one of them. She just point at all at same time, or grab all same time. I was like no, pick one..this? or this? or that? She just don't understand, keep point all, want all same time. She don't know colors, I told her repeat..she still dont get it.

She doesn't communication much with us.

my son 6 years old, he is way different than her. He is fine, can communication, can understand me, knows ASL since he was baby, listens to me, never hurt himself or anything at all. He is just normal kid.
 
It certainly sounds as if she may be on the Autism
Spectrum. Does she have an appt set up with a specialist?
 
I know how hard it can be to be on a long waiting list, but for this specific situation you should not be waiting that long. Which area in Oregon are you from? You can get an evaluation through your school district. It should be immediate if not, at least a few weeks once you get past all the paperwork. Also, contacting autism centers in the state of Oregon will help. You could try contacting OSD and see what kind of Autism resources they have. the more resources you gather, the better! :) good luck!
 
mommy7x said:
Hey, I have an question to anyone of you who have deaf child with autism, or whoever have experiences or work with deaf autism. I've been so wonder if my daughter has autism?

I have had speak with her doctor, explaining to him and he said it'll be hard to tell because she is deaf but will refer my daughter to OSHU (Oregon State Hospital Unit), so now she is on waitlist, been waiting for 3 months, I am afraid if they have no experience with deaf autism. Anyway they will evaluation my daughter to see if she is autism.

but would like to hear from your opinions.

So here about her, she gonna be 3 in two weeks. I've been struggle with her for long time, she is very hard kid! She would just run across street all the times without look for cars, she don't understand what I was trying to say.. She ignored me, look down.

She hates many foods, won't try most of foods. She only eat very few foods, likes to eat some always same foods. I tried many different foods, she refused eat them.

She always throw temper tantrums all the times if not get her way. I never give up and get her way at all, for a year now, and she still throw temper tantrums. Throw things, try to damage things. I did put her timeout all the times for a year, nothing works. Also she hurts herself a lot, always bited her own arms or legs too hard, and slapped herself on her head a lot everyday..Sometimes when she don't have patience when I told her to wait, then she slapped her head.

She always flipping her hands and kicks while sitting in carseat, acting like a baby. She really hates to wear shoes that long. She took socks and shoes off everytime got in car, restaurant, store..she took them off and throw it. must be barefoot. I tried to put back on, she would scream and fighting with me, kicking.. It been like that for a year.

She don't really play with kids, she only playing with my son (her big brother) who is 3 years older than her. But she loves to kiss and hugs a lot with everybody.

She screams everyday for no reason, at stores and restaurant, any public..many people stared at us, or distract at her. They told me she is very LOUD voice, hurt their ears. I tried to stop my daughter for scream, she just don't understand.

She only know very few words, maybe at least 10-15 words. She walked late 14 months old, finally potty training last month almost 3 years old but not fully potty training yet, tho.

She don't make eyes contact with people or me when we tried to talk to her. She just ignored us, stared at something and frozen..or walking away. my friend talked to her, she turn around and walk away. my friend was like huh?..I said sorry, i have no idea why she dont want to look at u. lol I told daughter to look at friend, friend want to talk to her. She wont make eyes contact with me. look away from me too.

She slapped her big brother's head all the times for no reason. I told her, don't hurt him, she fast ignored me. And slapped more harder. I put her timeout. never stop.

I showed her which do she want, choose one of them. She just point at all at same time, or grab all same time. I was like no, pick one..this? or this? or that? She just don't understand, keep point all, want all same time. She don't know colors, I told her repeat..she still dont get it.

She doesn't communication much with us.

my son 6 years old, he is way different than her. He is fine, can communication, can understand me, knows ASL since he was baby, listens to me, never hurt himself or anything at all. He is just normal kid.
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It definitely sounds like your daughter is on the autism spectrum. All these symptoms are on the autism spectrum. I am not sure how it works over there in Oregon. Since you've mentioned that your daughter is on the waiting list at OSHU for the past 3 months - I would suggest you to keep her on the waiting list and when time comes, use that opportunity to get a 2nd opinion. In the meantime, while you're waiting, you can refer her to an autism/behavioral therapy specialist to tap in whatever resources they have there. I know, it is HARD. It is tiring. It is overwhelming. It is frustrating. It is draining your mentality, emotional state and it is a constant daily battle to be an advocate for your daughter while taking care of her.

You see, I'm a Deaf mother of a 12 (soon 13) years old Deaf/Autistic son. All I can say is, you will have to have a lot of patience with your daughter. Give her a lot of love. I know how hard it is, how challenging it is. My son has had a lot of symptoms like your daughter do have now. There are a lot of nights that I might be lucky enough to get at least 5-6 hours of sleep, much less for 8 hours of sleep. He, too, is a very nit-picky eater. He refuses to eat foods that are "wet" and only will eat "dry" foods. When he gets to have a meltdown, that's where I have to be aware of my surrounding because he will bite me or pinch me. I've learned to figure out what causes his meltdown and to avoid whatever triggers his meltdown. A strict routine is definitely a MUST. Without a routine, he is in a myraid of chaos and that makes it stressful and difficult for both of us day in and out. Most of the time, he is a well behaved child but as expected, there will be an "off" day for him to have a meltdown. With autism, they have a tendency to become obsessed with one thing after another. They will continue to repeat it as long as they can. I know, it drives me crazy but I've learned that when I go along with it, it gets easier. You might also want to take up on some reference on learning how to deal with an autism child. It is a lifelong process. Don't give up.

I've been fighting against the board of education to provide his means of accessible needs. Not to mention, it is very tough to find a good program that serves for BOTH needs (deaf/autism). I still haven't found one that I feel will meet my son's needs but however, the Deaf school has been really excellent at trying their best to provide the education and needs for my son.

Anyway, I wish all the best you can and please don't hesitate to ask any questions. I'm all for having a support system with parents that have deaf/autistic child or children. Hang in there.
 
CSign said:
It certainly sounds as if she may be on the Autism
Spectrum. Does she have an appt set up with a specialist?
Click to expand...

no, not yet, OSHU said they are waiting for my daughter's teacher fill out the paper rate her 1 to 5, my daughter will go to school as first day of school tomorrow, have to take times for teacher to getting to know her then rate her from what she seen her behavior at school from home.
 
ohhRowena said:
I know how hard it can be to be on a long waiting list, but for this specific situation you should not be waiting that long. Which area in Oregon are you from? You can get an evaluation through your school district. It should be immediate if not, at least a few weeks once you get past all the paperwork. Also, contacting autism centers in the state of Oregon will help. You could try contacting OSD and see what kind of Autism resources they have. the more resources you gather, the better! :) good luck!
Click to expand...

I am from Salem, Oregon. I finally contact OSD and WESD (williamette education service distract), she is from WESD for deaf programs. I didn't know they have autism specialist, so a lady will give me the forms to fill out soon. I can't wait. OSD said there a lady can help me to find one, OSD can't do anything because she isn't student at OSD yet, till 5 years old.
 
Wow, thanks for sharing yours. I guess she is autism, so after result if she is really autism, I couldn't wait to find some helps with her, or tell me how to deal with her. I've been patiently a lot with her than anyone could with her. When my mom babysat her, end up she text me to come get her hurry up, she has to do the chores but my daughter need attentions all the times, mess up the toys by pour the box and leave it there, refused to clean up. It really worn my mom out by trying to force her to clean up or timeout repeat, battling with her for very long time.

She kept woke up too early about 3am, I told her to go back to sleep. She freak out and crying hard, don't want to sleep. It happens everyday. I had to put gates fence in her door so she wouldn't leave the bedroom..because impossible to make her sleep or stay in bed. I know it sounds not nice to put fence/gate in the door.

Yes she hurts me too, kept biting me, beat me up.

I avoid whatever makes her angry..like I try to make her to choice which do she want..after she point all or try to grab them all same time, I took it back, and ask again again. She become went crazy, hurt herself, out of control! now I know I can't ask her to makes choose one anymore till later when she get little bit older, can understand more better? I don't know.

Yes she obsessed with one thing then another then another. She wants drink all the times, I kept said no, because she already had one, so if she is thristy again, then drink water but she doesn't want water, she want apple juice or orange juice, milk. She got out of control, beat me up a lot, throw things because I won't give her a drink. She won't give up bother me about drink or things.
 
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Is she not in an educational placement and receiving services based on the fact that she is deaf? It seems like there are some very visible concerns going on
With her, and I'm surprised your local educational agency hasn't assessed her further.

I'd be very cautious using physical responses to her actions. I understand it's difficult, and some situations may seem impossible. With that said though, you should really consult a professional about positive behavioral intervention- or ways that you can respond without (inadvertently) encouraging more physical behavior. While flicking her in the nose may seem to help in the short term, I question it's effectiveness in the long term.

Does she have a current appointment and is on a wait list? I'd contact them
Every week until you can get her in. I would also contact your LEA, and let them know of your concerns. They can conduct other assessments as well.
 
CSign said:
Is she not in an educational placement and receiving services based on the fact that she is deaf? It seems like there are some very visible concerns going on
With her, and I'm surprised your local educational agency hasn't assessed her further.
Click to expand...

Yes she was in school for every 2nd Thursday with me only for 3 hours..with deaf 2 years old kids. Now she will be in preschool.. Teacher noticed her behavior in school for a year, and she came here for home visit to work one on one with her for 45 minutes. She didn't say anything about behavior, till I finally bring it up about autism, and she finally said yes that's what she was suspect maybe, so told me to talk to Doctor for refer daughter to OSHU. So I did few months ago. They needs new teacher for preschool's rate on daughter's acting, her way etc on the paper. She's on waitlist.

I contact WESD today, they have one specialist who work with autism, they will send me the paper forms to fill out, and will do it quick for me.
 
mommy7x said:
She kept woke up too early about 3am, I told her to go back to sleep. She freak out and crying hard, don't want to sleep. It happens everyday. I had to put gates fence in her door so she wouldn't leave the bedroom..because impossible to make her sleep or stay in bed. I know it sounds not nice to put fence/gate in the door.
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Don't worry about trying to be nice. First, you need to think about her safety. My son couldn't stay in bed and, obviously, I couldn't hear. So, when he was younger, I had to install the latch deadbolt on the top part of the front/back door where he couldn't reach it to open the door. It was in fear if he was to open the door to get out of the house to wander out in the street during night time. He has done that twice and it scared me out. That's when I decided to put those latch deadbolt on the door. Now he's a bit older and is aware. He never leaves the house without me. However, he still absolutely show no fear of crossing the street or doesn't look over before proceeding to cross the street. That's something I still am working on with him.

Does she take a nap during the daytime? If so, How many hours of nap do you allow her to get each day? You might want to reduce her nap time in order to help her sleep better through the night time. It is not impossible to make her stay in bed. Yes, it will be repeative but the main thing is - consistency which means you have to stick to it and not to stop it. You might want to talk to her doctor about her sleeping habit.

My son had the same problem. When he was a toddler, He would go to bed at 9 pm and wake up at 11 pm - then, he wouldn't go to sleep until 5 or 6 am. By then, he would wake up at 7 or 8 am leaving both of us sleep deprived. So, the doctor had recommended to use melatonin to help him sleep. Melatonin is a hormone that helps to regulate sleep. It helps him sleep regularly. Also, I had to cut his nap time to keep him awake through the day. That's what helped too.

I avoid whatever makes her angry..like I try to make her to choice which do she want..after she point all or try to grab them all same time, I took it back, and ask again again. She become went crazy, hurt herself, out of control! now I know I can't ask her to makes choose one anymore till later when she get little bit older, can understand more better? I don't know.
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The reason she is going crazy, hurting herself and having a meltdown is because she is acting out of frustration. It reinforces her anger and she lashes out. You might want to try to adjust the list of choices. For example, give her 2 choices, not 3 or 4 or 5 choices. The more choice you give her, the more frustrated she becomes. Also make sure there is no distractions in the room or wherever you guys are at, that also somewhat helps lessens her frustration.

Yes she obsessed with one thing then another then another. She wants drink all the times, I kept said no, because she already had one, so if she is thristy again, then drink water but she doesn't want water, she want apple juice or orange juice, milk. She got out of control, beat me up a lot, throw things because I won't give her a drink. She won't give up bother me about drink or things.
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Believe me, I know how that is. It makes you feel like you want to pull your hair out, right? For me, my son is obsessed about trains, airplanes and boats. He will talk about it non-stop. When it comes to food, he is obsesed with salt and pepper. He will shake the bottle with his right hand and pour it on his left hand then lick it off from his left hand. Grrr. Whenever I take it away from him and tells him that it is "bad", he will throw a temper tantrum by trying to bite me or pinch me. What I do is use a behavioral chart that is posted on the wall with a happy smiley face and a sad pouty face picture. Under the happy smiley face - there are positive behavior pictures like, hugs, hand shake, "waving hello", and reward times (computer time, doodle time, favorite snack time). Under the sad pouty face - there's negative behavior pictures like, biting, pinching, hitting and throwing and the consequences are, timeouts, no computer time, no doodle time and stuff like that. Autistic children are visual and by showing them pictures, it helps them process the information better. It reinforces the idea of showing them what is wrong and what is right.

You also can use pictures to show your daughter what chairs, table, TV, etc looks like. She might be able to pick it off. This is called Pictural Exchange Communication System.
 
OHSU is an amazing place!! I hope you get it figured out, The waitlist can be pretty long. But it will be worth it in the end! I went there for many reasons as a kid. Not for autism or anything but I have seen so many children during the time i was there! Heard of a lot of wonderful programs there. Best of luck to you.
 
Jolie, Reason why I put gate on the door, because she would explored things, like makes so messy, she is full of surprises. And I don't trust my son and daughter to be alone together if I am sleep.

Yes she taking nap for 1-2 hours..sometimes no naptime.

Good idea about behavior charts. Did you do that with your son at 3 years old? I don't think she understand what's smile or sad face yet.

Today she was so bad in store, everytime we went to store, she always wanted to sit in the cart the where foods will be in, she don't want to sit on child seat with belt on. She fighting with me, kicking, scream when I tried to put her in child seat in the cart. People staring at us too long. It been like that for long time since, don't know why she never stop, if she should knew that I wouldn't let her sit in the cart with foods piles. She just continue trying to sit there, hope I'll give up someday or something. It been a long time. She always repeat things, begged me a lot. I tried to make her forget about it, to distract her to others, or gave her something different for her to do..or tried to play with her, she just push me away and keep on angrying. Even I tried to hold her, wanted her to sit on my lap, she only would sit on me for very short time then want me to let her go. She don't even like tv..but she always asked for cartoon, I put on, few minutes later, she left. Never watch tv more than 5 minutes.

Oh well, she seems normal to some people who only see her for short time. They don't see anything wrong with her. but if they spend time with her long, they'll see her behavior. She just met her new teacher today when I registeration, she talking to teacher about things repeat. She seems normal to teacher. I warned her, she was like umm ok will see when she go to class with her new teacher.
 
mommy7x said:
Jolie, Reason why I put gate on the door, because she would explored things, like makes so messy, she is full of surprises. And I don't trust my son and daughter to be alone together if I am sleep.

Yes she taking nap for 1-2 hours..sometimes no naptime.

Good idea about behavior charts. Did you do that with your son at 3 years old? I don't think she understand what's smile or sad face yet.
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Yes, I did that with my son when he was at that age. He at first didn't get it. He didn't understand the connection of why it was meant for. It took a long while for him to finally process the meaning of it.

At 3 years old, it will be challenging to get her to understand how behavioral charts works but if you're persistent with her, she might be able to pick up on from there and allow it to become a daily routine.

It's hard at that age. This is why you need to keep a strict daily routine to establish her well being. Keep on doing what you've been doing with her. Also, it is important that you and her father have to have the SAME rules and be on the same page. When you both have different rules, it will confuse her even more so to allow her become agitated.
 
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