jelibean wrote:
Mmmm sounds to me like they all might be jellybeans to me! ( we call everyone on the Autistic spectrum a jellybean and neurotypicals marshmallows!)
The drug history is obviously worrying but maybe the parents were on the spectrum also? Just excacerbated by drugs? Just a thought. You sound as though you have your hands full but it is lovely to hear how you describe them all, you adore them obviously. Keep up the good work but I would be a little wary of labelling them marshmallows just yet!!
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
Oh, I'm open to the possibility, especially for the 2 boys: baby and 5 y/o. After following Meth exposed kids into teenagerhood, researchers are finding a LOT more out about the effects it had on them. They know a lot more than they did 5 years ago when we adopted our first meth baby. Since Meth, like Cocaine, screws with the dopamine receptors, sensory integration disorders are common among exposed kids and so is ADD/ADHD. There is also a risk for mental/congnitive deficits. A lot of meth-exposed children have autistic-type traits ie: stimming, sensory seeking and avoidance, meltdowns, ODD, etc. 4 y/o DD is very ODD and prone to meltdowns. 5 y/o is also prone to meltdowns, but the psych thinks they are mostly due to frustration due to MR.
I'm very concerned about the baby being on the spectrum(obviously not a problem for us, but a concern) due to his rigidity with behaviors and his routine and how he plays with his toys too. He reminds me so much of our bio DD as a baby. He gets so frustrated when he can't manipulate his toys to do what he wants them to do and will scream and cry, he HAS to be held in a specific way when drinking his bottle or he will fuss and refuse to eat, he has to be held a certain way for rocking to sleep as well(working on getting him down without rocking now and he's doing better, but conditions in the room have to be "ideal" and so does his mood). When playing with a familiar toy that isn't frustrating for him, he'll be content to play for very long periods of time(which is great for me). So ya, I've got my concerns. We had some concerns over motor development as well, but since visitation with birth-mom has ceased and his routine and environment are more stable, he's pulled out of the regressive state he was in and is now rolling over, creeping, and getting on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth. Crawling will come soon.