2 yrs after dx of PDD-NOS

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Don't have much time to get on here these days. Just peeking in to see how things are going. Don't know if anyone remembers me, but I just feel like posting an update because I feel like talking.

N is making lots of progress. Will be turning 5 soon.

Physically- Just learning how to throw a ball, has running speed and endurance of 2 yr old, but can swim well for his age. Thanks to all the therapies and classes, his posture is great and you wouldn't know he had any physical issues if you didn't look for them.

Socially - Enjoys playing with other kids now, especially ones he knows well. Doesn't always know how, but copies a lot, which is progress. A lot of moms tell me that their kids play really well with him or that their kids really like him, I think because he just goes with the flow.

Verbally - talks even more like an adult than ever, when he is around other adults. When he is around children he doesn't know, he will hardly say a peep. Or will repeat funny things they say and do, then laugh.

Emotionally - Laughs a lot more now, able to say when he is angry or sad, but has also said "I want to die" a few times when really upset, which is scary.

Sensory- Still licking clothes, chewing up paper, etc. Also does a lot a body contortions when excited. Not as sensitive to sounds since listening therapy.

so glad to hear of the improvements!

I am a newbie here but it sounds like your child is making pretty nice progress. And he will continue to make progress. My psych dx'ed me not that long ago with PDD-NOS based on my history and a few things that are apparent about me today (not Asperger's, its silly really all because I had a significant speech delay AND my social skills are pretty good overall... silly, I know). Even though I consider myself to be a basketcase LOL, I am still doing okay considering.. your child will continue to make improvements and there is a lot of hope.

re: saying "i want to die"....do you think he's parroting this from someone/some show he's seen ?..........if he's really upset & depressed, you *might* want to consider getting him in to see a therapist.

My two kids have spent the last year saying "We are going to DIE" after seeing "the Wild" ... I'd be surprised if it wasn't something he saw on TV

No, I'm pretty sure he hasn't seen anything on tv since he only watches certain dvds, all for kids. I don't know if he overheard someone saying it, but the fact is that he is under great emotional distress when he says it.

I don't think he has the same understanding of what it means to die, but I do think that he may be depressed. Before he started saying that, I tried to get my husband to approve therapy for him. Now my husband seems to take it a little more seriously, but we still haven't actually gotten him to sign off on it yet.

whether or not your child really understands the concept of death, or really wants to die is a question that needs to be researched.........if ,indeed, he's saying it when he's under extreme emotional distress, then at the very least he would benefit from learning some stress management techniques.
i was resistant to letting my son see a therapist initially. i wanted him to feel better, but honestly was insecure about what the therapist would " find out"........in the beginning, son didn't have an AS dx, and it was quite a struggle dealing with the therapist who couldn't understand why son's perspective of social situations was very askew ( everyone's out to get him, everyone hates him). after a few months, the therapist began to realize that son's dx didn't add up to all the symptoms he has. we researched AS on our own, and gave the info to his therapist who all of a sudden began to understand our son. she began to treat him as if his dx was AS, even though it was not officially at the time. ... eventually, we went for a neuropsych and got an official dx of AS.

I agree! I'm getting frustrated because she won't see him until she has signed permission from both parents.
My husband told me yesterday that he thinks the therapist that I have been trying to get him to approve had a "bad attitude," (just from speaking to her once on the phone), and when you talk to her, she speaks like someone's sweet old grandma.

It is very interesting that you were the one to bring the dx to the therapist. I did the same thing when we were in marriage counseling the last two times. Neither therapist had any idea what I was talking about.

you really have to do some research to find a good therapist who actually knows their arse from their elbow.....we found son's current therapist through our local autism society. although she primarily works with kids on the spectrum, she also works with kids with ADHD. she's been really great.