[mamaof5boys]

<p>Just looking for some support from other parents that have been through this <span><img alt="redface.gif" src="http://files.mothering.com/images/smilies/redface.gif">  My 3 1/2 year old in the last month has been having really significant episodes where he wants something, and when he doesn't get it he screams, kicks, hits, for up to an hour.  There is absolutely no distracting him at this point.  That's the thing that worries me.  He totally fixates on the thing he wants and won't let it go.  An example is the other day we were in the car heading out and he informed me that he wanted his Halloween mask.  When I explained to him that we couldn't go home to get it, that we would get it as soon as we got home, he freaked and screamed.  We were going to a fun place with lots of dress up costumes that they love, but nothing mattered.  He continued to scream all the way to the building, through the building, and was finally distracted after being there for 15 minutes or so. </span></p>
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<p><span>He was pretty small when he was born, I had some bleeding from the placenta during pregnancy, but never needed anything after he was born, and he had reflux as a baby.  Other than that he has developed normally, has eye contact, is social, however, he does have a little bit more delayed speech than his twin, but I don't think anything that would be considered "delayed".  My concern is that we have a history or mental illness in our family, and an older brother that has PDD-NOS (although he's really nothing like this brother).</span>  I have thought about the possibility of his older brother's behavior influencing the meltdowns.  If he didn't have an older brother with a dx I probably wouldn't be as concerned, but I think that just comes with the territory.</p>
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<p>What do you all think?  Please give me your feedback!  I would love to hear if you've had similar experiences.  None of my other kids fixate and scream for so long... between the two of them with all the screaming it's driving me crazy.  Thanks!</p>

 

[SilverLace]

<p>I wasn't in my stepson's life when he was 3.5, but my DH says hour long tantrums were not uncommon (and exhausting).  My ss has an ASD and ADHD.</p>
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<p>I've seen kids be crabby for an hour or more, but not outright tantruming for that long.</p>

 

[Emmeline II]

<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>SilverLace</strong> <a href="/community/forum/thread/1281353/would-this-concern-you#post_16068847"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p>...my DH says hour long tantrums were not uncommon (and exhausting).  My ss has an ASD and ADHD.</p>
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<p>I've seen kids be crabby for an hour or more, but not outright tantruming for that long.</p>
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<br><br><p>I went through this with my son who is also diagnosed ADHD and has a tentative ASD diagnosis. I would address it now, before he is school age.</p>

 

[mamaof5boys]

<p>Thanks so much for the replies.  I guess the reason I'm on the fence with this DS is because my other DS was very difficult from birth.  He had huge sensory issues, and difficulty interacting socially- more on par with an ASD diagnosis.  My 3 year old is for the most part a happy, easy going kid, no social issues that I know of.  My only concern is the screaming and maybe some speech delay.  The preschool teachers have never had any issues at school either... I think our insurance might cover an eval at an autism clinic. </p>
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<p>Did your kids have more symptoms at this age other than the screaming meltdowns? </p>

 

[sbgrace]

<p>My pdd-nos child did (does still but much more manageable now) this at that age. However, mine had more symptoms, yes and any child on the spectrum would. Honestly, i don't know what specifically at that age as he was diagnosed at 2.5 and by that time I wasn't really thinking about this or that being spectrum, you know?  I know his nonverbal communication has never been entirely typical. I imagine at that age he still wasn't shrugging his shoulders for "I don't know" and his waving is still awkward and sporadic. That sort of thing. The other stuff for my son was more subtle and difficult to explain though you might know what I'm talking about given your other child. He didn't reference us (check with us visually for assurance or is this ok?) as a typical child would for example. But I will say that these sort of subtle things seemed more obvious because of his twin so I think you would see them. His twin was communicating wonderfully nonverbally when neither of them were talking for example. He just naturally read, used himself, and responded to those nonverbal signals (facial expressions, gestures, etc.) in a way his twin didn't do naturally. I think my son would have been your son's age in these videos <a href="http://blip.tv/file/486008" target="_blank">http://blip.tv/file/486008</a> This one is shorter and this one longer  <a href="http://blip.tv/file/485574" target="_blank">http://blip.tv/file/485574</a>. Actually, he would have been just past 3.5 in those videos. He's using some nonverbals at this point but I'm exaggerating and emphasizing mine and notice how little he's actually referencing me. Hardly at all in either video. I'm doing a lot of the work for communication here.  A typical child we be doing a lot more looking at the "thing" then to me, then to thing, etc. A typical child (even if they couldn't talk much) would have been able to hold up his part of this interaction in a way my spectrum son didn't. I wish I had done these videos with his twin back when! This is autism therapy (RDI) assignment so at the time I never thought to video both kids.</p>
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<p>The difficulty is that children on the spectrum can look so incredibly different. So if this child is "spectrumy" he might not look like his brother. But there would be issues in the spectrum areas still.</p>
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<p>Have you seen this? You might try it and see if he does have other signs. <a href="http://www.childbrain.com/pddq6.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.childbrain.com/pddq6.shtml</a> If he screens possibly spectrum on that I'd probably look into an assessment. However, a melt down prone child alone doesn't indicate spectrum to me.</p>