PDD-NOS

When Sydney was 21 months old, her pediatrician diagnosed her "moderately autistic". She told us she would never be able to be left without an adult, never be able to move out and pretty much need constant supervision and "help" her whole life. She learned a lot of things by following her sister Zipporah around, she would point at what she did, say what she did etc. I was unable to teach her, but she learned really well by mimicking her sister. As time went on, she improved in strides, like I mean big huge GIANT steps. I started questioning her diagnosis about 4 years ago when she was in preschool. By kindergarten, the teacher even told me, had they not been told, they never would have been able to pick her out as being the child with autism, and when people came into our home to work with her, I got the same reactions. I talked to the school councillor who was wanting me to not have her reassessed. He said that it didn't matter that she didn't use the aid that was put in the classroom for her, because that aid could be used for other children as well. But there was no way I was going to have her keep a diagnosis that wasn't right. What if there was something else, and I was dealing with her wrong because of her current moderately autistic diagnosis? He didn't seem to think it would do any harm keeping things as they were. Buy by the end of the year her teacher had requested her be reassessed and so that set thing in motion, though it has been a long slow process. A couple days ago I got a call and she has a new, fits her so much better, diagnosis is PDD-NOS. So she is on the autism spectrum but is a much milder, higher functioning autism. I would also say that I would be surprised if she didn't move out and live on her own and even start a family of her own. Academically she is brilliant. She is suspected as having a photographic memory of some sorts. We haven't got her tested for that, nor do we even know how, but sometimes its a bit amazing. Like with reading, to her each letter says its specific sound, so sounding out words is very difficult and almost impossible at times, because she can't see how each sound can blend. But if you just tell her the word, so knows it for good. I have never had to tell her a word twice, never. Her spelling test this year she has gotten 100% each week. All she has to do is right it on her list the beginning of the week and never look at it again and Friday 100%. crazy crazy. I think even in a few more years her social quirks will even be gone. She used to play alone and even though she still prefers it, she engages the kids at school and plays with others. This year (her grade 2 year) has been the best at socializing that I have seen her. There are just little things here and there, that probably only those of us that live with her even notice. It is actually quite awesome to see how she progresses in strides and how huge of leap she is now at 7.5 years of age, than she was at 21 months.