dyslexia...dysgraphia....dyspraxia.....stuttering....dyscalculics...... panic attacks.....constant fidgeting.....arthritis....huge working memory issues, freaky fast & frequent skin reactions not unlike allergic reactions to almost anything & highly emotional sensitivity and outbursts!! all appeared in the YEARS (approx started 6/7 yrs old ) before it was recognised that her blood showed off the scale levels of strepto lysm-0- connected with the bodies over production of antibodies in response to streptococuss strep infections. Until then my little girl was extremely advanced in all areas & certainly showed no traits of any autistic type tendencies or on the spectrum. Was speaking fluently before 1year old & always communicated well & absorbed information well but was a little clumsy when first learnt to walk, occasionally would fall for first few years. Wasn't treated until 10yrs old with penicillin V & it is believed that she may have been suffering from repeated strep infections over years & that is why many symptoms still remain over 3 years since her diagnosis & treatment. But are less evident now....the recovery is very slow & unsure whether will go away completely or if my youngster will have some symptoms forever with occasional peaking episodes. Most doctors know nothing about PANDAS at all & so, although you visit the doctors repeatedly they are clueless about your childs issues. Its only when incidents become medical emergencies that you might get to see a specialist whom may know something about this. My child callapsed a few times & was shaking & stuttering bad with panic attacks. Should be more awareness around PANDAS as children can be left with life-long disabilities from it & it definitely becomes a barrier for ANY learning at all. My child now has problems remembering anything & learning anything at school is a struggle. For a long time my child couldn't do simple adding up eg 2 and 2 is 4, yet as she'd learnt her tables parrot fashion by a very young age, she still knew these but couldn't apply them even in a simple sum. Yes, it does get that bad if left untreated. Children laugh & cry uncontrollably without any apparent trigger, loose all friends, get very angry and depressed & quite often stop eating. Its a very serious condition for some if untreated & some come close to death through refusing to eat & communicate at all. Early detection is the best prevention.....it could be just a sore throat for a couple of days or a cut or bite that hasn't healed well. A family member may be a strep carrier etc
