PANDAS symptoms V ASD

[LaurenK]

My son has both Aspergers and now a diagnosis of PANDAS. However, he had tics, OCD and anxiety before the PANDAS diagnosis. How can I tell these diseases apart. They overlap so much.

[LNN]

Response to Pandas treatments would be my criteria.

[airial95]

This is a question I often ask myself. My son's onset was the result of an impetigo infection at 19-20 months old. His detrioration started 3 weeks later. If it wasn't for our wonderful pediatrician who knew my son well enough before the deterioration to see the difference, our son most likely would've been given an ASD diagnosis (likely Aspbergers) and we would be in a MUCH different (and worse) place than we are now.

 

His presentation at 20 monhts old had many characteristics of autism. The key thing for our doc was that at his 18 month well-child he was extremely advanced verbally (full, complete, gramatically correct sentences), and went to practically non-verbal in 6 months.

 

Our pediatrician was PANDAS knowledgeable, so we were put on the right path fairly quickly (it was 6 months before we admitted to ourselves it wasn't the terrible twos or a phase he'd outgrow and asked for help).

 

He and I have had this discussion in the past as to how many kids may have been labeled ASD as small children when the real issue may be PANDAS - or something similar.

[MomWithOCDSon]

My son has both Aspergers and now a diagnosis of PANDAS. However, he had tics, OCD and anxiety before the PANDAS diagnosis. How can I tell these diseases apart. They overlap so much.

 

Generally, I ditto LLM on this topic.

 

However, I would also say that it is entirely possible that he also had PANDAS before his PANDAS diagnosis, and that these other behaviors (tics, OCD and anxiety, and potentially the Aspergers behaviors, as well) are manifestations of the PANDAS itself.

 

If your son responds to PANDAS treatment (abx, IVIG, steroids, etc.), then you will likely see a decrease in the whole array of behaviors as a result.

[peglem]

Here's what I think: ASD is a problem with development. Anything that interferes with brain processing during critical developmental periods (especially early childhood) can cause developmental problems. PANDAS disrupts normal neural processing, so may be the cause.

[Kiera]

My ds had issues (PDD-NOS) prior to PANDAS, but it was managable, when PANDAS came along it was like being hit with a bus, BAM, OCD,new TIC (same one comes and goes with flares)sensory off the wall (had almost dissappeared prior to PANDAS) Rages, irritable, meltdowns and on and on. When things calmed down w steroid and antibiotics he returned to baseline PDD-NOS level. Also, initial flare was post strep infection w high titers. Now as regards the PDD-NOS, which he's had since early childhood, well was that PANDAS induced way back and lingered because we didn't check for, or treat as PANDAS, who knows? My gut feeling, yes, it's all related and connected to immune system dysfunction, as is all the ASDs I believe, but years away yet from figuring it all out.

[nicklemama]

My DS had an Asperger's dx before PANDAS. An entire week before. He had sudden onset of symptoms. They did not start until he was 5y9m old. Antibiotics drastically reduced the Asperger's symptoms. IVIG has pretty much wiped it all out.