autism?

lpennie16

I am maybe paranoid but, DS rarely makes eye contact at any time even while eating he looks at the ceiling or just around the room. He does laugh and coo a lot. Sometimes he is not in the mood to be held and wants to be put in the bouncer almost as if he wants to be left alone.

Tell me this is all somewhat normal? The eye contact thing bothers me.

hollickbride

I'm not sure it's fair to say "normal"...all kids are different.  How old is your DS? My son is 5 months and he has made pretty good eye contact for some time... I would call your Dr. just to be sure.

mrse1107

It is normal for babies to look around the room, stare at walls, ceilings etc because they're exploring their environment still. Does he EVER make eye contact? Will he track you/dad with his eyes at all?

Some babies just don't like to be held. My mom always tells us how I wanted to be held all the time, and my sister freaked out when people tried to hold her -- 

 Of course, you can always talk to your pedi if you want to get more info on it - I work with autistic children but not newborns so I'm not as up on that aspect of it. 

kellnbri

Our pedi doesnt do an autism screening until they are 18months because they are still developing and some of the things on the spectrum can also be immaturity.  I wouldnt worry about it just yet

delsurfgrl

Signs of Autism typically do not arise until early "toddlerhood," around 15-24 mos. is when avoiding eye contact, echoing, etc. would be cause for worry.

brideatbeach

Honestly I think you are being a little paranoid. Sometimes dd is alert and looking around at everything and other times she can be focused on one thing or one person for a long period of time. just depends on her mood. The same with being held. Like the pp said, Autism can not be determined till about 18-24 months. My nephew has autism and when he was little all of his development was right on time and then slowly regressed once he hit 2yrs old. I guess if you are really concerned talk to your pedi. 

mommyof4boys

I do think that a lot of people are pariniod about autism now however my 15 month old is going through the process for a formal diagnosis of it right now.  He doesn't make a lot of eye contact, doesn't respond to his name, doesn't talk or try to make his needs met, was late on hitting motor milestones, has stiff joints, etc.  His cognitative abilities are at a 9 month level, communication is at 6-7 month level, motor skills are at a 10 month old level, self help is at 6-7 months. 

 

Those who have children with autism can tell you that they recognized issues as infants more often than not.