Odd behavior or normal toddler...?

tiff1783

When my son gets excited he opens his mouth wide, holds his breath, and tightens his face.  He will also twirl his hands around and rub his fingers together.  He only does this when he is excited.  Does anyone else have a 2 year old that does this?  I have read that this can be a sign of autism, but he shows no other signs.

HopeAlive3

Hi friend! I've never dealt with this myself, but I was wondering: does he do this just when he's "happy-excited" or whenever he's upset as well?

brachysira

I have also read that the hands thing can be a sign of autism, but I can tell you that I've had hand flapping and twisting my whole life...and I am reasonably social and all of that.  I wouldn't worry.

tiff1783

Just when he is excited.  Like in anticipation of me giving him a snack, throwing him a ball, a part he likes in a movie, things like that.

HopeAlive3

Oh okay. Have you asked his doctor?

Junebug060609

Late to the party, but my son does something very similar. He was dx'd with autism today. If that is the only sign, I wouldn't worry about it being autism...but if he has other signs it should be addressed. Mention it to his pedi. They have a screening they do between 15-30 mos for autism.

Canalife

This sounds like complex motor stereotypy. This is a link to FAQs on CMS. There's also a group on Facebook called motor stereotypy that's very helpful.

https://m.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/specialty_areas/pediatric-neurology/conditions/motor-stereotypies/faqs.html