I haven't mentioned this to friends or family, because it really may be nothing, and I thought this might be the best place to put this out there. DH and I have some concerns that DS may be displaying some early signs of autism. Specifically, he flaps his arms excitedly when he's happy or focused on something, he is obsessed with things that spin (water going down a drain, ceiling fans, a spinning race track toy he has) and watching things spin prompts him to do the arm flapping thing. He has also recently started putting his fingers in his ears when he hears certain noises, like the vacuum cleaner, and when he's upset he slaps himself in the face repeatedly.
Finally, just this morning, DH pointed to the TV remote and said "Colin, can you
give that to daddy?" DS couldn't figure out what he was pointing to even
though it was maybe a foot away.
Socially and developmentally, he's right on track, or maybe even ahead in some areas, but these little "quirks" are starting to add up and make us think that we need to have him screened. We're waiting on a call back from the pedi to see if she can fit us in for a consultation, because I feel like we need to go with our gut on this, even though as I said, it may be nothing.
If your child was diagnosed with autism or an autism spectrum disorder, did he/she display any of these symptoms around this age? If so, were they behind developmentally too, or did they seem to be meeting milestones, but showing certain behavioral patterns that caused you to screen for autism?
I know the "A" word is thrown around a lot, and when DH first brought up these concerns, I quickly dismissed the thought, but the more we talked about it, I felt his concerns were valid and warranted a call to the pedi.
Sorry this has gotten so long. Just needed to tell someone. Any thoughts or words of wisdom? Thanks for listening!
Re: Early autism signs in 21 month old?
I think you're right to get him screened. It may be nothing, you're right. But if you both have concerns, an evaluation is the right way to go.
Specific symptoms are hard. Yes, there's an association with fascination with spinning objects. But that was never really an issue for my DD1, who was dx'd at three with autism. No flapping or toe-walking here, either.
For a long period between 2 and 3, I would obsessively look at milestone lists. She technically met most of them, for most of that year, so I didn't move forward with a pedi appointment even though I felt like something was off starting around 2.5. Things got more obvious around three. For us, the most noticeable things were that her language, which was within the range for normal, began to slide toward delayed around 2.5 instead of continuing to progress at a normal pace. She did a lot of echolalia, where she'd repeat the last few words or sentence that I said -- to the point where sometimes, if I asked her a question and "yes or no," she'd repeat "yes or no" back to me instead of giving an answer. Lots of scripted talk/answers from books or TV. So technically, she knew a lot of words and probably surpassed the listed milestones in terms of vocabulary, but it wasn't as functional as language should be. That's not an easy distinction for a non-professional to make.
Since having my DD2, I realize how different DD1 was, but it was in somewhat subtle ways that didn't register because I only had one child and didn't know enough kids all that well to be able to really recognize that they were beyond quirks to red flags. She's affectionate, cuddly, isn't overly prone to tantrums, and is fine with transitions, being out in public, eating a wide variety of food, etc. Her delays are really in social communication -- it takes her longer to process things, she has a hard time with abstract concepts/expression and maintaining a coherent conversation.
I look back and recognize things like, DD1 would put a toy telephone to her ear but not talk. While my DD2 will carry on a conversation. That's how subtle the differences can be.
For us, those differences weren't obvious at 21 months. She was pretty much on track at that point, except that she already knew and could read the entire alphabet (that kind of precociousness can be a red flag).
I will say, though, kudos to your DH for picking up on these things and not dismissing them. A lot of moms find themselves in a situation where their husbands object to even an evaluation because they shrug off mom's gut feelings, and it takes them awhile to come around even if a dx is given. It's awesome that, whatever the outcome, you guys are approaching this as a team.
DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
This is really good to know, too. The only autistic child I have known in person had very obvious issues with social interaction and learning delays, and that's why I dismissed Colin's signs at first. I thought, he doesn't act at all like Danny did, so he's probably just a normal toddler. And again, he might be. But from what I've been reading (I really need to stop googling so much), there are some more subtle signals that parents might see before anyone else does.
Thanks for the response!
Yes, some of those things were/are very typical of my son, who is now 4.5 years old. He was diagnosed at 19 months. He was very much into spinning toys (and he would often spin things that weren't meant to spin). When he was a baby I'd put him to sleep on a bed under a ceiling fan when he was having trouble going to sleep. I even moved the nursery into the master bedroom because it had a ceiling fan! He still loves watching water go down drains. He has never been too much of an arm flapper except when very very excited or very very angry. He's more of a toe-walker when happy/ticked off. DS was closer to 3 before he could answer commands like "go to your room and get me the toy".
That said- I wouldn't call my son's social development on track at that point, at all. Physically he hit milestones within range (rolling, sitting, walking, smiling, eating, potty-training). His speech was significantly delayed though- he had a couple words at 9-12 months but then stopped using them and was basically at no words at 18 months. His joint attention was lousy (e.g. if he wanted a cookie he would stand in front of the cupboard and cry/whine, instead of doing the typical look at mommy- point to cookie"- this is a sign that the realizes he has to get mom's attention to get a cookie). He didn't point at all, with index finger, something his evaluators took immediate note of. He didn't play with toys typically (e.g. he would spin the wheels on a car, not run it along the floor saying "vroom"). Most notably, he ignored other kids- it was like they didn't exist. If one approached him he wouldn't acknowledge or look at him. If another child took his toy he'd cry.
Go ahead with your pedi's evaluation- I actually sought a second opinion because our pedi didn't have any concerns at 18 months. At 19 months another pedi thought there were some signs and referred us to EI for an eval with the school district. I came back to the pedi in 6 months and it's worth noting that DS had made such strides in that time that the pedi thought it was possible that perhaps the school district had mislabeled him- although he was diagnosed pdd-nos by a developmental pedi a year later. The developmental pedi eval was much more thorough, and it helped that it was done when DS was a bit older and his "presentation" was more clear. DS is doing really well, will be in mainstream kindy, and is just a quirkly little guy who struggles with social interactions but is otherwise developmentally on track with his peers.
Good luck!
Might be a good idea. If nothing else, it will give you piece of mind. Like light-bright, I didn't know any better with DS1, but now with DS2, I see just how different Chris was at that age. DS2 is much more interactive where Chris was a smiling happy baby but didn't actively seek out to engage either myself or DH. If we're not paying attention, DS2 will make a sound to get our attention. Chris didn't really do that.
The hand flapping and interest in spinning things are often listed as "flags" so again, might be a good idea to get a professional's opinion.
Good luck!
Disliking loud noises/fixating on certain things can be sensory related. Both my kids have sensory processing disorder but are not autistic.
Thank you for the kind words and comments. We've got a screening scheduled with his pedi on Thursday morning. Even if she tells us he's a normal, quirky toddler, it will put my mind at ease to have our concerns checked out.
Autism and ASD is related to social issues/communication/behavior on a functional level. You said his social skills are great. I would contact Early Intervention
He's in the eligible age range. They will come do an evaluation.
DS was diagnosed with ASD called PDD-NOS. This is when they show enough symptoms on the spectrum but don't have enough to be classified as autistic. It's a fairly newer diagnosis. DS started showing signs of issues around 18 mo + or -. It was at 24 months where it really started becoming more apparent. His issues are in a social environment, not so much at home. His speech is very impeded. He tries so hard to speak, but has a very tough time. He doesn't use verbs. He does fixate on certain things, but is more concerned about them lining up perfectly. I will leave the room with all the cars on the floor and come back and they are lined up on the table. But the one common thing I keep hearing is the ASD tends to be more in regards to social arena and not responding properly to social cues.
I LOVE MY THREE KIDS!
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