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preggersINschool25
member
Autism clues?
preggersINschool25
member
My son is very good at making eye contact, giggling, smiling....
But he is gets very upset during bath time and when you try to move or touch his hands. The hands don't seem to be sensory because he is fine touching things as long as it is on his own terms. Also he likes to rock back and forth frequently. Usually to music, but he does it without music too.
I feel like some of those are autism signs. He is developmentally at about a 6 month old level across the board, so I'm not sure if I'm reading into things too much.
Just seems like autism is everywhere these days.
But he is gets very upset during bath time and when you try to move or touch his hands. The hands don't seem to be sensory because he is fine touching things as long as it is on his own terms. Also he likes to rock back and forth frequently. Usually to music, but he does it without music too.
I feel like some of those are autism signs. He is developmentally at about a 6 month old level across the board, so I'm not sure if I'm reading into things too much.
Just seems like autism is everywhere these days.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Autism clues?
I think it's too soon to really tell. My DD1 was, and is, very giggly, smiled a lot, and eye contact didn't really become an issue until she was older than two. She got an autism dx at three. She has never been a rocker or had particular sensory issues. Her red flags -- and they were not all that big at the time -- were being an observer rather than a participant in group settings, identifying all of her letters at a very young age (21 months), and repetitive actions with toys (passing them from one hand to the other) rather than play (at less than a year old).
Both of my girls went through phases of hating baths as babies. My DD2, who is typical, loathed baths for a very long time. Compared to my DD1, she is more quick to complain about sensory-related things like hair brushing, sock seams, tags, etc. I'm very comfortable saying that her preferences are within the range of typical.
Some of the autism signs really are things that all, or most, kids do. It's duration and intensity that tip them into red flag territory, and even a pro is unlikely to be able to parse them out well until he is much older.
I completely understand why you're worried, and it's something to file away in your brain and maybe discuss with his therapists if you wish, but think about it in terms of services. He is getting the services he needs right now, for the needs that have been identified, and he will be under your watchful eye and regularly interacting with professionals. As his needs change, he is in good hands to have things identified in a timely manner no matter what they are or aren't. And that's really all you can do right now.
DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
This.
Nate failed the MCHAT because of all his gross motor and speech delays. He also did not point until about age 2.5 because he just couldn't.
We just got an SLP to see him for speech recently and she also has worked for the autism clinic. She noticed a couple of the same concerning behaviors I did, but said we should wait until he is closer to kindie to see if those behaviors shake out by then. (able to stay super focused on preferred activities, hard to keep in on task with prompts, not 'checking in' with me or asking me for help when playing)
I know it is really hard not to always have a list of "what ifs" in your head. I am totally guilty of this. I just keep reminding myself of ALL the " what ifs" that I let take up too much real estate in my brain in the past. Many of them have been proven wrong. I really wish I had those sleepless nights back! Hugs.
My son is not autistic but he was pretty severely developmentally delayed as a young toddler (tested in the 9 month range at 20 months for language skills). He had many signs of autism looking back--I'm shocked no one ever suggested to get him evaluated. I was reading his initial evals not too long ago and there were many red flags--no eye contact, no pointing/waving, self directed, hyperfocus on preferred activities with poor attention to other activities, poor functional play, refused hand over hand, etc.
It was a result of an immature nervous system. With 1+ year of speech/OT his delays were gone and so were the concerning behaviors.
Almost left the same post tonight. I hear you, I wonder all the time if I'm being paranoid or if I should be worried. A cpl additional questions I had. Is your LO in daycare? If so, does he get super excited every day you pick him up? Does he have stranger anxiety or separation anxiety at all?
What exactly do you mean when you say he is a 6 month old developmentally? What isn't he doing?
Autism is everywhere, and it's scary. Worrying and being a mom is so hard......
He only has the speech skills of a 6 month old. He cannot say "mama" or anything even close. His eating skills are the same or worse than a 6 month old. He is basically on an all liquid diet.