Is this normal or is this hand flapping?

IBackBevo · June 2013

My son does this thing where he moves his hands in a circular motion when he is excited. Sometimes he will do his hands and feet at the same time all in the same circular motion--almost like he is petting something. He sort of rolls his wrists around in a circle. I have never seen another baby do this. My husband (who is a psychiatrist) thinks this is normal.

However, I am concerned because I have a Fragile X pre-mutation and I know that "hand flapping" is one of the early signs of Fragile X Syndrome (it is also a sign of autism), but I don't know if this movement is considered hand flapping or not. (We met with a geneticist prior to going through infertility treatment and were told the odds of having a child with Fragile X were very low.) I've tried finding videos online, but I could not really discern in any of them what was actually hand flapping. Other than this one strange thing, he seems normal.

Edit: His hand movement is almost exactly like this kid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JJLv-eT528

jnnfrrose6 · June 2013

Sounds like you should be talking to the pediatrician if you're that concerned. That's what they're there for.

IBackBevo · June 2013

jnnfrrose6:
Sounds like you should be talking to the pediatrician if you're that concerned. That's what they're there for.

I do plan on talking to my pedi at my next appointment, but I was hoping someone here might be able to give some input before then. Sometimes we all get concerned about things that are perfectly normal. This is my first child so I have no basis of comparison.

LMB1231 · June 2013

My daughter does the same thing as the child in the video and now I'm kind of freaking out.

IBackBevo · June 2013

MrsMuq:
My son does this. I brought it up to the pedi and my mom (she's an autism specialist) - they both said normal baby behavior.
So long as your LO has hit other milestones - like smiling, babbling, being social - I wouldn't worry about autism.
But I don't know a whole lot about Fragile X syndrome - I'd bring up your concerns at your next pedi visit, or if it can't wait, make an appointment.

Thanks for replying! That makes me feel better. I'm definitely going to bring it up with the pedi next regular appointment, but I don't plan to make one just for this.

The hand flapping associated with FXS would be the same sort of thing associated with Autism. Fragile x syndrome is the leading cause of inherited Autism. LO otherwise is hitting all of his milestones. He's 9 months old and crawls, pulls up, says Mama, etc. so I'm not worried about him otherwise.

unaveragejane · June 2013

MrsMuq:
My son does this. I brought it up to the pedi and my mom (she's an autism specialist) - they both said normal baby behavior.
So long as your LO has hit other milestones - like smiling, babbling, being social - I wouldn't worry about autism.
But I don't know a whole lot about Fragile X syndrome - I'd bring up your concerns at your next pedi visit, or if it can't wait, make an appointment.

I agree, this is normal baby behavior. Before DS I was a teacher for children with autism. Flapping IMO is a normal "hey, I'm excited" response. I mean, I even do it when I see a big bug (but more in the "hey, I'm freaking out" version of excited). Anyway, personally I would be more concerned about the flapping if he was doing it solely to entertain himself and more around the age of 3 or 4 and in conjunction with other symptoms like difficulty with communication or behavior.

I totally understand being concerned about it, though. I am a major worrywart and always on the lookout for symptoms of a developmental issue in DS, even though we don't have any family history of them. I have to keep reminding myself that the best thing I can do for him is to try to keep his day just as enriched as I would if I knew that he had a disability and not to stress out over things I cannot control.

CBNJ2012 · June 2013

My three year old daughter flaps her hands and arms but is otherwise an entirely normal kid. That said, we have determined she has a condition called Complex Motor Stereotypy. If you google that with Johns Hopkins University you will find a great, but the only, resource on the topic. I wouldn't be overly concerned at this point based on what you are describing but I pass along this information because it is a condition unknown to a lot of pediatricians (ours told us the flapping would go away) and you may find yourself searching for answers down the road. Try to relax about it if your baby is otherwise hitting milestones. That is what I am having to do with my 8 month old who has a 25% chance of having the same condition.

smileybabyboy · June 2013

I've worked with many children with autism. They are generally fixated on one thing or certain things. The children I worked with were school aged. This could be a stim but it may not be. Does he make eye contact and show emotions?

jess9802 · June 2013

My son does the same hand twirling motion when he's excited. He also used to twirl his feet and blow raspberries, leading everyone to joke that he was riding his motorcycle. Lots of normally developing babies twirl their hands and feet. I think many of the repetitive behaviors many children with autism have are quite common in younger babies. Thanks to Dr. Google (and I'm as guilty as anyone) lots of parents are needlessly worrying themselves over behaviors that are normal for pre-verbal infants but red flags in toddlers who have other signs of autism or a developmental delay.

cmrand4 · June 2013

jess9802:
My son does the same hand twirling motion when he's excited. He also used to twirl his feet and blow raspberries, leading everyone to joke that he was riding his motorcycle. Lots of normally developing babies twirl their hands and feet. I think many of the repetitive behaviors many children with autism have are quite common in younger babies. Thanks to Dr. Google (and I'm as guilty as anyone) lots of parents are needlessly worrying themselves over behaviors that are normal for pre-verbal infants but red flags in toddlers who have other signs of autism or a developmental delay.
This is a good explanation of what I was thinking. My DS does some hand motions that are similar to this when he is in his high chair too. To me, it's more like closing his fists repeatedly. I've always interpreted it as him being excited to either be up on our level or eat. He is very social and active otherwise so I've never felt that this is worrisome. Definitely bring it up with your dr if you are still concerned.

Crispity · June 2013

My DD does this when she's excited. I will admit that autism has crossed my mind, because I am very nervous about stuff like this (thank you internet!), but I really think it's normal baby behavior. There is a reason that autism can't be diagnosed until the child is a bit older, and that's because, as my pediatrician brother says, "Babies are weird".

LyndseylovesHugh · June 2013

My daughter does this when she is excited and I have never thought that it was anything more than the new thing she is learning she can do, and even after this post I do not think that it is anything more than the new thing she is learning she can do (and I am a worrier so posts like this would normally have me question things). If there are no other signs I would not worry, especially at this age. As others have posted, babies are weird, they do spastic things because that is how they learn what their bodies can do.

Starbear06 · June 2013

My niece used to do this when she was excited or when she was being fed a bottle. We all thought it was a bit strange but still normal baby type behavior.

IBackBevo · June 2013

Thanks for the responses! I think it most likely is normal. The only reason I was even concerned is because of my Fragile X permutation (which is the leading cause of inherited Autism) but he is otherwise hitting all of his milestones and is very social. I will say something to my pedi, but I'm pretty sure it is normal. Thanks for the reassurances, though!

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