How early did you notice ASD. Im new.

apritchett50 · July 2014

I have a beautiful 10 month old daughter, Jade. She has been a wonderful baby and is always happy. I am a FTM so I worry about everything. I really don't have many people to talk to about my worries. My husband thinks I'm overthinking everything and I'm also a little embarrassed to ask friends and family in fear of being wrong, or them agreeing with me. She has hit her milestones but there are a few things I'm beginning to worry about. Around 7 months she would patty cake on demand all the time. She no longer does this. Around 9 months she started waving byebye but doesn't anymore. She really doesn't mimick others or play back and forth games. She has recently started flapping her arms. She babbles, smiles at others, makes eye contact, answers to her name and loves other babies/kids. At her 9 month appointment, I didn't tell her dr I was worried about ASD I just told her the things she was and wasn't doing or what she has stopped doing. She didn't seemed concerned. I'm really just overwhelmed with different feelings. Does she have ASD? Am I over reacting? What will her future be like? If Infact she is dx'd will I be able to except it? I would appreciate any advice and love to hear other experiences. Is it still to early to be concerned? Thanks!

newbee36 · July 2014

I have been there. Worried all the time, analysing every single thing DS did or didn't do. At 10 months he was really not much different than any other 10 month old, except that he was not smiling as much as he did before and was not bubbling as much. He did have great eye contact and whenever I expressed my concerns, everyone thought I was crazy. It did turn out he has ASD (diagnosed last week). And it is still hard for non specialists to see it (he is only 3 now), but it is there.
Having said that, at 10 months it is really really hard to tell if some behaviour is normal or if it indicates something else... No one can tell you if your baby has ASD or not from what you are telling us here. No one, not even specialists. I pushed for an evaluation when DS was 15 months old, and a team of 5 people, after 4 hour eval concluded that "there is no way this guy has ASD, and he is advanced in any area they tested him". He had some amazing communication skills for a 15 month old. It became more obvious later.. Oh, how I wish I just enjoyed my baby back then .. When everything is on track, there is not much you can do even if you get very early diagnosis. If there are obvious delays, that is a different story.
Sorry this got long, but, the bottom line is.. Keep an eye on your DD, but don't get worried. She sounds pretty normal to me. It wouldn't hurt that next time you bring up your concerns to her Pedi though. You should not be embarrassed to talk about your worries with her/him. Meanwhile, enjoy the time with your DD, enjoy her for what she is.

typeset · July 2014

My MIL pegged the kid's abnormal eye contact at one month. In retrospect, there were many flags we missed. He had waving at nine months, lost it, and had to be retaught how to do it in EI because he would turn his palm toward himself. It still doesn't look natural. He was clearly spectrum at a year (typical kids don't read letters off signs at thirteen months or recite Dr. Seuss by rote at sixteen months). He was obsessed with letters and numbers, never made eye contact while nursing, didn't raise his arms to be picked up, rolled en bloc versus corkscrew, had a persistent head lag, would flip over toys to stare at the wheels, stopped responding to his name, never rolled a ball back and forth, spoke early and well but only in echoed phrases ... We got a Dx the day before he turned two--and that's considered very early.

There's a great early signs video from the Kennedy Krieger Institute. If you're worried, talk candidly with your pediatrician or call EI.

Junebug060609 · July 2014

It became clear something was up with DS at about 15 months. He'd had a handful of words and lost them one by one. He had stopped responding to his name. I thought it was a hearing issue, but I didn't know that his not pointing/waving, his stereotypical movement and his lack of imitative play but obsessive play with odd objects (in his case a swiffer or string) were also signs. Looking back I saw signs as far back as two months (sterotypy started then). Now that his sister is here I started noticing a difference in interaction levels at 6weeks.

That she has lost a skill is something your pedi needs to listen to. I can't tell if there is something up from what you wrote, nor am I qualified to do so, but losing a skill is something to note.

I wouldn't borrow worries regarding the asd dx right now. Enjoy your miracle. If she has asd you will adjust and will do what is necessary to help her.

SantoriniSteph · July 2014

DS hit all of his milestones until 11 months, that's when we noticed the change. We watched him for the next 6 months, then called the doctor. He was Dx ASD at 23 months. If you are concerned, push for an evaluation.

greyt00 · July 2014

Earliest signs -- At 1 year, DS1 didn't wave or point with his index finger. We showed and showed him how to do it but he wouldn't. When pointing out things in books he used his whole hand. He still does that sometimes but we have drilled pointing into him (at 3) and he is much better now. I don't really remember how much he babbled but it was below par. His eye contact and response to name was so-so and he didn't have joint attention. One thing I remember noticing by the 1 year mark was his narrow interest in toys. All he ever wanted to do was push buttons and look at lights. I didn't know any better at the time. He never played with cars or trucks. As far as losing skills, I'm not sure. I have records of him doing things ONE time between 9 and 14 months (waving, saying "bye bye", "Dada", "hi", and "up") and then never again for months and months. I guess that should have tipped me off, too. He was having major feeding issues, which we thought was caused solely by some mean silent reflux, so that was getting more of my attention.

He loved being held but at the same time was sort of detached from us. He was not cautious about new people at all. He would try to hug the cable guy and would probably go home with him if I let him.

greyt00 · July 2014

@Wife07mom09, if you don't mind my asking, what were the signs between 12-23 months?

kcisthebombdotcom · July 2014

Probably about fifteen months when her language stopped progressing and I noticed she was only interested in socializing with adults not kids. From 18 months-2.5 years I kind of went back and forth because she really does have great imaginative play and good social skills with adults but I'm very sure of it now. Looking back she had signs since birth. She was a happy baby that never cried and was always content to be alone. She was incapable of nursing because of the low tone in her mouth and was very sleepy.

Unknown · July 2014

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blondegirl74 · July 2014

I think it's pretty hard to say at her age. My son hit all his milestones on time and is still autistic. I will say in retrospect that the social things were lacking but it was very subtle and him being our first child and a product of two introverts, it just wasn't on the radar before a year old. My first real concern was around 15 months when he chose to obsess about the cars outside instead of participate in gymboree class. There were other small things too, but since his speech and motor milestones were on time it took some time to get a complete picture.

greyt00 · July 2014

wife07mom09 said:

greyt00 said:

@Wife07mom09, if you don't mind my asking, what were the signs between 12-23 months?

I think mainly it was the lack of language and the lack of responding to his name. He was however so social and with good eye contact with ME that I never considered ASD until maybe 20-21 isn months as I started to realize he was learning, not cognitively delayed as I originally thought. That was always my first thought which was wrong. I never thought he had ASD early on based on the misconception that because he was social, had decent eye contact and didn't stare or spin all day he could not have it. And Ive had plenty of child development classes and treat plenty of special needs patients but of course this is not my specialty so I still missed that initially but my advice is trust your intuition. I didn't know initially WHAT was wrong just that SOMETHING was.

Thank you for the feedback. How consistently are they supposed to respond to their name (like at age 2)? Can't they sometimes be involved in what they're doing (playing with toys appropriately) and just not want to respond? I'm curious on this specific thing.

Assembly_Reqd · July 2014

If you go to our FAQ page there is also an Early Signs question a bunch of people answered a year or so ago......

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How early did you notice ASD. Im new.

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