jennifer m
I have a 13 month old boy. He is very healthy and happy. I always have this fear inside me about him having autism. As far as the milestones go he is right on track, but having friends with autistic children I often worry. It is becoming so common among children. What are some good signs? I read that turning wheels on cars is one, which my son does all the time. Does anyone elses infant do this, or display any signs of something you worry about?
Answer
Our son has autism and was diagnosed at 2.5 years.
The signs he had when he was a baby:
-Not making eye contact.
-Glaring at us, not smiling back when we smiled at him.
-Temper tantrums- starting early on. They were awful from the time he was 9 months old. At 13 months, he would tantrum for over an hour- AN HOUR...no matter what we did we could not get him "off" of what he was fixated on.
-No babbling at all.
-Lack of speech- he started to say mama at 12 months and then that was it until he turned 2.5 years.
-Aversions to change and to new situations. Taking him to the mall at X-Mas would set him off because of all the lights, people, etc. He was overstimulated. We attributed this to him having stranger anxiety.
Wheels on cars: our son's first fascination was with cars and trucks. If it had wheels, he was amazed. From the time he was about 15 months old, he was lining up his toys. I would play with him and purposely turn one of his cars in the wrong direction and he would see it after a time, and change it. He studied his cars and trucks. When he was 3, his fascination became Tornado's. Then, dinosaurs. We are on Lego's right now. He is building these amazing Lego cities.
The good news: Turning wheels on cars is normal. Our baby does this, and it's to see how they work. She is not autistic at all. There is a 10 year age gap between the 2 children. It's like starting over in every way possible because she doesn't have outrageous tantrums. If we take something away, we hand her something else (as we did with him) and she is fine. He was not.
He is 11 now and a delight.
I watched very carefully when she was younger and worried, but she is hitting all of her milestones on time. She is talking in 2 word sentences now- Hi daddy, Hi kitty, etc. She says, "See it..." she has a huge vocabulary. She is 16 months old now.
I would try not to worry as much. Enjoy your baby.
We knew something was wrong with our son when he was a baby. I couldn't get anyone to listen: 11 years ago, autism was considered rare. We were referred to a therapist because of his tantrums and the lack of speech. He was diagnosed at 2 years and 3 months old and started OT, PT, speech, and play therapy at that time, so he is doing well. He is mainstreamed in the regular classroom with an aide for him.
We tested his IQ at 8 years of age- and he tested out at 130. I thought, "Ok, that is pretty good...". Then I was told most adults top out between 100 and 120- and he was only 8! I cannot answer his questions anymore- they are very high level and they are sometimes hypothetical without an answer. He demands an answer: so we spend a lot of time googling. He reads college textbooks in science for enjoyment but cannot focus on say a Harry Potter book. He is an amazing kid!
Good luck to you!
Our son has autism and was diagnosed at 2.5 years.
The signs he had when he was a baby:
-Not making eye contact.
-Glaring at us, not smiling back when we smiled at him.
-Temper tantrums- starting early on. They were awful from the time he was 9 months old. At 13 months, he would tantrum for over an hour- AN HOUR...no matter what we did we could not get him "off" of what he was fixated on.
-No babbling at all.
-Lack of speech- he started to say mama at 12 months and then that was it until he turned 2.5 years.
-Aversions to change and to new situations. Taking him to the mall at X-Mas would set him off because of all the lights, people, etc. He was overstimulated. We attributed this to him having stranger anxiety.
Wheels on cars: our son's first fascination was with cars and trucks. If it had wheels, he was amazed. From the time he was about 15 months old, he was lining up his toys. I would play with him and purposely turn one of his cars in the wrong direction and he would see it after a time, and change it. He studied his cars and trucks. When he was 3, his fascination became Tornado's. Then, dinosaurs. We are on Lego's right now. He is building these amazing Lego cities.
The good news: Turning wheels on cars is normal. Our baby does this, and it's to see how they work. She is not autistic at all. There is a 10 year age gap between the 2 children. It's like starting over in every way possible because she doesn't have outrageous tantrums. If we take something away, we hand her something else (as we did with him) and she is fine. He was not.
He is 11 now and a delight.
I watched very carefully when she was younger and worried, but she is hitting all of her milestones on time. She is talking in 2 word sentences now- Hi daddy, Hi kitty, etc. She says, "See it..." she has a huge vocabulary. She is 16 months old now.
I would try not to worry as much. Enjoy your baby.
We knew something was wrong with our son when he was a baby. I couldn't get anyone to listen: 11 years ago, autism was considered rare. We were referred to a therapist because of his tantrums and the lack of speech. He was diagnosed at 2 years and 3 months old and started OT, PT, speech, and play therapy at that time, so he is doing well. He is mainstreamed in the regular classroom with an aide for him.
We tested his IQ at 8 years of age- and he tested out at 130. I thought, "Ok, that is pretty good...". Then I was told most adults top out between 100 and 120- and he was only 8! I cannot answer his questions anymore- they are very high level and they are sometimes hypothetical without an answer. He demands an answer: so we spend a lot of time googling. He reads college textbooks in science for enjoyment but cannot focus on say a Harry Potter book. He is an amazing kid!
Good luck to you!
infant autism signs?
mellany t
my son is 10 months old and shows these signs that worry my husband and i ..help! says dada, babbles, but could go for hours without saying anything. makes eye contact but for short periods at a time, shows sign to pain, but will hit his head or something similar sometimes and doesn't even react. likes to tap his fingers on his left hand, has no problem being held by others and usually shows no emotion when they are with them. things that make me think he doesn't have it:he responds to his name 90% of the time if he isn't side tracked, interacts with mommy and daddy great, laughs, smiles, but not always. objects when we leave the room or take a toy away, feeds himself finger foods, does not mind change in activity, likes to be out of the house, fussier at home, i think he gets bored. he still loves ceiling fans, i guess that is supposed to be a worry, i don't know, are we being too cautious? he isn't really a cuddler, but will lay on your shoulder if he's tired....help!
Answer
As the parent of a child with autism who was not diagnosed until age 5 1/2, let me tell you this: trust your instincts. If you feel he may have autism, get him screened by a GOOD developmental pediatrician. You can start with your regular pediatrician (like we did) but were told things like, "Boys develop slower" and "He's just fine" even though I knew in my hear there was something amiss.
There is a project called FirstSigns. Below are a couple of developmental milestones to look for from their site:
At 9 Months:
Smile and laugh while looking at you?
Exchange back-and-forth smiles, loving faces, and other expressions with you?
Exchange back-and-forth sounds with you?
Exchange back-and-forth gestures with you, such as giving, taking, and reaching?
At 12 Months:
Use a few gestures, one after another, to get needs met, like giving, showing, reaching, waving, and pointing?
Play peek-a-boo, patty cake, or other social games?
Make sounds, like âma,â âba,â âna,â âda,â and âga?â
Turn to the person speaking when his/her name is called?
Their web site is www.firstsigns.org. I don't necessarily agree with their listing as my son hit all those milestones just fine. You need to err on the side of caution because early intervention is the key to helping these kids. And what if you're wrong? So what?!? The early intervention is not harmful to any child that does not have autism or another disability. In other words, it can't hurt.
Please also check out the DSM-IV for autism. In California, there is a law called Title 5 Section 3030 of the California Education Code for autistic-like behaviors. Both might help you identify warning signs. This is a Word document so that you may insert whatever signs you see in the appropriate place, print it out and take it to the developmental pediatrician. The document is located here on our web site: http://www.valleysnafu.com/SAMPLE%20DSM.wps.doc
If your son does have an Autism Spectrum Disorder, he will need Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and Verbal Behavior (VB or AVB) and probably Theory of Mind Training (TOM). ABA comes first and is being administered to children younger and younger....even your son's age. To allay some of your worries, I have seen numerous children, enter Kindergarten indistinguishable from their peers, with early intervention. My son did not receive intervention until he was 6 years old and although he is doing very well (in a regular ed classroom at grade level, minimal behaviors), treatment has taken a lot longer than the younger kiddos I've seen.
I have alos included a link for Yellow Pages for Kids. It might help you locate a developmental pediatrician or other professional as well as support groups so you can chat with other moms.
Trust your instincts! Err on the side of caution! Email me anytime!
As the parent of a child with autism who was not diagnosed until age 5 1/2, let me tell you this: trust your instincts. If you feel he may have autism, get him screened by a GOOD developmental pediatrician. You can start with your regular pediatrician (like we did) but were told things like, "Boys develop slower" and "He's just fine" even though I knew in my hear there was something amiss.
There is a project called FirstSigns. Below are a couple of developmental milestones to look for from their site:
At 9 Months:
Smile and laugh while looking at you?
Exchange back-and-forth smiles, loving faces, and other expressions with you?
Exchange back-and-forth sounds with you?
Exchange back-and-forth gestures with you, such as giving, taking, and reaching?
At 12 Months:
Use a few gestures, one after another, to get needs met, like giving, showing, reaching, waving, and pointing?
Play peek-a-boo, patty cake, or other social games?
Make sounds, like âma,â âba,â âna,â âda,â and âga?â
Turn to the person speaking when his/her name is called?
Their web site is www.firstsigns.org. I don't necessarily agree with their listing as my son hit all those milestones just fine. You need to err on the side of caution because early intervention is the key to helping these kids. And what if you're wrong? So what?!? The early intervention is not harmful to any child that does not have autism or another disability. In other words, it can't hurt.
Please also check out the DSM-IV for autism. In California, there is a law called Title 5 Section 3030 of the California Education Code for autistic-like behaviors. Both might help you identify warning signs. This is a Word document so that you may insert whatever signs you see in the appropriate place, print it out and take it to the developmental pediatrician. The document is located here on our web site: http://www.valleysnafu.com/SAMPLE%20DSM.wps.doc
If your son does have an Autism Spectrum Disorder, he will need Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and Verbal Behavior (VB or AVB) and probably Theory of Mind Training (TOM). ABA comes first and is being administered to children younger and younger....even your son's age. To allay some of your worries, I have seen numerous children, enter Kindergarten indistinguishable from their peers, with early intervention. My son did not receive intervention until he was 6 years old and although he is doing very well (in a regular ed classroom at grade level, minimal behaviors), treatment has taken a lot longer than the younger kiddos I've seen.
I have alos included a link for Yellow Pages for Kids. It might help you locate a developmental pediatrician or other professional as well as support groups so you can chat with other moms.
Trust your instincts! Err on the side of caution! Email me anytime!
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