If a child likes spinning objects and bangs his head when he's frustrated, are those signs of autism?

Question

My 20 month old nephew has always liked objects that spin. On toy trucks and cars, he always turns them upside down and spins the wheels. He loves fans as well. When he gets frustrated, he will sometimes bang his head. He doesn't do it randomly...only when he gets frustrated or doesn't get what he wants. My sister took him to the doctor, and the doctor said that children will bang their heads like that sometimes, and that it is more common than people realize. He told her not to worry. My nephew seems to respond to his name normally, and he knows some words. He can also point out where his eyes, ears, nose, belly, etc. are if you ask him, and he loves books and loves it when people read to him. He will come over and ask you to read books to him (he doesn't speak in sentences yet, but he'll bring books over and hand them to you and then sit next to you and wait for you to read them). He seems very responsive to me, but I was just wondering if anyone has any info. Thanks!

Answer 1

Liking spinning objects and banging the head sound like signs of being a 20-month old.
Sure, kids with autism can do those things to. But those are not the classic "signs" of autism that by themselves would make one suspicious of autism. Lots of normal kids do that.
If that is all that he does that's unusual, then he does not have autism.

Answer 2

Ask for a referral to a developmental pediatrician. Most docs don't know much about autism. This includes pediatricians. When most of them went to school, autism was a fairly rare disorder. A Developmental Pediatrician will have specific training to know for sure. Also keep in mind that at 18 months he may be just starting the regressive phase of this.

So consider the possible outcomes
1) the child is checked and nothing is wrong. Mom and Dad miss a little time from work. Big deal

2)the child is checked and is autistic. You can start immediately with treatment. Time is important. Hopefully you can reduce the severity of the regression and start on the way toward recover sooner.

3) You don't get him checked out and he is not autistic. You'll still worry about whether he is on schedule. Every time a Friend brags about his kid, you'll be wondering " should my nephew be doing that yet"?

He is not checked and he is autistic---- How much time is okay to waste. Autism being a spectrum disorder, if the child is severe his behavior will eventually force them to seek help. If it is a milder case the he could go years without being diagnosed. He still is developing but not in the normal way. Why make him go through that?

Answer 3

I worked with an autistic boy from when he was 18 months up until he was 7 and I'm still friends with his family and he did likes spinning things and would occasionally bang his head out of frustration but my 18 month old loves spinning things too. With the amount of social behavior that you are describing though, I would say if there is autism it would be very mild. The autistic kids I've worked with mainly avoided other people as much as possible at that age or if they did interact it was in a hostile way. I'm not an expert but I am a mom and from what you've described I wouldn't be too worried if it was my kid. If your sister is worried though she should definately seek a second opinion if her doctor isn't paying enough attention to her concerns.

Answer 4

I have a Autistic child. Autism is a spectrum disorder and there for children fit somewhere on the spectrum. Some on the severe end and mild end and others somewhere in between. Those are some symptoms of autism and a good evaluation would be recommended.Early Intervention Program or your local school can point you in the right direction. unfortunately most people don't understand allot about autism. As in my son he speaks and is in normal school.He also has odd characterizes like he wont eat anything white, Don't like loud noises, Crowds of people and has a fascination for heights. Whatever diagnosis he gets treat him as normal as possible and add lots of patience. Good Luck

Answer 5

It definitely is frustrating when your team is not doing well. That's all part of being a fan though. Sometimes it may not seem like it, but going through those brutal losses is 100% worth it for all the amazing wins your team gets throughout the season. The Rangers walked off against Mariano a few games ago, and it sucked. The very next day, there was another exciting game, the Yankees battled back the whole game and ended up winning. I remember that game made me so happy, just so proud of our guys for fighting back and never giving up. Going through the tough times is part of being a baseball fan. It makes the wins that much better, though. The Rays are a good team, and still in 2nd place in the AL East. They're too good of a team to stay like this for the rest of the season, I can tell you that.

Answer 6

Banging of the head when a child is frustrated does not necessarily mean autism. Many kids do it. But of course, this habit has been included in the wide range of symptoms fro autism. If the child is autistic, there will be other symptoms like other developmental delays in speech etc, repeating words that we say, not responding to one's name, not interacting with other kids etc. Only if the kid has any other symptom you need to be worried. If the doctor feels that nothing is wrong, you don't need to worry.

Answer 7

I'm not quite sure... but it does sound a lot like it. I have a cousin who is a little autistic. When she was a child she ABSOLUTELY loved books! She is also very good at drawing! Is he very good at something in one certain area? Because that is another sign.

To be more positive if he is or is not, I would try buying a book on autism and taking one of those quizes.

I hope you find this helpful! I triedd my best to answer! :)

Answer 8

Sure those can be signs of autism...but usually autistic children will be drawn, even infatuated with spinning objects, etc. It holds there whole attention until they block out all else. Well...thats how my nephew is. He's 6 now and in special ed classes and is reading and writing...Smart little kid.

Answer 9

My friends son banged his head and got very frustrated at little things. He even pulled handfuls of hair out of his head and dug at his face. Turned out he has autism spectrum disorder. Plus he is hearing impaired.He's 20 years old now & has a job.
He lives in an assisted living home & is doing very well for himself.
Good Luck to your family.

Answer 10

Yes, these are all signs...my best friend just found out yesterday her little 3 year old boy has it...
He is responsive too...but he also has a speech imparament.My advice would be to have an autism test done on your little one, instead of guessing he is ok or not ok. My friend has to do this,to determine forsure that he had it.
Good luck sweety...and just remember, he just needs his familys love and support.