Is my son really "at risk" for autism?

Question

My husband and I took our 27 month old son to a developmental specialist today. She diagnosed him as "at risk" for having autism. Now we have to follow up with a autism specialist. He was born 6 weeks early and had a vsd(hole in the heart) repaired when he was 8 months old. He can draw a circle, say draw, this and dada. He's a good listener when i say "no" or "don't touch" or "bring that to mommy", he knows where to go when I tell him he needs a diaper change. He plays with toys like a normal child. He seems bright. He's not exposed to other children. He also has it pacifer alot of the day and when he sleeps. The things that concern me are, he flaps his hands and arms like he's trying to fly which is an autistic trait, and he has very limited speech. The specialist said that he did not make eye contact with her or turn around and look at her when she called his name. Most of the time he looks me in the eye when i talk and he responds when i call him. Am i freaking out over nothing?

Also, he responds better to male doctors than to female, and this appt took place during his nap time. He actually had to be woken up when we got there. I think he didn't respond well to her because of this and the dose of benedryl he took right before for a rash. He usually responds very well even with other strangers, and makes great eye contact while communicating. It upsets me that these evaluations are taken from a number/point system. He did very well on the self help and motor skill section, yet her conclusion came from all the questions that were scored low, and speech related. In my opinion of course those would of been low because he isn't talking great yet. I read all the time that alot of kids don't start talking until after two and a half or even 3, and he isn't even 2 1/2 yet. One last thing, he knows what humor is because on a funny part of his movie he will look at us and laugh and see if we are laughing with him....thanx!

Answer 1

He's not 'at risk', it's not a disease! I can understant that it's a concern for you, but believe me, you can 'train' a person with autsim to behave less oddly over the years.

Having read your post, it seems like he might be autistic. If it's not actual autism, it could well be something else on the autistic spectrum (Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD etc).

Answer 2

Well, the physical stuff would make me suspicious, as does the limited speech. Many times specialists see parents who have made light of very severe differences, and she's probably worried that you are doing the same thing. We made that mistake with our daughter, and denied her about six months worth of early intervention. Trust me, it's better to overreact now and a few months down the road have someone say that it's just a normal delay due to premature birth, than to have something wrong and deny it.

A nearly three year old should have more language than three words. Autism is such a spectrum and doesn't necessarily mean that he wouldn't be able to do the things that you've listed. Both of my autistic children have very high IQ's, and learn very well. They both succeeded very well at things they were practiced at (ie going to the same diaper area all the time, playing with the same toys, having the same routine)

The fact that he looks at you doen't mean much in the world of autism, often autistic children respond to primary caregivers in a very close and nurturing fashion, but will not or cannot respond to others the same way. Please continue seeing this doctor, but don't freak out. Your son is the same person you have always loved, and will be the same person regardless of any delays or diagnosis you may receive. Good luck and God bless

Answer 3

This is a really tough question. No one can diagnose autism over the computer. I can, however, give you some limited information on autism. Yes, he does have some symptoms of autism. That doesn't necessarily mean he has autism. Make sure the doctor rules out any hearing or sound processing issues - that could be a cause of delayed speech. Children with autism are usually bright, but have difficulty with social skills. Your son is young, but should still begin developing social skills. Try a mothers morning out program or your churchs day care and see how he relates to other kids. Not making eye contact or not responding to others attention can be signs of autism. He may only respond to you because you are his "comfort zone". Be sure to follow up on all the tests; If he does have autism it is VERY important to begin treatment and therapy immediatly. I have met many children with autism and each child is different. If your son has autism it is probably not severe (most children with severe autism never speak at all). Many many people have mild autism...they're the people who just seem a little "off"...but they live perfectly normal lives. In fact, Bill Gates has very mild autism.
Good luck to you and your son!

Answer 4

The DSM IV guidelines for diagnosing autism don't support a diagnosis of autism until a child is 3 years old. That may be why the doctor is saying "at risk." Listen, I've been through this twice. Doctors don't misdiagnose autism if anything they under-diagnose it. The earlier you get moving on this the better for everyone involved, get the kid ABA, early intervention services, SLP OT services and any other assistance you can for every tested deficiency he has. If you hit it early enough and hard enough you can make a lasting and signifcant contribution to your child's quality of life, heck you could make them appear normal by every diagnostic criteria, it happens. Your child needs to pay more attention to everyone, not just you. We're social creatures, biologically. When a kid isn't demonstrating interest in the world around them, that's a cause for concern. Be strong, and don't panic. No parent of a child with autism ever goes, "I wish I'd waited and done something later."

Answer 5

What the specialist was trying to say was that your son is more likely than the normal population to be diagnosed with autism in the future. The "at risk" statement should be taken in that manner. And to address the other posters who said that you either have autism or not, that is not true. Autism lies on a spectrum. On one side are very severe symptoms and on the other side are very minimal/mild symtoms. And yes, a child can have a diagnosis of autism at age three, and by the age of 15 they no longer meet the criteria. So, please do not freak out. Your child will benefit most from early intervention, so do not hesitate to see the Autism Specialist. He or she can provide your son with very helpful resources.

Answer 6

First of all, autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning that it occurs in varying degrees. There are children that have autism, and to the average person, you may never know. I use to do therapy for children with autism, and one of the kids that I worked with, had great speech, play with toys fine, but had no eye contact, when playing with the toys he wanted to do the same thing over and over again. Relax, I know that probably hard to do, and I would get him into a play group also, it's important for all kids to be around different people and kids.

Answer 7

first, i'm very sorry for all of the stress that you are undergoing. just wait and see what happens.... listen to your doctors, but get second opinions if you are feeling unsure.

in regards to the idea that mercury is the cause of autism... that is absolutely FALSE! there is no proof that it is the cause for autism. in fact, many people within the medical community WISH that it was because of immunizations because then there would be a known cause. the cause of autism is currently unknown, it's not even certain if it is in fact one (rather than many) disease. so please don't worry about your child's immunizations and continue to get them for your child.

Answer 8

There is no such thing as "at risk" for autism. It's not something you "catch" or develop. You are born with it, and either have it or not. There is nothing you can do about it. It sounds like what you are dealing with is a health care provider who is not knowledgeable enough to make a diagnosis.

Answer 9

All children at 'at risk' for autism. It's called getting three times the number of childhood vaccinations that you and I did! I should know! My son was normal before he got his four year old shots and regressed terribly. Then again much worse after his five year old shots. I am going to copy and paste a response I gave to another lady whose grandson might be on the spectrum. My best advice to you right now: Get his blood drawn for titers for all of his childhood vaccinations. This will tell you if he is or is not immune to the childhood diseases. We give so many shots nowadays, not for our children's benefits, but for big pharma's pocketbook. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those left wing health nuts. I only had to start doing these things and questioning the mainstream medical community after they told me nothing could be done for my son other than to put him on stimulants, and, by the way, your kids need more shots. I went the developmental route at the local Children's hospital, ranked very high in the country. At best there is a year wait to see the autism specialist. No, thanks. Here is my post to her. You will find out the truth about what your pediatrician thinks is bull. Mine did.

You need to get him to seen by an biomedical autism specialist through DAN! You can look for a doctor in your area through the internet. My 7 year old has autism and we are doing supplements and chelation therapy. I am betting he has a lot of heavy metals in his body, as my son does. These are obtained through childhood vaccinations, water supply, the environment, etc. The mainstream medical community will deny all of this until someone other than Merck, or other major drug company really proves its truth. Childhood vaccinations have contained a mercury preservative called thimersol until recently. If you look at the signs of mercury and lead poisoning side by side with autism, they are virtually identical. Chelation is where a drug is given to bind to the metals (lead, mercury, aluminum and so on) and excrete them in the urine and feces. We do this by use of oral agents, not intravenous, which scares me. This is not undertaken lightly, and there will be lots of tests run to ascertain his liver function and overall health before beginning. My son is making fantastic strides! We are seeing tons of lead and aluminum being excreted through a urine test sent to the lab. As a laboratorian myself, I would not have believed the biochemical abnormalities in his body, had I not seen them on paper. Another good resource is Great Plains Laboratory, who solely performs autism testing. Contact me for more info.

Go to this website. Your eyes will be opened, as mine were in July, 2005. http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari/index.htm