i think my child has autism, what signs do i need to look out for?

Question

i have a boy who is about to turn 5, he has a stammer when he speaks and can only put 5 words to a sentence. He throws temper tantrums and becomes aggressive and oppositional to me and my partner and his younger brother. He doenst like playing with other children much at all and he finds it difficult to concentrate for long periods of time and becomes bored easily, he is always on the move, or sat in front of the t.v. At school he is monitered for his speech, and also has recently failed the school sight test..again. Please help, as his behaviour can be outrageous at times with people staring at us he is very fussy about things he does. He recently played with another autistic boy who is 8 and they got on really well together.

Answer 1

tried to chat off line with you, this is my field of specialty, can you tell me are you based in the UK or the USA please.

And whilst monitoring his speech or lack of it, what else are the doing for him.............

And please please remember there are HUGE areas and ranges of autism........some of them have not been diagnosed until in their adult hood as they have been able to more or less function within the outer edges of what is expected. So the next thing to do is look at your husband and his brothers if any....autism as with ADHD tends to run down the male line.

If you want any more info guidance please feel free to contact me off here.

Regards

Answer 2

Get your son to a pediatric neurologist. It is very difficult to make a diagnosis at such an early age, but there are number of problems that can cause autistic like symptoms. And, some can be fairly easily corrected. But, first you need to have the best information available on just what you are dealing with. Then you are going to need support. No matter what the final diagnosis, start using the Internet to learn all you can about Autism. If there are any Medical Schools in your area, you may be able to get assistance, and new treatments. When you know for sure what is going on, find a support group. The hardest part of dealing with a problem like this is 'going it alone', and you will find many other parents who have had the same fears and feelings you have had. They can help in a variety of ways. This 'Early Intervention', was it through the health department or a private provider? Depending on the part of the country you live in, there are a wide variety of programs available. Please take advantage of anyone/thing you can grab onto. You'll do okay in the long run. God Bless

Answer 3

Hi there,

It doesn't sound like autism, just frustration. Maybe he is needing more academic stimulation?

And maybe his eyesight is needed looked at further? It could also be that he is dyslexic in certain areas.

I am numerically dyslexic and this wasn't picked up until I was in my twenties(2-0'2-0's) No joke, but if I correct it it will take a few days.

My daughter is always on the move too, she gets up at five thirty, goes to bed at around eight oclock pm she is just four, I have consluted the doctor, cos I was worried about the autism, but they said moods tantrums etc. were normal for an aware child, lol! (throwing herself on the floor in stores etc. ) Ban the T.V for a while, she got addicted to spongebob! lol!

Hope it puts your mind at rest! Natural phases and all that!

Love,

Louie xx

Answer 4

I would see if your pediatrician will refer your son to a developmental specialist, or a psychologist who specializes in children's issues like autism or ADHD. He may also have a vision problem that affects his concentration. I have read about kids who have sensory problems and can have what is called sensory integration dysfunction. There is a good book about it, called The Out of Sync Child. If he resembles any of the situations described in the book, there may be some things that an occupational therapist could help him deal with, and teach you some things to do to help him.

When a child has communication problems, it can cause a lot of behavior problems, especially because the child gets frustrated trying to make his needs known and get his message across. If you are in the US, your local school system should have a program for preschoolers that can help you get the help you need.

I have also read about kids being sensitive to food additives that can make them act out. There are lots of things to check out to see what is affecting your son.

I have a child with autism, and a few friends have kids with autism and ADHD. Since autism is such a wide spectrum of problems (my daughter is mild but started out with language problems at age 2 or 3) it is hard to tell if he has it without help from a professional. Some classic signs of autism are repetitive motions like flapping or flicking fingers, repeating the same phrases over and over, not making good eye contact, and being very sensitive to sounds, and thriving on routine. The autism society of america website is excellent.
Good luck to you.

Answer 5

Has he had a thorough sight test by an opthalmologist? I ask because my son had exactly the same symptoms at the same age , and it turned out he was severley visually impaired. Poor sight can impede so much learning in the early years and the tantrums and lack of socialising could be down to frustration.. Just a thought.. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

There are different types of autism. Only a trained professional can assess your child. My nephew would wave his hands over his head when he liked something and for years we could not understand his obsessive behavior. He is totally obsessed with toys even now at 15. He was finally diagnosed with Asberger's syndrome which is a form of autism. He is on medication now and excelling in school but still is focused on toys. Talk to your pediatrician and get a referral to someone who can properly diagnose your child. The fact that your recognize a problem at this early stage is good.

Answer 7

Dear Mcdermott mbe. I am to give you an explanation that you may have never heard of it. We are used to hear the medical scientific explanation of things. However there is also a spiritual approach in mental illnesses. I have read that autism is caused by spirits that get attached to the baby at the moment of birth. Not much research has been done about this, but I think if they did research a lot of improvement on kids could be made. The spirit causes the boredom and aggressiveness. If one could get off the spirit, one could really now how the boy really is. Since not much research on spiritual causes are made we have to rely on the scientific/medical approach. Keep on looking for answers. I wish you the best for your little kid. My prayers are with you. [e-mail]

Answer 8

His behaviors sound like they are possibly part of the autistic spectrum.My 7 year old son has high functioning autism ,and his speech has improved greatly over the past 2 years with speech therapy in his special needs class.He also has sensory issues--he says he itches alot,wants me to rub his arms,wishes to wear the same clothing every day,etc.My son has no vision issues.His favorite activity in the world is swimming,and he goes 3x a week to the YMCA for that.Ignore the ignorant people who stare--THEY have the problem!Work with the school and seek assistance with them.Best wishes.

Answer 9

AUTISM

It is estimated that almost 1 out of every 100 children are diagnosed with autism!
Formally thought to have been an uncommon disease, autism is now considered to be on the increase.
Autism manifests itself in behaviour such as self-injury, mood swings, isoloation, and verbal communication skill deficiences.

The exact cause of autism is not yet known but there is scietific research that relates it to myriad conditions in the body.
Gastrointestinal disorders, toxicity, neurogenic disorders, and poor dietry habits are some of the conditions researchers believe coild be the cause of increased syptoms in autism.
There have been numerous studies that correlate the abdominal gut permeability of autism patients to gastrointestinal imbalances, food allergies, protein absorption problems, bacterial and fungal overgrowth, and nutritional deficiencies in tryptophan and zinc.

Amino acids are primary building blocks of neurotransmitters in the brain that influence mood and behaviour.
Many researchers feel there is a correlation between autistic children and amino acid digestion. The digestion and assimilation of essential amino acids consumed in our food plays a prime role in the health of an autistic individual.

Tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids, has been found to affect the hormone serotonin, a neurotrasmitter that influences sleep, mood swings, and appetite.

In modern society there has been an increase in autism.
One factor believed to contribute to this rise is in the ratio between omega - 6 to omega - 3 intake in the diet. In the early 1900's, omega - 6 ratios were 4:1. In the late 1980's this ratio had risen to a staggering 25:1!

Everything from amino acid imbalances to fungal overgrowth indicates the many parts of the MATRIX that can have an effect on the Autistic person. The correlation between poor amino acid digestion and the liver can often be helped just by healing LGS with Mangosteen juice and thus improving protien digestion and liver function; this will in turn allow such amino acids as tryptophan to once again balance seratonin levels in the brain. And this will give an autistic individual a peaceful day instead of an emotionally stressful day.

Food allegies for the autistic can also have a direct bearing on gut permeability and inflammation of the gut.
Mangosteen Xanthones possess powerful anti-inflammatory agents that will either eliminate or reduce the allergies of an autistic individual.

Recommended serving : 2 - 6 oz per day depending on age.

Mangosteen has anti-inflammatory effects, anti-allergenic effects, anti-oxident effects, and NO major side effects.

http://www.mangosteen101.co.uk

http://www.goxanthones.com

Answer 10

Try seeing a doctor, if he does have autism, try to find something he is good at, many autistic people aren't very good with a lot of things, but have at least one or two things they love doing, like anyone else, if you find something he loves to do, it can probably calm him and help him relax. Don't ever yell at him to stop, just soothe him and try rubbing his back to calm him... I really hope you get the help you need!

When does he usually have these fits??

Try something simple like a toy or a lulaby, they do help sometimes...

Here is a link that might help you...

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/autism/DS00348/DSECTION=2