Could she be autistic?

Question

My daughter is nearly 2. I have always been concerned about her speech because she is still not saying much, but I was told not to worry about it by everyone that I talked to. My sister-in-law is autistic and as a part of some information I was reading about autism that she had I found that my daughter had almost all of the early signs of autism and when I took several quizzes online about it, they all told me to talk to my doctor. When I asked my doctor about it he said that because she makes eye contact and gives kisses that she is not autistic. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about autism and could tell me if eye contact and kisses definately rule it out. I'm sure I'm probably just overreacting and have worried myself over nothing, but I need validation.

Answer 1

There are three distinctive behaviors that characterize autism. Autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. These behaviors can range in impact from mild to disabling.

The hallmark feature of autism is impaired social interaction. Parents are usually the first to notice symptoms of autism in their child. As early as infancy, a baby with autism may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item to the exclusion of others for long periods of time. A child with autism may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement.

Children with autism may fail to respond to their name and often avoid eye contact with other people. They have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they can’t understand social cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions, and don’t watch other people’s faces for clues about appropriate behavior. They lack empathy.

Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and twirling, or in self-abusive behavior such as biting or head-banging. They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of “I” or “me.” Children with autism don’t know how to play interactively with other children. Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking.

Many children with autism have a reduced sensitivity to pain, but are abnormally sensitive to sound, touch, or other sensory stimulation. These unusual reactions may contribute to behavioral symptoms such as a resistance to being cuddled or hugged.

Hope the information was able to help you. Use the link at the bottom for more info. Good luck, mate!

Answer 2

In our experience, we have found many pediatricians that were ignorant about autism so I would go with your gut. 2 is very young to see a specialist but it may be helpful for you. Not all autistics are the same. Ours has always made eye contact and has told people goodbye (we didn't try to get him to blow kisses but he probably would have). There was however a disconnect with several other things and we were assured by his pediatrician that nothing was wrong and he would be a "late bloomer" with speech. We saw a specialist and she recognized he was developing much the same way your typical autistic does. Needless to say, we found a new practice for his pediatric needs and doctor visits have gone more smoothly since then. Bottom line, listen to yourself first because you know your child better than anybody. Someone who sees her for only a few minutes cannot possibly see all the things you see in her. You'll find your instincts are usually about 99% right.

Answer 3

The problem with autis is that is covers such a broad spectrum of symptoms and there is no definite test for diagnosing autism. It is very unlikely for a child of autism, to either make eye contact or give kisses, although I knew a boy who was autistic who did give his mother kisses.

If he had only one of the two (either eye contact or giving kisses), I would most likely dismiss it. For a diagnosis of autism to take place a child must show - impairment of reciprocal social interaction, abnormal communication development and restricted reptitive behaviour. There are different criteria for each of those three categories but a child must have all three to be considered autistic (You might want to look at th e ICD-10 or DSM-IV guidelines on the criteria for a diagnosis).

You say your daughter doesn't speak much but when does she actual speak? Will she actually respond to her name/questions and does she actually seem to be using speech meaningfully? Only because it is not necessarily the lack of speech that would be worrying but the way she uses speech.

Your daughter is around the age, where autism tends to be diagnosed because it is when the signs become more apparent. At the moment, her behaviour doesn't seem to be definitely autism (although since you haven't elaborated on her behaviour I am just making an assumption). Give it a couple more months and see if her communication improves and if not get a second opinion.

Answer 4

Some children are just quieter than others. And all mothers worry about such things, especially when there's someone in the family with the same disease. Just spend a lot of positive time with your daughter, read to her and work little puzzles with her. Talk to her whenever you are with her. That's the way language is learned. See if her vocabulary and talking don't improve. Don't look for your sister-in-law in her. She will sense your concern, and it may cause a strain on your relationship with her. Most of all, if her doctor doesn't see anything wrong, believe him. He's probably seen many autistic children and would tell you the truth if he was concerned about her. Most of those autism sites are run by drug companies. They'd like to convince us that we're all autistic or depressed or have bladder problems or ED or whatever. They sell more meds that way. So don't put too much stock in their tests. And ask yourself, does your child have any problem making her needs known or otherwise communicating with you? Give her a chance to express them rather than anticipating them so that she never has to ask for anything. You see what I mean?
Anyway, good luck and stop worrying.

Answer 5

"because she makes eye contact and gives kisses that she is not autistic"

Autistic individuals usually don't make eye contact with others, as your child does make eye contact with other humans, it's a good sign that she's not autistic.

She shows affection and the ability to make an intimate contact with others when she kisses. This is also a good sign, as individuals with autism have a difficult time with intimacy with other humans.

Looks like your child is normal and will in time speak, read, date, fall in love and all the other things females in our society eventually do.

Good luck!

Answer 6

i used to volunteer at a camp for kids with disabilities and i worked with kids that had autism. they did make eye contact i am not sure about the kissing though.

if you haven't visited this site already. here is something that may help. www.signsofautism.com

hope this helps. good luck.

Answer 7

2 year old i think your jumping the gun here what do you wont her to do read to you she is not autistic maybe she dont have anything to say do you talk to her do you read to her try it