Does my son have autism?

Question

I'm afraid that my son may have autism. I have done online research and I'm just not sure. I've read that autistic children like to play alone, but my son is an only child and has no one to play with. He does cover his ears a lot and doesn't answer to his name and repeats everything he hears. My son can learn song very quickly but doesn't talk much. I'm on the fence with this. Help!!

Answer 1

You need to see his pediatrician. If there is in fact a problem then they will give you the referrals to specialists to steer you in the right direction. If it turns out to be a correct diagnosis for autism, there are many support groups, check out the Autism Society, they have chapters in most major cities. Lots of luck to you both!!!

Answer 2

Hi - I'm the mother of three young kids, and my son, now 4, is mildly autistic.

Some of the things you mention are red flags for autism. My son used to "echo" what he heard other people say, and do a lot of "scripting" - where he would repeat lines from TV shows he saw over and over.

Anyways - I would voice your concerns to your pediatrician and ask for a referral to a developmental pediatrician or neurologist. They can do some testing on your son to tell for sure if he falls on the autism spectrum or not. Trust your instincts - if you feel something is not quite right, chances are there is a problem. And the earlier you start therapy, the better off he will do. Just know if it turns out he is, its not a death sentence. My son who was nonverbal and had lots of red flags for autism at age 2 1/2 - he's now 4 and talks a bluestreak, and most people don't notice anything wrong with him. He's doing so great, but he's been intensive therapy since age 2. Good luck!!!!

Answer 3

It is not totally normal. I am thinking you may be right that he is "on the spectrum". I am thinking maybe PDD. I would also look into getting him an OT consultation. It sounds to me like he has some sensory issues. Once these are dealt with he may lose his bratty tendencies. Both my boys have some sensory integration problems ( i call them "issues"). My oldest son has some oral-motor issues...he chews on things and is particular about food textures and tastes. My younger son has some oral-motor issues also, but he is a sensory seeker. He eats hotter foods, enjoys textures, etc. He also is a gross motor seeker...he likes to take risks, climbing, jumping, "surfing" on my washer during the spin cycle. Your best bet is to try and find a book called "the out of sync child" and read it before you go to the doctor. I think you will find some answers in the book. It even tells how sensory problems and behavior problems are related! Feel free to contact me by e-mail. I know our special kids are hard to deal with. sometimes you just need to vent to someone who has been there:)

Answer 4

I would take him to see a pediatric phychiatrist. They are more current with developmentatl disabilities that pediatricians. In my experience, my son's autism was dismissed by his ped because we lived in the deep south and autism still has some sort of stigma there. He just said our child was a little eccentric and would grow out of it. He wouldn't even refer us to a specialist. Very frustrating. We went to a pediatric phychiatrist and got him tested. He got diagnosed PDD-NOS and later autistic. If your child is autistic, it's important to get the diagnosis because it will allow you to take advantage of services offered through your state (speech, OT). Above all, educate yourself and trust your instincts. You'll find you're the only one who will advocate for your child. Most big organizations just want a buck and don't actually do anything to help people living with autism.

Answer 5

It sounds like he could, or he may just be sensitive to stimulus for other reasons. Get him screened as soon as you can because kids with Autism do better with early intervention. In my area these screenings are called Child Find. Ask your Pediatrician for a referral, ask for early intervention services, or look them up in the phone book. Look for names like educational intervention services, early development intervention services, or child find. But your best bet would be to ask your pediatrician, he/she should have the knowledge of where you should go and may even do the screening him/herself. Good Luck to you and your son, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that he doesn't have Autism.
P.S.- Also have his hearing checked, even though he repeats everything he hears it doesn't mean his hearing is perfect, he may not hear everything and may do the repeating to kind of practice with the sounds.

Answer 6

hi, i can not say whether or not your son has autism. but my stepson does, so i can tell you what symptoms and signs he had leading up to his diagnosis. he also was an only child at the time.
1. he flapped his hand
2. he opened and closed things over and over, and spun his toys as well.
3. when we asked him a question, instead of answering, he asked it back to us, every single time.
4. he was obsessive about certain toys
5. he never answered to his name.
6. when we pointed at something to try to show him where it was, he looked at our finger every time, he didnt understand the concept of pointing.
7. he said a few words, but he never used them appropriately, for example, he said dada, but called everything in our house, dada.
8. he would get very upset when things were touching him, for instance, with his clothes, if one sock rolled down, he would throw a tantrum.
9. he had to do the same thing the same way everyday.
10. he ran away from us all the time.
11. he mimicked loud noises, (barking, car alarms)
12. he slept minimally.

i know there was more, but its been 3 years. i hope this helps. and please don't worry. there is so much help out there. connect to me if you decide to have him further evaluated. good luck.

Answer 7

how old is he my son is 2 and barly talks so if he sang a song think that I would cry. He is like all the rest have posted. He potty trained himself. likes repitition and has to ware the same shues always. I also have to do every thing the same way right foot in first and he hates the gowns they make him ware at the DRs office.
Don't fret till you have to. just ask the DR

Answer 8

as an only child he may not speak as much because he has adults figuring out what his needs are. My daughter wouldn't pay attention when I called her name, so instead I said "pssst" just once, and she turned around. I knew she was listening but she was choosing not to respond. He might be doing the same.
And don't forget to discuss this with his dr. just to confirm. I'm sure he's alright.

Answer 9

Please visit your county's school Preschool Diagnostic Center. They will fully evaluate your child's intelligence, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, social skills, etc (by an educational diagnostician, speech pathologist, school psychologist). Together as team, they will be able to determine if he is autistic. The Diagnostic Center at your local school district should be able to do this for free, and IF he qualifies, your child should receive services for free.

Answer 10

When I was a little boy. I went into the fridge and took eggs out and scrambled them on the floor for fun. Kids do weird things for the hell of it. Maybe,you just have a bad voice. That's why covers his ears.
If you have cool cartoon DVD's like Astroboy or ThunderCats and he doesn't want to watch it. Or if tou give him a toy airplane,tank, water gun and he doesn't want to play with it. Then, you should worry.