Anyone here with autistic child, could you tell me the first signs?

Question

My baby boy 20 months old has lost his words. Had about 12 words as far back as October. Does not respond to his name being called or anything we say to him. Will not go in tub all of a sudden, screams so badly, I am sponge bathing him. Screams terribly lately if I try to vacuum. He used to laugh at the vacuum. Has become obsessed with taking out shoes and lining them up. He even falls asleep on the rug while staring at these shoes. Not interested in most of his toys anymore. Took him to ped. and she said it is not autism and ordered a hearing test at hospital for Monday. I am sick with worry.

Answer 1

I do have a 2 1/2 year old son and thankfully he is not autistic, but I have done a lot of reading and reasearch on autism. I feel really passionately about realizing it is an epidemic and that more money should go towards its research as well as doctors should be given more training and knowledge on it considering 1 out of every 150 children now has autism at some level. I really really hate to worry you, but your child has some of the "warning signs".

The first thing I would do is seat him in his high chair and stand behind him where he cannot see you and call him name. If he does not turn towards you and respond, that is one of the first tell tale signs.

Additionally, losing speach is another big sign. Did you notice a change in him after a vaccination? This has been commonly seen in children to digress as they get older -- sometimes after a vaccination. Oprah did a fantastic show with four families with autistic children and 3 of the 4 had children who developed normally until they reached a certain age (12 to 18 mo.)

I do know two autistic children -- one does line things up and then he will flail his arms and mess them up only do line them up again.

Eye contact is another big factor.

My VERY BEST advice I can give you is to do what you feel in your gut. If you aren't comfortable with your doctors diagnosis, try a new doctor. The key is if he is autistic that he recieves therapy immediately. It makes a big difference.

Keep your head up -- this is still your baby.

Here is a great resource with information - http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer

God bless you and your son!

Answer 2

Symptoms of Classic Autism include:
1. Severe social disabilities (little or no eye contact, difficulty understanding others think differently than themselves, etc.)
2. Little or no verbal skills, (neither my niece or nephew could talk but my niece understands a lot but my nephew didn't.)
3. Repetative movements like rocking & hand flapping or lining things up & getting upset if things are out of order.

Your son is certainly exhibiting signs of symptom #3.

While he demonstrates some of #2, if he's experienced some hearing loss could be why. And he is so young, poor speech is not a surprise.

So that leaves #1. And I think it is #1 for a reason. What about eye contact? Does he play peek-a-boo (or other little socialization game) like he used to?

We are just a bunch of people on the net. Your doctor has actually examined the child. I'm sure she's seen some things to rule out autism.

But if your son does end up getting diagnosed with autism, that's not the end of the world. Just a beginning of an adventure. Early diagnoses (before age 3) & training can make a substancial difference.

And the severity of autism can vary widely among children. My neice is almost 11 and is MAYBE up to a 2 year old level. She is finally out of diapers but still has BM issues.She is very affectionate but on her own terms (like a siamese cat). But most kids with autism function well above her level.

At the support groups I went to I don't think I met one person who's kid was lower functioning than my neice. At the seminars, may 5 to 10% were parents of children at or lower than my niece. At least 50% of autistic kids are verbal.

But even a difficult as my niece can be, she is a joy to us all. She helps me see the world through new eyes. Her happy squeal is a delight. She has this sing-song she does when she's happy. "a lee, a lee, a LEE!" And many times she goes into that sing-song the moment she sees me walk in the room. One thing you know, when you get hugged by an autistic child, it's sincere. They can't fake a smile. Very few people make me feel as loved as my little niece!

What ever the diagnoses may be with your son, your love for him will not change, except to grow deeper and stronger.

Answer 3

See what the hearing test says. He may not like the vacuum because of the vibrations if he can't hear. And the tub...well boys hate baths. If your pediatrician said it's not autism, and recommends a hearing test, I would go with it for now. If the hearing test turns up nothing, then definitely get a second opinion.

However, my nephew was 2 1/2 before he broke past 15 words. They had him tested for autism and hearing problems, but as it turns out he had nothing to say. In a matter of 3 weeks he has suddenly tripled his vocabulary. He will repeat almost anything you say. He even knows all his letters and numbers. Some boys are just like that.

I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 4

You need to seek a second opinion. He is giving some very classic signs of autism. The early it is diagnosed and you start working with him, the better the long term outcome will be. You are your child's advocate-tell the doctor you aren't asking "if" a second opinion is needed, you are demanding it be done! If you have to be a pain in the doc's butt to get a proper evaluation done, then do it. Try to find a doc in your area that specializes in kids with Autism or at least has experience with this condition and is up to date on new research. If need be, contact the local school and ask for the point of entry for the local Early Intervention Program, they may be able to give you some help in locating a doctor or meeting other parent's in the community in this situation.

Answer 5

My son is now 4 and was diagnosed with PDD NOS back when he was 2, which is a mild form of autism. I hate to say that your son is exhibiting a lot of classic red flags for autism. Please ask your pediatrician for a referral to either a developmental pediatrician or a neurologist. There is testing they can do that can determine if your son falls on the autism spectrum or not. Pediatricians themselves are not always good at dealing with developmental issues. When I first expressed my concerns about my son to my pediatrician, he kept telling me not to worry, that "he's a boy, boy's talk later, blah blah blah". I wasted time listening to him.

Regardless - please know that an autism diagnosis is not a death sentence. The key is to get them into intensive therapy early on, and they can do really well. Honestly - my son was nonverbal at age 2, had little to no eye contact, was in his own world... he's now 4, and if you saw him you wouldn't know a thing was wrong with him. His doctor is even considering takign his autism diagnosis away. He is the most loving, affectionate little guy. Not all kids do this well, and its been really hard work to get to this point. But not all autism diagnoses mean you have a "rain man" on your hands either.

I wish you teh best of luck, and my prayers are with you!

Answer 6

As a man or woman who works in a school, I shouldn't say this yet I advise which you pass with Bob's answer. As for the raging debate approximately if Autism is an academic or a medical prognosis, the respond is its the two. in case you have chose a medical or medical prognosis of autism, you may desire to have a finished (and muy costly) assessment finished by using a psychologist who specialzes in this area. The assessment should not be a 10 minute waiting room eyeball of the new child yet an intensive assessment (cognitive means, sensory aspects, speech, language, habit, adaptive habit). the acceptable assessment could additionally incorporate the Autism Diagnostic fact time table which gadgets up social circumstances designed to elicit behaviors effortless to infants with autism. in case you have chose an academic eligibility, you may desire to permit the college do the assessment. the prospect is, that's quite no longer as rigorous or thorough. maximum college psychologists are no longer experienced extremely in diagnosing autism (regardless of the undeniable fact that there are some like me who're). The up-edge is this assessment could be unfastened. Clinically, it sounds greater like your son could have asperger's syndrome extremely of the classic autism because of the fact his language is easily stronger. the factors for that's featuring situation with social interplay and a few form of repetitive habit and constrained pastime. final analysis, i could permit the college do the assessment considering's unfastened. that's probably they'll eyeball your new child and use some checklists. in case you do no longer experience mushy with that, then i could refuse to sign the IEP workplace work and demand that an self sustaining assessment be finished (on the college's price). Use the advise besides.

Answer 7

Our county has a regional center that you can call and they come out and evaluate your child and then offer (free) classes, paid by the state in areas they think your child needs it. I started to notice signs in my 24 month old ( anti-social, walking on her tippy-toes, loss of words and little to no words spoke at all, stacking things, objects always in her hands, routine dependability ) I told my doctor , who also thought there was nothing wrong but I ask her if there was a for sure way to find. She referred me to the Regional Center. They do not test until they are 2.9 for Autism and other learning disabilities but she was evaluated and is going to be starting sensory motor and speech classes next week. Get a second opinion - it can't hurt. Good luck with everything.

Answer 8

My nephew is autistic. He definately sounds like he has some tendencies. My nephew did not speak one word until he was 4 yrs old. He started preschool this year and is doing incredibly well. He is actually in a normal pre-k classroom. Since starting school at the begininning of the year his vocabulary has more than doubled. He is a whiz with numbers and his alphabet. He is amazing to watch.
Just love your son unconditionally no matter what. You and your son will be fine!!

Answer 9

Go see a different pediatrian! I'm not sure where you live but many states have organizations that will help you. I don't want to worry you but those are signs of Autism. My son is two and he is being evaluated by several agencies. I live in San Diego, CA and available to me is C3, California Early Start and San Diego Regional Development Center. Good Luck and stay on top of it! These agencies are very busy and you have to stay on top of them, or else your son may get lost in the shuffle!

Answer 10

it sounds to me like he may have a mild case. if your doctor is unsure, have more tests done. he is at the age when most signs occur. here is a website to the 5 early signs of Autism. i hope it helps. you can always go to another doctor if you are still unconvinced.
http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/1-03/EP12-02.html