Mothers and fathers of autistic children? Grown ups with autism.?

Question

I have a 3 year-old who I suspect is autistic, due his lack of vocabulary, and some odd behaviors, like clapping his hands in frustration, extreme hyperactivity, covering his ears and echolia. He is on the waiting list right now to be diagnosed. He's been in speech for over a year now to no avail. What were the signs and symptoms that your kids displayed or did display? Did they develop normally and then regress or did they start behind and stay behind. I am interested in knowing how life has been for your kids i school and coping with everyday life. I'm so worried that when I am no longer here my son won't be able to care for himself. Also I am 31 weeks pregnant and I was wandering if you had multiple children with autism, however I am divorced so my children donot have the same father.

Yes he was in early intervention speech therapy, now he gets it through the regular school system. He also does the fisting thing too, I never thought too much about it but when he would crawl he would always use at least one fist, same hand.

Answer 1

Ok first questions was the symptoms....I have taken care of many autistic kids and they can all have different signs. They don't talk or don't use many words if it is severe but I have taken care of autistic kids with a pretty good vocabulary. They aren't affectionate but sometimes when they are use to people they can show some affection. They usually love music but only certain kinds and it seems to help calm them down. They can be violent if it is a severe case and some end up in special homes because of it. They can seem "typical" sometimes too though and only show a few of the mild signs and still be diagnosed as autistic. My cousins baby showed signs from birth but they don't test until they are 3 years old. He wouldn't talk or if he did it was a babble like a baby even at 2 years old. He wouldn't look anyone in the eyes. He made fists pretty much all the time. He would sit and rock front and back all the time. He loved listening to the music though, it would calm him down a lot. He enjoyed watching fish swim, that had a calming affect. He responded best to people he knew the most. He wasn't good with strangers at all. He would get excited and hit stuff with his fist but it wasn't in an aggressive way. Basically after years of experience I knew he was autistic long before he was diagnosed. My stepbrother is a more aggressive case. He is now headed to a special home at 21 years old because my stepmom is dying of breastcancer (final stages). He can be affectionate but he is aggressive and has been accused of rape. He doesn't understand right from wrong. He still holds his hand in a fist and shakes them when he gets excited. He is a big boy so I am honestly scared to be around him much anymore but i use to take care of him all the time when he was younger. He is now a 250 lb aggressive autistic man. His early signs were similar to my cousins. I did take care of 2 boys that were 5 and 6 that were autistic. They had the same mother and father. They weren't aggressive but were hard to handle. They like to be on the run and full of energy but they couldn't really talk and they too would make a fist and shake their hands/arms when excited. They also loved listening to music and dancing and playing music. When their sister was 3 years old she was also diagnosed with Autism. The family is currently being tested to identify the gene that caused the autism. They are hoping that if they find the gene that will help predict which families are more at risk for having autistic children. The little girl was the most mild case of the three. I also worked with a 3 year old little girl who was mild case. She would scream at the top of her lungs for no reason, walked around with her hands in a fist, she hated anyone to touch her hair, she would only eat certain foods prepared a certain way, she wouldn't let anyone touch her, she couldn't look anybody in the eyes but she outgrew it and tody she is a teenager and shows no signs of autism. They aren't sure why it went away but it did.

Until they find out the exact gene that causes autism it is really hard to predict the chances of having another autistic child but I know the local studies done on the family of 3 state that they think it has to come from both parents. You will know more after you get the evaluation done. From what you describe it sounds like he may have autism but there are other disorders that have similar signs. Is he in a special school or program? Does he go through early intervention?

Answer 2

My son is autistic, he is now four, was diagnosed when he was a little over 2 years old.

My son's symptoms was he was non verbal until age 2 1/2 - his speech is still behind. He has sensory integration disorder - so he did a lot of "crashing" into furniture and people. He also got very overstimulated when we took him places and he would run around like a maniac and seemed hyperactive. His eye contact was not great, and he could not follow simple one step directions, didn't always respond to his name, and seemed "in his own world" a fair amount. He didn't regress, the speech was an issue from day one, the other issues I noticed more starting around 12 months old.
He is my middle child, of three kids. HE has an older brother and a younger sister, both of whom are not autistic. I have no family history of autism. I really feel it was a "fluke".

My son started early intervention when he was two, received speech, occupational and play therapy. When he turned three, he started at our public preschool with an IEP - he is there currently full time, and gets speech, OT and PT. He started out in an ABA based class, but has moved onto a different class where they focus on social skills and he is mainstreamed with "typical peers".

He is a different child due to all this intervention. When he was younger, life was tough. We couldn't bring him many places, he had a lot of tantrums, it was SO hard to communicate wtih him. Now - life is different - if you met him, you would not know anything was wrong with him. HIs speech is still delayed somewhat, but he understands everything I tell him and he can communicate with us, so the tantrums have stopped pretty much completely. He is very social, loves to play with other kids. His hyperactiveness has toned WAY down now that his sensory needs are being addressed - he can actually sit still in school and stay focused for an age appropriate amount of time. I"m still nervous for the future - I worry he'll get teased when he starts kindergarten, or further on.... but I have to take it one day at a time or I'll go crazy with worry. His siblings are a great support to him now and its wonderful for him to have them as peer role models - and I hope they will continue to support him later on.

Don't try to think too far ahead. Continue to do your research. He needs to be in intense therapy ASAP and he can do wonders. Scout around for other places that could evaluate your son if possible - I remember early intervention gave me a list of several doctors and evaluation centers to choose from - I just kept going until I got him in and once you get that diagnosis, you can get more services from the school system, etc.

I wish you the best of luck, its a lot of work, but autism is not a death sentence, kids can do so well. My prayers are with you!

Answer 3

I suspect my son has autism myself after some reading but the information you get sometimes is just a mumble or doesnt really say alot.
I mean my has been diagnosed with adhd since 3 but I am really wondering if he hasnt been wrongfuly diagnosed.

He was different as most people here have stated from birth- wasnt like typical babies of being held and cuddled, he would scream at the top of his lungs till he was put down. He is 14 and has never kissed grandma but one time in his life and that just happened, me as his mom has maybe got 12 kisses all his life, he will hug me be shy away. He is extremely hyper, doesnt seem to get things, has a diffuclt time with pencil grasp and holding silverware. Nobody has ever made a suggestion of this but I am really beginning to wonder if he has this instead of the adhd. Does anyone know the difference in the testing that thye do?

If you find any good information could you send it my way

Thanks

good luck to you, it is a long road, my advice to you is never stop fighting if you beleive that something is not right with your child becasue it can come back to haunt you.

Answer 4

My son is autistic. The most frustrating symptom for me was echolatia.

The hyperactivity was a problem too. We've got him on Focalin now, so that he can sit still during school. I'm sad to drug him, but it's the only practical solution at this time.

I am delighted to report that his social and speech skills are really just below normal now. He's almost basically mainstream. It took a lot of modifications, but the results are good.

I just bought a DVD from Model Me Kids that I'd reccommend.

Answer 5

I have a brother with autism. He is 38 now. My dad knew something wasn't quite right when he was just two months old. He was very clingy to his mother and a change in his routine really upset him. He never really did talk. He understands 20 words or less. My parents still take care of him. He can dress and feed himself and he is potty-trained. He even hangs up laundry and can stack wood. The other three siblings are fine. I have four kids and they are all fine.