# Question for autistic LO mums :Arm flapping



## TTC LADY

Hi to all

Our little girl who is now 8 months has started to flap her arms up and down , not violently or very fast and not just when she is excited or wanting to be picked up, its almost like she's waving, (which she may actually be trying to do)

She is consistently hitting all of the devt milestones, is a very social little girl, constantly smiling, babbling away etc, BUT My friend mentioned that this arm waving could be an early sign of autism, so its got me in a bit of a flap myself.

I've made the mistake of googling it and have seen that it can be an early symptom, but isn't 8 months too early for this ?

Would really appreciate any thoughts, especially if your LO exhibited this traits at 8 months old and has been diagnosed with Autism / AS.

Thanks in advance.

x


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## Midnight_Fairy

It is a trait but I would say at 8mths LOT of baby's do this and are not autistic. I wouldn't worry about what your friend said if you are not concerned about other areas right now xx


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## velvetina

Hi hun, agree with above poster. If it accompanied with other flags for example to name but a few, lack of eye contact and interaction, fixations, lack of milestones or other odd behaviours then yes it could be another trait. 

I have seen this concern before and many babies of this age do this and have not been autistic. It needs to be looked at as part of a bigger picture, IKWM.

Hope that helps and you continue to enjoy your lovely daughter. x


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## cabaretmum2b

Personally, I don't think that arm flapping alone is anything to go on - a lot of babies do this at her age!
If she's hitting all her milestones, is social and is making efforts to talk and babble, I really wouldn't worry AT ALL. My younger brother is autistic, and you could tell from such an early age that he was different. He didn't start speaking properly until he was about 5, and that was with the help of speech and language therapy. He didn't babble etc very early at all, and hated making eye contact and cuddling etc.


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## lady3

I wouldn't worry too much about what your friend said yet. My daughter did it at around the same age as well as both of my nephews, and they're all 2-3 years old now and don't have autism.


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## TTC LADY

Hi ladies.

Thank you for your replies. Can I please ask one more question and get your advice please with regards to name recognition which is now on my mind.

Often if Riya is concentrating on something, ie toy, watching tv and i call her name or generally talk to her she will often ignore me.

However when i leave the room and return she always looks up or watches where i am going, but generally when she is busy concentrating she may not look up or turn to face me but may smile or grunt which shows me she has heard me, but has maybe chosen to ignore me.

I called her doc and he said not too worry, she is still only 8 months, she is generally 
alert, very active, socialises with everyone, and loves cuddles etc turns to loud sounds, vacuum, waching machine etc.

For those of you with children on the ASD spectrum, do you think we should we be overly concerned ? or should we only be concerned if she starts doing this all the time. Is it normal for a 8 month baby to have selective hearing ? 

PS : The hand flapping thing seems to have lessened

Very much appreciate your answers.

Thanks


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## Midnight_Fairy

I wouldnt worry yourself to much at this stage. I think most traits will be most obvious at around 12-18mths so I wouldn't worry just yet x


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## jojo2605

From experience, there was nothing unusual about any of my 3 younger siblings, who all turned out to have autism, not until they got to the age where speech and comprehension should have developed. At 8 months there really is no proof that there are any signals at all that autism will develop. 

I would try not to think about it and enjoy your little girl, i'm sure she is just expressing herself in one of the few ways she knows how!


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## angelstardust

Thats selective hearing and you will get used to it, trust me, it will continue all their lives. Then they may start hearing what they want to hear, for example 'have a biscuit' when you said 'tidy your room'.


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## RubyRainbows

I think arm flapping is normal in a baby so young -- just excited & showing excitement. However, keep an eye on her "ignoring you". Practice calling her name when out of site & make sure she looks upon "hearing" you. There may be times she is distracted & that's normal but iff you practice everyday to ensure she is hearing you. If you are still concerned have her hearing tested. If she can't hear well (or has frequent ear infections) this will hinder language development. Is she babbling & repeating sounds back to you?

You can't base "hearing you" on looking when you walk into the room or "hearing" the washing machine start bc these things would also cause vibrations on the floor that she can feel. (and that could be how she learned to turn and look)

Practice ringing a bell out of sight, calling her name, whispering to her, shaking a rattle. And observe if she looks towards the door bell or a car horn or dog barking for example.


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## TTC LADY

MommyTammyPA said:


> I think arm flapping is normal in a baby so young -- just excited & showing excitement. However, keep an eye on her "ignoring you". Practice calling her name when out of site & make sure she looks upon "hearing" you. There may be times she is distracted & that's normal but iff you practice everyday to ensure she is hearing you. If you are still concerned have her hearing tested. If she can't hear well (or has frequent ear infections) this will hinder language development. Is she babbling & repeating sounds back to you?
> 
> You can't base "hearing you" on looking when you walk into the room or "hearing" the washing machine start bc these things would also cause vibrations on the floor that she can feel. (and that could be how she learned to turn and look)
> 
> Practice ringing a bell out of sight, calling her name, whispering to her, shaking a rattle. And observe if she looks towards the door bell or a car horn or dog barking for example.

Thanks for the response.

She does babble (dada, baba, nana) but rarely repeats sounds back to me With Regards to her name, she seems to be responding better and also responds when others call her name or if they just talk to her she turns to look at them. When we go out she turns towards the sound of cars, dogs barking etc if they are within ear shot.


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## Adanma

It could very well be normal development, but as some other posters stated just be watchful of other signs as she grows older. My oldest has Asperger's. We new from the start he was not like other kids. He was always very serious when playing we used to joke that he was "clocked-in" when he was playing. He was also very fussy as a baby which I know know could have been his sensory issues. He still doesn't like to have clothes on if he can get away with it! He spends most of his day in his underwear. We'll have to break him of that as he goes to school this fall! But yeah, babies flap!
Adanma


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## JASMAK

My daughter has autism and does NOT flap her hands. I would go more on communication (which would be non-verbal at this point) and how she plays with toys. Does she look you in the eyes, does she show you toys or food, does she ask for things by pointing or making noises and she is trying to "tell" you. Does she play with toys in a proper way (for example, my daughter would not play with toys, but rather hold one toy, the same toy, all day long, but did nothing with it). Does she react to your facial expressions. When you smile does it make her smile etc??? Hand flapping is not a trait to diagnosis, but rather a trait that some who are diagnosed with autism may or may not have as "repetitive behaviour".


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