# Autism Sysmptoms



## dolores

Does anyone give me a rough idea of the strong signs of autism in a 2 and half year old...?? ive done so much reading but i can't fine one simple answer or anything that makes sense....


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## HannahsMummy

There are so many different symptoms, at such a young age you can't really make a diagnosis.

I guess the strongest one would be lack of speech and obesession with certain routines such as closing doors?

My cousin is severely autistic and he didn't speak until he was 5


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## PeanutBean

My oldest nephew is autistic, he is now 11. The signs have been there right from the start. Paediatricians claim to be able to have a pretty good idea of who will be autistic even from birth. The defining symptom is a lack of interest in faces when other babies really start to take an interest. My nephew was all about shiny Christmas cards and the Christmas lights and didn't look at us much at all.

As he got older he became seriously obsessed with cupboard doors and then lightswitches. I don't mean babies wanting to do the same thing over again, I mean nothing else would interest him at all for weeks, longer even.

He was extremely young when he learnt to read and write the first 12 roman numerals learnt from clocks which he still has a fascination with. As his drawing developed he drew nothing but clocks and by about 7 or so he had moved on to drain pipes. His drawings more recently (past few years) tend to be of a street with lamposts, each with a clock, every building has an intricate system of drainpipes, all properly connected and leading to a drain. It's immaculate and precise and obsessive. He never talked about nursery or school.

The point of this is to show that there are distinctive signs and a progressive development. But every autistic child is different so will obsess about different things. Lots of autistic kids have problems writing for example but my nephew takes great care and pride in it and always wins award for neatest writing at school. I would say the most common feature will be less interest in people than non-autistic children.


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## moomin_troll

my brother is highly autistic, he couldnt talk till he was 3 but he has other problems that added to that. hes always liked to line things up and goes nuts if something is out of place, where as zane will line things up but doesnt mind if i move things.

also not liking being in big crowds and a disinterest in other people, altho there can be the opposite where my brother gets obsessed with ppl and just stares, he has no idea how to act "normaly" around others.

i wouldnt worry about it too much and talk to ur doctor as u dont want to jump the gun. x


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## velvetina

Hi hun,

This may help in giving you a list of the areas of development that can be impaired in asd. You can click on each one to give you a detailed description of what to look for. 

https://www.childbrain.com/pddassess.html

I have 2 boys one is autistic the other has social difficulties and they were very different, however I knew very early on my eldest was autistic. 

I agree, it can be detected very early, there is a lot of info out which can seem daunting. Is there anything in particular you are worried about hun? 

By 2 1/2 I would be looking for speaking in sentences, showing an interest in the world around them, asking questions, understanding what you say and ask them to do, showing interest and playing with/alongside peers, showing imaginative play. 

Typical signs I have seen in autistic toddlers have been: obsessed with tv watching same programmes over and over, echolalia (repeat speech from what they have seen and learned, not spontaneous), not understanding receptive speech and having either poor speech or no speech. Not playing with toys appropriately (lining things up or putting in order or just playing with part of it), little or no imaginative play. Unusual behavioural patterns, like running or twirling/spinning/ watching from unusual angles (like out of corners of eyes). Inability to cope with crowds/noise (may put hands over ears) may scream and have meltdowns in these situations. Little or no interaction with you to show or share things with you, i.e. insular. May be stimms like flapping, vocal sounds, watching fingers. Obsessions with switching things on/off or open and closing. Not hearing you, or responding to either name or requests. 

These can vary depending on how a child is affected and not all children will do all these things, just a sampler to give you an idea. HTH. x


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## huggybear

My nephew is Autistic and from basically a toddler we knew something wasnt quite right, he would spend hours infront of the washing machine then spinning on the spot so quickly, he wouldnt met your gaze and wasnt affectionate and wouldnt stand cuddles, my sister thought he was the easiest child ever, spent ages doing his own thing but woulod never play with her or any other kids, it was until he started nursery that they really thought something was wrong and my sister couldnt ignore it anymore, my nephew was sent to a speech therapest and it went from there.


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## charlotteb24

a friends little boy is autistic, I knew him from around the age of 3, at that age he was obsessed with anything mechanical or mathematic in its origin.
He would line things up in colour order this could be toys or food and it all had to be eaten or played with in a certain order.
He was obsessed with small clippets of film from particular tv programmes or dvd's and would play say 3 seconds, press rewind and play it again for literally hours if you let him.
He would only eat certain foods, at the time it was fromage frais and cardboard! 
He had no interest at all in human communication and made no attempt to talk, he would make vocal noises and used to put his fingers in his ears a lot and hum to himself when you were trying to get through to him.
He also hated wearing clothes, especally anything on his legs and spent most of the day in just a nappy, which if you werent careful he would take off, so they had to put it on with cellotape!
He was an aswesome kid, he could be very loving and he showed the potential of being a very intelligent child!
But it was very obvious that he wasn't developing normally so to speak from well before he was 3 as the usual baby babble never came and he showed no iterest in playing or interacting with other children. He never gave you eye contact either.


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## dolores

Thanks for your replies - some of the symptoms that have been mentioned a very familiar..

My son will be three in a couple of months and he doesnt talk - he will only copy words he hears. He does not eat at all - he will drink milk but does not eat food - if i make him something he will have a bite and thats it - so im constantly making him food throughout the day and he has a few bites of food...

If i give him a small treat like a milky bar (don't get me wrong i don't feed him junk food always) if while he is opening the wrapper and the choc breaks in half he will go crazy and wont eat it

he lines things up aswell such as blocks or mobiles etc...with bigger blocks he will build them to a very tall tower but if it falls he goes crazy

He constantly claps and stomps his feet up and down the room (in a happy way)

he loves watching tv commercials - and he is very good at mentioning the product at the end of the commercial...so if its an ad about a sony camera - he will say "sony" at the end of the ad, or if its an Asda ad he says "asda" and he does this for most commecrcials...

He hates noises such as the hoover, sirens, children crying and he will put his hands on his ears and get very distressed

He hates going to noisy places

When i ask him to get me something e.g his shoes or the remote (he knows what they are) i will point at it and ask him to get it me but he will not look at what im pointing at he looks at my finger...

When he wants something he will hold my hand/finger and take me to what he wants

He has been assessed and has been reffered to speach therapy also - he is due a full assessment soon - im not sure what to expect


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## huggybear

You might want to check out the Special Nees Support section as there are some threads re Autism and some ladies whom LO have been diagnosed whom maybe be able to offer more advice. x


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## velvetina

Hey hun, read your reply, do you have support from friends and family and do you have someone to talk to?

The assessment will probably include full history from birth, development, all the behaviours you mention. There is a lot of support and early intervention and input at this age really can reap benefits. 

Ask about speech and languague placements are there any s&L nurserys or special needs nurseries where he can be fully supported? Ask about portage or any groups you can attend. The National Autistic Society has tons of fantastic advice and contacts on.

I will tell you now the little boy I had at 2 yrs is very different to the boy I now have at 14yrs. If I had known that I would never have felt like I was in such a deep dark place. At 2 I felt like I was losing him to the tv, I reduced his viewing time and took him out to places, spent time trying to interact, always talking to him, its bloody hard work and I see you also have a new baby, so I hope you have some help. There is a guy called Stanley Spanwick whose books you may want to google on Amazon, he is a leading American in this field and working with children with lots of good ideas.

If you want to ask anything further hun, please feel free to. Good luck with the assessment and press for a diagnosis, with that will come full support and access to appropriate nursery and schooling for him. You may also want to look at claiming dla and carers alllowance which is really helpful to fund things that he enjoys and buying equipment. 

Your not alone hun, its been a very long road for us and I promise you it can get better. x :hugs::hugs:


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## dolores

velvetina said:


> Hey hun, read your reply, do you have support from friends and family and do you have someone to talk to?
> 
> The assessment will probably include full history from birth, development, all the behaviours you mention. There is a lot of support and early intervention and input at this age really can reap benefits.
> 
> Ask about speech and languague placements are there any s&L nurserys or special needs nurseries where he can be fully supported? Ask about portage or any groups you can attend. The National Autistic Society has tons of fantastic advice and contacts on.
> 
> I will tell you now the little boy I had at 2 yrs is very different to the boy I now have at 14yrs. If I had known that I would never have felt like I was in such a deep dark place. At 2 I felt like I was losing him to the tv, I reduced his viewing time and took him out to places, spent time trying to interact, always talking to him, its bloody hard work and I see you also have a new baby, so I hope you have some help. There is a guy called Stanley Spanwick whose books you may want to google on Amazon, he is a leading American in this field and working with children with lots of good ideas.
> 
> If you want to ask anything further hun, please feel free to. Good luck with the assessment and press for a diagnosis, with that will come full support and access to appropriate nursery and schooling for him. You may also want to look at claiming dla and carers alllowance which is really helpful to fund things that he enjoys and buying equipment.
> 
> Your not alone hun, its been a very long road for us and I promise you it can get better. x :hugs::hugs:

Hello,

Thanks for your reply i have taken on board whats you've mentioned...so does it seem likely that he is autistic? It would really break my heart to find him being diagnosed with autism id be so upset...:cry:


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## dolores

um also i forgot to mention - yes i do have plenty of support from family and i have a nehew who is autistic and has adhd - my 2 other nephews are also being assessed for slow speach / development...i know it maybe a gene thing but im dreading it.....


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## angelstardust

It doesn't change who he is if he does get a label of sorts. You get used to it, honest. 

What is he like with people? Does he look at people, if you sit and play with him will he look at you and play with you? 

The main thing with Autism is the social interaction. 

However, lots and lots of other conditions share similarities with Autism. My own son has hemiplegia (cerbral palsy affecting one side) and a lot of his behaviour is autistic except the social aspect. 

Possibly the SALT will introduce Makaton symbols and signs for him as a communication aid. Start watching Mr Tumble (something special on cbeebies) lol!


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## PeanutBean

I agree, he will still be the same little boy. I prefer to think of autism as a particular end of the personality spectrum, not as a disorder. There are sooo many positive things about the condition. My nephew is so clever with music and maths, he was the lead violinist at his last school in the orchestra there. Autistic people are usually very intelligent with specific talents so don't be downhearted. I remember how sad my sister was when she found out but she loves him so much and is so proud of all he achieves. It's important you have a positive attitude to your boy. As he gets older he will be able to learn his own coping strategies for social interactions and this will come more quickly and easily with appropriate support for you both.


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## velvetina

Hey lovely, 

I am not a professional, I was just picking up on the things you described which would be classed as "red flags" which are traits and behaviours that are seen in children with asd. The idea of the assessment will be to take in his developmental history and how he is now and by putting that all together be able to advise you.

I wasn't sure where you were personally with it which is why I asked the questions about support and coping. The majority of people I have met all go through the same complex range of emotions when dealing with a child who has any form of difficulty that doesn't sit on what is classed as "nt" (neurotypical i.e. normal/regular) whatever diagnosis they have.

I promise I know how scared and frightened and upset you are because I have been there and gone through it again on a different level with each child I have had. At the moment the word "Autism" is so terrifying and scary but it doesn't change who your son is. Whatever diagnosis is given be it Autism or Receptive Speech and Language Disorder or anything else, your son is still the same little boy. That will seem really hard to take in because you have to go through what I call "acceptance". It's the acceptance that he is having difficulties and is different to his peers, which is something you just didn't think about happening, its not the little person you thought you were going to have. 

This is the hard bit, The one thing I would like to say to you is that this sense of loss WILL pass. When I say loss, I mean for the expectation of what you thought was going to be, the chatty, sociable, easy child you were expecting. For you I don't know how long that will be, but I personally found that once I had acceptance of the situation I was able to move forward. I won't lie and tell you that happened overnight, it didn't. I had thoughts of taking my own life and that of Stanley's (because nobody else was going to be able to care for him like I could). I found it impossible to discuss him with anyone other than my parents and complete strangers who didn't know us. The first time I told someone he was autistic was a complete stranger, the word was so enormous I struggled to use it!

When the acceptance comes, you will start to find peace. I know the pain you feel with the milestones, when you can't hide the behaviour or lack of understanding anymore and it starts to become obvious something is not right. Sometimes, I wanted to shout to people who had "normal" children (I hate that word sometimes, I must look for an alternative) how bloody lucky they are, all the little things that they just accept, like the gesturing, the talking, the silly funny things they say, calling you mum, telling you they love you. The want to just experiece these, not just for you but for your child.

I want to give you something positive because I promise you will laugh again, and learn to accept and enjoy a different way of life whatever diagnosis is given. The feelings you have are going to be huge. They will range from frustration to despair to joy and amazement over what other people will think are simple things, they are all normal.


I would like to give you some positives, because belive me there are going to be plenty, I promise you. As the acceptance comes and you start to see him grow and you overcome the difficulties with the professional help you have where you can learn how to deal with the complexities of development and make the best for your family and your son. I will tell you that each year that comes, so do the achievements. I never in my dreams thought I would have the child I have now when he was two years old, I wanted it to be the future so I could see. I have to stress that nursery and school in the proper environment (we have tried them all) makes a huge difference too.

My son came to come to us for a reason, I don't know what that is, but he chose us. He is very affectionate, funny, very loving, emotional, very handsome, and very very special and your little boy will be too. :hugs:

Sorry about the waffle hun, please let us know how he gets on and if there is anything else I can help with please ask. :hugs:


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## tinybutterfly

one of the tests (the main test of that particular set) to determine if a kid has autism or not
is testing for imagination.

f.e. if you take a piece of lego and say "whooosh, look, it's an airplane" while making it fly,
does he look at you as if you're from mars or is he playing along? 
another part of the test is playing "birthday", pretending it's his bday, singing the song,
having (fake) cake...kids with autism will not really participate while a regular child will
happily ask for (fake) gifts etc



also, do remember that there are several types of autism.
the aloof kind is what most ppl think of when they think of a child with autism but
more often the child is either socially a bit "weird" (but they can learn how to be social)
or overly sociable.
they're the types that come up to you to talk to you but only talk about certain topics,
the things they have a fascination for at that moment. they might come up to you and
ask "so you have a washing machine?" "what brand?" "what colour?"

(there's a 4th type i'm forgetting though, but it's 4am, forgive me hehe)

my SIL has autism (mild form), yet she has a master degree, bought a house and has a steady job at the uni hospital.
you just notice when you talk to her that she's a little different, she doesn't get humour,
and she has certain obsessions, and she keeps babbling on about the same topics most of the time, she also has no sense of when to end a conversation.
all the social skills she has are acquired, taught to her through the years.

what i'm trying to say... even if it ever comes to a diagnosis, it's just that... a diagnosis,
you'll know there is help and hope!


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