autism? or "normal" 3yo behaviour

[CanadaMom]

i hope it's ok to post this here.
i've been feeling concerned lately and looking for advice. my son has a doctor appointment mid august and i will discuss my concerns then too, but maybe some moms in here will have some input.

my son is 3 and a half and i feel so uncertain about whether his behaviour is just normal 3 year old behaviour, or if i should be a little more concerned.

the things that concern me:
- he had a speech assessment and is diagnosed as severely delayed, both expressive and receptive language. (though i feel it's improved since going to daycare recently)
- he likes things to be a particular way (one example... every day at dinner time he runs to the living room and i must go hold his hand and walk him to the kitchen. every single time)
- at daycare he knocks over other kids toys even when told not to
- still not close to being potty trained. has regressed since going to the daycare
- seems to be very sensitive to noise.
- doesn't always listen even if i repeat things. seems to ignore me sometimes
-lately trying to scratch my face while laughing

but...
- he does make eye contact with me (but not always with strangers)
- he seems to have genuine concern for his 1yo sister (if she's crying he'll run and get her comfort toy for her)
- he laughs when things are funny, gets mad when things upset him, so seems like normal responses there.
- language improves every month
- he uses his imagination

so i guess what i'm trying to ask, is does it sound like autism, or just average 3yo behaviour?
thanks

 

[mummy2o]

Probably wouldn't be bad to get him checked out. Did you know that children on the spectrum can have eye contact? Although the majority don't some, about 10-15% do. I think its hard to just ask is my son autistic as every child is different. My son does have an imagination, but its more based on real play. Like when our printer was broken (when he was roughly your sons age) he then played printing and made all the noises for it. I didn't talk until 3, then just took off and I'm also on the spectrum, however I also know some who didn't talk until then and just get dyslexia as a diagnosis and I know some people who could talk at 1 and read at 18 months yet autistic. My son started showing concern around the 4 year mark towards others, I remember this as we went to the Netherlands and a boy was crying and he was trying to comfort him, yet his mum was trying to push him away but he didn't understand dutch. It was a very hard situation for my son.

 

[Reid]

I would definitely go ahead and tell the Dr your concerns alot of similarly to my son he's been put forward for the autism assessment we are still waiting to hear xx

 

[KatyW]

I think in my experience that once speech is delayed, they like to check into other aspects of development. I am going through a similar situation with my three yr old daughter. I hope that you get answers, just remember that you are a good mommy and trust your instincts. 💗

 

[Starry Night]

I think there is enough there to go get checked out. I see from your username that you're in Canada. I am too and I have to tell you that wait times for everything are ATROCIOUS. Wait times can be up to a year just to get tested. It will be at least a couple weeks before you hear back from that about the actual diagnosis. So if you're concerned go see your doctor ASAP.

My son is on the spectrum and can make some eye contact and at his last therapy session the OT was impressed with the empathy he could show for his sister. A child with autism isn't always going to hit all of the markers. They're all individuals. My son does have some sensory issues but some of the traditional ones (like fear of hand dryers in public washrooms) don't really bother him anymore and he will even use them. He's 4.

It was a speech delay that triggered our concerns. We weren't even suspecting autism. It was his doctor that caught it during a regular appointment when he turned 3. The signs can be very subtle.

 

[Eve]

I think it's worth looking into.

 

[CanadaMom]

just want to update for anyone interested...
its nearly been a year later. A year of many emotional ups and downs. We had to wait a very long time for his official screening. in april he had his official 2 day screening ( which was very long and draining). in the meantime he was in a specialized preschool, that had support from occupational therapy and speech therapy. the result of his assessment... inconclusive lol
he is still a little behind in speech and fine motor skills, he has made such strides in his speech and social skills that they didn't feel comfortable with an autism diagnosis. and from my perspective i agree! he has great back and forth conversation now, he is constantly growing and learning, he has made friends at school, he loves to try and include us in his interests, he has a great range of emotion and empathy. he is still a bit awkward socially but i can't even believe he is the same kid! we still need to take him back in a year to be reassessed, but to be honest my gut instinct says its not autism

 

[alibaba24]

A very similar story to my dd she is a completely different child now since her language skills started developing