Investigating ASD- bit shocked

[annanouska]

Hi everyone

I've popped in and out here at times but not a regular fixture. I will try and keep this brief

My lo has always seemed a bit different but never dramatically different and I've struggled to think why he seemed just a bit different.

He is hypermobile learnt to walk at 18 mo. he is historicaly later doing things but gets there eventually. He used to speak a very little maybe 10 words but has stopped speaking for 6 months. He rarely uses hiya, no and oh no and daddy now which is better that nothing. Anyway he got referred to the paed by the hv as I mentioned his speech and now the paed is looking at asd. This has shocked me as he really doesn't seem to be blatantly asd. I know each child has different symptoms and I'm not asking if he does / doesn't just kind of wanted to ramble somewhere.

He has good eye contact and laughs and interacts with us. He will show us things and play with us on his terms. He is improving his tolerance to other children and we can now go to groups without him attacking people or head butting the floor in the corner

He plays well and likes different toys, books etc. he can give cuddles and kisses on his terms.me hates being restricted even as a baby he would protest at swaddling. He refuses to hold hands for walking he may reach for it to stead him down a step.

He does point with index finger tho learnt this quite late. He doesn't wave but raises hands in a uhoh type manor.

He is a bit OCD with phones, anything can be used as a phone. He is obsessed with trucks ( not cars must be trucks) he likes wheels doors gates anything to look at how it works. He does throw huge tantrums and can't cope with time to come in stop doing x y z etc.

Some days are better than others I just presumed he was a normal toddler just a bit quirky at times. Things that I presume set alarm bells for her a lot of other toddlers do.

he doesn't seem like he has severe additional needs and doesn't stand out majorly in a crowd etc.

Sorry I've rambled on I'm struggling through all this alone, hubby is working and mil thinks I'm a crank and he's highly intelligent and wants to be an engineer and dh didn't talk til 4 etc. the team are doing him an MOT, blood tests, hearing, vision, EEG ( he had some absence seizures but she feels these are more a concentration thing but just to check) then she is sending him to SALT in July once two and will review him once two also.

She mentioned how they never see children before two normally but its good I'm in system as she wants to monitor him. Se said he could just outgrow things but did keep reverting back to mentioning asd even to point they will all get together July or sep and book him for an asd play assessment thing

Just wondered if anyone has high functioning autistic children? D they seem somewhat "normal" ( sorry) to others? I'm just finding it hard to actually accept as a possibility as it seems so random, even his nursery were shocked.

Sorry for essay x

 

[Eternal]

I think you should go with it, if nothing is "wrong" then it won't have harmed and if there is the at least it's recognised early.

ASD looks very different in every child. My eldest is 4 and on the ASD pathway, he isn't fully diagnosed but they feel strongly enough that they refer to him as being autistic. He will most likely be high functioning when the diagnosis is complete. In many ways his more autistic quirks have been more noticeable the older he has gotten, he now has fairly externally sensory issues mostly noises and light, he has major issues with changes in routine, he can speak fairly well (although it has regressed) but having a proper conversation just isn't going to happen, unless he is talking about a game he is playing he just gets frustrated by being asked questions. He is learning to cope with other children, but he is fairly violent towards others and he has inappropriate responses to situations.

We knows his quirks and try to limit his stressors so actually it's not hugely noticeable, we have a plasterer in and he goes and talks to him, because he has been in the house a fe days and is more comfortable with him. Yet we had someone but some fish babies the other day and he screams runs, hides and covers himself with a blanket. It's really head to know how he will react to any given situation. We were at holiday recently and I had to say a few times to other parents he was autistic as their children were trying to play or talk to him and he was ignoring them, and they all said something along the lines of "he doesn't seem like it", but a man at the restaurant asked my mum the last day of he was as he sat opposite from us all week and works with autistic kids, because it's fairly noticeable when you know the signs but he is far from what people expect autism to look like.

Hope that helps? Autism looks very different in each child.

You child does sound like he shows some signs but that doesn't mean he is, one of the twins is non verbal at 2.5 and shows some sensory issues, but other than that there doesn't seem to be any of the key autistic traits. Good luck xxx

 

[davidjoemum]

Hi my child has been diagnosed with ASD and he's only sign was speech delay.
Everybody SALT pead.and his nursery teacher ( last one was really making my child look really bad to the point I had to complain because her comments were really out of order IMO)was really positive about his diagnosis but I wasn't so his nursery assistants and portage. I was at the hospital emergency appointment because he had another ear infection ( he has one every other month since he turned 4 months) and doc who seen him has recommended to ask my GP for ENT referral as it looks to her that is more hearing problem than asd and I thought that to from start but pead. said if he passed his hearing test at birth he is ok but I fought for ENT referral for months and finally we got to see doc. and it turn out we were right ,glue ear 35-40% hearing loss.
He is having his diagnosis removed after grommets fitting in June.
Anyway I'm working in special needs school and kids there are all autistic and I can tell you likeladies above symptoms are vary. Don't be afraid to look for diagnosis I know it can be upsetting ( I was heartbroken) make sure you ask for all possible tests before they diagnose your lo ( if they do hope for you it turn out like in my case) but remember that even if your child get diagnosed that will open the door for all help he/she need.i have few hfa boys in my class and all of them are so different but they so lovely and fun to be around! One is very bossy and get upset if is not on his term, other one tiptoe walks all the time and having poor eye contact but is very placid and will do always what he's told never argue. Some will have they own routine that they follow like only sit at the blue table on red chair ect but they always do what they told never is on theirs terms. They vary so much.

 

[annanouska]

thanks everyone

His hearing seems amazing he can hear planes in the sky and things but he is having the hearing test. His ears do always look gunky.

Guess we will wait and see.

I just thought he seemed too "normal" ( sorry again) to be and. I know that prob doesn't read very well and I'm not trying to be funny just meant he didn't seem to have as many issues as I thought x

 

[davidjoemum]

thanks everyone

His hearing seems amazing he can hear planes in the sky and things but he is having the hearing test. His ears do always look gunky.

Guess we will wait and see.

I just thought he seemed too "normal" ( sorry again) to be and. I know that prob doesn't read very well and I'm not trying to be funny just meant he didn't seem to have as many issues as I thought x

When I was looking at my child after his diagnosis I didn't see anything odd about him he is very much like me so I though if they think he is autistic I must be to.i was attached to muslin cloth until I was 14 I liked to have it with me all the time when at home (haha obviously imagine me squeezing cloth at school at age of 14) when my daughter was born and my son was growing up I started comparing them and she definitely was more hand full so I though my son was having some developmental problems that's why I took him do see pead if I didn't go I would never have diagnosis and and we would be carry on as we were but taking him and having him diagnosed was emotional nightmare for me and he was only 2,5 at the time and me working at special school I was preparing myself for really rockey ride in our future and wondering how he would be in X numbers of years.
What upset me the most is professional who was labelling him not knowing him only seeing him for 30 minutes at the time probably in his worst when he was sick or tired. It's shame our pead didn't sent us for hearing check as I asked just fobbing us off telling his hearing test was good at birth so is no need to repeat.when I went to see pead last week with hearing test results and portage report she was very surprised and said "well, he had improved so fast hasn't he?" And I was like, no there is nothing improved he is like he was when he was 2,5 bit bigger tho,but now he need speech therapy after his grommets so he can work on his speech( he talk but is very muffled and unclear) she said so we will have his diagnosis removed then shall we?
Wtf he should have his ears checked to start with he coud not hear properly and seems withdrawn. This could safe me sleepless nights and gallons of tears

Btw he can hear planes too

 

[annanouska]

I'm sad to read what you have been though but really greatful for you to share it with me as I deff feel more positive.

I'm just awaiting his appointments to come through, its daft how much it varies from area to area. She won't rfr him for his salt until his ears have been done which would have made things so much better foru ifnthey had done ears first.

X thank you