Is this just a developmental delay?

[delmeg10]

My son (Luke) is 3 years old. He was enrolled in the Infants & Toddlers program when he was 1 year old due to a delay in motor skills. He wasn't walking at the time and was a late sitter, crawler, etc. He saw a physical therapist once a week for 6 months and then he started walking. He was 18 months old at the time. He was then assessed and we were told he was behind in his speech. So, he started with a speech therapist once a week. He was assessed three times while he was in the Infants & Toddlers program. This was between the ages of 1-3. He was always between 7-12 months behind developmentally.

Let's fast forward to May 2011. I was told that he had reached a plateau in his speech therapy and because I was a stay at home mom, he wasn't having enough social interaction with other kids his age. So, his therapists suggested that I enroll him in preschool early. He finished the last three weeks of preschool in the 2010 school year. He also went to five weeks of summer school in June and July. He will be starting his second year of preschool in a little over a week. I think he has opened up more since he's been in preschool, but his vocabulary hasn't grown (he just repeats everything). So, I've read many books on Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and PPD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder). My oldest stepson (14 years old) was diagnosed with PPD a little over a year ago, and my youngest stepson was diagnosed with Autism when he was 3. His therapists and teachers say that Luke has a developmental delay, but he can only be labeled with a "developmental delay" until he turns 4. By then he will have either had to grown out of it, or be diagnosed with something more serious. My heart is telling me that Luke is perfect the way he is, and he's just a little behind, but my head is saying that there is something else holding him back.

These are his symptoms. If you could tell me what you think, that would be great.
- He repeats things that he's heard rather than use his own words.
- He remembers everything he hears and will spontaneously blurt them out.
- He will say something to us, and if you don't respond right away, he'll take his hand and pull your face towards him.
- He is very sensitive to certain fabrics/touches. He doesn't like blankets, doesn't like wearing shoes or socks and doesn't like people touching his ears (at all!).
- If you ask him for a hug, you have to steal it from him because he won't initiate it. If you ask for a kiss, he will lean his forehead to you so you can kiss him, but he won't give a kiss and won't let you kiss him on the cheek without a struggle.

These are the symptoms he has that I've read are associated with children on the Autistic spectrum.
- He will repeat the same word/sentence over and over and over, until I repeat it back to him, and then he'll stop. Even if it is a word he made up.
- If I ask him "Luke do you want some juice?", he will respond with "juice" instead of saying "yes" or "no".
- He doesn't comprehend the words "yes" or "no".
- He flaps his arms at least once throughout the day, normally when he gets really excited.
- He has recently (in the last month) started spinning and he really enjoys it.
- He lines up everything (water bottles, cars, books, crayons, blocks, etc.).
- He has an odd obsession with bottles. They could be water bottles, baby bottles, big juice bottles, empty milk bottles, etc. I mean OBSESSED! He will scream if you take them away from him.

By the way, Luke is now 26 months. I'm not really sure when a child is diagnosed with Autism or Asperger's Syndrome, etc. I did request for the pediatrician to refer me to a Developmental Pediatrician, and we will be going there around November, so Luke can have a proper assessment done.

If I think of any more of his symptoms, I will add them. Thanks so much!

 

[fairywings]

No advice really did not want to read and run, but wow some of those things he does my Amy does and she is fine developmentally. (her dad has ADHD so she has a chance of having something)

Hopefully someone else can help you. xxx

 

[delmeg10]

Thanks for the input fairywings! Hopefully some moms of autistic children can give me some insight. I may be worrying for nothing!

 

[JASMAK]

I have a child with ASD, and your son is very young. It is really hard to know what is normal, and what is so called 'abnormal'. I know this, because I have two not on the spectrum, and one that is...and let me tell you...they all have their quirks. I will think Makena is doing something that only those with autism do, and a friend whose child does not have autism will say "naww....my kid always does that". The fact that your child is communicating with you, I think (in my very unprofessional opinion) is a very good sign. Flapping hands...once a day...I wouldn't worry about that. Things that are more obssesive could be stimming. Stimming is very different for each on the AS. Makena runs around in her own world. She does not spin, flap hands, line up things...the 'typical' things people look for...but she runs ALL DAY LONG. She is playing as she does it...so I guess she looks hyper or whatever...but that is her 'stimming'. She does not understand what we say...things like, 'put your cup on the table'. She does not know what 'on' means, or 'under'. So, if your child can't say these words, but can understand them...then apparently that is a good sign. If your child can say words, but can't understand them, that is worse. This is just what I have been told from all those working with Makena throughout the years. She was 2yrs 10mths when she was diagnosed, but we knew something was 'up' since she was very small. She was assessed as a 9mth old level at 3 years. There was big signs, but subtle too. It's hard to explain. If you are worried, get LO assessed. Oh, and as far as physical development...Makena walked at 10mths....crawled and sat normal...BUT, she was also diagnosed with Apraxia just this year (not sure if it was the greatest assessment tho). So...you just never know. It varies so much. Better to go with your gut feeling.

 

[delmeg10]

Thank you so much for you input JASMAK. It seems like it is very hard to tell whether certain things are traits or just quirks. I will feel much better after Luke is assessed and they can give me a better idea of what they think is going on. Thank you for your advice and sharing Makena's story with me. I will go ahead with the assessment in November and come back here to update. Thanks again!

 

[mom22boys]

I work with small children who are special needs and I also have a son with Down Syndrome. Did any of his therapist say that they thought it was anything other than DD?

 

[delmeg10]

Well, his therapists aren't licensed to tell me what they think it could be. They only work through the school system, and even if I ask questions about certain things, they normally just brush it off and go back to developmental delay. My son's pediatrician said that you don't have to be licensed to say that you think he has a developmental delay, but if they thought it was something more serious, they probably wouldn't say anything.

 

[naturebug32]

I'd say go with your first instincts. I agree with the other posters, Luke is a bit young yet to tell whether what he's doing is a personality quirk or a sign of autism. My boyfriend's son has high-functioning autism so I'm familiar with some of the signs anyway and he does some of what your son is doing.
However, I do have to say some of it sounds like a personality thing. For instance, not wanting his ears played with, wanting to be kissed on the forehead only, etc. Developmentally, maybe he's just developing on his own time. Remember that the guidelines the professionals are going by are just that, a guideline. Each child is their own and may not develop exactly according to some guideline.
This little girl I used to watch in a daycare center from age 10 month until 2 1/2 yo. From early on she would just sit there, wouldn't try to crawl, walk, pull herself up,...nothing. She wouldn't try to talk, she just sit there and study everything going on around her. At about 22 months, she just got up one day and started running and talking to the other kids... just like that, no intermediate level, no tangible growth... just from one level to the next overnight.
My point is just keep watching, be patient, interact with Luke a lot, help him grow.... keep an eye out for more signs but try not to panic about it.