suspecting autism

[lindblum]

Hi all,
I saw a thread on autism and just read it out of interest and because about a year ago I suspected my daughter had it when she started banging her head for attention. She will be three in november and is still not talking. She can say mum and my sisters' name. Many people have reasured me, including my midwife, that it's normal that she isn't speaking so I didn't give it another thought.

I found this checklist doing an online search, I have bolded the ones that apply to her. I know she is not deaf because she has twice repeated what I said at two different times. And she jumps if I make a loud noise to pretend to scare her.

* Does not consistently respond to his/her name.
* Cannot tell you what he/she wants with words or gestures.
* Doesn’t follow directions.
* Seems to be deaf at times.
* Seems to hear sometimes, but not others.
* Doesn’t point or wave bye-bye (past 15 months) or use other gestures such as shaking his head “yes” or “no” appropriately and back and forth in conversation.
* Used to say a few words or babble, but now he/she doesn’t.
* Throws intense or violent tantrums.
* Has odd movement patterns such as flapping arms or shaking body, especially when excited.
* Shows other odd visual behaviors such as staring repeatedly at spinning wheels on a toy or shifting his eyes to the side as he runs.
* Seems hyperactive much of the time; is always “on the go.”
* Is often uncooperative or oppositional during daily routines.
* Doesn’t know how to play with toys. Might spin or line them up excessively.
* Doesn’t smile when smiled at.
* Doesn’t make eye contact. He/she seems to look right through/past you.
* Gets “stuck” on things over and over and can’t move on to other things.
* Seems to prefer to play alone.
* Gets things for him/herself only without asking for help.
* Is very independent for his/her age.
* Seems to be in his/her “own world.”
* Seems to tune people out.
* Shows very little interest in other children.
* Or may interact inappropriately with other children.
* Walks on his/her toes.
* Shows unusual attachments to toys, objects, or schedules (i.e., always holding a string or having to put socks on before pants).
* Spends a lot of time lining things up or putting things in a certain order and gets upset if this is disrupted.
* Has delayed speech-language skills when compared to other children of the same age.
* Memorizes and quotes long scripts of favorite TV shows, sing entire songs, or label lots of objects, but he/she uses very few “real” or meaningful words to ask for things or participate in conversation.
* Repeats what he/she hears rather than using words on his own.
* Learns to read at age 2 or 3 (or has a very strong interest in visual symbols such as letters and numbers), but has difficulty communicating with others in a meaningful way.
* Is a very picky eater. May eat only 3 or 4 different foods.

I also want to add that when I was a child I had ocd, which I have managed to fight and only have a mild version of it now. I'm a loner and I don't tend to notice/talk to/socialise with other people much. So I thought her obsessiveness with arranging things and routines was just because she had 'my genes'.
I saw on a few threads that they usually point at things? She only points (with her index finger) to show me she wants something.

I know this is a long post, thank you to anyone who manages to read this/give me advice.

Would I speak to my gp if I wanted this looked into? I have no idea what I can do for her if she does.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I would speak to GP of health visitor, they will normally see you and your child and go from there. My son initially was refured to speech therapy and then he ended up seeing a paediatrician and then had his autism assessment from there and got diagnosed 3yrs later.

I think if you have a concern or a feeling then speaking to the GP is the way to go. If you are not happy with what they say, see someone else.

Does your daughter go to preschool? You can contact portage who will liaise with the preschool and the GP zx

 

[TTC LADY]

hi there. How is she socially ie does she make eye contact, warm smiles, enjoy cuddles etc.

I have no experience with autistic kids, so can't really offer any advise. I would definitely suggest speaking to your doctor though re your concerns so that appropriate diagnosis can be made and you get some answers.

Good luck.

 

[lindblum]

Thanks for your replies.
She doesn't go to any type of school.

She makes eye contact, she smiles/laugh when i do something she thinks is funny. I think she only enjoys cuddles from me, she seems to fights everyone else.

I'm 50/50 on this. I don't know if i'm reading too much into it...

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I dont think all children that are autistic will do all the traits. 97% of parents who meet my child would never guess.

He talks like the average 6yr old
he has eye contact
he is well behaved
he is the most loving child ever, very very sensitive.

Most of the typical traits he does not do lol

If you have a niggling get it checked hun. Sooner the better x

 

[velvetina]

Hi lovely,

In my experience it isn't "normal" (I use the word loosely) for a nearly 3 year old to have so little speech or understanding even if speech is delayed. I would go to your gp and ask for a referal and show him/her your list of concerns and do not be fobbed off that she is too young.

My eldest is 14 now, and then we were refd st to a paed and onto an assessment clinic, not sure how it is now. I have had my 4 year old assessed but he had already started nursery and I used the specialist asd ed psych who saw my eldest to come in and see him. I kept copious notes on exactly what he could do and how he was doing it, a word list and at what age he was sayin things and like you a whole list of behaviours from a checklist.

I would just say that early intervention be it for a language delay or asd is really important, and well done for acting on it. I don't know if it is the same for you, but I struggled like crazy with the situation and it is damn hard sometimes. Hugs. If there is anything else please ask away. Let us know how you get on hun. x

 

[Canadianmom4]

I dont think all children that are autistic will do all the traits. 97% of parents who meet my child would never guess.

He talks like the average 6yr old
he has eye contact
he is well behaved
he is the most loving child ever, very very sensitive.

Most of the typical traits he does not do lol

If you have a niggling get it checked hun. Sooner the better x

This is like my 7 year old. Although his speech is still quite weak, he has come a long way with it and can now communicate through words. However, he too will make eye contact, is a very sensitive and loving little boy. Is well behaved for the most part, but does have his bad days where he'll scream and hit me.

Austism is such a broad spectrum, they don't have to have ALL the traits to be diagnosed with Autism.

Good luck, and I hope that you can get the help needed for your child. You'll get through it.