Your ASD child’s symptoms at 18 months | Autism PDD

I was noticing the thread: Your ASD kid's symptoms at age 2.5. There was some great feedback there!

Would some forum members be able to tell me a little bit about your little ones with ASD back at age 12-18 months? I imagine for most of you, that would be before diagnosis.

I have so many questions. Feel free to answer or pass over whichever you like.

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time?

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.")

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2)

My son is nearing 18 months and displaying a number of red flags for autism. I'm pretty convinced this is the case, but your feedback will definitely help me keep my resolve in the face of those who say, "But he doesn't look autistic..."

Thanks so much!

Gwenevyn39155.5297106481

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time?

Headbanging, horrible screaming & crying, not walking, not crawling, tantrums that took 3 people to make sure she did not hurt herself or someone else, night terrors

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

Sensory issues (with food, baths, teeth brushing, clothes, noises, etc.)

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.")

"She just needs a spanking!", "she is just a little behind", "she is just a fussy baby", "this is not normal", "you need to get her help" It was all over the board at that age but those closest to me made it seem like it was my fault, that I did not discipline Ali properly and I just needed to spank her.

Sooo long and hard to get through, she would wake at 8:00 and stay up till 2-3AM, she resisted naps, hated having meals, cried and screamed a lot, had HORRIBLE tantrums at diaper changing time, she watched tv at times, constantly wanted my attention, outings caused tantrums that made going out seem not worth it, night time was a struggle...when I tried to get her to sleep she screamed, hit herself, hit me, woke up so many times, often I would walk her and rock her for an hour before she fell asleep, then if I put her down she screamed.

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

N/A

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

DIFFICULT!!!!!! There have been good days, but there are always issues, if I stick to routine and nothing unexpected happens, we may have a wonderful day....but how often is that?!

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

Mostly that I am doing the best I can and look into another clinic or doctor to help with her difficulties

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2)

Tried....but Dr would not hear of it.

My Ali has come a long way, I am so proud of her when I think back to the first 2 years and how hard they were.

He spent 45 minutes at 13 months stacking three blocks over and over again.

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

No observable communication skills. Lack of facial expression to register excitement or anger, boredom or anxiety, unless he was really happy or really upset. Almost no understanding. Could not follow any directions. Could not chew food. No eye contact. Did not react to major changes in routine but very strongly to minor ones.

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.")

Not sure if I voiced concerns before the age of two, but was told he just needed to catch up.

See above.

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

No regressive autism, autistic since birth.

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

Easy.

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

They started voicing concerns when he was about 2.5.

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2)

No.

bullet39155.5571412037

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time? Appeared deaf Not enough words

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect? He had lost language. At 9 months he said bye and hi with a wave and it went away and I didn't seem to notice or put it off to him being shy.

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.") At 17 months my sister kept him for a week and was testing him in her own way because she knew he was delayed. After the visit she voiced her concerns to me.

4) What was an average day like? How did your child react to routine activities like mealtime, diaper changes, playmates/siblings, naps etc.? How did he react to disruptions like visitors, outings, and restaurants? He didn't start to have major sleep issues until closer to 2 I believe. HE seemed to thrive off of routine but that didn't seem any different to me at the time

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby? Colicky at first. Then a great baby...then a VERy difficult toddler.

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions? Nothing. Told me he was a boy and some boys talk late. No big deal. Had a developmental pediatrition tell me that he was NOT on the spectrum.

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2) Not here....he was over 3 when he got his diagnosis.

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time?

appeared deaf - delayed social and language milestones across the board.

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

see question #1 :)

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.")

We heard a lot of things like 'twins learn to talk later', that sort of thing. A lot of people dismissed us as hysterical and of not being able to handle our children when we asked or pleaded for help. Lots of people made us feel sort of inadequate.

Crying and tantrums. That was our life for the first two years. One or the other was always screaming, and sometimes my poor son, too, who was just 2.5 when they were born and had to endure having his loving, doting parents reduced to shuffling zombies over the course of several weeks.

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

They never regressed

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

Very difficult. Aburdly so. I often had to come home from work during the first three months to help out because my wife would be sobbing and melting down, herself. We could never take them anywhere because it woud always end the same -they'd start screaming and we'd have to leave and my wife would cry. They were so difficult, we had some discussions about giving one of them up for adoption because my wife didn't think "she could handle it". We never got past the casual discussion stage with that.

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

They actually had 'just enough' language and social ability that the pediatrician didn't really pick up on anything and their standard tests that they give you to detect these things didn't pick up on it, either. It wasn't until they were nearly three, and I ASKED our pediatrician to please take a closer look and see what he thought, that he told us that he thought Abigail might be on the spectrum. He said that Evie probably wasn't (they both are).

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2)

No - but I knew - just didn't want to admit it.

fred39155.580474537My son is 16 and has a DX of PDD-NOS, moderate hearing loss, ADHD and Tourette's. He is moderate functioning. At 18 months the ONLY sign was that he had only 6 words. The pediatrician did not seemed concerned. Our son's eye contact was good, he had no stims, he did nothing that could be considered odd. He didn't point, but no one told me that that was a problem and, frankly, I didn't even notice that (back in 1992, autism was barely on the radar screen. 1 in 10,000 was dx'd with it). In retrospect, he was obsessed with sticks, which is not normal, but no one really noticed at the time.

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time? between 12-18 months it wasnt so noticeable,he just said like 2-3 words at the time (mommy,daddy,milk..) he walked by 1 and crawled by 6 months.

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect? At 2 he still had same language as he was 18 months, so its like he froze after that. But he did add more single words to his vocabulary and he started repeating what ppl asked or told him.

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.") when my son hit 2 ,my dad told me, he has speech problems, by 2 a kid should be talking more. so i tol dthis to his ped. but she didnt see no delay. when he was 2 1/2 was when i approched her again and told her about his temper tantrums, echo words ,hyper, short attention span etc... she gave me refferal cause i asked her to and then he started getting ST at home. ppl just use to say "What a shy boy he is".

4) What was an average day like? How did your child react to routine activities like mealtime, diaper changes, playmates/siblings, naps etc.? How did he react to disruptions like visitors, outings, and restaurants? When he was 2 he use to be awake from 1am to 6am everyday,mealtime was normal i guess, he didnt get poty trained until 3 1/2 yrs old, playing he was rough with kids , he use to nap everyday between 1-3pm ,he was very active and all over the place.

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby? he was easy to handle, got worse after 2,when it all started to be obvious.

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions? his ped. thought he was a late talker, i had to push her for that refferal for ST. as soon they evaluated him, yes, he was delayed in some areas. about the tantrums she would laugh, and when he was in crowded place she wanted to run ot of the place, another joke for her ( dont worry she is not his ped. anymore)

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2) my son was 3 when diagnosed with pdd nos.

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time?

Language delay. Response to name. Sensory (rubbing textures).

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

Playing next to us not with us. No pointing. Avoiding chew mixed textures.

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.")

Handsome nice boy. Why is he not talking ?

OK. No sleeping problems until 2.5. No problems with routines. Very willing to play with kids. But not succesfully.

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

No. It was there.

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

Colics but after very easy baby.

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

He is OK. Late talker.

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2)

NO.

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time?

He had only just learned to sit at 18 months, was unable to crawl. Did not seem to understand facial expression and had a motor mannerism with his hands and face. Was delayed across the board

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

The motor mannerism. Never playing with toys but preferring to bang things over and over. He is almost 4 now and just started to point.

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general?

I was told that J was developmentally delayed due to being born early that he was too social and happy for autism. A few people raised concerns, an online friend mainly who said she saw a lot of her own ASD son in J. Closer to 3 the developmental paeds really started to take notice.

An average day has always been very hard work with J. It took a lot to pacify him and keep him happy, when he was happy it was only for a brief moment. He did not want to play but rather to destroy things. Mealtimes were atrocious. Food was and still is tossed all over. He barely chews before swallowing. Its a means to an end ifkwim. Outings were and still are disrupted through screaming, headbanging.

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

n/a

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

At First very easy. Slept a lot

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

They said it was developmental delay. That it was ok to not have an interest in toys at the age of 2 ( failed all griffiths testing miserably). That the fact his play skills were that of a 6 month old at the age of 2 was due to the delay. Were not worried that at 2 my son was not pointing or waving and had no words.

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2)

No. It would not be heard of here unless it was blazingly apparent.

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time?

Extremely picky eater - he gagged constantly. Went from 95% to under 10% percentile in weight in a few months. He didn't startle at loud noises. Eye contact was poor.He appeared deaf to his name. He only babbled vowels. He stared at the ceiling fan. He had silent reflux and chronic constipation.

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

At 7 or 8 months he clapped hands. He lost that before a year. He never lifted his arms to be picked up. When he lived with us, he would stand at his Fisher Price Play table and would walk around it pushing the same buttons over and over again.

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.")

What an easy child. Look how long he plays quietly.

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

Easy except for feeding. Slept through the night at one month. Didn't take good naps.

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

AT 9 months he ok'd EI eval and pediatric gastro.

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2)

He was evaluated in California at 9 months and didn't meet the criteria for intervention. They suggested another eval in 3 months. He got his diagnosis at 14 months and is in ABA with speech and OT, 14 hours per week. He was non-verbal at 18 months. Now at 23 months he has tons of words and short sentences. Every single thing about him has improved 10 fold. His only oddity is an obsessive love of letters, numbers and shapes. His prognosis is excellent according to his neuro ped.

P.S. His dx is PDD-NOS (very high functioning)

GrammaSusie39191.2963078704

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time?

No talking

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

He used to blow a kiss to say Bye Bye - he had 5-6 words that he lost

Never pointed and while he always wanted to be STUCK to me but never wanted to say read a book together

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.")

That he was just a late talker

Most people thought he was sweet and handsome and that he was too clingy to me - they thought he was also smart because he would do a major drama for my benefit( according to them) whenever I would leave him - but be fine as soon as I was out of sight

I think a few people were uncomfortable with the fact that Rohan always seemed to want to nurse :-)

We went to India for a visit and most people thought he was adorable but "marches to the tune of him own drumbeat", and that he takes a long time to warm up to people but that he is intelligent

Rohan reacted to visitors by ignoring them - Outing to restaurants were very hard except when he was in infant and sleeping in one of the carryalong car seats - he hated being in the high chair and would want to run around in the restaurant

Other routine activities were okay excpet that he always wanted to be stuck to me and HATED to be alone - that added a lot of stress- DH was studying in Vanderbilt and for a period I was alone with him in the evenings after work - as long as I was holding him or he was nursing he was a real happy camper - if I moved out of his vision - he would cry and cry

He reacted to disruptions- like visitors by ignoring them

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

Stopped sayign Bue with a kiss and lost those 5 words

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

Very easy as long as I was giving him my full attention

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

Boys?Ear infections/we will see later

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2

no - we started suspecting things earlier than that though around 20 months

Being a first time, stay-at-home Mom, I had time to write two page descriptions of my child's development each month. I looked back at them for the heck of it today. I wasn't concerned at the time, and there is actually very little that I can see in retrospect either. He was talking, social, engaged in imaginative play and never regressed.

Looking back, I can see signs of some sensory issues (very sensitive feet) and repetitive behavior (transfering Easter eggs from one carton to another), but I still think that they fall within the range of normal toddler behavior. He also started holding onto my chin or feeling my face to soothe himself at bedtime or during night wakings (21 months). I called it a quirk at the time. Now I'd call it a stim.

There was a weird incident, also at 21 months, where his knee mysteriously buckled when I put him down after carrying him up the stairs. It took an hour and a half before he could stand up and walk normally again. Maybe it was related to vestibular issues? It sure freaked me out at the time.

The one clear red flag that I missed was how bad he was at responding when we said his name. We became aware of that after watching old videos.

I just happened to run across this CHAT questionnaire for use at 18 month well-child check-ups:

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=128&a=2226

At 18 months: He was just learning to walk. Didn't sit up till 12 months. Seemed to be overall weak with little muscle control. Had no words and very little babbling. Didn't fuss when I dropped him off at daycare. We were sent, by ped, to have the test for possible fluid on the brain because his head was so big and growing so fast. It was negative. He would sit in one spot and line things up put his head down eye level and move them back and forth for hours. Any attempt to interrupt this behavior was met with screaming. Extremely picky eater. Lots of hand stimming, (I didn't know what it was at the time) The thing that brought up the biggest red flag for me: Having had 4 older kids, the fact that he was not driving me crazy, getting in to everything, wanting my attention 24/7. People would say, Oh he is so good, look how he amuses himself. I would say, no, there is something wrong. He got his first evaluation at 25 months. 3 more followed over the next 9 months. Classic Autism diagnosis. All 4. Some days I'm still in shock.

Back at age 12-18 months

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time?

Attached to no one, rarely smiled, appeared deaf, not playing age appropriate toys in the way expected, no eye contact, moving around non-stop, extremely quiet

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

Ditto

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.")

"Some children are slower" "He's normal" "You are oversensitive"

He ate well and fast. Loved to eat. Seldom cried when diaper badly soiled/dripping wet. Took no notice of people including family and strangers. Slept really well. Loved to go out and eat out.

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

N/A

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

Easy baby. Pacifier and patting made him fall asleep easily. Did not need companion.

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

N/A

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2)

He was diagnosed at 1 year 7 months (the signs were too obvious)

zoozy39192.2705787037He was an easy cheerful baby and toddler. He was on a routine wihout me
providing one, you could set the clock to him taking a nap and going
potty. People would always comment on how happy he seemed but also
how busy he was.
At eighteen month I noticed only a few things: he was incredibly tactile
amd mouthing a lot. He had somewhat weak eye-contact. And I clearly
remember an outing right at 18 month where we meet a whole group of
friends and I left - my ds seemed fine, then a friend left an he cried
hysterically. I clearly remember feeling that something did not seem
right, like he was confused about whom to attach to. Noone suspected
anything at that time and he never regressed.No talking,

No eye contact,

Wouldn't eat,

Seemed deaf,

Didn't play appropriately,

wasn't walking,

They are the main ones I think.

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time?

Did not respond to name -- SOMEtimes. Patted all surfaces with both hands.

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

Low muscle tone and poor eye contact. Also, and even much later, did not point until taught to do so by SLP ... maybe at 3.5?

Another one -- she HATED to be read to! Would wave me away! (but cuddly). We attributed that to her langauge interruption -- heard Bengali only up to 12 mos.

But -- but -- but -- she was adopted at 12 mos., was preemie, went into EI at 2 yrs and did very well. Eye contact and low muscle tone could have been post-institutional.

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.")

She's a BRAT. (friend).

One preschool teacher pushed for EI. Other than that, people blew anything they noticed off as she was not disruptive at all ...

T went with the flow, just fine! Seh has always been a picky eater. And had auditory SID symptoms.

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

She did not. Symptoms never worsened until Kindergarten this year -- poor eye contact and not interacting with peers.

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

VERY easy!!! I later adopted 2 more, since SHE was so easy, in fact. They are not! LOL!

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

Blew them off. A general ped never gets to know a kid that well to notice!

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2)

Certainly not us ... at 6 yrs it is a big surprise.

foxl39191.330775463

1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time?

By this age I knew he had autism. He had lost language, stopped breast feeding and was not warm and cuddly anymore.

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

I think one of the red flags was the fact that he was an easy baby-he did not need a lot like our daughter.

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.")

He's a boy. You are just comparing him to your daughter. He looks fine.

He rarely slept and did not nap. He was starting ABA at 16 months and, because we were pulling him out of his world, became a behavior problem. It took a lot to get him to give eye contact (which I wasn't trying to do before) and communicate. Before I accepted the fact that he had autism and I had to work my tail off to get him to function better, I did not force communication. Once I got educated on the subject and realized the value and significance of doing it early while his brain was still malliable, it got hard. But let me say it was all worth it because he is doing much better now.

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

At 12 months he changed. It was quite dramatic--like someone flipped a switch.

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

VERY EASY-now in retrospect, probably too easy.

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

No and we went to SIX!! I kept changing doctors because I needed a referral to developmental pediatrician.

Unfortunately I have learned over the years that we've been learning about autism that the majority (over 90%, I would estimate) of doctors do not appear concerned and will tell moms they are worrying too much.

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2)

ABSOLUTELY! I knew he had it, as most moms do, and kept going to doctors until someone would listen to me.
Hi,

I don't remember any STRIKING symptoms at 12-18 months. My son was an extremely passive baby. Hardly ever cried. He spoke, not a lot, but had some words, and used them appropriately. He pointed, made eye contact, and tried to play wit other kids.

It was at about 16-18 months that little "oddities" started rearing their ugly heads.
He started ignoring us when we called him. He ignored people. The same cousins that he was so excited to see before, he was shying away from. Lost eye contact.
He began looking at lines and running back and forth. He began rocking.

He also would come home from day care, and take 3 hours to "settle down".
He stopped saying most words that he had

.

Of course, the symptoms were sneaky. They weren't sooo obvious at that age, and I can remember "explaining" them away. "oh...he's tired, he's not good with new places, he's coming down with something...bla bla bla.

It hit rock bottom at 2-2.5. He was stimming (flapping and jumping and hitting his stomach), no eye contact at all, stopped eating certain foods, would stay in his crib all day if allowed.

He's 5.9 now, and making progress. We have to be hopeful for the small measurements we can see.
nakama
1) Which signs and symptoms concerned you at the time?

I had been worried about his speech, and he was lining up things. (Though, I feared OCD since I have it)

2) What red flags do you now notice in retrospect?

Banging his head really is the only thing.. But keep in mind, I'm just learning this diagnosis.

3) What did others say to you when you voiced your concerns? What did other people say about your child in general? (e.g. "What a pleasant boy!" or "He just needs a spanking, that's all.")

He's just behind to the speech, and the lining up was apparently normal for his age. In general, everyone always said "Well, aren't you a happy boy?" He still gets that comment. But now people are baffled by his babble when he's obviously older.

He's not really regimented (which is unusual for ASD, right?). He was fine for meals (for the most part.. had a few tantrums for one or two, but nothing you wouldn't expect). He enjoyed being around other kids when he could..and was even taking 2 naps and sleeping through the night.

5) If your child had regressive autism, how did this present itself?

6) Was your child an easy or difficult baby?

He was definitely an easy baby.. Crabby when hungry or had a dirty diaper, but was always giggly and playful.

7) What did your child's doctor say about his delays or regressions?

His old doctor told me for 2 yrs that his speech would catch up. It's normal for him to stack and line up things. And when he finally started being picky with food, that it was just him expressing his opinion. But that didn't start til he was 2.

8) Did anybody here procure an early diagnosis? (before age 2)

No. He just turned 3 and is being diagnosed. (Informal diagnosis came on his 3rd birthday actually.)
Oops-I forgot one thing:
Nick's head always measured 90%ile and the other measurements were in the low-ranging form 10th %ile to 30th %ile.

Anyone else with large heads?

He is 6 and wears adult small baseball caps.

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