Kristys is right, BUT.
In retrospect only, my dd had symptoms at ten months. HOWEVER, her symptoms were not frequent or pronounced enough to be diagnosed, unti lage six (and hers is still pending), when she joined a large, loud public kindergarten class, and was expected to process compelx auditory information for the first time.
And the stress of the environment has brought out increased social and behavioral symptoms, as well. There has been a radical decrease in her eye contact, even at home, recently. She is more subject to (however brief) meltdowns. Her play has become more idiosyncratic.
I'm trying so hard to get help for my son, and like all of you here, I"m hitting brick wall after brick wall.
My son developed normally/advanced as an infant/toddler. He was speaking in full sentences by 11 mos old. He is extremely intelligent. However...
At around 3 years of age, we noticed little things. He was very hyperactive- whereas I don't recall this being an issue when he was younger. Then I noticed that in preschool, he would want to be around other children, but would play alone amongst them.
Different behaviors would crop up with him. In kindergarten, he was diagnosed as ADHD, although he seemed to be able to focus on what was being said in the classroom. He could recite back everything the teacher said, but the rest of the class could not, because he was so distracting. I would notice that when he became out of control, there was a blank look in his eye- like he wasn't really there.
Other behaviors are presenting themselves the older he gets. Is this a possibility in the whole Autism Spectrum? Can a child regress at a later age, such as my 9 year old. He seems to be developing more and more symptoms the older he gets (starting around 3 or 4)
He is unable to put words to his feelings, can not give eye contact, has what I think is called "stemming"? He flaps his arms, spins, etc. He is intellectually on approximately 6th grade level but socially he is possibly on a kindergarten level. He is in 3rd grade. We have explored the avenue of Sensory Integration Dysfunction because he appears to be somewhat sensory seeking, yet in other situations he is hyper sensitive. Brushing techiques have a definate calming affect on him. And, pressure is helpful as well.
The school will not help us with any of this because his behavior is not affecting him academically according to them.
In general, is it possible for autism to affect a child later in life rather than as an infant/toddler? Thanks for you answers.
I am not sure of this but am sure someone on here can answer this for you. Hope you can get some answers soon.I do recall reading that for a diagnosis of classic autism that symptoms must be present before age 3. A PDD-NOS diagnosis is sometimes applied for later age of onset as well as subthreshold symptomolgoy.My son's problems didn't become apparent until around age 4, and he seems more and more different as time passes. This is because his age peers are outdistancing him socially.
However, I feel that his problems were there from birth, just too subtle to attract attention -- especially since he's an introverted, bilingual boy. For example, he was rigid -- never learned to use a bottle instead of breast and we struggled to find a cup he'd accept. He wouldn't react the first time we called his name. I didn't give this a second thought and quickly forgot this phase -- until I looked at an old video in connection with his autism evaluation. You might discover something similar if you have any old videos.
The older your son gets, the more demands are put on him, both socially and academically. It is also quite possible that he's reacting to this stress with more stimming and meltdowns than before.
It's quite common to have a mix of underresponsive and overresponsive senses. Here's a checklist to help you identify your children's sensory issues:
http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-processin g-disorder-checklist.html
And here's an article on stimming:
http://www.tsbvi.edu/Outreach/seehear/archive/mannerism.html #Chart
Good luck with everything. Let us know if there's anything else on your mind.
Btw, my son was diagnosed with atypical autism (PDD-NOS) because of few early symptoms and few repetitive behaviors. The diagnosis came at age 7. There are plenty of others on this forum whose children have gotten a late diagnosis.
My ds made it up to 11 years old and was diagnosed as OCD,Tourette's, and anxiety
My sons regression was very noticable at around the age of 3.5. In fact, there was a possibility of CDD that was written into his psychological evaluation, which was terrifying for me). However, there were signs that I pushed out of my head or attributed to his birth defect, so I probably missed a lot. He is definitely "more autistic" now then he was even 6 months ago, and he is almost 5.
My Dad's Aspergers dx came in his late 50's. But boy has it helped his
NYMommyof3:
Yes, there is something even worse than autism ... CDD. Please tell me that this disease does not exist. I need to hear it.
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It's very, very rare and I think some say it really doesn't exist. The people right here on this fabulous board drummed that into me several months ago (thank you!) But to have someone tell you that, and have it written into a report, is just devastating.
My ds is seven and only got a diagnosis recently. He clearly seems moregtto
That was so informative!
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Very.
The article proves a beautiful logical mind, perfectly applying the concepts of axiom and theorem and set up a theory. The “how” and “where” of the replies shows a looot of empathy in a very delicate subtle way. Thank you.
L
Hi.
Mommy_mimi:
Your son was advanced in language. What about the pointing before 18 mo ? Bringing you toys ? Pretent play by 2 y ? It's easy when you start with the begining. My son might be considered mild but I know he did not do certain things at the right age. And that is a sign for me.
NYMommyof3:
Yes, there is something even worse than autism ... CDD. Please tell me that this disease does not exist. I need to hear it.
The average age for dx of Aspergers is about 10-12y---I think.
My husband just got dx about 2 months ago---at 37 yo.
I was diagnosably autistic when very young (although I went undiagnosed), and I gained some skills I'd lost, but then I started losing them again as I got older as well.gtto
That was so informative!