That sounds like my son. Does your child like to look at lights and spinning objects? My son has stopped banging his head all the time to a few times a day. He has a play therapist who helps him learn how to play. My son also refuses to learn new things. He is now 2 yrs 4 months and he has learned a few words to help him get the things he wants. Our ped said he was fine and developmentally dealyed as well however, he shows all the signs but loves being with me and his dad. We go to Iowa city for a full eval with ot, speech, Ped neuro, and ped doctor the middle of next month. I would have him looked at. At least make an appointment it takes a while to get in so that gives you some time to see if he improves. In the meantime floor time is the best.
Trust your instincts. Pediatricians aren't very well trained in these things sometimes. Even if your little one doesn't have something that is diagnosable at this point, it sounds like he might really benefit from therapy. They can give you some great strategies to help with his communcation, sensory issues (which can contribute to things like headbanging and frustration) and social interaction. If you guy does have an autism spectrum disorder, getting started with therapy ASAP is very important. Take care! Bridget
Pediatricians do not necessarily know what autism looks like, especially in its mild form, and especially in toddlers. Not all pediatricians even do proper developmental screenings.
To prepare for the questions an evaluator will ask, you might want to take a look at the PDD questionnaire at www.childbrain.com and go through the online milestone checklist at www.cdc.gov/actearly.
To find out who to go to in your area, you can go to www.autismsource.org. They have a searchable database. You can either search for your local ASA chapter and ask them who to go to, or do a search for "medical and diagnostic".
Good luck with everything.
Thank you all sooo much...I have to go with my instinct...My biggest concern that bothers me the most; the inappropriate laughing! He is almost 2 and has no feelings towards other people and their feelings! Meaning, if someone is crying or hurt, he is not curious, sad, interested, he just laughs...I see other children his age, who will sympathize with others, try and comfort, etc...
Also, search early intervention and the name of the state you live in (assuming you are in the US). I'm in Illinois and the school district doesn't handle kids under 3. So you may need a birth through 3 program like WiMomOf2 mentioned.Can anyone out there point me in the right direction? My son will be 2 in September...He walked extremely late at 17 months (doctor kept telling me this was normal)...He never sits still...Bangs his head, has trantrums all day long over everything...He will not eat anything...has very poor verbal skills..... Never calls me Mommy....is extremely hyperactive...and destructive. I, of course, have addressed this with his pediatrician during a well visit. She simply called his name, he reponded and told me this is normal 2-year-old behavior. I forgot to mention that he laughs inapprpriately all day long...He will not eat anything...nothing...his is obssessed with his bottle and his bottle only! He does not sleep through the night, and never has...I am a single mother and I am at my witts end...Where do I take him for a diagnosis or is this just a hard toddler????
Does he point? Does he bring you things he likes? Can he say mama or other words to get your attention? He has some red flags that may go away when his language comes in and maybe some OT for sensory issues but to get a real answer a pediatrician is just not as knowlegable in autism and you really need a developmental pediatrician that will tell you straightforward..no wait and see..if your son is on spectrum or not. They do a 3 hour+ evaluation and are experts in autism..they have waiting list so I would get on one and also get ECI involved with him as they will evaluate him and he can get speech & OT for free through the state up to age three..and then the school will take over:)
The fact he responds to his name is great but not a good indicator that he is not autistic..neither is social or lack of..they look at all things like sensory, repetitive things, behaviors, speech, social, sleep issue, food issues ..ect.. start making a list of all these areas to have on hand. Our daughter had many issues but I overlooked them as quirky and just her..but they speak volumes to the dev. pediatrican. Yes please get an evaluation. A mothers instinct is pretty much right on. My
son fooled the pediatrician well past 2. He had great eye contact especially
with novel adults 1:1. He also knew to look if you used a certain tone in
your voice. He however did not orient to his name and that became very
evident. I finally got a dx at 2.5yrs. I knew things were amiss at the 1yr
mark. My two Nt older children developed so differently from my youngest,
My son was also very attached to the bottle until age 2.
He is not picky...I would love to have just a picky eater...he does not eat anything...
I can't remember at what age they are *supposed* to be eating solid food as their primary source of nutrition, though...
Where I live, EI (early intervention) through the school district isn't available until a child is 3 years old. One of my first calls was to our Birth to 3 program. They evaluate children, and offer services such as speech and occupational therapy. Because my son was in Birth to 3, he then transitioned into our school district's EI program after his 3rd birthday.
Thank you....Developmental pediatrician and school district...sounds like sound advise...He reponse to his name is random...
You have my vote to get an evaluation.
I read a post on my adoption listserv from a DEVELOPMENTAL PED, who also has an ASD child, and she said seh was trained "mostly to offer reassurance to parents," to which my response was YES. Someone who handles ASD diagnosis for most of their day si a far more reliable source of diagnosis.
My daughter was not diagnosed until six ... despite an EXCELLENT pediatrician, and EXCELLENT SLPs and OTs, having seen her since age two for speech and other developmental delays.
I am really worried about the food issue..He does not eat anything! Again, I have addressed this with the ped, who told me, he will eat when he is hungary..Could this be a texture issue and is this another possible symptom???[QUOTE=foxl]You have my vote to get an evaluation.
I read a post on my adoption listserv from a DEVELOPMENTAL PED (retired from practice), who also has an ASD child, and she said she was trained (in general peds, first) "mostly to offer reassurance to parents," to which my response was YES, they are.
Someone who handles ASD diagnosis for most of their day is generally a far more reliable source of diagnosis.
My daughter was not diagnosed until six ... despite an EXCELLENT pediatrician, and EXCELLENT SLPs and OTs, having seen her since age two for speech and other developmental delays.
[/QUOTE]Could be just a difficult toddler or it could be more. He sounds delayed in some areas, and early intervention certainly couldn't hurt. Does he normally respond to his name right away, as the ped. noted, or is it often difficult to get him to respond to his name?
In any case, If he were mine, I'd call the local school district to have him evaluated for early intervention based on the language delay (they will assess him and if their assessments are showing significant developmental delays, they will provide therapy). After making the appointment with the school district for their educational evaluation, I would ask for a referral to a good developmental pediatrician to have him evaluated.
There are a number of red flags there, so I would definitely take him for a second opinion...that never hurts...I think most would say take him to a developmental pediatrician.
This behavior doesn't nescisarrily mean autism but for one I think the agressiveness and tantrums could be a sign that he is trying to communicate and getting frustrated that he can't.
You could also take him to your local school district...they will do early intervention with him...you probably won't get a diagnosis, but what you need the most is help!
Good luck and welcome to the board!!
Edited: Good post Fred...you beat me to it...but good to know we seem to be on the same page, lol!