Can a toddler be fairly "stimmy" but not be on the spectrum?
My 2 year old son hand flaps & jumps A LOT. Mostly when excited by other children, bubbles, animals, whatever.
He has been evaluated by EI and a developmental ped and they don't believe he has autism. He does, however, have a slight speech delay.
But if he's not autistic, why would he be so stimmy??
My niece had a language impairment and when she was a toddler we would have sworn up and down that she was Autistic. She was evaluated fully at Vanderbilt University by a team of doctors and They said NO. Just a language impairment and she will no longer need speech therapy by the time she is 9 or 10. And they were right. But she had A LOT of Autistic traits.
Karrie
sensory processing issue? ADHD? benign mannerism?[QUOTE=fred]sensory processing issue? ADHD? benign mannerism?[/QUOTE]
I have no idea! The developmental ped didn't seem concerned about it, but it bothers me.
I was wondering this same thing. I met with dd's EI supervisor today, and we did M-CHAT and she had only a few of the red flags. After spending a lot of time with her, it is her opinion that she isn't on the spectrum, but for sure has a significant speech delay and sensory issues. We are still going to go for a formal evaluation by a dev. ped whenever we can get in!
[QUOTE=45GIRLS]I was wondering this same thing. I met with dd's EI supervisor today, and we did M-CHAT and she had only a few of the red flags. After spending a lot of time with her, it is her opinion that she isn't on the spectrum, but for sure has a significant speech delay and sensory issues. We are still going to go for a formal evaluation by a dev. ped whenever we can get in![/QUOTE]
My son "passed" the M-Chat too. The therapist from EI told me maybe he has sensory issues, but she doesn't believe ASD. This is all so confusing!! Lots of very young kids flap when excited. Lots of kids on the spectrum do not. Keep an eye on things as your child develops. Get him intervention for speech. Otherwise, I don't sweat.[QUOTE=karjab30]
My niece had a language impairment and when she was a toddler we would have sworn up and down that she was Autistic. She was evaluated fully at Vanderbilt University by a team of doctors and They said NO. Just a language impairment and she will no longer need speech therapy by the time she is 9 or 10. And they were right. But she had A LOT of Autistic traits.
Karrie
[/QUOTE]
What traits did she have? Just curious....
Kids w/ speech delay &/or apraxia can appear to be on the spectrum, they[QUOTE=Elle22]Kids w/ speech delay &/or apraxia can appear to be on the spectrum, they
often exhibit similar social & emotional issues, behavioral problems, etc.
Children w/ SPD also can resemble ASD...stims, meltdowns, problems w/
transitions, etc. Combine the two, & it really can appear a child is autistic.
But, a lot of times, once the child receives their speech intervention &
language improves, many of the concerning "symptoms" go away. I think it
is important to look at them as separate issues--the SPD (if its determined
he has it) & speech, at this point. They may not be signs of PDD. If the docs
are saying no, then get the intervention your child needs now--ST & OT.
See how things go down the road. If it is autism, the signs will be obvious to
specialist. Until then, you are getting services, so you are a a-okay.[/QUOTE]
EI said he didn't quite qualify for services (not delayed enough) but the lady was so nice and said she'd give him an hour a week of therapy with a infant development specialist. Not sure when that's going to start yet.
Besides a delay in speech, the stimming is the only other thing I see. He points, has good eye contact, no problems with transitions, etc. It just seems like A LOT of stimming to me!
Karrie
That's great that the dev spec will see him each week. This way, he'll beStimming generally has a sensory basis. If your child is sensory-seeking and/or sensory-avoiding, you should be able to tell from this checklist:
http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-processin g-disorder-checklist.html
What situations does he tend to "stim" in?
Oops, I see that you already said that he mostly stims in exciting situations. Does he continue to pay attention to what's exciting him? I would expect an autistic child to instead shift his focus and become self-involved in his own jumping and flapping.
Typically-developing kids do jump and flap, but often outgrow it as their brain develops. Some still have some of these excited mannerisms when they're older, but the mannerisms usually get smaller, more controlled and less noticeable.
[QUOTE=NorwayMom]
Oops, I see that you already said that he mostly stims in exciting situations. Does he continue to pay attention to what's exciting him? I would expect an autistic child to instead shift his focus and become self-involved in his own jumping and flapping.
Typically-developing kids do jump and flap, but often outgrow it as their brain develops. Some still have some of these excited mannerisms when they're older, but the mannerisms usually get smaller, more controlled and less noticeable.
[/QUOTE]
He usually does it while excited or sometimes when he's nervous. Yes, he continues to pay attention to what's exciting him. He does it sometimes, for example, when I blow bubbles for him, when he watches the sprinklers, etc.
I did some weord things until age 3. I lined my toys up and flapped, talked real early, still can hear road viberations but I don't have it. But both my kids on the other hand have it.[QUOTE=amberwaves] I did some weord things until age 3. I lined my toys up and flapped, talked real early, still can hear road viberations but I don't have it. But both my kids on the other hand have it.
Here is that pdd questionnaire
http://www.childbrain.com/pdd.shtml
[/QUOTE]
Thanks! I did that questionnaire and I scored him at 25. But some pf the questions are hard to answer for a 2 year old, like can he sustain a conversation. Well, he's 2, he doesn't really have conversations yet. I mean, he's just starting to put 2 words together!