In case you don't know....because I didn't....you can look Early Intervention up in your local yellow pages and find the one nearest you !
{HUGS} My son is very affectionate as well so there are never any one alike case.
I agree- contact early intervention, they can do an evaluation and you can take it from there.
Best of luck with everything!
I just didn't want the hearing check to get lost in the recommendations to get an EI evaluation. DEFINITELY do that - but get a hearing test done by an audiologist as well!
It's better to error on the side of caution that to not and always wonder...you know that whole coulda, woulda, shoulda deal.I would definitely start the process for early intervention. They will need to rule out hearing problems but the rest of those behaviors do sound suspicious to me. Sounds like some sensory issues going on too.
Laurie
I would definately see about contacting Ei or ECI in your area. They will come to your home and evaluate your son for all the concerns you mentioned. I would also call the pediatricians office and just make an appointment to discuss this stuff with them if you aren't comfortable waiting til the check up time. Our doc is very good at getting us for any concerns we have about the kids.
Most places you have to get on a waiting list to see a developmental pediatrician or neurologist. You doctor can give you referrals for both and get the ball rolling. Here it can take up to a year for the GOOD office of developmental pediatric offices.
It is a BIG myth that kids on the spectrum don't show affection. I just wanted to point that out. My son has always been a little bundle of love and affection. I agree with the above posters. contact EI and go with your gut that something isn't quite right.
Great advice from the above posters. Just wanted to add...that if you feel in your heart something is different or wrong, please don't let the doctors blow you off or tell you to wait and see. If you feel it, push it.
It's better to be wrong down the road than to sit and wait and find out you could have been helping your son from the beginning.
Videotaping is a great idea, so make sure they listen to your concerns!
Good luck with everything!! Keep us posted and welcome to the board.
Wow, I am so sorry for the pain you must be going through. I always thought it was much harder "not knowing" than when we finally got our diagnosis of Autism at age 3.
If it helps, it does sound like he could be on the spectrum so I would suggest following the advice of seeking early intervention.
Some other signs as he gets older may be more Autism obvious like: Delay in walking or speech as compared to other children. Fascination/obsession with patterned behavior or objects (tv shows over and over, etc), any kind of "stemming" behaviour.
In any case, even if he does not have Autism, there must be some preventative things you can do to help him. Stay strong and know that God has a plan for all of us. My wife and I will keep you in our prayers.
Sincerely,
Mark
Song for Ryan...
http://talusmusic.com/MarkMathis/Shine/Songs/Shine.mp3
It is hard to say at this age, but I would definitely take the videos to your pediatrician. Several of the things you describe are red flags, but again hard to say at his age. One thing I would FOR SURE do is get his hearing tested. You need to rule out hearing issues. And not just one done by the ped - it needs to be done by an audiologist.
Kids are all different and kids on the spectrum are as well - as you noted. They can be social, loving and some even have decent eye contact. My ds had good eye contact until he was about 3. It is getting better again now - but still nowhere near where it should be. He is now very social. He always wanted to be around other kids, but never knew how to interact. He was VERY charming to adults and still is. Very sensitive to light and sounds when he was a baby. In fact, he was very sensitive to being "wet" - he would cry and cry as soon as he wet. I was changing his diaper around 26 times a day when he was a newborn. I asked the doctor about it and she said that definitely wasn't normal. But, he would pull off breastfeeding if he peed while feeding and would just howl. As soon as I changed him - he was fine and would go back to breastfeeding.
The not talking is not as big of an issue at his age. Girls often talk sooner - although mine didn't. She didn't say her first word until she was about one. Only had a few words at 14 months. Was talking in 7 word sentences at age 2. Seriously. The fact that he is babbling is a good sign. But definitely keep an eye on this and if he doesn't have any words by 15-16 months, definitely have him evaluated. They may make you wait until 18 months - it depends on the doc/provider.
Also, the fact that he WAS pointing is a good sign. But, if he doesn't point at all now, I would be concerned and definitely mention that to the ped.
Welcome to the board. You will find lots of good people and support here. And keep us posted!
Hi, I am Amber and am worried about my 11 month old son, Logan. I know that 11 months is very young but I am still worried. Family memebers have even started making comments that he isn't like other kids.
The main thing that has me worried his the way he loses it. He has these meltdowns and slams his head onto the floor as hard as he can. He will do this for 20 mins. He sits there and rocks, extends his arms and legs, gags himself, and then slams into the floor. He also hits himself. On a few occasions he has made himself bleed. If I pick him up he hits me and then arches his back then continues head butting me or hitting himself. He does this atleast every other day and sometimes multiple times a day. I got it on tape, but can't get youtube to work.
In the past few weeks we have noticed that he isn't responding to his name anymore. He used to every time. Now, he does maybe 2 out of 10 times. Last night my daughter actually said "Mama, Bubba can't hear you." He used to point at the light when we asked him where it was. Now he just looks at me blankly.
He does not sleep. He has slept though the night once. Normally he is up every hour.
He does babble, but doesn't say any real words. I know he is still very young on this part! I try not to compare him to my daughter(3) but at this age she knew so much more. He doesn't know mama or dada even. He says dadaddadadada, but doesn't know who Dada is.
He has started this weird licking thing. He licks me, the floor, even the dog.
He is breastfed, will barely eat solids. He always gags on them. I have to cut his food into tiny bits. He stills gags on cheerios.
On the plus side, he is the most loving child I have ever seen. He loves to hug and kiss me. he makes eye contact and loves to he held. I have heard conflicting things on this. I know a child on the spectrum that loves being held too, but have always heard autistic kids don't show affection or smile.
What do you think? Do you think these are all things that he will outgrow? I thought about taking the videos to the ped for his 1 year check-up. I don't want to worry about him for no reason, but he just seems so different.
Oh, and he has been very sensitive to noise, light, ect. since he was born. In the hsopital I told my husband that he was a sensitive child and everyone thought I was crazy!
He is such a difficult little guy....please give me any input.
Amber
U should call Early Intervention in your area - hopefully they will help alleviate some of ur worries. Also ask a pediatric neuro take a look at ur baby.
Good luck.
It sounds like you definitely have reason to be concerned, although that doesn't necessarily mean it's autism. You'll find the contact information for Early Intervention in your state (presuming you're in the US) at this website:
http://www.nichcy.org/states.htm
To get the most out of the evaluation, it's good to make precise observations beforehand. These checklists might help (if any of the links don't work, try removing any blank spaces from the address. If they still don't work, let me know):
Diagnostic checklists for infants and toddlers:
http://www.ipan-infant-autism.org/detecting_preautism.html - "Detecting Pre-Autistic Behaviors." Includes excerpts from the ESPASI (Early Signs of Pre-Autism Scale for Infants), ADS (Attachment During Stress Scale) and AOS (Acquarone Observation Scale).
http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=128&a=2226 - CHAT diagnostic screening for 18 month olds.
http://www.helpautismnow.com/p/physhandbook.pdf - includes the CHAT (begins on page 4) and an illustrated list of potential behavioral symptoms, many of them sensory.
Developmental milestones:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/interactive/index. html - milestones for movement, hand and finger skills, language, cognitive, social and emotional development
Sensory issues:
http://www.sinetwork.org/aboutspd/prof-siobsguide.pdf - The Sensory Integration Observation Guide, Level 1 (0 to 12 months)
Good luck with everything!