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Hey everyone, I was just hoping someone with experience in autism can either confirm or shoot down some fears for me. My mother says that she is 90% sure my son has autism, and although we have had concerns before she mentioned anything, the doc said a couple of months ago to wait until he is 2. He is 22 months now and his next appointment is next month. This has really been worrying my spouse and I recently and I was just hoping for some input.
My son shows some definite red flags, but at the same time seems perfectly normal. For instance:
RED FLAGS: (1) His speech is pretty delayed. He will say "uh oh" and "daddy" and a few other words, but nothing else really and it is near impossible to get him to say any of the words he knows with prompting. He babbles jibberish constantly, however. (2) Sometimes it seems like he is ignoring us, but this is usually when he is occupied with something else. Sometimes he will look at us to his name, sometimes not. It does appear that he is deaf at times. (3) He never points at anything that he wants or is interested in. He will either get it himself or drag us by the finger to whatever he wants. (4) He lines objects up. They are never in any particular order or color and he doesn't get upset when we mix them up or take away one of the objects, however, they are usually the same type of object, ie. cars, dvd cases, blocks. (5) He won't give kisses or hugs when asked, however, does without being asked every once in awhile, hugs much more than kisses. (6) Compared to other children, he seems very behind in listening and really interacting with others.
NORMAL BEHAVIOR: (1) He loves other people and children and will often act silly if someone comes over to our house, showing off. He will bring out toys that he hasn't played with for awhile. (2) He isn't afraid to look us or others in the eyes and always has a ready smile. (3) He loves to cuddle and has no problem with it unless he wants to play. (4) If one of us pretends to cry or if he accidently smacks a friend who is his age and they cry, he will look concerned and give them or us a hug (and a kiss if we are lucky.) (5) He plays with his toys for the most part how they should be played with and gives his favorite stuffed bear rides in his trucks. (6) He has no problems with schedule changes and loves to go places different. (7) He has no repetitive movements with his hands or body, at least none we have noticed.
After actually listing these things, I feel a little more at ease, however the red flags are pretty strong and are very apparent on a day to day basis, especially his speech. I'm thinking he is somewhere on that spectrum at least. Thanks for listening as this has been the cause of some tears lately. |
