likely autism??

[Luggage16]

Hi,
I have 2 children aged 9 and 6. My eldest was recently diagnosed with ASD. My youngest has been referred for autism screening by his salt and the paed thinks he has enough symptoms to warrant referral for ADOS screening.

He is so different to his sister though and it means I go round in circles with him. He has a lot of sensory issues, does a lot of stimming (vocal noises, arm waving, spinning) and is socially awkward, but I feel his empathy skills etc are actually quite good and he seems to have a far better social understanding than his older sibling. Could that be the case if it was ASD?

He has a speech disorder and is hypermobile so has other issues too but then he does have other spectrummy traits like obsessive interests and a lack of interest in play. He also loves patterns and order.

Could it be something else or is he likely to be diagnosed too? I feel a bit overwhelmed by it all atm.

[Javabeansaintgeorge]

The lack of empathy thing is a myth.

[Luggage16]

My daughter has empathy but she isn't good at seeing others might have an issue and she certainly doesn't know what to do with it. She will happily ask me to play with her when I'm unwell/have a head ache etc or will talk over her brothers crying oblivious to his upset. He doesn't seem to have those issues and is more likely to spot when he has pushed things too far or if someone is struggling. That said he cant share his toys if friends are round (actually he often screams at them just for being in the same room!) but he can be really sweet and kind too.

[Luggage16]

ok so the empathy things aside could this be anything other than autism?..

• dislikes change in routine or plan (i.e. wouldn't walk a few steps in the wrong direction for a pokestop on the way to the library)
  
• speech disorder (dyspraxic and dysarthric with word finding issues)
  
• woohooo's, 'yips', 'yahooos' etc constantly. sometimes repeats phrases over and over (yesterday it was bee banana bee banana bee banana)
  
• taps everything as he walks along
  
• struggling to learn to read and write
  
• dislikes having friends round - asks constantly 'what can I do', cries and says he doesn't want friends round, has difficulty sharing his toys
  
• gets a lot of sensory overload - drops and screams in supermarkets/shops, panics in busy places, wears ear defenders anywhere noisy
  
• spins things
  
• struggles with play - prefers screens
  
• obsessive interests - will draw, build and watch things all on the same theme.
  
• can be very literal, doesn't get when someone is joking
  
• prefers to stay home. Had free choice for his birthday and opted to stay home
  
• enjoys drama class
  
• loves patterns
  
• is hypermobile - esp in fingers
  
• is clumsy
  
• has friends but rarely talks about them or asks to see them. Most of the children he connects with have ASD
  
• constantly moving (taps his foot etc when sat)
  
• good with adults
  
• good with 1 year old niece though was terrified of her as a baby
  
  Originally I thought he was dyspraxic but then he was diagnosed hypermobile and given insoles and boots and the constant falling stopped.

[Luggage16]

He has also been making and drawing patterns like these since he was 4

[Luggage16]

more patterns.
At one point he was easily drawing 20-30 of the circle patterns each week

[Luggage16]

Thank you PG. I think it seems likely too. He has an ADOS booked but not until the new year. Trying to prepare myself mentally really. My daughters diagnosis wasn't a surprise but she did less well in the ADOS than I expected and where I thought I might have to battle them they all said the whole way through they were sure she was ASD. With my son the referral was made by speech and language rather than myself and I feel like I have stepped off the rollercoaster with my daughter only to leap straight back on it with my son!

[Luggage16]

Yes I def think he copes better because of how we do things to accommodate his sister. If we never had to leave the house he would be a super easy child tbh! Going out and about with him is a nightmare though!