Any ideas .... ASD???????? Please help!!!!

[lukeyloosmum]

Hi all ... new to this so bare with me!

I have three children ... Daughter aged nine who was diagnosed with ASD at three years ( she has a different dad to my boys). My eldest son is eight and my youngest son will be turning two next week.

My worries are with regards to my youngest son. Below are my concerns.

He has no spoken communication.
He pulls us to what he wants if he is not able to get it for himself. He will tap on a chair if he wants us to sit down etc.
He used to say " mama" then lost that when he started to say " car" now the word of the month is " there" He seems to have got this from the Something special show from cbeebies ( when they say " it's over there" ) as he loves to watch this and moves his little arms round trying to copy the signs.
Two days ago me and a friend were stood in the kitchen. He walked in and handed me a car to hold. I said "thankyou" he then signed "thankyou" back to me. Me and friend shocked as we didn't sign for him to copy it was just done off of his own back.
He is now signing thankyou, please, yes and no. He can also join two signs together and say yes please. We say the word he is signing as he signs in the hope that he will soon say the word too.
For about a month he has been putting his hand to his ear if you ask if he can hear something and he puts his finger to his chin and makes mmmm noise if you ask if he is thinking or if he hears someone mention the word think/ thinking.
He has a very limited diet. I am now having to give him vitamin drops in his juice. He will eat weetabix, fromage frais, banana ( he used to eat mashed banana with fromage frais on top but now refuses), potato waffles, french fries, bread, bread cake ( will not have anything on the bread/ breadcakes), toast with margerine (will not eat if any margerine visible), salt and vinegar pringles, custard cream biscuits( won't eat any other biscuit) and custard. We tried to trick him with the pringles and put a prawn cocktail flavour one in ( prawn has a orange powder on).. he saw it straight away and threw a huge tantrum. He loves the taste of mint and will just eat toothpaste if I let him. I have tried and tried and tried different foods with him but he takes one look at it and will refuse ... I can't get it anywhere near his mouth. May just be coincidence but all the food he eat or similar in colour?
He is crazy about cars and wheels. He lays with his head on the floor watching the wheels go round as he pushes the car up and down. He sometimes lines cars up but tends to put them in groups again it seems to be that he puts cars together that are of similar colours. He loves to look at cars and car wheels on the computer with us ( eldest son set this off) before he goes to bed. He likes to touch the wheels on the screen in the centre of the alloy. When we are walking he likes to touch the centre of the alloys of cars as we walk by. He pulls wheels off his cars and then carries them round with him. He carries cars wity. For me to get him in his buggy today he ended up with five small cars, three medium and one of those little minature skateboards. He enjoys playing with a ball. At my mums there is a slope in the garden and he either rolls it down then goes after it or rolls it up and layes at the bottom for it to roll back down. He goes mad if someone picks the ball up. He loves the trampoline but won't go on if anyone else is on there and will get off if anyone else gets onto the trampoline. He just likes to do things on his own.
He has three main things that have to be done during the day or he is a complete nightmare .... nap in morning ( no later thh him all the time or puts cars down the side of his legs when he is in his buggan 11) or he is horrid for the rest of the day even after he has slept ..... bath ( he stands at the bottom of the stairs waiting to go in the bath) .... looking on the computer at cars ( I have tried to steer him away from this... put him to bed without this and he screams the house down .... brought him down for ten mins for him to look took him back to bed and he went straight to sleep)
He has started looking at us in a very odd manner... he puts his head down and then looks up into his head ... as though looking over glasses. You can smile at him and he will look at you in the manner above or sometimes he will give you a little smile back. You can shout his name over and over and he will not respond especially when he is watching Mr Tumble or pushing his cars around. He headbangs when he is angry or upset and has just started flapping when he is happy about something. He screams when he hears the lawnmower or hoover.
He will sometimes play with his siblings but is getting increasingly upset with them. When they leave a room he will run after them and close the door then sit/ stand behind it so they can't get back in. He becomes very upset when they manage to get in. At playgroup he plays with cars and doesn't show interest in playing with the other children.
He has a very good understanding when you speak to him eg if you ask where someone is he will look towards that person and wave. If you ask him to do something he will normally do it. He brings his cars to us but thinking about it he just wants us to help him carry them when he has too many if you go near him while he is playing with them he pushes you away. He comes and sits on your knee with his blankets ( if he isn't carrying cars it's because he's holding his blankets)
He was referred to the hospital by the health visitor via the social communication difficulties pathway he was discussed at their triage meeting and they have sent a letter saying they feel he would benefit from a multi- disciplinary assessment and is now on the nursery assessment waiting list.
I'll probably think of more I should have wrote once i post this!
I think i'm still clinging to the hope that it is not ASD. Wouldn't he understand less? He is different to how my daughter was she was very passive and aloof. It confuses me. Keep worrying if I am doing the right thing in getting him assessed. I know early diagnosis gives time for early intervention. I don't know and now i'm waffling ..... Help please!!!!!!

[chocjunkie]

good advice already from zzzzz. just one thing: has his hearing been checked? if not it might be worth asking for a referral for the audiologist.

[lukeyloosmum]

I have rang the health visitor today to ask about any signing courses. She is getting back to me about this. I have also received a letter today about his language assessment which will be on the 10th of August in preperation for multi-disciplinary assessment. He is amazing and that won't change I know that. Yes ... he passed his hearing test last month. Thanks to you both .... laughed and cried at what you wrote!!

[dolfrog]

lukeyloosmum

just a couple ofsuggestion Audiologists ,
1)can investigate potential Auditory Processing Disorders (APD) which is a listening disability or having problems processing what you hear, which at your sons age could be a developmental issue which he may grow out of by the age of 7 / 8 years old or could be a long term disability.
2) and the could also investigate the loud noise issues which could be sensitivity to specific sound frequencies of levels of sound which is called Hyperacusis

[signandsmile]

Hi, just wanted to second the 'start a signing thread' comment, quite a few of us on here do sign, (to one degree or another and a variety of language/signing systems, and not necessarily with our dcs)

I have had really good results from signing with my son (ASD and LD), and he (after 2 years of having just 7 spoken words, but about 150 - 200 signs) is now talking (backed up with signing when he needs to.)

pm me if it would be useful...