Autism at 19 Months

I was confused for a moment as well, I’ve changed my regular username from this one! I’m hoping the op has actually taken the advice to stop obsessing from her last thread as I’ve not seen one recently.

Ah

Maybe the person who poked the zombie was missing our regular update.

This is one of the older threads the op started, it’s been resurrected for some reason.

hi hope your ok op,my son was around that age when we noticed differences,we did notice before hand but put it down to been a child who didn't want to do something he didn't want to do,he is now almost 5 attends a special school,non verbal,has social and communication disorder,can't leave the house unless he's hidden in he's pram or goes in dad's car then again when we get somewhere he has to hide away,doesn't respond to he's name,he is down as he's chronological age as 12 months and under,he sees a dietician as he doesn't eat,he gags when he sees other people eating,he doesn't respond to anyone,anyone can walk in the door and he would take no interest at all,my youngest 2 year old he is total opposite,he's meltdowns are when he gets frustrated and he doesn't like people near him and he will let you know,he is a cuddly child where my asd child can't stand you touching him or anything,they are totally opposite,until you have actually been around an autistic child you won't know really,but to me your daughter sounds more like my youngest and I have zero concerns about him they are just more aware of what's going on around them and the meltdowns are just a toddler thing,my asd sons meltdowns can last for hours while he will scream shout throw things he grabs he's face or he's belly and pulls he's skin,you go near him he pushes you away,and it's getting worse,it might be worth watching a few YouTube channels on autism to just see what they are really like,I think your just going through the terrible 2s hun,my health visitor helped us as we had he's 2 year check and he didn't meet any milestones what so ever and we didn't even really realise that,I'm here for a chat hun as it is a long road but here if you need a proper chat x

My typical son would only eat bread and slices of cheess at that age
My severley autistic son had a much more varied diet
Yes food inssues csn be an indicstor but shes very young ,it can also be part of normal toddler behaviour
If there is anything it will become incressingly apparent over the next 12 months or so.

I’d say she’s doing just fine. My DD 23m shows autistic traits and it seems very obvious. Obsessed with spinning objects/flaps hands/no speech/no pretend play/no pointing/waving/doesn’t share her interest with us/will mouth everything/

if no one else has any concerns I’m not sure why you do?

Health visitor, GP and paediatrician have no concerns.

You post every couple of weeks asking the same questions.

Lots of people tell you not to worry.
A few people go "Hmm"
Absolutely noone can diagnose anything.

What exactly are you looking for?

Hi, how is your little one now?

My nephew would only eat bread, ham and chicken the first few years of his life. Some kids are just fussy, there can be a correlation between how we ate when pregnant and what our kids eat. The other thing they suggest is making sure you eat with your kid so they see you eat a variety of things.

My nephew is 10 now and not the most adventurous eater but he does eat vegetables and very mild spices now!

My kid was a really good eater and the last few months (almost 3) she’s stopped eating most veg unless I hide them - for her I think it’s about control as what she will eat changes daily. I just keep offering them, let her see us eating them and when she refuses give her some more choices.

In saying that my daughter ignored all kids her age until recently and I was reading into that. She also went through a violent stage of smashing her head against the cot until we let her sleep with us, it was terrifying. It is completely normal to worry about your child.

Nothing you have said sounds like anything to be worried about.

I'd try not to focus on a diagnosis at the moment, as pp have said she sounds pretty typical. Lots of toddlers/children go through fussy stages with food.

One of mine has a diagnosis and she actually started out okay with food, it was only when she was 5/6 she started having real difficulties with food - very distressed if accidentally ate an 'unsafe' food etc.

It was mainly the food thing for us as well and we got all the toddlers are fussy chat from everyone but it felt different, started earlier than expected and hasn't really improved (probably got worse). I didn't suspect ASD or even sensory issues (think I looked up sensory processing disorder) really as I didn't think they ticked enough of the boxes but eventually GP did refer us for help and we got diagnosis age 8. Practically at the moment it has made very little difference but emotionally diagnosis was helpful to validate the way I was finding it best to parent. Just keep a good record of everything and see how things go and if you feel it would be beneficial in the future try the GP again. I doubt you would get any particular support or help at the moment but look up food chaining, the 32 steps to eating etc and hope that helps a little in expanding range of foods

I don't know if it's the same everywhere but for my DS we had to fill in a questionnaire for Padraic doctor and from that they decided if he was going to be put on the waiting list for autism assessment.
Honestly, if your only issue is food and not liking strangers you won't even get on the waiting list. It's already too long.
Obviously you can observe her closely but at the moment she sounds normal development for her age.

As above, nothing you've written suggests your DD is autistic.

My son was incredibly similar, except he also couldn't talk. He didn't say a word until he was 3.

The food was a nightmare for us. He just wouldn't eat. He'd gag on so many things. If he ate something that was a texture he didn't expect, he'd just vomit on the spot.

He's 5.5 now and the meltdowns are a distant memory. He no longer gags/chokes on food. He can talk.

We found that the gagging on food was actually down to incredibly large tonsils. He couldn't swallow anything, which is why he'd only take a few "safe foods". He had his tonsils taken out when he was 2 and he was a different child overnight.

No autism diagnosis for him.

When you say she has a meltdown when faced with other people do you mean when you leave her with other people? Or do you mean when someone comes into the house or you stop to talk to someone during a walk etc.

I got 2 autistic boys. Both high functioning. And they cant clap and cant point at that age. Thats one of the biggest clue in autism for that age.
Your kid isn’t in the spectrum.

Hi @Claire123e

I work with children aged 2 years and we have found this to be a common factor with alot of our children starting that they prefer to be fed by parents. With a little practice and some patients from parents at meal times this will slowly improve.
Health care professionals also say food under 1 is just for fun, and your little one is only 7 months older so is still learning about textures and feeding.

I have read afew of your previous posts about her behaviour towards other people, this is also quite common for the age of your daughter. If it helps, maybe Google milestones for children of this age.

I couldn’t possibly diagnose but I thought my DS was autistic when he was a toddler/younger child for various reasons. As he grew up he stopped a lot of the behaviours, but was always anxious and had camhs involvement aged 9.
Roll forward a few years to late teens his mental health really deteriorated in the lockdowns and he is now saying he could be on the spectrum (age 20).
I could kick myself for not being more proactive about a diagnosis for him in primary school, but I didn’t know enough about autism to believe a boy who was sociable and made friends easily could be on the spectrum.

"she is terrible at managing it"

She is one! If she were good at managing anything at all, that would be developmentally odd.

Let her be OP

all the behaviour sounds as expected. Only child, not going to nursery - she will be upset/worried at people coming into her space. ( I’m not saying you are doing anything wrong, but her world is known and comfortable). They keep saying “terrible twos” but tantrums/upsets can be major at one and a half. As to the food, this can also perfectly normal at this stage. The three foods are very different in texture. Just keep putting tastes of other things on her plate and give her the opportunity to try. Remember too, there is an element of a power struggle, she’s starting to becoming more independent. I have found that my kids eat a lot more widely in nursery/for other people and then come home and refuse to eat the same things there. 🙄

There isn't anything to suggest your DD is autistic. Food issues are not a sign of autism when there are no other indicators of autism. If she had food issues and multiple other signs then there would suggestions she is autistic. Does she go to lots of toddler groups?she maybe needs more social interaction with kids her own age to help her shyness and to watch other toddlers try foods etc.

From memory of mine all this is completely normal. My NT son refused meat from the time he was weaned and is now vegan, he just always found it repulsive. Kids go through phases with food anyway.

Some children are just very picky eaters, my oldest DD is 6 now and was exactly as you describe and absolutely no signs of autism. Just still a very picky eater!

There is no behaviour that you have described there that would suggest anything developmentally different going on. Just the eating on it's own is not a sign of any neurodiversity.