Screaming autistic toddler

What a set of lovely, helpful, compassionate responses! I also have a severely autistic son in mid-teens, who also has LDs, but honestly I can't really add anything here that hasn't already been said. I do think it'll help a great deal if you can intervene this early with PECS/Makaton, though don't expect your son to use these systems mid-meltdown, he's unlikely to be able to communicate at all. But with any luck, a communication system that he can use might head off a meltdown before it gets going. That said, I'd agree with PPs who suggested his screaming is stimming, and a means of self-regulation.

I work with children with ASD and honestly some of them just scream. If he seems happy enough I wouldn't stress about it. If he seems agitated I would see it as communication of a problem and try to find solutions. Just try to keep his environment as calm as possible.

Hi, my son is a teen now but was diagnosed as autistic, ADHD and learning difficulties when he was 3-4 yrs old. I just wanted to post to reassure you that you're not doing anything wrong! Having a child with additional needs is a journey. At the beginning - which is where you are at right now - you're in a phase of learning about your child, learning about autism, trialing different approaches, seeing what helps and what to avoid... and this all takes time - a lot of time. Sometimes we try stuff and it's a win, and sometimes it doesn't work - and that is absolutely fine - it is part of the journey.

Please don't be hard on yourself - figuring out how to meet a child's needs when they can't easily communicate with you is really hard. There are lots of good suggestions in the posts above, some might work for you/your child, and some might not. Sensory needs are very specific to each child and it will take a while to figure out what your child needs:

• children can be 'sensory seekers' with some of their senses, for example my son craves visual stimulus in the form of bright lights and moving lights (think bubble lamps, lava lamps, disco balls etc), and he also loves physical pressure from stuff like trampolining and swimming and strong hugs (!) - all of which provide deep proprioceptive sensory input
• but at the same time they might want less input with other senses, for example my son hates noise, loud music, loud engines etc - he wears ear defenders to the cinema. He also hates light pressure on his skin - preferring clothes that almost hug him.

Try lots of different things and look to see how your son reacts each time. All the examples here and in the posts above are just examples - your son might react differently and that is fine. Keep a notepad handy so you can start to build a picture. This will really help when it comes to applying for assessments/support etc - everything. It is really hard to remember all the details when you're in the thick of it, so jotting down your thoughts each day will help you.

Take one day at a time, one challenge at a time, and only do what you feel up to doing. Importantly, look after yourself - honestly the best thing for your son is to have a happy mummy - as you are they lead that he will follow in his own time. I hope this helps, wishing you all the best xxx

Could be vocal stims which are a form of self regulation.

Try calling a health visitor and ask for a two year developmental check. That is what got the ball rolling for us. You fill in the questionnaire and that would set off alarm bells if they are not meeting milestones. Also ask nursery (if they go) to contact them. Portage might be good too. It is a long wait for an assessment. It took us a year, so I would just throw as much at services as you can until you get taken seriously.

You can have a mixed sensory profile. My son is super active and hyposensitive, but has days when he is overwhelmed too. He uses movement to regulate but also needs quiet time on his own. Sensory chews can help with screaming, but not all the time in my son's case. He loves a scream. Get ear defenders - for you.

Hold him firmly but comfy.. rock him/ stroke him.
Make sure his clothes aren't hurting / annoying him.. seams / labels/ buttons/ zips/.
He might need to learn makaton or signing.
You are his comfort.. he will look to you for his pent up aggression / frustration etc.
My eldest Grandson was diagnosed age 4.
He's 20 now.
Other three followed suit at same age.
Good luck

https://bso.bradford.gov.uk/userfiles/file/Andrew/SCIL%20Early%20Years/A%20Sensory%20Profile%20-%20Early%20Years(1).pdf

You can still have an active boy who gets over stimulated.
Have a wee look at the Bradford scale to get a sense of his profile - is he hyper sensitive or hypo sensitive. That's is, is he super sensitive to aspects of his environment or under sensitive understanding this can help you to help regulate them .He is very young though , so might just be things to bear in mind as he grows and you build a profile.

My child did this, we went to SALT which helped and also provided evidence for the autism assessment

@Mamabear0202

I'd just like to add that I adopted my son when he was nearly 8. He came into care at 4 and I understand at that point he was non verbal and had some extreme behaviours. His first word was helicopter when he was 5. He is now at university.
Of course I don't know what the future holds for you, my point is that things can change and improve.
Somethings stay the same, at 21 my son understands the benefits of keeping active in keeping himself regulated. He just channels it differently - plays football, lifts weights and cycles, still walks a lot. His first jobs were quite physical - paper boy, grocers shop. Works at Tesco now- again very active job. Was is beavers, scouts etc, very outdoorsy, loves roller coasters
So he is still what we would call sensory seeking but it's just built into his life

It's a balance and you need to learn what works for your child.

DS loved playgrounds, but he was very sensory seeking generally so liked going on the swings and the see saw. He loved toddler groups as well, but would run laps of the hall during any quiet sit down time. He never stopped moving, it was exhausting!

@Mamabear0202

That all sounds very difficult for you and him of course.
My son has ASD, had huge amounts of energy which just had to be burnt off. We walked a lot, swimming is really good as is swimming, a trampoline if you have room for one would be a good investment. There are trampettes for indoors.
People often assume that sensory issues mean a child is over stimulated. However the opposite can also be true - my son was definitely under stimulated, hence the need for swinging and bouncing. When he was older tennis was great because he could bash hell out of a ball.

That's not to say he then went to bed with disco lights, there is also a place for calm. Basically I wore him out during the day, calm time with the TV, dinner, bath, bed and story.

There is a really good book called Raising the Sensory Smart Child with useful checklist so you can work out where your son is with regard to over/under stimulation.
I agree with others that the screaming is communication so I would prioritise finding a way to communicate

Try not to think you are doing things wrong, you need to find what works for your child.

Who do you have involved?
My severely autistic teen was diagnosed at three ,at two he was under Portage,SALT,paediatrician ,etc,
Two.is very young and he may gain speech but SALT can help.with different forms of communication for him.

The screaming could well be communication but it could just be a vocal stim i.e. he is getting some enjoyment or regulation from doing it.

I think you may need to get pushy about going on the waiting list for an assessment. Ask if you can have a referral to the Early Years SEND Inclusion team in your area or the equivalent - ours were brilliant. He doesn't need a diagnosis to get support from them. I would also be asking for a referral to an SEN nursery ideally one specialised in speech and language, and they will hopefully then assist with getting an EHCP sorted out for him too.

What we found was that once we were engaged with the Early Years SEND team it opened doors we didn't know existed - they helped us apply for DLA, they referred us on to OT and SLT, they had sleep clinics and food clinics and all sorts.

I also had a non verbal screaming autistic toddler and the thing is you can't stop it even if you wanted to.

Think of it similarly to tourettes, it's like a tic.

It's also his only way of vocally communicating even if to you or others, it's meaningless.

If everytime we spoke someone tried to stop us speaking we would find that really distressing.

Has he been offered any SALT?

DS was diagnosed aged 3 after an 11 month process. They couldn't start the process until SALT had been involved and also until they'd seen him in different settings ie. Nursery.

We didn't particularly find the first round of speech therapy helpful but post-diagnosis we were offered another round and it really helped.

The problem is all autistic people are different. Mine definitely needs to go out and do things, others are happier pottering about. I know you said he always screams - but are there places times where it is worse?

Also - has he had a hearing test? And would you consider flare or loop earplugs for yourself?

You should work on getting the screaming down by giving him alternative ways to communicate.

simple signs for “drink” “food” “nappy” cover most things a 2 year old wants. You can go from there.

is he in nursery? If he is still non verbal at 2, see if you can push nursery to get the ball rolling for an ECHP- which you will need. You will probably also qualify for DLA- which massively helped. My daughter was/ still is non verbal and 2 was awful, as she had no communication at all- her behaviour gradually got worse with frustration. She refused to learn makaton. We taught her PECS and everything got easier for her. I had to teach her PECS myself- and make all the equipment for it. It was a slow, tedious process, but opened her world. She has an AAC device now which is much easier to navigate. Don’t ignore the screaming, it’s an attempt to communicate with you.
Be prepared to be a pushy parent to get what you want.

If he is non verbal it’s worth looking at other methods of communication.

baby signing is based on Makaton (which in turn is a cut down version of British sign language).

look into signing classes. Can you get speech therapy support? They will be able to advise on makaton and also on other methods of communication such as PECS.