Almost 2 year old showing some signs of autism..

[silverpetals]

I'm wondering if I'm being a bit ott or whether my concerns are valid.

I'm really stuck with what to do from here to be honest as my local health visitor is pretty useless and the gp said he's not concerned yet.

However, I'm just worried that something doesn't feel right with my little ones development. Lots of things I've read indicate that he could be showing signs of autism but other things suggest that he isn't.

If you have experience of this I'd be really grateful to know if you were aware of this at such a young age and how you went about getting help. Everything I've read about suggests that early intervention is key but I'm not sure if some of the things he does is just standard toddler behaviour along with a slight speech delay or if he is showing signs and how I can go about getting him the support he needs if the gp isn't concerned yet.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Another vote for looking at M-Chat.

DS2 was seen by SALT at 2 years and I could tell they were running through that checklist to see if there was an underlying issue or “just” speech delay.

He's not even 2years old. What you have described is normal! Is he being seen by a speech and language therapist? Does he actually have a speech delay?

Op I generally think you lo sounds fine. But if your worried you can book an appointment .

Sounds very similar to my ds except I'd say his speech was advanced. He is 4 now and still very challenging and full on. I don't think he has anything diagnosable though. He doesn't really meet criteria neatly for anything and is bright and sociable. It is very difficult at times though.

My ds has autism. At 2 he had no words at all. He also stimmed a lot, screamed and held his ears at certain sounds, spent a lot of time spinning things and oddly spent lots of time upside down standing on his head. He was referred to SALT at 2.5 after the 2 year development check with the HV. They also referred for a hearing check. I would ask for a HV visit and 2 year assessment to see what they think.

I should say that ds is now 4 speaking but with some delay and in main stream school doing well. Things can change in a short space of time.

My ds was a very late talker. Nearly 3.

It later turned out that he was dyslexic.

He’s 24 and a journalist now!

When he's not in the zone, see if he responds to loud or sudden noises and if he turns his head in the direction of the noise - vac switched on in a nearby room, dropping a pan in the kitchen or other 'clatter' noise, dog barking, hand-clapping out of sight, etc. If not, request a hearing test as a priority.

MChat-R is the one you want OP, it's the latest edition, R meaning revised.

Print the test and result if it says there may be indicators and take it to your HV or GP to ask for referral.

Be prepared to be fobbed off, be persistent, be polite and be firm that his behaviour differs from his peers and that you would like a referral.

I live in the US. When my eldest was a toddler we were part of a neighborhood playgroup that met at each other’s houses. We met from when the children were about 12 month old. Around the age of two it was noticeable that one little boy always played alone, he just seemed to be in his own world. At the time I would’ve considered it overreacting to start wondering if he was autistic and I just imagined that all the children were different personalities and perhaps he was shy and felt more overwhelmed than the others. I mentioned him to my DH who is a doctor and got very annoyed when he suggested autism.

Well at two and a half this little boy was diagnosed as autistic. In America at least an early diagnosis is very important because he started intense specialized social therapy and his parents received a lot of extra help and support.

In my experience mother’s intuition is correct, in that if a mum is concerned there is usually a reason. So if you have concerns pursue them.

DSopened and closed doors a lot as well.

ds watched buggy wheels from as young as he could, played with the wheels of ride on toys, did not ask to be piucked up, did not wave goodbye, had sensory issues around noise, stood and waved coat hangers back and forth very deliberately. licked things, lots of things.

I am also of the persuasion that you need ot persue it. he is obviously different from his peers.

I can only go by my own experience with my son, we noticed he was repeating himself constantly around age 3 and had other symptoms, because he was 8 weeks premature no one took us seriously. I intially approached our health visitor who was useless.

He finally got an autism diagnosis at aged 8.

He is now 16 and it shows all the time, I don't even have to mention it to his college teachers as they ask me first.

I’m no expert, but have 4 dc and 3 of them have done some/ all of the things you describe.
Ds5 went through phases of walking on tiptoes from around 18 months (though not in the zoo etc when distracted, more at home/ walking to shops etc). He still does it now some days, says it’s fun! He does sport etc now and moves normally then too. He also used to head butt things/ hit himself in the face ( never due to distress though). He’s mostly stopped this now after constantly being asked to stop: again, he said it was fun/funny. He’s always been hyper at home, jumping off furniture etc, and full of energy. He still is, but is apparently perfectly calm and well behaved at school. He used to become absorbed in play like your ds to the point of ignoring us (still does occasionally). This has now translated to a similar level of concentration on reading/ drawing/ writing, so that’s a positive! He would play with his older siblings from 2, but more so in physical games (tag, hide and seek) than role play. At 2 I’ve recorded in his baby book he knew 60-80 words. I’ve also recorded that his dad/ other family members/ childminder could only recognise 10 of them. He had SALT at 4 after his teacher raised concerns- no one except me could tell he knew words as he had several areas of speech difficulty (I hadn’t realised because I think I was anticipating what he was trying to say- total parenting fail there!). He was and is obsessed with opening and shutting the lounge door too! He is NT.
Ds6 is also hyper, excessively energetic and obsessed with the door. Also NT.
Dd 11 had 30 words at 2. No overactivity. Walked on her toes for weeks at a time. Also NT.
Ds13 had 85 words at 2. Smiled at and talked to strangers. No overactivity, toe walking etc. Easily distracted from activities. Several teachers have suggested he may be on the spectrum. So have I (literal thinking, no social awareness, rigid thinking, struggles to understand context). No formal diagnosis.
On balance I’d say a lot of what you describe may be normal at this age. That’s not to say it definitely is though, and I imagine a specialist would be able to look at reasons for his behaviour ie is he seeking sensory stimulation/ struggling with sensory overload/ having problems processing change, or is he just doing what seems fun/ important to him?

Should have added, my twins don’t interact with each other at all. Completely ignore each other. They used to interact, until they were about 1, then they stopped.

One of them definitely has either ASD or a genetic condition causing similar issues alongside other problems. The other I’m not sure about. He doesn’t point. He doesn’t talk. But he does communicate in his own way. He has excellent problem solving skills, was really ahead with things like stacking and building. Makes eye contact no problem but often in a world of his own. No idea. I’m not pushing it at the moment but will see what speech and language say.

The problem with asd is that it is v hard to work out from a written list of traits, because to some degree all children do some of the things on the list, some of the time.
I have 2 boys with asd and they are totally different. The first spoke in full sentences by 18months. But his anxiety and following the same routine were way off the scale. Going anywhere was the cause of massive meltdown if we deviated from the plan.
Ds2 had no words at all until he was nearly 3. Kicked doors off hinges at 2 as he was so frustrated. At 2 he Only flicked car wheels in front of his eyes or waved his hands by his eyes. Headbanged the floor regularly (daily).
But if you are worried tell someone. Don't let the Internet either allay your fears or otherwise because you can't tell from a list. It could easily be nothing but let a professional tell you properly!

Thank you all for your very helpful comments. I've been reading them all with DH and we are taking everything on board- so thank you.

I managed to speak to a different health visitor this afternoon who was really helpful and asked me lots about his behaviour and how he reacts to certain situations. She said that she really isn't worried at the moment, especially because he's mimicking our behaviour, interacting with us, starting to make friends and be social at nursery, good eye contact, being very affectionate, understands basic commands like "get down" (from climbing the table etc), or no when doing something he shouldn't, waves bye bye when going to bed and blows kisses in response to us doing it.

She said he will be referred for speech therapy and definitely wants to get his hearing checked.

We will just have to see how things go for now with the referrals. Thank you again, you've all been so helpful x

I can clap my hands and shout in my 3 year old daughter’s face (have actually tried this) when she’s engrossed in something and she will completely ignore it. She’s definitely not autistic. That bit is normal

My eldest ds has lots of autistic traits but we have failed to get a diagnosis and one of the reasons the consultant gave was that his eye contact is good. The senco at school got involved when he started reception due to then noticing his traits (after he was discharged from learning development centre) and they have also said that despite everything because he gives eye contact they don't think he is autistic. I don't think it's as clear cut as that though not I'm just saying what the experts have said.
From what you've said I wouldn't be worried about autism.

I wouldnt worry too much about late speech. Its normal to start anytime.If he's still not talking at 3-ish, get him Speech & Language therapy.

Sounds just like my recently turned 2 year old! She loves opening and closing gates and insists that she is the one to do it every single time!

Everything you've said sounds normal to me..

@bobstersmum
The "consultant" is wrong, so is SENCO.
Making eye contact is not mentioned in any diagnostic criteria for autism.
Neither is lack of empathy which is another often spouted untruth.

Some autistic people are comfortable making eye contact, some have empathy, some have too much empathy.

If you've been denied a referral or diagnosis on those grounds alone, complain loudly and ask to be referred to someone who actually knows how autism presents.

I agree with BlankTimes regarding the eye contact, as I wrote earlier, my son (3) wouldn’t make eye contact at all.

He has absolutely no problem looking anyone in the eyes now, he will hold their stare. His paediatrician actually remarked how good he is, from how bad he was, IYSWIM.

He is empathetic too (will hug and kiss if we pretend to cry, ‘fake’ cries himself for a cuddle).

He’s still autistic though.

I’d ask for another referral if you’re concerned.

From your latest list I wouldn’t worry too much. Even my less concerning twin doesn’t so most of that (no mimicking at all, no waving etc).

Another one agreeing with blank on the eye contact and empathy piece. Its a common misconception that I've come across in lots of professionals as DS doesn't obviously stim, can hold eye contact etc.

DS can mimic and understands why / when he's meant to do stuff but he still has issues. I find he 'masks' a lot and can often seem like the other kids, but when put under pressure / in an unfamiliar situation / has sensory overload, then it suddenly becomes apparent. Its similar (I think) to how girls often present with it

It’s not correct you shouldn’t worry about late speech, it’s a red flag for a number of conditions.

There’s an expected range for speech development. If your child falls outside that it doesn’t mean there is necessarily anything underlying wrong - some children catch up without intervention- but there might be.

DS2 had zero words at 18 months and the gp refererred to SALT without hesitation. He was clearly outside the expected normal development under NHS guidelines.

Haven't rtft but was thinking if there's any possibility of it being dislexia?