How early did you know your child had autism?

[TheLoneWolfDies]

Ds is 6 months, I have always been concerned, since I got pregnant, that he may have ASD as my brother has it and so does my uncle.

He makes eye contact, babbles, responds to his name most of the time, cries for me and DP if an unknown person holds him, is smiling since 3 weeks and laughing since hust before 3 months. He can roll and sit independantly.

However, when in his highchair or on my lap he bangs his head back quite a lot, he hand flaps and pulls his hair and I'm just mildly concerned incase these are early signs.

So when did you know and what were the first things you noticed?

I began to think it when DD1 was 18 months. Looking back, it was obvious from birth.

Probably about 4. He had severe speech and language delay so when he finally started talking was when it became more clear. He was a very happy, smiley, easy baby and toddler and reached all his other milestones without issue.

Sorry just to add- looking back he couldn't point or follow actions to songs etc. but did everything else such as walking without any issue.

Looking back, it was obvious from birth.

How?

From birth, but he wasn't my first child so I had a fairly good idea of parenting.

citadel.

How did you know from birth?

My DN (second child) was diagnosed at age 2 (the earliest diagnosis in our hometown - he's an adult now). It was obvious from about three months old that there was sth the matter (no reaction to human voices or faces at all, no sounds, but able to hear and see everything else). DSis and BIL were told "it's a boy they are always later" and "there is sth wrong with his hearing").
My DS showed signs from birth all through kindergarten. His world started to fall apart in his first year at school (he was 6) and he was diagnosed. I brought him up as if he were on the spectrum (as it was likely) and that helped him through the early years. He's 17 now.

At a few months old when he didn't make eye contact and was very quiet. I had no reason to worry - it wasn't in the family or anything but just something nudged there in my mind...I would move him around till he met my eyes and in affect strenuously encourage him to make eye contact. His developmental paediatrician later said that was Early Intervention and praised me for doing it. He makes reliable eye contact now with people he knows so I think it was the right thing.

Kind of forgot about it all until he was two and had no speech whatsoever and I cried before his two year HV check as I knew he wouldn't meet the milestones. Then nursery and within days they were gently asking me to agree to an observation from a developmental paediatrician while at nursery. I agreed and so it began but I definitely had the first thought when he was new born.

effect not affect.

I think

fresh he was extremely quiet, no real eye contact, didn't like being held like the others did, preferred being in his cot or bouncy chair thing. No babbling which resulted in head smacking or banging. The sorts of milestones other baby's meet, he didn't. He didn't speak until three either but we were already under paeds by then.

Oh and I had to wake him or just lift him for feeds because he would just either sleep or lie silently.

My 5 year old is quite high functioning. He met all the major milestones on time, but his development has always seemed step-wise if that makes sense. He’ll learn new stuff, then plateau for months, then develop more. So he’s now a bit behind other 5 year olds linguistically, and VERY behind (read: completely clueless) socially.

Started to suspect it at 14 months. He was just a bit repetitive and didn’t wave or do many social niceties. But even then we were far from convinced. It wasn’t until he was 3, and completely antisocial with other kids, that we really saw the difference between him and others.

He was diagnosed about 6 months ago and is a wee cracker. He’s a chilled out, gentle, curious, funny wee guy. He can get anxious and overwhelmed, and struggles with change. But he’s probably the sweetest, softest 5 year old I know.

@freshstartnewme

Sensory issues from birth:
Nappy changing
Getting clothes on/off
The pram
The car seat
The sling
The crib
The basket
The bath
Swimming
The grass
Sand

Sleep issues:
She didn't sleep more than 40 minutes until she was 7 months old.

Transitions:
Into and out of sleep
Into and out of the car seat
Into and out of the pram
Into and out of the sling
Any baby groups - she screamed through every single one

The screaming. Every single day. The worst day was at 4 months old when she screamed for 13 solid hours (no sleep, no stopping).

Feeding issues both breast and bottle.

I thought all this was normal until I had DD2. I was utterly stunned when she slept for 2 full hours the day when came home from the hospital.

All the issues DD1 had from birth are still with us plus a few more!

star

Thank you.

Most of these describe my DD. She was diagnosed at 9 but I honestly never really noticed anything different when she was a baby other than she didn't sleep well. Looking at your list it seems so obvious the differences were there. She is my 3rd so I already had baby experience, although one of those is also autistic.

Thing is, my boys weren’t like that at all. I look back at old videos and there was plenty of eye contact and watching us, no obvious sensory issues etc.

I said they never mimicked but I forgot that one of them did - I have a video of him around 10 months old copying clapping, waving, saying dada... then it all just stopped. The other one never really copied but they used to interact with each other all the time and then it just stopped.

They did sleep terribly though, took so long to get them to sleep and they wanted milk every 1.5 hours all day and night 24/7

To be honest my dd was different from birth. Never cried. Sat in her buggy happily and was just so smiley and content. She was just different.... I suspected it quite early but when she stared saying a few words and then forgot them that was confirmation for me. Along with lack of eye contact and just not being interested in the world around her. She was and still is very 'me me me' she was formally diagnosed at age 3

Some lovely, well thought oyt replies here. Very interesting to read your experiences, thank you.

With my brother I know that he slept like a log, never woke to feed, no eye contact or smiling etc but once he hit about 2 he was abseloutley wild. All his teachers thought he was bold and was almost expelled from primary and actually expelled from secondary school. Hes always been so imaginative though and amazing at writing and telling stories. Luckily nowadays they get so much more help (sort of, the special needs schools in ireland are impossible to get into).

I hope all your little ones are doing well!

From about 2 or 3 but it was behavioural issues rather than developmental. She didn't miss any milestones so you can't always tell by that alone

My son did this thrashing of his arms and legs, really early on, he would lie there, thrashing, he didn't look unhappy. But my eldest never did that. I googled it and got a link to a woman saying that her son with autism had done that. So I was a bit but sure enough..........

He presents as a neurotypical child MOST of the time though. Now, the differences are that he is never motivated to do anything on the basis that other people are doing it. Which is a mixed blessing. Sometimes you just want your child to go with the flow but other times I feel oh well, he'll never be talked in to doing anything stupid.

DuchessOfRednecks sounds like he has a good sence of self, I would definatly call that a blessing I think

Also I read about a year ago that a baby who has no interest in breastfeeding or putting stuff other than food( like toys) in their mouths are likely to have autism. My dd had both of these traits.

Had ds already diagnosed at two and a half. I knew he had autism before he was two. With dd I suspected at four months (spent an hour at a photograph shoot, four adults trying to make her smile, one smile in the whole hour at a Tigger teddy) was convinced at eight months (sat waiting for eight months check up and saw how different she was to the other babies there for same check, she sat like a doll, silent and not moving completely oblivious whilst the others babbled, whinged, crawled and laughed) knew at twelve months (completely regressed lost all skills could no longer smile laugh clap or wave) She was diagnoses the week of her second birthday.

I started to have concerns about DS at about 2-2.5 years, the tipping point was the first time I tried to take him to play group and I saw how different he was to the other children.
That’s when he was referred to the community paediatrician and to a SALT.

Looking back he was an incredibly easy baby, having slept through from 11-6am from a couple of weeks old despite being EBF. He was bloody hard work as a toddler though!

Was eventually diagnosed with AS at 10 and it hasn’t held him back. He graduated last year and has now moved out and started his first job.

I know it’s hard when it’s your first and you have a family history but try and just enjoy your baby whilst escalating concerns to your HV if they arise.