ASD

[Nel81]

Hi, I was wondering if anybody had experience of the child they'd adopted showing signs of ASD once they'd moved in? LO has been home 12 weeks now and although there's been some sensory issues shown in that time, i've noticed a lot of stimming in the last two weeks. Could it be ASD or could it be trauma/anxiety related? LO's social worker is away until next week.

It could be either really. Or indeed both. My DS has a lot of sensory issues which seem related to early trauma, my DD is starting assessment for ASD - there’s a lot of overlap in presentation between the two and depending on the practitioner some will almost always point to ASD, and another will relate it to early trauma. I’d keep an eye on things at this stage - how old is your little one? We’re they doing it in foster care or is this a recent development?

Thanks for your reply. No mention of it in child's CARB, had a read through earlier as am currently doing a therapeutic parenting course and they asked us to reread the documents. LO's just turned 4 and started school nursery two weeks ago, we also went away for a few days which is when I really noticed the stimming.

That’s quite a lot for a little one to cope with so early in placement, he may have been really unsettled being away from home and stimming behaviours can be very self soothing. I’d keep things quiet, predictable and routine for a while and see how he goes. He may just have been feeling overwhelmed.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking but also don't want to miss anything so will keep am eye on things for now.

I think this is one of the hard things about adopting.
You don't know what is 'adoption' related, what might be general genetics, and what might be a 'condition' (for want of a better word).
I've spent 15 years second guessing!

@Nel81 ASD and trauma can present in very similar ways but the treatment for each is quite different. Stimming can also be "non-autistic stereotypies" which are (as per the name) not autistic and not an indictation of learning difficulties or anything else, they are movements which a child can learn to control as they get older. It is worth reading as much as possible about all of this, and in particular the therapeutic work you can do, whatever the cause of the behaviour is.

Knowing what is best for your dc and when and if to seek professional input will come from getting to know your dc and how they see the world around them. If you do need or want professional input, you may well need to look beyond social workers.

non-autistic motor stereotypies