Early signs of autism. Posting for traffic.

[Bambamboom]

I'm booking a doctors apt for my dd of 19 months tomorrow. I really concerned for her at the moment, if say she demonstrates 90% of the characteristics listed here

teachmetotalk.com/2008/03/14/could-my-toddler-be-autistic-signs-of-autism-in-toddlers/

Would you say I'm being over the top?

I've got two boys at the higher end of the spectrum, who weren't diagnosed until they hit school but looking back would probably have been put on the road to diagnosis if the M-CHAT had been tried in nursery. Very few nurseries will flag anything up, which is a real shame as better results come with earlier intervention.

If you have any worries, do press for a proper assessment, if it isn't an ASD the worst that can happen is you've gone to a couple of extra appointments. If it is you can get some therapy (eg.ABA) early on which will be extremely helpful.

Good luck, it's a very worrying time and I feel for you

My eldest is both 'gifted' and has ASD btw - they're not mutually exclusive (picking up on what teracottaturtle wrote.)

Sounds identical to my partner.
He was diagnosed with low latent inhibition & OCD at 16 (he took himself to the doctors because he couldn't switch off).
He has a very high IQ (top 2 % in the country) and has a job essentially spotting mistakes in patterns in massive spread sheets that he can pick up instantly. He too was classed as "gifted" although he says it's incredibly stressful to live with.
I'd definitely read up on LLI :)

Sorry, my post was for teracotta

Thanks everyone else for reassurance etc, I hope my doctor is helpful & not dismissive.

Called the surgery today and booked an apt tomorrow as they didn't have any left for today.
I feel so selfish for it but I feel so sad that she may have autism. My nephew has autism and I work with people who are autistic and it breaks my heart that my little girl may have the same struggles in life.
I just feel life I tough enough without having an array of other "issues".
I realise I'm lucky, even if she does have autism she is still a healthy, happy girl but I can't help but feel bad for her.
I've hardly had any sleep and have spent the morning watching her behaviour and becoming increasingly concerned.
She's 19 months and bar simple words such as "no" and "bed" she really doesn't understand me or anyone else. She says about 8 words but she doesn't understand what I'm saying, at all. My friends daughter is 22 months and she can say "dd go and put your shoes on a we will go outside" and her daughter will say "okay" and do so, but my dd wouldn't have a clue. :(
She rarely makes eye contact, only when she decides she wants something and she doesn't point to things, she takes you by the hand and pulls you towards what she wants but never points.
She never, responds to her name. Never. This is the thing I just can't get over, I never noticed until now that my child either isn't hearing me or just doesn't respond to her name :(
She has started pulling some very strange faces, that remind me just of my nephew when he was small and violently spinning her head from side to side whilst Almost rolling her eye.
I've pretty much diagnosed her myself...god I feel horrible :'(

I have four year old with a/diagnosis of ASD and learning difficulties insist on a referral to a paediatrician .

You're doing the right thing. It's best to get a assessment and possible diagnosis as early as possible to that the therapies can start. My son wasn't diagnosed until age 6 because hv nobody bothered to look at him as anything other then a naughty child until he started school.
It's upsetting knowing that they will always struggle. My DS (9) told me yesterday that he can't wait to be 13 because then he can hang out at the skate park and have loads of friends because that's what teenagers do. He has extremely poor social skills and it's unlikely that he will hanging out at the skate park at 13 without getting picked on. The 'professionals' have even suggested he might have to go into residential care when he is a teen because of his behavior and social skills are so bad.
I do sometimes wonder if he had been diagnosed earlier that maybe he could have accessed some intensive therapies which would have helped him.
Autism isn't all bad though. DS comes out with some corking one liners! His terrible jokes always make us smile. If he didn't have autism he would be a completely different child but that would be a shame as i love him just the way he is.

Good luck at the doctors and pop over the SN board if you need to, posters on there have loads of experience and good advice to share

Thank you :)
I just think it's because I'm pretty sure she does have autism now and I've been totally oblivious for so long! To think you have a "normal" child then suddenly realise, perhaps not is just so strange and heartbreaking.
Where is this SN board? I can't find it!

Dont feel bad, youve rang the gp so have gotten the ball rolling.

I didnt realise about the head spinning and eye rolling, ds4 does this too. He also spins alot, loves going round and round until hes dizzy. Ive just looked it up and it also mentioned walking on his toes, something else he does alot

Special needs:children

Fwiw, two of mine had loads of asd markers as toddlers and have grown out of it, one had very few and is now expected to get a diagnosis of autism.

Go and ask the GP for a referral to a Paediatrician so you can at least get the ball rolling to get an answer.
My daughter was not delayed in anything until about a year old, she was very sociable, eye contact, 2-3 words etc, she started to regress at about 13 months, but you know, she is still my wonderful, happy, healthy daughter, we just have to do things a different way with her.

As Whataweekend mentioned, have you had her hearing checked lately? Though it is hard in this age group.

I can really relate to the having to simplify massively to get any sort of understanding, I used to worry so much when friends were talking in normal sentences to their DC and I was barking, exaggeratedly, "DS, Milk??" to get the simplest form of communication going. (DS is 5 now and NT as it turns out, a complete whizz at maths but still struggles to understand complex questions. 5 is not very old.)

There are plenty of alltistic NT able-bodied people who are not 'normal' and many autistic people who go on to do well with our challenges like everyone else. She's still your little girl and just as wonderful (I know you know this, but it's something that many alltistic parents struggle to hold onto when they are barraged by such negative messages about it from everywhere).

As an autistic adult with autistic children, my top recommendations is talk to your GP if you feel it will help, looking into floortime and sensory diet as a way you can help her development and learn more about her particular needs, and google things from autistic adults (Ask an Autistic is a great starting point) and if at all possible, let her connect with autistic adults (representation is important for everyone, a lot disabled children discuss thinking they would be cured or die before adulthood because of lack of it, both of which are distressing).