Autism in babies…

[PillowTrout]

My DC is diagnosed autistic and ADHD. Since then, I’ve become very interested in researching neurodiversity and have made friends with many parents of SEN children.

One thing I find interesting is symptoms in infancy. Most health professionals agree that you cannot reliably recognise or diagnose ASD or ADHD until around age 2. I have always maintained that I didn’t notice any symptoms until my DC started primary school, however, since talking to many parents I have found that most of our children exhibited one of the following extremes as babies:

• Extreme passivity as infants. Being too ‘good’. Happy to be left alone for long periods, not crying much, often sleeping through the night from an early age. Appearing very content, but with hindsight, a symptom of not being particularly bothered about interaction. Not particularly bothered about being left with new people, just generally appears very laid back.

OR

• Extremely unsettled as infants. Crying excessively, very clingy, not sleeping well or at all, sensory issues clear since birth. Often not feeding well. Just being generally very hard work. Often described as being very difficult to pacify.

I haven’t met many SEN parents that report average development or behaviours in infancy. It always seems to be extremes of behaviour, although at the time, it wouldn’t be recognised as too abnormal - just a particularly difficult or easy baby. It’s only with hindsight that these are noticed.

Another observation is milestones reached late, or too early. The too early group I find especially interesting as I feel this is under reported. Those in the early group put this down to their DC just being ahead, or strong, or intelligent. It’s certainly true for my DC - they were crawling by 5 months, walking by 11 months, and talking fluently by 18 months. I always assumed that because they didn’t meet milestones late, they were fine and couldn’t possibly be autistic… but this extreme of being so early on certain milestones I see in hindsight could also indicate ‘abnormal’ development.

Interested how many people identify with anything I have observed.

What signs did you detect at 9 months please?

Thank you in advance

Hello all I’m wondering if I can jump on and ask very personal question to those who have autistic children? Do any of them have any specific facial features at all? Wide set eyes? Small/large mouth??
I strongly suspect my 3rd child is going to be autistic, she has tongue thrusted since the minute she was born, she has wide set eyes, not massively wide but definately noticeably wider than my other 2 children were and then she is just very different in general! The reason I am asking this question is she is only 6 weeks old and I guess I’m trying to gage what scale, are the facial features a sign that it will be more severe 💔😥 hope you don’t mind me jumping on guys xxx

No, both my nephew and niece were “normal” looking babies. And they’re “normal” looking teenagers now who happen to have autism. You wouldnt know from a photograph.

Well I had one extremely unsettled and unhappy baby, spent most of his first year in A&E I was so convinced there was something wrong, I couldn't put him down for a minute.
Then a very happy passive baby.

Both met milestones on the early side of average - walked at 10mths, then 9mths.

One exceptionally intelligent, one very average.

Both completely NT.

You just really can't tell when they're babies, you can apply things with hindsight.

@Mumof2soontobe3katy no, my only child who has wide set eyes is my only child who doesn't have autism, he has a genetic condition instead.

3 of my dc have physical signs that they have autism but they weren't obvious at your little one's age. My ds1 has a confused look on his face when he is in social situations, a bit like everyone else is speaking a different language to him. Ds2 will stand still with his hands folded in front of him and a look of discomfort on his face. Dc5 will often look down so I've got very few photos of his face. He will also not appear to see anything or make eye contact.

@Mumof2soontobe3katy Nope. We're just regular looking people. Autism doesn't come with particular facial features 🤷🏻‍♀️

Some babies with unusual facial features may have a genetic difference that may or may not be associated with autism.

Thanks hun, yeah I was under that impression however after visiting dr Google I’ve scared myself half to death about little one 😢 her eyes are definately more wide set and also her mid face is shorter which are apparently characteristics…. She’s beautiful and I love her to death ol
just concerned that she may have a more severe form if that makes sense! Thankyou for replying, and hope I didn’t come across as rude in what I said ❤️❤️❤️ xxx

Can I ask what the genetic disorder is hun?? Thankyou for replying xxxx

My DD was a very passive baby, brilliant sleeper, happy to just sit and watch, but she did develop stranger danger appropriately at 9 months. She would go to other people easily but only if me or her dad or someone else she knew well was around. She never reached for toys. She never crawled, wouldn’t weight bear and walked at 18 months with a lot of encouragement. She talked very young and her speech was advanced. She took weeks to settle at pre-school and that’s when we realised there was something different up till then we thought we had a very easy baby/child.

Both my boys are autistic and have different learning needs. My youngest who has always been in specialist school setting and is much more affected than my eldest.

My youngest was very ‘Willful’ (for want of a better word) even as a six month old. He knew exactly what he liked and didn’t like and there was no persuading him any different. He’s still like that but is now open to discussing the whys and wherefores.

I personally think the milestones are more related to the learning difficulties side of things rather than autism itself. My eldest had delayed speech, but only a little delayed, but at school was thought to have hyperlexia - however his comprehension has always been behind. My youngest didn’t speak until about the age of five - his reading is now very good but academically he is really behind and scored very low on the cognitive tests performed but he educational psychologist.

the ‘autism’ side of things are much easier to deal with for us rather than the learning difficulties side.

I have a child with ASD and is very normal looking. However, my friend’s DS has Fragile X syndrome which has very specific facial features so I think that this may be what you are thinking of. They also have ASD but it is the Fragile X that gives them specific facial features.

This. He woke every 45 minute from three months to just gone a year. Didn’t sleep through until sometime in YR. I think some friends thought we were exaggerating.

He also did all the milestones in the wrong order. As first time parents we were perplexed but assumed it was normal. The baby ‘hadn’t read the book’.

hey thanks for your reply. Noooo she definately doesn’t have that, when I read about facial features it just said that those with autism are likely to have wider upper face including wide eyes and shorter mid face my daughter has very big prominent eyes slightly wide spaced and she definately has a shorter mid face compared to my others but that’s it, to anyone else she looks perfect it’s just because I know what I’ve read and clearly worried myself xxx

I have two autistic children and another one awaiting a diagnosis. All three were totally different personalities as babies and younger children.

I’ve had ahead of the norm in some areas, behind in others and easy times, normal times and difficult times.