Autism at 19 Months

[Claire123e]

Hi Mums
I have been lurking here for a while and would like your opinion on something.
I am not asking for advice on whether my child is autistic or not as I know she is showing symptoms but it is all so vague that I’d like a feedback from mums/ families that have encountered this type of behaviour. I have an 19 months old DD who can say 100 words , can distal pointing , waves and claps , does a lot of pretend play , has always brought us toys / books etc , follow commands , always answer to her name and understand everything we say . She is also a good sleeper ( can put herself to sleep after the bottle ) and very affectionate, a bit wilful though . She imitates everything . She has good joint attention and always look where I am pointing . Now to the point of this post .
She has meltdowns / panic when faced with unfamiliar people or situations ( including her grandparents) . She doesn’t let people get near her to touch her . She is an only child and doesn’t go to nursery .
She is not a good eater and prefers being fed by me . She pulls faces when she has unfamiliar food and not adventurous in trying new food .
My issue is that my HV , GP and paediatrician don’t see a reason to refer her for an assessment as she passes the Mchat test . I don’t know what to do at this point or what other families have tried or how things have evolved for them . If you could point me in the right direction I’d be grateful ☺️

As above, nothing you've written suggests your DD is autistic.

I don't know if it's the same everywhere but for my DS we had to fill in a questionnaire for Padraic doctor and from that they decided if he was going to be put on the waiting list for autism assessment.
Honestly, if your only issue is food and not liking strangers you won't even get on the waiting list. It's already too long.
Obviously you can observe her closely but at the moment she sounds normal development for her age.

It was mainly the food thing for us as well and we got all the toddlers are fussy chat from everyone but it felt different, started earlier than expected and hasn't really improved (probably got worse). I didn't suspect ASD or even sensory issues (think I looked up sensory processing disorder) really as I didn't think they ticked enough of the boxes but eventually GP did refer us for help and we got diagnosis age 8. Practically at the moment it has made very little difference but emotionally diagnosis was helpful to validate the way I was finding it best to parent. Just keep a good record of everything and see how things go and if you feel it would be beneficial in the future try the GP again. I doubt you would get any particular support or help at the moment but look up food chaining, the 32 steps to eating etc and hope that helps a little in expanding range of foods

I'd try not to focus on a diagnosis at the moment, as pp have said she sounds pretty typical. Lots of toddlers/children go through fussy stages with food.

One of mine has a diagnosis and she actually started out okay with food, it was only when she was 5/6 she started having real difficulties with food - very distressed if accidentally ate an 'unsafe' food etc.

Nothing you have said sounds like anything to be worried about.

My nephew would only eat bread, ham and chicken the first few years of his life. Some kids are just fussy, there can be a correlation between how we ate when pregnant and what our kids eat. The other thing they suggest is making sure you eat with your kid so they see you eat a variety of things.

My nephew is 10 now and not the most adventurous eater but he does eat vegetables and very mild spices now!

My kid was a really good eater and the last few months (almost 3) she’s stopped eating most veg unless I hide them - for her I think it’s about control as what she will eat changes daily. I just keep offering them, let her see us eating them and when she refuses give her some more choices.

In saying that my daughter ignored all kids her age until recently and I was reading into that. She also went through a violent stage of smashing her head against the cot until we let her sleep with us, it was terrifying. It is completely normal to worry about your child.

Hi, how is your little one now?

Health visitor, GP and paediatrician have no concerns.

You post every couple of weeks asking the same questions.

Lots of people tell you not to worry.
A few people go "Hmm"
Absolutely noone can diagnose anything.

What exactly are you looking for?

I’d say she’s doing just fine. My DD 23m shows autistic traits and it seems very obvious. Obsessed with spinning objects/flaps hands/no speech/no pretend play/no pointing/waving/doesn’t share her interest with us/will mouth everything/

if no one else has any concerns I’m not sure why you do?

My typical son would only eat bread and slices of cheess at that age
My severley autistic son had a much more varied diet
Yes food inssues csn be an indicstor but shes very young ,it can also be part of normal toddler behaviour
If there is anything it will become incressingly apparent over the next 12 months or so.

hi hope your ok op,my son was around that age when we noticed differences,we did notice before hand but put it down to been a child who didn't want to do something he didn't want to do,he is now almost 5 attends a special school,non verbal,has social and communication disorder,can't leave the house unless he's hidden in he's pram or goes in dad's car then again when we get somewhere he has to hide away,doesn't respond to he's name,he is down as he's chronological age as 12 months and under,he sees a dietician as he doesn't eat,he gags when he sees other people eating,he doesn't respond to anyone,anyone can walk in the door and he would take no interest at all,my youngest 2 year old he is total opposite,he's meltdowns are when he gets frustrated and he doesn't like people near him and he will let you know,he is a cuddly child where my asd child can't stand you touching him or anything,they are totally opposite,until you have actually been around an autistic child you won't know really,but to me your daughter sounds more like my youngest and I have zero concerns about him they are just more aware of what's going on around them and the meltdowns are just a toddler thing,my asd sons meltdowns can last for hours while he will scream shout throw things he grabs he's face or he's belly and pulls he's skin,you go near him he pushes you away,and it's getting worse,it might be worth watching a few YouTube channels on autism to just see what they are really like,I think your just going through the terrible 2s hun,my health visitor helped us as we had he's 2 year check and he didn't meet any milestones what so ever and we didn't even really realise that,I'm here for a chat hun as it is a long road but here if you need a proper chat x

This is one of the older threads the op started, it’s been resurrected for some reason.

Ah

Maybe the person who poked the zombie was missing our regular update.

I was confused for a moment as well, I’ve changed my regular username from this one! I’m hoping the op has actually taken the advice to stop obsessing from her last thread as I’ve not seen one recently.