Autism in a baby

[Mooieminnie21]

Hi all,
I was just wondering if a baby (10 month old) can show signs of autism? My partner is being a bit obsessed with little things he does and is convinced he's got autism, I've had to book a Drs appointment to put his mind at rest. I just feel like he's trying to find so many 'negatives' to our little boy it's so upsetting. I feel like he's just a happy lovely beautiful boy, I don't see any signs to worry about. Any experiences welcomed. Thanks. X

I would say yes, but even at that age it could be down to a ‘delay’ that would eventually work Out.

Does your partner have any specific reasons?

Yes they can show signs but these would/could also be signs of many other things at that age and not just autism. No gp is going to diagnose nor refer you for an assessment until your child is bare minimum 2 years old because it's not possible to assess a child properly before that as they are so underdeveloped at that age so I'm sorry but your appointment is going to be a wasted trip.

Thanks for your replies. I did think the trip would be wasted....however I am only going to shut my partner up if you like. I have no concerns and I do think my partner is being over dramatic....I personally feel like he is developing well and just acting like a normal baby.

Is your partner going to the appointment with you to hear it for himself? Because I feel he probably won't be appeased unless he hears it from the horses mouth.

Yes he will be there, I have managed to get an appointment for when he is off too so he can hear it straight from them. We also have his 10 month check up this week with the health visitor so he can hear it from two different people and stop going on about it all and enjoy the time with his son.

Alot of "autism signs" are perfectly normal part of toddler development and are only signs if they continue past 4 or 5.

My eldest did. He was on everyone's radars from his early birth. Not for being preterm but for having an atypical development pattern even for his corrected age. The big clues were absolutely no babble or pre-verbal sounds. No interest in play whatsoever he only smiled at one spinning toy. That toy would catch his interest obsessively as long as it was spinning. Absolutely no face seeking- he went for active avoidance with no eye contact at all. Not interested or drawn to toys with facial shapes. Hypo-tactile taste at 8 months he would only eat very hot and spicy food. Hyper-sensitive to clothing to the point he would scream for hours on end if a label was rubbing his skin. Took me ages to work that one out. He could not sit, did not crawl and was only happy when left to lie in his cot watching his cot mobile turn round and round. Impossible to comfort as he hated being touched let alone hugged. From experience HV are very good at spotting the few and very far between babies who do have 'kanner's' [classical autism] and pretty good at picking up on autistic spectrum disorders. Hopefully your Hv's will be able to reassure and so reduce your partners anxiety about your son.