Peads say 19mo could have autism

[ACJD]

My 19mo son has been very hard to wean but is doing much better lately. When he turned 1 I started to notice things were a little different. He's behind on some milestones, never crawled just bum shuffled everywhere and now still cruising round furniture and walks holding hands. He had an app on fri with peads for his development and I took some videos to show my concerns. He goes round and round in circles with cars. Rocks back and forwards when he hears certain noises like the Hoover or extractor fan. When I showed paeds dr she was concerned hes not really saying many words and that hes late walking. When I showed her videos she has concerns that he may be showing some autistic traits. Hes being referred to community paeds for an assessment. I knew something was wrong but dr telling me this has really knocked me for 6. I've cried all weekend and just dont know if there is anything I should be doing or not doing. I'm scared of his future now. Could someone please tell me of any experiences they have had with a child being diagnosed early with autism. Will it get worse as he could be diagnosed early or what happens

Sorry for the long story, just feel very overwhelmed.

I haven't got a story to tell you I'm afraid, but I always think that early diagnosis can only be a good thing. It will get you access to lots of support for your little one and the ball can start rolling to work with him on improving his speech and communication etc.

He's still young though, he has time to learn to do things! It's good they are taking your concerns seriously though and hopefully you can access some sort of support.

Wishing you all the luck in the future.

OP I also don’t have a story to tell, but can understand you must feel hugely worried for your lovely boy. He’s lucky to have a mum who is clearly committed to supporting him.

The only thing I can say is non of us can predict the future. You are getting early support for your boy and giving him every chance of fulfilling life.

You might want to ask Mumsnet if they can move your post to the special needs section as you might get more input there

Thank you for replying. Just have a lot of worries and questions.

Hi @acjd I just wanted to reply to your post as I’m in a similar situation to you. I’m not sure this will be any help to you but I discovered that my DD may well be autistic at 19 months. We will probably have to wait about a year to see the NHS paediatrician and I was driving myself mad with the worry and the not knowing. I wasn’t sleeping or eating for weeks.
Against my GP and HV advice, I booked a telephone consultation with a private paediatrician - we don’t have loads of money lying around but felt it was worth saving to do this. She helped answer many of my questions and gave us advice on how to help DD leading up to our NHS appointment. Since then I feel more positive and less anxious. My DD is 25 months now and she has progressed a lot since my first worries. Maybe not on the same level as other kids but I’m trying to focus on what she is learning and not what she isn’t yet.
It’s such a worrying time I know and nothing really can change that, but when I read these forums I realise how many other parents are going through similar situations and that helps a little too to know that I’m not completely alone.

Hi @Jas115 thank you for your reply. I just felt like I dont have any idea what I should be doing with him until our appointment. I can feel my anxiety getting worse and worse. Everytime I look at his wee face I sit and cry. I have so many questions now. Really good news that your daughter is progressing well.