Worries about autism 18 month old

[MelNess]

Hi - my son is 18 months and has some behaviours that I find worrying. I know I shouldn’t but I’ve just been on a google deep dive and feel more worried. Along with these behaviours he is developing really well, his speech is great, he is social with his family, loves playing with his brother (aged 3), good eye contact etc.
I’m looking for some reassurance this is normal for his age, or if any of your little ones showed any of these behaviours and grew out of them?

• hand leading - he sometimes uses my hand to press a button on a toy.
• sometimes when he walks he’ll look up at the ceiling for several steps, sometimes walks with his head tilted
• Sings nursery rhymes a lot which I’ve heard can be a sign of echolia?
• He’s always been great at pointing but the last few days he’s been pointing with his fingers crossed
• He’s very slow to warm up, but then my youngest son also was at that age and he’s alot more confident.

Any advice or reassurance very welcome! X

Sorry, meant *oldest son

Hi, there.

When my little one was 18 months (about 6 months ago), I had a similar concern that she might be showing signs of autism. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and autism, and was recognising similar signs in her to things I experience. However, most people I spoke to said she’s too young to really be able to tell (and especially diagnose), and also she’s developing well otherwise.

The thing I would say is that autism isn’t something to be scared of - it affects people so differently, and just because someone has it, doesn’t mean they won’t have a good quality of life or be unable to function. It’s literally just that your brain is wired in a different way.

I will stress, I’m not an expert and am still learning about it myself. If my little one continues to show signs as she gets older, I might speak to someone about it. However, if the traits they’re showing aren’t having a particularly negative effect on them, I’d personally say it’s not a big cause for concern.

If you really are worried, it’s worth speaking to your GP. They may say they’re too young to tell at 18 months, but they might have better advice and reassurance they can give. Hope that helps.

Hello!
I cannot say if it is autism or not since my LO is only 20 months old but he does some of the things you listed as well (head tilting,looking up or down while running..he seems to find it funny,and around 2 months ago he also had some weeks of pointing with funny finger posture but this has stopped). In addition He currently is developing well with a very big vocabulary and some little 2-3 words combinations, very social, pretend play etc.. i also have moments where i worry about ASD but mostly I am more prone to see these stuff as just toddler quirky phases.
Obviously the spectrum is wide so you never know for sure. As you see from the other comment some are only diagnosed as adults.

Thank you. I think what I really struggle with is the unknown. I know that if he is ASD he can still have a great life but my mind always jumps to the most negative thing first!

Thank you. I think what I really struggle with is the unknown. I know that if he is ASD he can still have a great life but my mind always jumps to the most negative thing first

I’m a clinical psychologist- none of those are signs of autism.

google will tell you anything - so don’t rely on it. But I guess you know that

also - it really isn’t the worst thing in the world, though it may seem like it. Plenty of autistic kids / adults thrive if they are nurtured and given what they need.