Signs of Autism?

[abbs1]

Can anyone tell me if these are signs of autism? My son is 2yrs 3 months. He is showing these developmental signs but not sure if this is normal or not.

1. Very delayed speech. Says 2-3 words (duck duck, oh no, uh huh)
2. Lines up toys (dinosaurs in lines) we havent taught him this
3. Plays fine on his own around other children but doesnt interact with other children
4. Doesnt take part in any structured play like group activities at play groups etc. Just goes off and does his own thing by himself
5. Struggles with eating new foods. Has certain foods hes fine with but wont touch new ones
6. In his bedroom he will not go sleep at nap time or bedtime unless everything is in its specific place or out of his room. If we forget or he sees it he will scream and cry until its sorted.
7. Has very short attention span for anything.
8. Very creative and will happily sit and paint/colour etc for nearly an hour.
9. Doesnt like loud noises even plane flying over he comes running inside holding his ears pointing to the sky.

Hes very loving and affectionate us as his immediate family and grandparents.
Am I overthinking this or is there anything I should do or ask for help with? I knows hes very little but hes very intelligent and smart. He understands everything we say and ask him to do.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thank you. I will take a look

I havent specifically noticed this. Hes pretty flat footed most of the time but then sometimes he does walk on the balls of his feet or sometimes on his tiptoes.

He never learned how to roll over. He sat at 6 months, kind of crawled but mainly stood and held onto furniture and then walked and 9 months.

I have spoken to his HV and they said they won't refer him for speech and language until his 2yr assessment which is now done at 2 1/2yrs but apparently its all backlogged so they said he may be nearer 3 before he is seen. I asked if theres anyway he could be seen for help or advise but they said no.
I think the GP is going to be my best option

He claps his hands to say please. I could maybe try makaton?

Thank you. I will try and do some research and see whats available.

@abbs1 Has he had his hearing checked (at the hospital, not the health visitor making funny noises behind him) and also his eyesight? These should be two pretty simple tests to rule out any problems there.

Two of my boys have ASD and yet they were so very different as babies. The older one showed some some similar behaviours to your little boy and was late with speech, but would never have hugged or kissed anyone and was in to “silent room trashing” rather than ordinary meltdowns whilst the younger one seemed to relate well to other children, be quite sociable and very articulate but struggled with certain noises and had the most amazing meltdowns I’ve ever seen. He also eats anything and everything whilst his brother has a lot of sensory issues with food and clothes.

I would definitely see your GP with a view to speech and language therapy because the earlier these things are started, the better. However ds2 didn’t get speech therapy until he was six and even then he wouldn’t engage and he speaks perfectly well now.

The other thing I would say is not to worry. I know that’s impossible really but I stressed myself out so much worrying about my boys. Currently Ds2, in his 3rd year of work, is earning more than I did 30 years into my career and ds3 is predicted all A grades for this years exams. It will all work out fine. He is who he is 😀

Yes hes had a hearing test done at the hospital as they wanted to rule out Glue ear and its come back near enough normal. They said they want to check it again in 6months but no concerns. He basically just missed a few very low tones. He hasnt had his eye test done but he can see things so small myself and my husband struggle to even see what he sees sometimes.
Thats really interesting how different it can be. I have contacted the manager of the HV team so waiting on a reply and then will speak to his GP.

I have two autistic DC and I'm autistic myself. Your little boy is very young and of course those things could just be his young age.

The reason why autism can be so hard to diagnose is that some of the traits can appear in a neurotypical child. But what tends to happen is that in a neurotypical child, they'll have one or two autistic traits, not all of them collectively.

No one can possibly tell you over the internet, but I saw your list and I think it absolutely warrants further intervention. From everything you've said in your OP and follow-up posts, I'd say there are lots of red flags.

I think you can self-refer to speech therapy for children? They don't tell you that though. Have a look in your area and find out if it's possible.

My DS was extremely loving, affectionate and huggy - and at 12 yrs old he still is. He is autistic and has dyspraxia. He didn't toe walk, just walked normally. He used to stare into my eyes. His twin sister is also autistic. He was diagnosed at age 3. She wasn't diagnosed until she was 10. Autism presents in many different ways as you probably know now.

Has anyone done the MCHAT test? You can administer it yourself to see if your DS falls into a high risk category for autism. If he does, you can go back to the HV or even better, your GP and ask for a paediatric referral now. Early diagnosis and intervention is considered to be really really important but it rarely happens without the parent pushing hard. Like a PP said, once you get a diagnosis there's not really any more help. But having a diagnosis gives you lots more clout with the school etc to get support. A diagnosis can open doorways. And also, speaking as someone who's autistic, the autistic brain just works differently. It's helpful for you to know whether your child is processing things differently.

I've added a link below to the MCHAT checklist - should be easy to work through. Autism Speaks also has a link to the checklist but they are a vile organisation which is generally hated by the autistic community so I try not to link to them wherever possible. Please do holler though if you need any help.

mchatscreen.com

My son was diagnosed at 2. We just knew he was autistic.

You have lots of markers in there but the diagnosis process is a massive questionnaire so he may not be.

They look across
Communication and play
Social interaction
Repetitive actions/activities

I would ask for a referral to Portage - that's a play therapist type person who will help you with activities and come to your home.

Get name down for salt - we waited 10 months.

Just keep focusing on understanding him, observing how he plays and how best to respond to him. All autistic children are different.

Thank you so much!
No one has done the MCHAT test on him yet. Hes got an appointment with the GP for something else in the next few weeks so I will mention it then and see what help I can get.

Thank you.
Who does the referral to Portage and SALT or do i do it myself?

Our HV did it. But if you Google your council name and portage, they will have a page, if your HV is rubbish just get in touch yourself. They can help you with SLT too. I'm surprised this wasn't offered at your 2 year HV check

Your health visiting service should see him sooner if you have concerns. I would try a different Children’s centre if you can. GP is another option.

Assessment wise, you have 2 routes, through nursery/preschool referring him and through health visiting service. Sometimes they will wait and see until 2 1/2 or 3, so I wouldn't worry too much about the delay. Certainly worth voicing your concerns to preschool when he starts.

For now, National Autistic Society has some great resources and often have meet ups and book libraries. There may be other Autism groups in your local area which will likely be listed on the LA's local offer.

I will have a look. Thank you. At the moment his 2yr check up they said may not be until hes 2yrs 9months-3yrs due to backlog which is why I'm looking for advice to try and push for help sooner.

Thank you. I will see what I can find out.

@abbs1 how is your son doing now?

Aww thankyou for checking in!

He's going really well. We found he had hearing loss due to glue ear as well as enlarged adenoids which is why he couldnt talk properly and was always off in his own world and found loud noise like airplanes too much as it hurt his ears. The consultant said his hearing was muffled like his head was constantly deep under water. He had 12 repeat ear infections in under 9 months and needed surgery at the beginning of this year. Unfortunately NHS waiting list was too long no surgery until at least summer 2024 so we raised enough money to go private and he had the surgery at the end of this past summer aged 3yrs 4months. It was getting to a point antibiotics were no longer working and he was having constant infections every week. He was losing weight and just miserable. The difference in him is amazing! No more infections!

His speech is catching up along with help from speech and language. He's the most socialable outgoing kid now who has such a funny sense of humour as well as being in tune with people's emotions etc. Talks a mile a minute. Still can't fully understand him but he's getting better everyday! He can smell and taste properly now so is eating new foods every week and loving them.
He still finds noises like flushing toilet loud as he's still getting used to hearing clearly and finds certain situations overwhelming but overall he's like a different child! Has new friends at nursery takes part in group activities.
Honestly the relief is just amazing. I've been so stressed but feel I can finally have a break and I've got my little boy back. 💙

@abbs1
Oh what a lovely reply!
I'm so glad he's doing so well now, what a relief for you all!
My son is 22 months and we've got a hearing test booked for next month as his speech is very delayed, he has about 15 words!
I'm so glad your little boy caught up though, poor lad having so many ear infections!
Thank you for updating!

Oh bless him. I hope you get some answers at his hearing test. My little boy loved going to hearing tests. He's had 4 or 5 now and loves waiting to hear a sound and an animal popping up and making a noise or building towers etc when he hears a sound.
If your little one does have hearing loss push and push for grommets if they say its glue ear as the difference is instant upon waking from surgery as all the fluid is gone finally and they can hear. I could whisper and my son could hear everything I was saying.
Privately they won't take patients under 3yrs old or under 15kg due to making sure they're big enough for the airways bit when they go under general anaesthetic etc. NHS, my son was around 50th in the queue and I know other mums in my area had been waiting 2+years for the surgery and only 5 places above my DS so who knows when he would have had it done.
His SENCO and SALT said if he'd waited any longer it would have massively impacted his start at school next year so I'm so relieved he's got a year to catch up as much as possible.