Am I being hysterical again or does my DS really have autism symptoms

[margobambino]

My DS is 2 months, able to make good eye contact, social, initiates communication with people etc. He says quite a lot words and 2-3 words sentences too.
However, since he was 7-8 months he likes to spin objects and enjoys watching spinning objects. He started respondin his name at approximatelly 6 months. However, nowadays, he usually does not respond when we call him. When I tell him something after his name he does it for example brings me something but if I only call his name, he doesn't look at me most of the times. I was reading some information on the internet and then noticed that he sometimes walks on his tiptoes too. Plus he is afraid of vacuum cleaner. I spent all my weekend on the internet reading and searching, and really not sure whether I should be worried or not. Obviously I am worried but is this another depressive/anxious/hysterical state or am I right to feel worried.
Please help.

Why not ask your DH to make you an appt with the doctor? Think you do need to be seen soon as possible really.

How long has he been spinning for? My DD is younger than your DS but she goes through phases where she likes to try and spin, some where she likes to bang everything she picks up and most recently she just throws EVERYTHING. All very normal, it is just about discovering different things.

The tip toe thing is also very common, they even make special trainers that squeak when the child is walking "properly" to try and encourage it, that is how common it is!

Where do you live margo? Roughly!

There might be some Mumsnetters near you who could meet you for a coffee or recommend local groups for similar aged children so you can see that your DS is normal.

Is your DS in nursery or anything?

hello there margobambino. I just wanted to come and say hi and post - quickly sorry as it is getting late. you sound so down and anxious about your ds. please call your HV again tomorrow and also your GP for yourself. don't give up if they don't call you back, please keep trying.

I also wanted to let you know that my ds is 22 months and has similar traits to your ds, and my view is that he is completely normal.

My ds walks on tiptoes - sometimes - he is discovering balance and trying to learn how to hop, skip and jump, how his legs work and how to co-ordinate his body.

My ds is totally obsessed with saucepans, as part of a general obsession with toy kitchens. I admit this has had me worried in the past but it is clear that he simply loves getting out pans, putting them on the hob of his kitchen, opening and closing doors, arranging things (like the earlier poster mentioned about lining up cars). I am happy that it is not a problem because he will also engage in pretend play, so cooking his toy vegetables, making me a cup of tea etc. I would let your ds explore his tea set, how it works, what the lids do etc and he will most likely progress onto "tea making" if you sit with him and a teddy bear or doll and make pretend tea, pour in pretend milk, hand round pretend cakes etc. He may be picking up on your worries about the spinning and starting to think that it is a bad thing to do and that he will be in trouble or that you will be upset. Also you say your parents stopped him spinning so he is learning that it is a "bad" thing from them. Also you bought him a new toy and then took it away from him piece by piece - any child this age will cry about that.

Lights - again my ds simply loves lights. He points them out in books, adores shouting out the colours of traffic lights when we're out in the car or walking by a main road, likes to turn on the lights for me and point them out. My belief is that this is normal - he is building his language and understanding and is keen to share his enthusiasms! Your ds may be "worried" or intrigued by non-working lights if he is keen on lights and bulbs, hence need to show you.

I would echo what others here have already said that you need to worry a little less about your ds and look after yourself and talk to someone about your worries.

I hope this helps just a little.

oh and being afraid of the vacuum cleaner is very common in young children. ds is too.

Hı Ewe and hellymelly. If he was doing only one of these things I wouldn't worry this much. I am worried because he is doing 3-4 of them, I mean ignoring when his name is called, spinning objects, tiptoe walking sometimes and flushing toilet. If I don' count the last two, he is still doing two.
I live in North Hampshire. Meeting with someone can be a good idea really.
He is not in Nursery yet, my mum and dad or my husband brings him to the toddler groups as I am working full time.
I'll try to find those special trainers by the way.

My DD loves toilets too, when they flush, lifting the lid up and down. They are just really curious and everything is new, think of it from his perspective, how cool is a toilet flush?! And something spinning, well, that is amazing if he has only learnt it recently, why wouldn't he keep doing it!

I know you are very worried but please please try not to worry yourself into a state about this. Maybe tomorrow when MN is busier - during the day is best in my experience - start a thread asking if anyone is in your local area.

Only your GP or HV is going to be able to reassure you about this so please book an appointment for tomorrow, or get your DH or parents to book it for you. Have you told your Mum about your concerns? You may have been exactly the same at his age!

I don't know How did I manage to put those characters there, was only trying to say hello.
Thanks BocciBalls, your post was really reassuring, it is very good to know another toddler is also doing these.

i hope you get a phone call back from hv.
i think 20 months is too young really to diagnose,
however it is also known as social communicatio disorder,
i.e. how is his communication?
does he meet your eyes and communicate like that.
etc., etc., there are many many impairments which i think at 20 months it is too young to answer.

i sometimes often think the internet is worse if you are feeling worried.

do you get out to mum's and toddler groups?, as i think has been suggested before:?
your HV can recommend some

he's 20 months old, it's very normal for a 20 month old to enjoy flushing the toilet, enjoy spinning things, ignore when his name is called and walk on tiptoes.

Take him to the doctor, because you will not relax until a professional tells you he's fine. Flushing the toilet twice in a day when you are a toddler doesn't make you autistic. Going to the toilet at school when you are 6 and not coming back for 45 minutes because you were flushing the toilet - that's a different matter.

Let him play his spinning games. Play tea parties or whatever, if he'd rather spin the lids, well maybe he'd prefer some toy cars with whee;ls.

One thing is for sure - if he IS autistic (which I genuinely doubt), stopping him acting out his obsessions will not make him better.

Ewe, he has been spinning objects for quite a long time. My mum says she taught him that when he was 8-9 months approximatelly.

bless him,
enjoy him and his spinning obsession

20 months isn't too young to dx autism but if he's pointing and communicating with you and passes the CHAT test at 20 months he is not going to get an autism diagnosis. Not now at this moment. And its also incredibly unlikely he has autism at all.

Spinning and walking on tiptoes are not signs of autism, they can be signs of differences in sensory processing that sometimes go with autism (and can also be found in completely normal children). There is nothing wrong with spinning objects. It is only a problem if it is the only thing he does. If he is playing in other ways too then no problem. My middle (non-autistic) son used to line everything up -'why are you doing that?' I asked 'I'm making trains' came the reply. No problem with that at al.

Don't take the spinning away instead get down and join him in the spinning, then see if you can make a game, do something different with the lid- see if he copies you. Say a lot of 'uh oh mummy has done it wrong', put the lid on your head etc. He'll love it.

Credentials: I research autism, have a severely autistic child and 2 typically developing children.

SlartyBartFast, his eye contact is very good, has no problems with that. He also pretend plays and loves playing hide and seek and peekaboo. He points objects and looks when we show something. These are good. However he has been spinning objects for almost a year and not responding when we call his name over the last 2-3 months. He knows his name and says his name and shows himself when we ask. Also when we ask him to do things that he likes for example "E... go ask your grandma to give you a cookie" he goes and asks but if I only call his name he doesn't look at me most of the time.

Spinning is a problem because he sometimes spends too much time with it. I think, being depressed and inexperienced, I gave him different messages re spinning. For example 4-5 months ago, I tried to stop him doing it. Then acouple of months ago I tried joining him and we were together spinning a CD box lid and enjoying when I came home. I even bought him a spinning top last month. Then now I am trying to stop it again. I now realize that these haven't been very healthy approaches.

mrsturnip your credentials are great btw and thanks for the tip, I will try tomorrow.

What do you do when he does respond to you calling his name? If you're just calling to check his response but nothing very exciting happens when his name is called then he probably will stop responding.

There is nothing in your last post suggesting autism. I work day in day out with autism, I live with autism and watched it develop - really there are no alarms going off in my head.

I would really suggest talking to a HV or something though so she can put your mind at rest.

sorry cross posted.

But really try not to worry, there are no alarm bells going off. Let him take the lead in play, then try and extend it in some way (slowly though). One way is to obstruct in a playful way. So say he's spinning, slowly bring your hands from behind him and say 'uh oh' then in some way obstruct him. As he tries to get spinning again be playful and say 'oh no what's mummy done?' etc etc - don't keep him waiting too long for a spin though, then big clap when its got going.

This week I'm calling him to check very frequently. Also his grandma and dad are doing the same thing to check. This "not responding to his name" thing made them anxious a bit to it seems.

By the way my typically developing 4 year old is still obsessed with the toilet! Has been for years now.

DS1's (autistic) interest in spinning isn't doing it by himself, he'd never spin something to play, he likes to watch things which are already spinning out of the corner of his eyes. So he doesn't really get involved in the spinning or experience spinning it's just something he can do what we call funny eyes with and get a kick out of it. So he glues himself to washing machines -literally- head pressed sideways to the drum - or he'll reach in and spin the drum then stick his head in moving his head (and eyes) rapidly sideways, have found him holding a drill (turned on) next to his eyes again running the side of his eyes next to the drill, or he'll run past things then give a flick of the head looking out of the corner of his eye- which gives the same effect.

He's obviously stimulating some sort of sensory processing difference he has, but he's not actually engaged in spinning iyswim. It's the visual sensory kick he's seeking

Hopefully that will reassure you that your son is doing something different.

I will try all tomorrow. I agree that I should try distracting him rather than forcing him to stop. I think he picked up my anxiety too. First time in his life he bit my nipple this evening. It bled a bit and very painful now.

If you call him frequently to check he will ignore you because he's clever and has learned that his play is more interesting!

It sounds as if his speech is coming on well. But if you have any concerns about that this book by Sally Ward is really good. It talks about the importance of commenting rather than questioning. So watch what your son is doing then comment, follow his attention, rather than asking him to follow yours. Best way to build language and vocab.

I wouldn't distract him as such. Just join him, as the game progresses he will move onto something else anyway. Perhaps get out a few toys - and scatter them around then let him take the lead. Follow him commenting on what he's doing, then do a bit of playful obstruction - holding things out of reach laughing, bringing them down saying 'oh no' in an exaggerated funny voice and moving them out of reach again (but always checking that he's enjoying it) for a few times before he gets the toy.

Anyway I'm off to bed, but really try not to worry. I honestly cannot see anything in your posts that would concern me at all - and I am the worlds most oversensitive to autism symptoms (ds3 showed a lot more signs than you're describing tbh- and he's fine!). Have to say for sake of loyalty (and because its true) that autistic kids are wonderful anyway so really no need to worry even if there were lots of signs (which there really aren't).

Thank you very much mrsturnip, I'm off to bed too. Good night.

I cannot believe this. I left 2 numbers to the HVs yesterday asking them to use the second one in the afternoon, but they left a message to the other one which was switched off in the afternoon. Haven't been able to reach them this morning.
I am now also worried about the head injury he had 2 and a half weeks ago again (he fell and bumped his head to the edge of the wall). At that stage I was worried about scarring but now i started thinking what if he had brain damage. I brought him to A&E just after the accident but they didn't do CT or X-Ray
I have contacted GP surgery though for an appointment for myself.