Signs of autism

[lucymegan]

So for some time I've wondered is my dd might have autism. I've just watched a video of a father showing the signs of autism in his children.

So dd is 2.5 she's a typical boisterous 2 year old but I've noticed things and have put them to the back of my mind. Can someone tell me if I should be concerned please?

She walks on her tiptoes a lot.

She blanks me a lot. I've taken her for a hearing test because I thought she might be hard of hearing but the results came back fine.

She seems like she's in her own little world a lot and there's nothing I can say or do to snap her out of it.

She doesn't really listen to commands and just does her own thing. For example she will pull a chair out from under the table and climb up it to get on the table, I can get her off 50 times a day and tell her no. But she will just go back and do it 10 seconds later. She just doesn't listen.

She repeats certain things over and over again.

She doesn't hand flap. Bang her head of make the rocking back and forth motion but she does do a few things from the video.

Thing is it's hard to say wether these things are just typical kid behaviour but it has got me thinking.

Anyone know what to make of this?

She's the youngest of my 5 and I've not had anything like this with the other 4. But I know her behaviour is so much different to the others.

My youngest son has ASD. My advice would be to speak to your HV or GP and raise your concerns. How is her speech? She may just be monitored at the moment but if she attends nursery or is due to start when she is 3 you should also tell nursery as there should be extra support available. My son was diagnosed at 3.5. He had delayed speech and we were referred to paediatrics at the hospital through the GP. There should also be a portage service in your area that your HV may be able to refer you to.

Thank you for replying. Her speech is very good I've no concerns with that.

It's hard really to know what's normal behaviour and not. Everyone's just said she's just boisterous and cheeky but Being her mum I've noticed things differently about her. Things that she does. She's only 2.5 so could just be terrible twos with the ignoring,Tantrums ect I'll speak to my hv thanks.

What is her language like? Dd was non verbal until over 3 and only fully verbal past 4. It's very hard to diagnose asd much under 3 because everything you say can have another cause or simply be just the way they are. I would monitor and seek help for any specific issues eg tip toes as the hv is likely to say we'll see you at 3. Girls don't present in the same way often so the classic rocking isn't as likely.

I'm not saying a yes or a no, just observe and get advise as needed.

Speech delay is not always present with an ASD diagnosis. Lots of kids have good speech and still get a diagnosis.

In my experience the waiting list for any sort of diagnosis is so long you might want to raise your concerns now to get the ball rolling so to speak. You’re HV can do this in Scotland. We are waiting and told it might be 12 months to see a paediatrician.