Early signs of autism??

[meg1209]

I hope someone can help me. My son has just turned one and he is showing 'early signs of autism' according to Google. I know Google is the worst place to be looking but I'm just wondering if some of these things have happened to other people and what the outcome was?

He doesn't look at me when I call his name (or anyone talks to him) but once he notices a face he is quite engaging and smiles and laughs with us if we play games.

He doesn't point yet, I know this is fine till 18 months usually!

He flaps his arms often but we can distract him from this very easily.

He can sometimes stare in to space

He doesn't say any words, he babbles dada and nana and baba but not loads and doesn't direct the words.

Any thoughts would be really appreciated! Thanks x

My first thought was that he might be deaf. Have you had his hearing tested?

@MrsFin we haven't yet but I am looking to book an appointment. Although he does respond to some sounds like us singing and clapping, so I'm not sure! And if we are on walks and a motorcycle goes by he will usually jump

How old is he?

Lots of babies flap their arms so I wouldnt worry too much about that.

id think hearing issue first too.

@parrotonthesofa he turned 1 on Sunday. I wasn't too worried about the flapping alone, I think it's the combination of thing. Especially ignoring me when I talk to him or call his name!

Get the physical things checked before you start focusing on other things. It could be as simple as he is a day dreamer, he doesn't like his name, just isn't in the mood to respond but I wouldn't assume he can fully hear just because he can respond to some noise.

My DS (now 10) was diagnosed with severe hearing issues at 4, he could hear but just not in loud places, he had no 'surround sound' so when he'd be in a noisy place he'd just shut down until we left as a coping mechanism. I have a photo of him at a friends party when he was 4 and it breaks my heart knowing now that he was sitting there unable to hear properly while all his little friends were chatting to each other.

My son is 3. Didn’t utter a word until he was about 16 months old.

Most babies flap their arms.

My son still doesn’t respond to me when I call his name (well, it takes a few tries) and he’s in the very annoying “what?” stage now, where I have to repeat everything about 5 times (yes, I’m going to get his hearing checked just in case!)

My son didn’t point until he was around 2.

My son still stares into space at 3.

I am on higher alert as I have ADHD so I’m looking out for signs my son has it, but your child seems perfectly normal. I understand why you’re concerned, but please don’t use Google to look into this sort of stuff especially when your child is so little x

He has only just turned 1. Every child develops at different rate and they will develop a lot between 1-2years in terms of communication / interaction etc. I'd say don't worry about it yet...continue to engage him / interact with him and keep observing his behaviour. Does he go to nursery / childminder where he can interact with other children? If not, then may be try and see if you can do play dates with similar aged children.
Regarding hearing, didn't they do a hearing test when he was born? Might be worth getting his hearing checked even if to rule it out as an issue...and give a few months-1year.. Watch his behaviour closely for the next year and if you are still concerned talk to your health advisor / doctor to see what can be done to get him assessed.
One of my friend's daughter is 2.5 years old and she is lagging in terms of talking and communicating...but they have been asked not to worry yet.

Why have you been googling early signs of autism

@MiniCooperLover - I definitely will, thanks. They did a check at birth and his hearing was fine but you never know, it's 100% worth checking again.

Did your DS hearing get any better?

@discombobulatedonion - thank you for replying! Definitely, I'm really trying to work on speech with lots of reading and encouragement.

@livealittlemore - thanks for replying! Yes they did a check his hearing when he was born but definitely going to get an appointment made just in case.

He doesn't go to nursery/childminder just yet but I do think he would benefit from it as he is the only child. Also covid means little to no interaction with other children or many people up until now.

[quote meg1209]@discombobulatedonion - thank you for replying! Definitely, I'm really trying to work on speech with lots of reading and encouragement.[/quote]
@meg1209

Honestly I do understand your concern, and if you really feel like your child may have autism then indeed keep an eye on him, but don’t make it your sole focus as it could make him self conscious as he grows if it’s just a part of his personality. You’re doing a fantastic job x

@Fluffypastelslippers - I wasn't googling early signs of autism, I was Googling things around him not answering to his name and his arm flapping etc. And that's what came up

@discombobulatedonion I really appreciate it, thank you! Oh I know, its so hard not to worry but I really do not want those worries to reflect on to him. I'm not concerned about him having autism I just want to know so I can do what's best for him and his development ❤️

[quote meg1209]@discombobulatedonion I really appreciate it, thank you! Oh I know, its so hard not to worry but I really do not want those worries to reflect on to him. I'm not concerned about him having autism I just want to know so I can do what's best for him and his development ❤️[/quote]
@meg1209

As I said, because I have ADHD I am more vigilant with my son but don’t focus on anything he does that may alert me. As you said, it’s about being able to support him if he is neurodiverse in some way :) x

Please don't dwell on a yes or no for autism OP. I did this with my eldest and I feel like I wasted his second year looking for an answer that I didn't need. He didn't point and was very sensitive to tantrums. He had glue ear and chronic ear infections which caused a speech delay. I saw a speech therapist who uttered autism and my heart shattered. I spoke to my Hv and they did an assessment and he didn't hit any triggers. He's grown up to be a wonderful 4 year old. He does have some sensory issues with materials and sounds but after feeling like I lost so much time dwelling on this I am just focusing on what can I do to make those things easier.
DS2 is now 1. He doesn't always respond to his name, he flaps his arms about and isn't talking (16 months old). But he does communicate and somewhat understand. I could easily fall down a rabbit hole of worry but it isn't going to achieve anything.
My HV told me that every single person falls on the spectrum but just at different places. What would a title achieve for you? Obviously if you want more support then speak to your HV but please don't make the same mistake I did xxx

I've got a severely autistic son and he was pretty normal actually at age one 🤷‍♀️
He's never flapped,always babbled and age one is a little early to get concerned x
His sister never pointed at that age,flapped her arms,ignored me often and she's not autistic 🤷‍♀️.
Enjoy him and worry less x

[quote meg1209]@discombobulatedonion - thank you for replying! Definitely, I'm really trying to work on speech with lots of reading and encouragement.[/quote]
Maybe you are trying too hard - and he is zoning out as a coping mechanism if he is overwhelmed and finds you too engulfing and intense?

This could also make him anxious.

Take his lead - respond gently to his emotional/communication cues - let him explore and play rather than force “education”.

Let him develop into who he uniquely is and enjoy him for who he is - gentle, boisterous, extrovert, introvert or all of these things at different times.

Relax and enjoy your baby.

[quote meg1209]@Fluffypastelslippers - I wasn't googling early signs of autism, I was Googling things around him not answering to his name and his arm flapping etc. And that's what came up [/quote]

Ah my mistake. That makes more sense. I can only echo what people have already said.
Try not to let this take away your enjoyment of your child. Lots of babies do/don't do the things you mention. Some will be autistic and others won't. It's certainly too early to know, so relax and enjoy your child.

One of mine was 'different' from 4 months. He wasn't diagnosed until he was 10. We didn't know why he as different, couldn't quite put a finger on it. He was 7 before autism was suggested - a few years ago the knowledge was much less. The other showed very little of concern until he was 6. Also diagnosed at 10.

My DS had the hearing test at birth, seemed fine, but he had a lot of tonsillitis and chest infections between birth and 4 which caused a build up of glue in his ears and so affected his hearing. He had grommets in and tonsils out when 4.5 and it helped enormously though he's been left with some residual damage from the glue.

As a parent of a child with autism, I wouldn't be worried at this stage.

All sounds very normal for that age. You know Dr Google is bad so don’t give into the urge.

It’s definitely too early to tell that’s why they don’t tend to diagnose autism til 3+! Some of these behaviours are completely developmentally appropriate for his age.

Most autism diagnoses are picked up after hearing referrals or speech and language referrals first.

Intense interest in trains/cars/numbers is usually a clue. Try not to worry!

Hey how is your baby now please? I would appreciate an update as I have the same concerns. Thank you in advance - really hoping for a reply x