Of your child has autism did you know at 12mo?

[worriedmumsy]

If your child has autism what were they like at 12mo? Or if they were showing signs did it turn out to be not autism?

There's a few things I have started to notice with ds and wondered if your child has autism could you tell as early as 10/11/12 months?
I'm wondering because ds is showing some signs we think he might be

He doesn't respond to his name anymore
He's barely making eye contact now
When he's sitting down and gets really excited he flaps his arms up and down laughing
He doesn't speak. He used to say Mama, Dada and the dogs name. Now he doesn't speak at all. He used to babble but now only makes noises and grunts for things
He used to wave but not anymore
He doesn't point or gesture for things

His personality is amazing. I don’t know if personally comes into an autism assessment but he is the sweetest little boy. He is kind and caring and always shares. Will happily let you taste whatever he’s eating. He’s also very intelligent. He’s always interested in working things out like the safety clips on his chair and pram. He has mastered putting the prongs in the clip and laughs over and over if you keep unclipping and clipping again

He is very much a mum and dads boy and isn’t very sociable however, I haven’t been out much with him due to PND and backache so can’t say for sure re this but I am trying to get out mor

All of the above are making me lean towards yes but he’s also trying to walk at the moment and is really suffering with molars teething (from 9mo) which I’ve read can stop babies from progressing. It’s the regression me and DP are worried about

Could anyone else tell this early ?
Are there any refreshing stories where it did turn out to just be them focusing on walking and the talking/babbling came back?

Thank you for reading x

Yes my DS was the same I just knew we got the autism diagnosis when he was 4 years old.

Key things for me were no talking just as you said noises and grunts and would point and grunt at something he wanted rather than try and talk.

Arm flapping when he was overly excited and making mmmm noises.

Fixated with cars didn't spin wheels or anything like that but would line them up.

Meltdowns were horrendous would bang his head on things when having a meltdown.

We've had hurdles and still face them but I am more than grateful that I have a
Very bright and loving very sociable more so than me loves to say hi to everybody DS.

🙄

This poster is not being genuine. A 12 month old or 16month old writing 'I am a retard' is not OK, nor in the least bit funny.

This poster is not being genuine. A 12 month old or 16month old writing 'I am a retard' is not OK, nor in the least bit funny.

Agreed.
Completely disgusting and reported.

If you can afford a private salt therapist , PACT (paediatric autism communication therapy developed by university of Manchester) is great for young children and even babies now I think, it is a specialist SaLT programme for social communication. Not available on nhs in many areas.

If he does need assessments.. totally normal to feel overwhelmed / upset at first and then later look back and then wonder why you felt that as you have a lovely, amazing child, just different.

With dd4 I knew at around 10 months she wasn't the same as her older siblings. Ds2 I didn't pick up on anything until he was about 18months when he started regressing.

I pretty much always knew my son was autistic. I had pregnancy complications and at every scan they remarked how active he was. That had continued since he was born he never stops moving always has be active and doing something. Earliest signs were he was unbelievably fussy, hated being held, very wary of new people, was always looking around the room, hated tv or any background noise, was obsessed with anything that spinned, opening and closing doors repeatedly, was late to point and wave, lost all his speech for two years, stacked and lined up everything, memorised even small routines and would have epic meltdowns if I made even the slightest changes. He's nearly four now and a lot of the things I've mentioned don't any. He's happy, settled in preschool but is still a little hot headed diva.

No my severely autistic son developed normally until about 26 months then had a major regression and lost all his skills.
My daughter is very high functioning and you couldn't tell at 12 months but definitely at 2 years when she could hold a conversation like a little professor.

It was the hypersensitive sensory side with two of mine that made me wonder. From birth onwards.

Sensitive to light, easily excitable, needing gentle deep pressure to settle, needing complete darkness to sleep. Always trying to remove clothes or removing clothes. When they could walk needing to bounce, jump down stairs and crash, needing that feedback. When they were highly stimulated they twirled like Dervishes.

Both have Sensory Processing Disorder as part of their ASC.

Not at 1 but coming up to 17 months I had a good idea. DS isn't diagnosed yet but I'm 99% sure he is Autistic. What is his gesture use like (clapping, pointing, waving etc)? This is what I first noticed DS wasn't doing along with not talking. Good idea to get a hearing test to check for glue ear. Unfortunately you probably won't get much help until 2, I was declined from SALT and any other support. Does your DS go to nursery at all? They will be a good place to start having a conversation.

Do you have others in the family with autism, so that has made you look at this? There can be. A genetic factor of course.

I knew very early, became more obvious to others about 15 months, he was diagnosed autistic at 2.5, adhd at 6.

I was able to tell from about 4 months and I was right. The HV also suspected from around 12 months. DH never believed me and was actually shocked and really upset when she got a formal diagnosis. To me there were obvious signs, although I'd worked with children with autism in the past so I knew what to look out for.

Yes I can tell looking back, I would know very early if I had another child. I started seeking advice around 20 months and my son was assessed at 2.

OP, my top tip for managing with an autistic child (or at least, an approach to try) is to always explain, briefly, what is going on. Where we're about to go, what we're about to do, why we're going to do it (if relevant) etc. This goes for manners and social occasions too. The happy plus of this is that it works quite well with NT children as well, so you're sorted either way.

I say this because I spent so much of my childhood being utterly confused - having a person around who I knew would explain life to me if it got confusing and not shout at me would have been wonderful.

Good luck - all will be well.

@IScreamAtMichaelangelos i think this is incredibly good advice

Dd was different from birth, didn't know it at the time but looking back the signs were very clear

Really interesting thread. My DS is 11m and I have wondered if he is possibly autistic. He is just very different from my other son, and from other babies I have know. He rocks a lot and waves his hands in an unusual manner when he is excited by something. He did learn to say “hello” but has lost that skill as well as waving, clapping. He does not respond to his name at all. He is wild and very fiery with a temper on him too! Me and my husband joke that he likes absolutely everything to be very difficult and stressful 🥹 but he is very sweet and incredibly loving and cuddly. I mentioned the above to the HV and she has asked me to monitor it for 6m and see how he progresses. He’s just started crawling this week actually.

Watching with interest.

I have a referral in to be assessed for ASD and worry about the genetic element. For me my parents were shocked about me pursuing this and never thought about ASD but have said:

• they were worried as I struggled to cross roads (used to get overwhelmed and cross dangerously)
• used to sit and read in a corner for 4/5 hours no speaking but they just thought I was studious
• never cried as a baby

DD - will be very wary in a room

• presses her eyes and bites her arm
• sensory overloads easily

@thepurplewhisperer how could I forget the light sensitivity. He can't handle the light at all. But he loves seeing it's daylight behind the curtains. And out in the pram he hates it. He keeps baseball caps on his head just to avoid the sun. And the complete darkness to fall asleep didn't start until a couple of months ago. Now we need pitch black every night

I didn't sleep properly last night. I was up crying from 3-6. Does anyone remember the feelings? I'm really upset he isn't going to say mum. He used to call me mama and I'm scared he won't ever again
Any advice for these coming top term early days?
I am so hoping he just turns around this afternoon and starts babbling again. Or something. Anything. But he's just quiet and you wouldn't know he was here
I can't stop crying

Thank you @IScreamAtMichaelangelos for hat is so helpful. I don't want to make anything hard for him at all x

He started poking my eyes last week. I don't know if that's part of it but it's new

I feel like I am over analysing everything he has ever done and I'm studying him. I can't see past what I've saw with the skill regression

What if I am not enough on my own to teach him? He might not learn things he is capable of because I don't know what I am doing. I didn't know what I was doing before but I definitely don't know now

@worriedmumsy I’m sending you a huge hug. I remember it so well. I remember saying to dp that I was going through a long dark night of the soul if that makes any sense. I suffered so much with worry and fear.

Please do reach out in real life for support. Speak to your hv. Speak to your gp. Speak to family. Contact a family is an amazing charity for anyone with a child who has or may have any condition. No diagnosis needed and you can call their helpline.

MOST IMPORTANTLY KNOW THIS

You are his biggest asset - you love him and know him best. YOU CAN DO THIS xx

You're paying attention and doing your best to meet his needs. You are the best parent he could have hoped for! Try not to worry xx

Do I tell family? I don't want anyone to treat him different. I'm so scared to make the wrong decisions

I would tell only people you trust. Understanding children only helps them