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

We've all been there. Just accept right now you're going to feel a range of emotions. My son is 3.5 now and honestly just the light of my life. Yes some things are harder, I do worry.... We have to fight hard for support but the utter joy I feel when I look at him is unlike anything else.

Some of your family likely won't understand so I would only talk about it when you feel equipped to do the education. Hopefully they will be receptive. Get some books on autism. Follow some autistic adults on social media. Join some parent autism groups. Look into the Early Bird programme. The more you understand the less scary.

Thank you this helps. I have allot of anxiety

I struggle with abandonment issues. I have this worry if ds may have autism people, family will not stay. Or love him as much

To me, he's my world. He is my whole heart and perfect no matter what. Nothing can change how I feel about him. Like @BryceQuinlanTheFirst says, my ds is the light of my life too. I just want to protect him

Our HV is going to visit us in November for the 13-15 month check. He will be 14mo. She's put forward the referral to have his hearing checked now but I don't know how long the wait list is for that. We are in Scotland where wait lists aren't too long but I have already said to dp if it is going to be a while we will find the money for a private check. The relief it would be if he just isn't hearing well... I can only hope

I did talk to my NDN who's my friend. She saw me crying in the garden. Bless her she's been lovely. Thank you to MNers for support xxx

Diagnosis of anything can be scary, especially if it's a diagnosis of a condition you're not already familiar with. But honestly, OP, there are a lot of people who are autistic and quite happy with themselves/their lives. There can be challenges, sure, but life has plenty of those even if you're neurotypical.

For me, if someone says they're autistic that is generally good news because we're likely to understand each other and get along :) that might sound like a slightly odd perspective atm but I hope it is reassuring!

I’m sorry that you’re feeling this way, I think I can empathise.

my baby boy is nearly 1, and he doesn’t have any gestures, is hit and miss with eye contact, very sensory (can flap when excited, shakes his head, loves banging things). He does say mama and baba (not in context).

i try not to worry, try not Google but it’s so hard. My health visitor was useless.

Oh lovely, we all go through a kind of grief stage with stuff like this.

FWIW, 3/4 of my lot are autistic/adhd (as am I) and they are utterly lush. So kind, caring and like human sunshine.

OP I understand how you are feeling, I've gone through periods of acceptance and then been really upset. What I have found useful is totally re-educating myself about what autism is, I had such an old fashioned incorrect view before. If you have Instagram there are some amazing accounts to follow and these really helped me. Feel free to DM and I can share with you :)

Hey OP feel for you a lot. My DD1 went through a regression around 20-23m and was similar to what you describe. From what I read at the time , regressions can happen for other reasons too but I understand your concern

I found it such a hard time, in the beginning it felt like everyone was ignoring my concerns , was also just tough to see her losing skills like that. Her sister is approaching the same age and I’m worried that the same might happen again

its an overwhelming feeling all the appointments and research to do etc but it gets easier month on month. If it is autism, that is.

good luck and keep us updated x

Yes, 8 knew there was something different from about 6 months and he was diagnosed before 12m.

And he's not majorly at that end of the spectrum iyswim, but it was very clear and diagnosed in literally minutes, the psychologist actually said to me 'you can't really think this is normal'!

Get the ball rolling for what? It’s way to early for them to do anything right now.

Diagnosed before 12 months? How?

I suspected it in DS2 at 2 months - he just reacted so violently to everything! Turned out to be right, but that might be a fluke to be fair :/

Diagnosed before 12 months? How?

It's bullshit.

Nobody diagnosed an under 12 month old baby with autism in 'minutes'.

Utter shite.

OP I know this is an old thread but if you are around it would be great to hear how your baby is doing?

Imagine lying about your child being diagnosed before a year old “within minutes”

you are seriously fucked up @DoodlePug

My son was diagnosed at 2 this is one of the youngest I've heard of. It took hours, a lot of work, certainly not minutes! There is very set criteria.

I didn't realise my daughter was autistic, but I knew she was different somehow from my friends babies from about 9 months. She makes eye contact and babbled which was the reason I never considered autism. It was pretty obvious by 3 though.

Hi @aberlot thank you for checking in

Ds is 19mo now. I will catch him doing the odd clap, he responds to his name and toddles around making broombroom sounds and says DDog name. I wouldn't call it babbling but there's lots of 'maaay' when he wants me (mummy without the mum)

He makes eye contact now a lot but won't look up at me if we're outside as he still hates the sun. He will cover his eyes until he's shaded. He still doesn't point but does look where I point now

We have a hospital app in 2 weeks for his ears to be checked and a couple of months ago after an infection one started to weep smelly fluid. I've read about glue ear and have suspicions (and hope) that if he has it the talking will come when he can hear more

I only had a talk with my mum about our worries for the first time yesterday which brought me back to this thread. I'm glad she knows now as she is going to encourage him more to point, wave and clap while he's with her

A diagnosis will come later if he is autistic so I just be happy and live in the moment and enjoy him without a label for now

So glad that he'll be seeing ENT. Smelly stuff coming from his ear sounds awful, poor little lamb. Are you going to take the grommets if they're offered?

If it is Glue Ear or hearing loss, you can join the National Deaf Children's Society. It's free and they are often a great source of info and support.

@SiouxsieSiouxStiletto forgive me for being the worst mum not knowing what grommets are!!
I have just looked it up and yes I would definitely go ahead with anything recommended to help with loss. Goodness I hadn't actually thought of a serious impairment until you posted I was in a bubble of it was something that clear itself or with a bit of help. A permanent loss never even crossed my mind

Thank you for recommending ndcs x

@worriedmumsy how is your little boy

@Newmama232 thank you for asking x
My poor wee lamb has been at the drs first thing with a nappy rash I can't clear. Has been walking about happily with no nappy on peeing everywhere

Tomorrow is our ENT appointment. I am hoping they find something with his hearing is the cause for his regression. He hasn't gone back to babbling but lots of 'mmm' sounds
I just read a reassuring poster on another thread who's ds read very similar to mine and needed grommets and tonsils out and has since developed on track. If not then it's back to the autism concerns ...

When my son (now 11) was 12 months old he had a good few words then when he was 18 months old I realised he hasn’t said any for a while. I kept looking online for tips to help him but kept coming across articles saying speech regression was a red flag for Autism. Tried to push it aside and not think about it too much, I took him to a speech and language drop in session where I explained my concerns. From there he was referred for speech therapy, play therapy, hearing test and appointments with a paediatrician. At some point I was expecting someone to say no it isn’t Autism, but he was diagnosed when he was 3. I was so worried about his future and how it would affect him but he is amazing! Currently smashing through his SATs (in a smaller room so he can concentrate) he is such a happy, funny, outgoing and caring boy.
He does struggle emotionally at times, dislikes loud noises and sometimes struggles with concentration at school (been referred for an ADHD assessment now) but he’s doing great.
Early intervention is key, there is so much help and support these days if it does turn out to be Autism. Sometimes we just have to see the world through their eyes and find different ways of working through things with them x

Just to add, I have a nearly 14 month old son now, I know each child is different and you shouldn’t compare but I can tell the difference between how he is and how my other son was. Even the way my older son played, he would play with cars at eye level and watch the wheels go round for ages, he didn’t interact much when I tried to play with him, he wasn’t really babbling much after he stopped saying words either it was just noises really.

Hey hope you’re well
do you mind sharing what things you noticed? Would appreciate a reply x

Hey I hope you don’t mind me asking how is your baby now? Please reply thank you x

Hi @worriedmumsy how did your little one come on?xx