Worried my baby is autistic, hand flapping?

[Soher]

I feel a bit irrational but I’m concerned my baby could be autistic (he’s 11.5 months) . The main reason for this is he flaps his hands when he is super excited or when he is feeling anxious/nervous. When I have googled it autism was the only thing I could find. Other people are starting to notice it and one of my friends referred to it as ‘a weird hand thing’ when he was doing it in front of her. I was so upset she called it weird. I’ve become super paranoid when we are out that others will find it weird, I find myself constantly looking at other babies and nobody else seems to do it. I guess I’m just worried as he gets older other kids will start to notice and make fun of him too.

I did mention it to the HV but she said to speak to her when baby is 2 if I’m still concerned by it.
He is super happy, and loves smiling and waving at people when we are out, he babbles all the time - he can say dada, beep beep, hello and woof woof. So I’m not worried about his communication.

Has anyone experienced anything similar?

Oh my baby did this all the time! Especially at bubbles floating in the air or at baby groups where it was really loud and exciting. That on his own doesn't point to austism, it just means it can be a sign.
For us it wasn't and I was never really concerned because the way he communicated and hit milestones. I figured out it was just his way he expressed excitement. He grew out of it about 13/14 months. Hes 2 now. Try not to worry. The way your baby is communicating already is a good sign he's developing normally Xx

Kids do lots of weird things and don't start making fun of other for doing them for YEARS yet. So don't worry!

I'm autistic and have an autistic son. Even if your son is one of us, don't worry. Just work with him and whatever he needs and you'll all be OK.

This is really normal OP. Try not to worry.

Most autistic “traits” are normal human behaviour it’s the situations they arise in and how much they occur rather than being uniquely autistic. Hand flapping when excited or scared is normal human behaviour. Your friend needs close supervision around your child if she’s calling him weird etc

I've never met a baby that doesn't hand flap! Don't worry OP

Totally normal and my 2 both did/do it! I remember googling the exact same and worrying about it with my eldest because my in laws commented on it all the time. He stopped doing it as much as he got older, he's 4 now and will maybe do it very very rarely if he was hugely excited about something but he did it all the time as a baby when he was happy. No suspicion of autism. My 1yo does it now 😊

My DS did this and also walked on tip toes sometimes. It became clear to me when he was a uni that he was autistic. He is loving, funny, smart and caring and my wonderful son. Don't worry about it, just enjoy him.

thank for all the responses. It seems a bit more common than I thought and not necessarily relating autism.

@Elisabeth3468 it’s at the baby classes he does it most. When the bubbles come out he is flapping so hard and squealing his head off. He seems to be hitting every other milestone so like your little one maybe it’s his way of expressing his excitement too.

You need to wait a while, it’s too early to diagnose autism. Speaking ability isn’t really relevant, I could speak at one year old and I’m autistic.

My dd is autistic, she never hand flapped and had zero speech even at 2, certainly no mama at 12 months!

I agree with @TomeTome . Hand flapping is normal, it's only when development pauses that it might be a sign of something else I.e. your 1 year old hand flapping is typical behaviour for that she group. My DD is 7... for her it is a sign of autism as neurotypical children move onto other ways of expressing their excitement most of the time. But actually, some hand flapping in times of extreme excitement even adults will do! It's about how often and whether it is age/situation appropriate.

Either way, try not to worry. My eldest is delightful. Yes, the hand flapping is occasionally a worry to me. But at 7yo other children had yet to say anything unkind, and she's now old enough that a have started having conversations about where it is appropriate to do these things (she has a couple of unusual repetitive behaviours). Effectively I'm teaching he how to mask in certain situations, which is a can of worms... but what I'm saying is your child will still be your child, even if it turns out they are autistic. It diesnt change who they are or how you love them. DD is clever, kind, funny and autistic. The last one in the list doesn't overrule the others. Focus on your child and their happiness and try not to worry about labels.

@Soher how are things now? my 10 month old baby flaps her hands all the time, I think due to excitement but it’s hard to tell. Thanks

Mine flapped hands like a pigeon when they saw a sweet treat.
100 flaps a minute.

Think of autism as a Venn diagram.

On its own, hand flapping will not point to an autism diagnosis, but when looked at with other things, it can point to autism.

No one ever commended on my eldest’s hand flapping but they’re definitely autistic. The absence or presence of hand flapping cannot confirm either way.

@99SR it completely stopped sometime after he turned 1. Looking back I think he did it mainly when he was excited and over stimulated. He’s 18 months now and no concerns with his development.

@Soher thanks. I’m not sure if it’s cause I’ve noticed it or she’s doing it more. Really playing on my mind. I put Miss Rachel on the tv last night & she was flapping like mad lol

@99SRhi there i knows its been a while since this post but how is your baby doing my 8 month old flaps aswell and alot

Entirely normal at that age

@Amish20 its sooo normal! I wish I hadn’t had worried about stuff like this. My baby is 2 on Monday and is thriving!
I was diagnosed with PPA/PMDD around a year ago and I believe that’s what caused me to become obsessed with this. Take care of yourself!