ASD in 7 month old? From a very worried mum x

[Chzm]

hi Hope this post finds everyone well

im new to this but really wanted some opinions and would really really appreciate it

Ive googled things that have worried me and now all I can think about is Autism.

my 8.5 month old was late to roll/ still hasn’t mastered crawling but can move backwards and scoot around. Tries to go from lying to sitting, has managed successfully a few times.

my main concerns are

1. hes still fascinated by his hands/ stares at them randomly few times a day
2. he flaps his hands when excited/ happy
3. He makes limited eye contact with me when im holding him, will almost avoid it/ turn away. When im further way it’s better and he does make some eye contact
4. Doesnt seem to respond to his name
5. Doesnt point yet, clapped a few times when he wants to

Other information is, he does smile/ laugh when I tickle/ play with him. He does have separation anxiety and does notice when I enter/ leave the room. He does concentrate on people around him, look to them, make eye contact with them. He is eating fairly well but cannot hand to mouth for food yet. He does put other objects in his mouth. He does seem to play with most of his toys.

please respond guys

from a very very worried mum x

So you've looked up some stuff on the internet?
What does the internet tell you about the age that autism can be spotted?

Kindly, he's way way too young to tell.
Hand flapping and interest in hands is developmentally normal for his age, he's a tiny baby.
If he is autistic, you can't even start the diagnostic process until he's at least a toddler, so there's no point worrying about it yet.

He sounds perfectly normal to me. My DD1 didn't crawl until 9 months, didn't walk until 14 months. She's 4 now and I'm fairly sure she's neuro typical. She also only rolled about 3 times when she should of, she just wasn't bothered with it x

All sounds very, very normal for an 8.5 month old. My DS was pretty much exactly as you have described. He’s 10 months now and in 6 short weeks he’s massively changed again. Definitely far too young to worry about anything I would say 😊

My nephew was diagnosed at 2. The health visitor noticed that he hadn’t hit any new milestones between his 12 month and 18 month checks. Coupled with toe walking, being completely non-verbal, not recognising his name, not making any eye contact, flapping and stimming there was lots to go on.

Your baby is tiny. Stop worrying. If he is autistic you’ll find out at the right time and there’s not much you can do about it till then. Try to enjoy him as he is.

Kindly, you need to keep calm. My elder DS is autistic. Looking back, there were a few telltale signs, but, as he masks well, it didn't become obvious until he was about 10 (years not months). He needed a little more support, but ND little babies need exactly the same things as NT babies - love, cuddles, stories, opportunities to play, opportunities for quiet time, focused attention and turn-taking conversation. If you prioritise all of these things, even if your child does turn out to be ND, you will have given them the best opportunity to thrive. My son has a happy, fulfilled, varied life. He does need extra support with certain areas of life, but ASD has also given him gifts. I love him so much, and he has brought a great deal of joy to my life. Try to enjoy your baby.

Hi OP, my son has severe autism (it's a huge spectrum and lots of these children are severely disabled. My son was diagnosed by age 2.5 years. Not 10!) so it varies, as I'm sure you know

He's 6 now and non verbal, severe ASD and ADHD. In nappies, special school, development age of about 18 months

At 7 months and up to about 15/16 months, the only sign was lack of proper eye contact, no response to his name and never feeling connected to him properly - No, not PND. The light went on for me that something was off when I had a friend round with her 6 month old baby girl. I had more meaningful and 'connected' interaction with that 6 month old in 2 hours, than I'd had from DS in 15 months

He was about 15 months when I knew something was wrong. By 18 months, I knew for sure. Lots and lots of reasons

However, nothing you have said is wildly out of the ordinary for below 10 months.

But don't ignore your gut. Seek guidance from HV for age appropriate checks to access support if it is needed

I started to recognise sights in my son when he was around one. Limited facial expressions, no speech /babbling. Head shaking and rocking . Awful screaming fits. Lack of interest in others . No waving/pointing.

It's way too young to tell, could be something could be nothing. My daughter was diagnosed with asd in March just before her 4th birthday, it was obvious from around 18 months.

all of those things could just be normal baby development. With my daughter obvious signs at around 1-18 months were

• tip toe walking
• loss of appetite (started eating only
beige)
• started talking at 1 then regressed and was non verbal untill 3.5
• no eye contact
• no interest in anyone including parents
• licking walls and floors
• not turning to her name
• severely failing her 2 year development review, she could barely do anything on there
• hand flapping
• spinning
• hiding in small spaces
• wouldnt play with us, moved her toys away from us if we tried to sit down and play with her
• sleep issues

Hi just wondering how your LO is doing now? Have similar concerns x

Hey I hope you’re well. My LO is 15 months now, he babbles, says mama, car, can make some animal sounds. He understands a lot. He mimics actions to rhymes he sees on tv, he started walking a couple of weeks ago. Eye contact is still sketchy, socially I do think he struggles somewhat. I’ve been taking him to soft play, creating opportunities for interaction with similar age cousins, doing as much floor play as possible. He does enjoy spinning wheels ALOT. I still have my concerns but I’m trying to concentrate on the ‘now’ and doing as much as possible to help with his development.

@Chzm How's your son doing? Mine is also a "mixed bag", but showing lots of similar behaviours at 13 months old.

Enjoying spinning wheels is normal for a child in the rotation schema. Everything you’ve written has been true of my children and they are NT. Don’t go looking for problems until you have to.

I’m just following this message now and feel very much in a similar position with my 7 month old. How is your little one doing?
I saw an update when they were 15 months. Just wondering how things are now?

hi @Chzm. How is your son
?