Obsessing about autism, how to stop, 7 month old

[SophieRules]

My baby has a number of behaviours which may or may not indicate autism. These are stimming (loud groaning/humming when focussing or feeding), lack of babbling and responding to name, inconsistent smiling back to me, no separation anxiety, difficult sleeping, lack of eye contact.

The point of this thread is not to ask if he may or may not have asd, I know it’s too young to tell. And if he did eventually get a diagnosis I know we’d navigate it as a family and make the best of whatever the situation was.

My query is really just how to stop fixating on it, the worrying is taking the joy out of what is a precious time with him that I won’t get back. And meaning that I’m hyper vigilant. I don’t want to feel like this anymore, it makes me unhappy which ultimately will make me a worse mum. Looking for kind words and advice please rather than judgement.

Definitely get help with anxiety - I always recommend David D Burn's 'The Feeling Good Handbook' for invasive thoughts (such as 'what if my child has autism') as it helps put things into objective context. I hope you can move past this and enjoy your time with your little one.

Op - this is all about you.

Not one thing you describe is unusual for a 7 month old

What is feeding your worry about this? Do you see a lot of content on social media about looking for signs of autism? If so, unfollow, mark related posts as not being of interest to you, don't look up anything else about the subject, start following new accounts etc.

Speak to gp about your anxiety.

If he has autism or other SEN identified later you will deal with it.

Sonetines isdues delays can be identified early but would be very very obvious. See hv and if she has no concerns then address it from your anxiety side.

I think this could be a sign you're suffering with anxiety and this is just a symptom of it. I might suggest to speak to your GP.

I understand- my daughter always missed milestones and has sensory issues - was like this at 6 months and we are still learning, unsure at 3.5 years if she has asd or not …. Only time will tell

1st it’s ok to worry so cut yourself some slack
Really question why you are so anxious?!? It’s out of your circle of control so why are you so worried?

Remember whether they are asd or not you are their biggest cheerleader and security guard so celebrate all the little wins

The Māori word for autism is takiwātanga which means in their own time and place - which I think is a beautiful way to view my child’s development* *

Read. And reflect. Accept that you are worried about this, investigate it, think about what you can do, and do it.
If your worries are groundless, you have wasted your time.

Consider some counselling, your baby sounds completely normal for that age. This is your issue to work on.

Just wondered if anyone had any strategies other then seeing a gp, self help tips?

You need to work on your own aniexty, its all in your head. Your child sounds completely normal and i have two autistic children.

Online self-help CBT techniques - Every Mind Matters - NHS https://share.google/yIZkOaxUJ7yfYhVOe

Hey,I can completely relate to your post, someone has since identified looking into support for post natal anxiety. I was just wondering how you’re getting on now?

Refer yourself for some CBT

Sorry didn’t see this was an old thread

I’m doing better, not in therapy, but Char gpt was useful in giving me some strategies to help me enjoy my baby. I still have my moments of worry but it’s not as consuming as it was.

What strategies did it recommend?
im also in the same boat my little one is 4.5 months old and i feel it is consuming me entirely, every day. I worry about anything and everything and never know who or what to turn to.

Focus on positives of each day, reflect on them early morning and evening

If you are worried about something just check one verified source like the nhs, don’t look at multiple sites and before you check just wait, if you wait you might not feel the need to google later and if you are genuinely really worried about something speak to a professional

Those are the two things that stuck out to me, but put it into chat gpt for more details. I hope that helps.

It mentioned which I found helpful that worrying about autism is common because signs of autism are common in babies that don’t end up having it, so it’s so easy to fixate on almost anything.

Dm if you need to

I also wanted to add regarding milestones, there is a massive variation in meeting them, I think the milestones cause too much anxiety unnecessarily.