Did anyone’s baby have frequent and extensive stimming and later develop typically?

[Bethymum]

My baby is 10 months old and from 7 months he’s displayed various forms of stimming, including: head shaking, tensing, slapping, panting, rubbing head against neck, groaning doing, repetitive huh showing, wrist and feet twirling, blinking etc
Some of these are very frequent and noticeable. I have seen that stimming doesn’t necessarily mean ASD but even if babbling, eye contact, responding to name and gesturing seem to be developing fairly well/too early to tell. I find it hard to believe that this level of stimming could be present in a neurotypical child, but I don’t know as he’s my first. But I don’t see these behaviours in other babies. My question really is did anyone experience extensive stimming in a baby that later seemed to be neurotypical. I’m feeling quite confused by the behaviour he is displaying. Also feel the need to note ASD will not impact how much I love or interact with my child! I’m just trying to be well informed so I can do anything I can to support him from as young as age as possible.

He is a young baby doing what young babies do! Just exploring how different movements feel. Totally normal

His body is all so new to him and he is getting familiar with it. Leave him to it. He is doing what babies do…. Getting to know himself!

Also feel the need to note ASD will not impact how much I love or interact with my child!

A bit disturbing you even felt the need to write this.

Either way… put all these thoughts on the bin

I think you can tell at that age. Neither of mine are autistic, they did have stims but they weren’t frequent or intense in the way described by parents whose children later got diagnosed. If you spoke to them or there was another noise they would stop. I also think the wrist and foot twirling is a red flag - I haven’t seen a NT baby do this.

Both mine did
and NT

See this is where I think the ‘advice’ on this website is falling down. Everyone wants to rush to reassure parents their child is developing typically and ‘all babies do that’. But then parents become resentful that this blithe reassurance meant their child missed out on early intervention.

The fact is you CAN tell autism in a baby at age 1. I’ve seen many videos on Instagram ‘these were the signs’ and in each and every one, it’s very very obvious the baby is not typically developing despite their young age.

Equally you can tell the ones who are NOTa autistic (the ones heavily engaged in joint attention, mimicking everything, sharing and pointing/talking).

The ones in between are a bit harder and could go either way.

Your baby isn't stimming, he's learning that he has a body and that he can move it in different ways to make noise or feel a different texture, or to find out where they end and the world starts.
You notice this in your baby and not others, because he's your baby and the others aren't, they aren't as interesting to you. You notice less, and spend less time with them. You have no anxiety about other people's babies to hook you in like your own does.
I do remember I felt similar concern, my PFB DC used to wack her arm up and down diagonally across her body, hit her shoulder at the top of her swing and the floor at the bottom of the swing. She's now a neurotypical 15 year old

But did they do it frequently and intensely? I’ve never seen an NT child do this. Possibly a few times to see what it’s like, but not in the way described by parents of children with autism.

Agree, silly thing to have said!

Mine too!

For me my little boy did all of this from around 7 months including always day dreaming
11 months he forgot his handful of words, forgot how to wave, never responded to his name has never pointed etc he’s now 3.5 non verbal hums all day (formally diagnosed too) he’s also always had poor eye contact

I have two who are autistic. My first concerns for son were noted at 6 weeks. I didn't know it was autism I just knew he wasn't like his siblings really. My son was dx at two and a half when he was eight I had my daughter. She was nothing like my son had been but at 4 months I suspected she was autistic too and by 8 months I knew. She was referred for assessment at 12 months and had a diagnosis week of second birthday. Son was rigid when held, preferred to self soothe and would always look for lights rather than faces. D was very quiet, rarely smiled, never cried, had to use a monitor as she would lay silently rather than alert me she was awake. If you sat her somewhere she would stay, she wouldn't explore, she didn't reach out she just sat silently. I don't remember much stimming when they were babies tbh it was more that they were different to my older ones.

And if it's on Instagram it must be true. Better than any professional or peer reviewed journal in my experience. The money making algorithms are what makes it's clinical diagnosis so on point.

@hiredandsqueak
these are some good points!
my son was my first baby so I didn’t have siblings to compare him to but the vacent spells started around 3 months old with him and deep down I had a feeling.
he also only seeks lights or anything with sensory input and plays independently also has never played with toys in a typical way or their intended purpose, he’d rather just line them up or sort them into colours etc. and if YouTube or cartoons are on no interest in shows with “talking” only singing/nursery rhymes.

Idk. Maybe if there are persistent delays (but that's why they don't diagnose so early - need to see if these things persist!) They change so quickly at this age. My baby changed massively between around 12 and 14 months. At 12 months she was 'behind' on much of the one year questionnaire. At 14 months she could do almost everything on the 2 year questionnaire.

My baby never copied anything until she was over a year old. I also stressed about this (read that even newborns will copy someone sticking out their tongue - nope) and about her phase of headbanging and her lack of babbling/responding to her name and her arm flapping (she still does this TBF but I no longer read into it).

There are endless things to pick up on and stress about. Chances are everything is fine.

My lovely little boy did this, I knew at 4 months old. He would repetitively spin, pace, twirl etc. he is now 5 and non verbal autism. BUT he also had other signs, eg no babbling, pointing, name recognition, gestures, joint attention etc. so don’t look at it in isolation.

No you can't definitely tell but you can edit videos and cut them to show "symptoms". Those symptoms are often age appropriate but looking back they seem like a big deal.

Op all of the the things you listed are normal- your baby is learning to use their body. You don't often see other babies doing it as you see them out and about and distracted. They probably all do them at home.

Yes, my ds who is now in his 20’s. No ASD.

It was totally reasonable OP bearing in mind how many people come on threads like this and tell the OP off for an (nonexistent) implication that they wouldn’t love their children the same way if it turns out they are ND. No apologies. Breathe deep.

It‘s a reasonable concern. I have 5 kids, 2 ASD, 2 NT and 1 ADHD. Neither children with autism had any stimming behaviour at all when small. Our son with ADHD did, but not extensively.
A couple of my friends with children with autism, they were extensively stimming from a few months old and a diagnosis was very clearly in the making. For instance both couldn’t bear to be held and really struggled later on with interactions.
Just keep an eye on it, but I would say listen to your gut. My daughter didn’t get diagnosed until late because Drs wouldn’t listen to me even though I knew.
And yes knowledge is power and you are more able to make life better and easier for your child if they have needs.

My second did the tensing thing.
He’s NT. we used to have ‚tensing competitions‘ and he loved that. Made him laugh and do it again.
do speak to someone if you are worried. You know your baby best.

Thank you all, I will mention at his 12 month review. I guess it is a wait and see. I don’t really have any gut on this, I’m genuinely unsure.

Most children I have worked with as a SENCo who have been on the ASD pathway have shown almost no stimming signs. In my experience, stimming tends to increase as the child gets older.
If you are concerned, speak to your Health Visitor.