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Original poster

Worried about my sins eye contact

4 replies

Superhanz · 04/06/2022 00:57

I have a 7 month old son who is the light of my life. It took us 5 years to have him after 3 failed rounds of IVF and losses, and then when we'd given up hope of ever being parents I fell pregnant naturally. So by the time I was having him and during my pregnancy I was extremely anxious. This didn't help with the fact I was on medication for epilepsy which I was advised to stay on for obvious reasons.

He's hit all his milestones so far but I'm very concerned about his eye contact. It was good up until 3 months then he started looking away from us, it wasn't that he was just curious this was obvious attempts not to look and no eye contact during feeding. The past few days his eye contact has declined again, if he catches your eye he quickly looks away. He doesn't like looking at toys with faces either so he'll look away from anything with eyes! Coupled with what I believe might be stimming, one of his hands goes a mile a minute scratching everything, I know neuro typical babies do this but his is extreme and my friends son used to do exactly the same hand movement and he has ASD. He also has started rotaing his bum, like a grinding kind of movement, his does this often which I think might be stimming too.

I suppose there are two main reasons why I'm so anxious, one is that he has another rare neurological condition that affects his eye. This may have been caused by a forceps delivery or I'm guessing I may have caused it due to my medication. He's been signed off by neurology (before the eye contact decline). And the other is the medication I was taking during pregnancy. This devastates me, I feel so incredibly guilty.

He's seeing opthalmology again next month to be basically signed off. I don't believe it to be a sight issue as he can track toys and no issues came up at his first appointment.

If there is anything I'd like intervention at the earliest I can. Can anyone help me? I'm feeling so fragile.

OP posts:
autienotnaughty · 07/06/2022 04:42

Sorry for late reply! I'd definitely tell ophthalmologist as it could be related to the condition.
My son has asd, before having him I'd worked with children for many years and had a lot of training/knowledge around asd. I started to become concerned around 9/10m, He didn't really laugh/engage as other babies do, no eye contact, no babbling. Just quite solemn or furious. At 18m I contact hv who came out and assessed him and referred him to salt he was non verbal) and paediatrician. He went on pathway and was diagnosed at 3. He's never really stimmed but has lots of the other obvious traits.

If you have any developmental concerns I'd get hv out to visit and have a chat or see gp. Most nd wouldn't be picked up on until later unless there's obvious developmental delay. But equally it could be nothing, try not to worry.

Original poster
Superhanz · 08/06/2022 23:52

Thank you so much for replying to me. Since I wrote that thread I have some more concerns, I've realised now he's almost 7 months and should be babbling. I wasn't aware that most babies are already doing this at this age. He blows raspberries and makes a sound with the back of his throat but if I talk to him he just smiles or turns his head away. He will sing sometimes if I sing and he really loves music and musical baby classes.

I'm a natural worrier and I feel sick. I know ASD wouldn't be the end of the world but knowing I caused it would destroy me. With my nature being that of a very anxious worrier I know I'd struggle more than the average parent having to watch him struggle. I wish I could be as carefree as my DH who just kind of takes everything in his stride.

I think I probably need some counselling, his other neurological condition can be caused by neuroblastoma so we spent his early life waiting for scans and results, its really affected me. More now in hindsight, I amazed myself how I got through it. I don't know how I did it.

I hope your son is doing well with intervention.

OP posts:
Chzm · 01/06/2024 15:46

Superhanz · 08/06/2022 23:52

Thank you so much for replying to me. Since I wrote that thread I have some more concerns, I've realised now he's almost 7 months and should be babbling. I wasn't aware that most babies are already doing this at this age. He blows raspberries and makes a sound with the back of his throat but if I talk to him he just smiles or turns his head away. He will sing sometimes if I sing and he really loves music and musical baby classes.

I'm a natural worrier and I feel sick. I know ASD wouldn't be the end of the world but knowing I caused it would destroy me. With my nature being that of a very anxious worrier I know I'd struggle more than the average parent having to watch him struggle. I wish I could be as carefree as my DH who just kind of takes everything in his stride.

I think I probably need some counselling, his other neurological condition can be caused by neuroblastoma so we spent his early life waiting for scans and results, its really affected me. More now in hindsight, I amazed myself how I got through it. I don't know how I did it.

I hope your son is doing well with intervention.

Hey, I hope you don't mind me asking how is your baby now? I have similar concerns.

Thank you x

Mumof3bb1 · 10/06/2024 11:20

Hi @Superhanz i just noticed another thread of yours and it was about your daughter not your son, the both posts are the same, did you have twins?

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