Can you talk to me about ASD please?

[FaceForRadio]

I'm a little scared of posting here, because then my concerns are down in black and white so to speak.

My first question though is, what exactly is ASD? Is it Aspergers? And is it a form of Autism? I'm sorry if that sounds really niave but I don't know enough about it to make an informed decision.

If I tell you a little about dd then would you mind telling me whether you think this is normal toddler behaviour or could is be possible signs of ASD?

Reading some threads on these boards, put together with my concerns then I wonder if DD may need to see a specialist.

DD will be 2 in October. From an early age she's been very into 'cups' putting them in rows, now she does this with all her soft toys and now likes to repeatedly point at each one whilst I count from 1 to 10 as she points.

If I build up the cups into a tower then her immediate reaction is to knock them down.

I try to get her to repeat the words I'm saying but she has no words yet, except Mama, but this refers to me or her dad. She often repeats sounds, her latest sound is Ga, or Ha.

She is very energetic, quite boistrous sometimes but terribly shy and scared in the company of anyone else really - even family members.

She tends to play on her own, preferring to run round things rather than sit and play.

She understands instructions very well.

Since she started walking - on her 1st birthday, she's quite taken to spinning on the spot but the odd thing is that her eyes seem to go into the corners, her head lowered and it's as if she is spinning in the direction her eyes are going - if that makes sense.

She eats very well, sleeps very well, and won't go anywhere without her teddy.

Sometimes, she goes into a daze and even when we say her name she just stares at something - if you stand in her line of vision then she'll move to see past/around you.

Does all of the above just seem like normal behaviour? Or is it something I should be speaking to GP about?

Maybe if you have experience of this then you could ask me things - to get a clearer picture?

As I don't really know what I could be dealing with I'm a little anxious.

Any words would help really.

Thanks in advance, and I apologise for my lack of knowledge here :)

Saw your post on the other thread. I will come and reply properly later but ds1 has just arrived home so chaos. Have a google for first signs for more info (and videos).

xx

Thank you saintly, much appreciated.

I'm a little scared of googling but I will do so.

ASD is autism spectrum disorder - the thinking is that autism has a spectrum and there are different conditions that all fit within it in slightly different ways and individuals fit within that differently as well.

Basically autism's a funny

Hi Faceforradio,

Welcome. Please do not be scared ever to post here.

"ASD" is short for autistic spectrum disorder and like all spectrums the range is very wide. You may well want to look at the website of the National Autistic Society.

I would speak to your GP (you do not have to take your DD with you) in your circumstances and ask for a referral to a developmental paediatrician. You may want to keep a diary and describe her actions re play and other behaviours during the day. Filming her at home may also be helpful to show such a person.

Phone - wrong button, sorry...

Basically - autism's a funny old thing that affects people in slightly different ways. Asperger's is a type of ASD where intelligence isn't affected, it doesn't mean the autism itself is milder necessarily.

To be a bit blunt (mostly in case my phone posts by accident again, lol) yes taken all together, there might be something worth investigating going on with your DD...but at 2 that could be a variety of things.

I always think that if a parent is concerned enough to be asking, then they're usually right - no-one looks for something like that that isn't there.

Thanks for your responses, keeping a diary and recording activity is a very good idea.

This is the first time I've 'spoken' to anyone about my concerns so I suppose I'll speak with DP and then go to the GP.

It's about time for her 2 year check up, so will probably raise these concerns with the person doing the check up.

It's just good to get down on paper so to speak, how she acts because when reading it all back I think it could be signs of something. I'll have a look at the NAS website too.

hi there

the thing about (ha the thing) autism is, it's very different in every single person with autism, but to answer your question about Aspergers, yes, that is a form of autism. It's a specific condition within the autistic spectrum named after the Doctor who took on a detailed study.

i can't comment as to whether your DD might be on the autistic spectrum or not, but would recommend you start to keep a few notes (in a little book or maybe even as a few pages in her red book) with dates to see if these change or develop at all.

you can't 'give' a person autism, nor can you 'cure' it, but there are many therapies and strategies than can help with management of autism.

and keep posting/reading.

this section is great

at very slow but x-post

another thing about having a child with ASD is you learn to take life at a very different pace

Hi Face, saw your post on the other thread. My ds was about the same age as your ds when I was concerned about his behaviour.

I would say that you should definitely ask for a referral, and please don't let them ask you to wait and see. If there is a problem then early intervention is very important, and can make a big difference to outcome.

It's great that your dd understands instructions well - my ds had no receptive language at all. But the other things you mention would set alarm bells ringing for me.

I hope you are ok ((hugs)), it's tough. Feel free to PM me anytime. All the best x

As others have said, ASD = Autistic Spectrum Disorder, which is an umberlla term to cover all things autism.... Aspergers Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, Classic Autism, Atypical Autism, and other terms people use such as 'severely autistic' or mildly autistic.
When I started finding out about autism, they used to talk about a 'continuum', meaning you could be anywhere on a long line, so people at one end of this lin / continuum could present as being quite different from people at the other. That term has evolved to become a spectrum, as it broadens it out more. You can struggle a lot more with one aspect than another, so, as someone said further up, you can be highly intelligent, but maybe struggle greatly with social skills, or you can be relatively comfortable with most social conventions but struggle enormously wiht the language side of things.

IMO, from what you've posted, I wouldn't be worrying about at little one who isn't 2 until October, and what you've said. What you've said covers a lot of 1 yr old behaviour, which varies enormously from child to child, but, I understand you may have a feeling, or instinct which is difficult to get acros on the internet.
Keeping a diary is a good idea, with examples of things you think she does differently from "the norm" for her age.

Aw, I'd heard that this board was very welcoming, so thank you all :)

I'll come back to update when I know anything else.

I suppose my next hurdle is that of explaining to DP about my concerns, I'm just not 100% certain that he'll agree. He may just brush these things off as 'toddler behaviour' and may well be in the 'wait and see' camp.

However he would take the word of a professional over my own, but I have have this feeling that something is not quite right.

Can anyone tell me what NT refers to?

Hiya,

I saw your post on the other thread so followed you here to offer support.

Firstly, I wanted to offer a . You sound quite terrified and tbh I was when I was doing similar to you when Ds was a similar age.

There are things you have described that certainly do merit a referral to a developmental paediatrician. That is not do say your dd has autism. No-one here could possibly say but your concerns are valid.

Secondly, know that autism is a huge spectrum and can mean very little problems in life, as much as it can mean great ones. But also, autism isn't the only developmental disorder and many of them (including some forms of autism) can with early and targeted intervention have their effects reduced if not made invisible.

Thirdly, as terrified as you might be now, and however much you don't really want to even be posting on this part of MN, many disabilities are not half as frightening once you get to know them.

Fourthly, just an early warning that men can sometimes be a bit slower at coming round to the idea that further investigation is a good idea.

Keep posting on this board as much as you need to.

NT = Neurotypical.... a term used a lot to avoid saying "normal" as this implies that children with additional needs aren't "normal"

X post.

Good luck with your DH. Tell him that what person wouldn't feel lucky to have a developmental paed give the parents a good assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of their child and perhaps it will help you target things they need help with and talents that you can nurture.

It's an assessment many rich people pay for their children to have.

Just spoke to DP about my concerns, he actually asked me to print off this thread because he agrees with me. (He's not one for reading lots of posts etc online :))

Unknown to me he had 'in his mind' that by our holiday in September, if things were still the same then he'd suggest getting a second opinion.

Certainly good news that we're both on the same page.

I suppose for now, I'll have a nosey round these boards and gather as much experience and information as I can.

You've all been lovely, and thanks for confirming what NT means :)

Well then let me apologise for my generalisation.

Many on here have had DH's who were reluctant at first to do anything other than wait and see, which is a shame because the best outcomes are researched to be for those children who have parents who fast accept any difficulty their child has and then get on quickly with addressing it.

One of the best things you can do at this stage is to find the CHAT or MCHAT questionnaire for autism, plus other developmental disability symptoms such as those found for Dyspraxia etc. as well as ADHD and make a list of all those that might apply to your dd, giving a real life example or two for each.

If you hand that to your GP when requesting a referral, then they cannot deny that there is a good basis for it.

In the meantime, get yourself a copy of Hanen's More than Words book (not cheap - sorry) and begin setting time aside to work on the exercises within in, which are good for all children really but especially good for parents who have perhaps lost the ability to interact well with their child because sometimes when a child has something going on they are just too hard and unrewarding to interact with.

Oh Starlight, no need to apologise. Just by my earlier comment I also generalised

Thanks for the advice re: CHAT and MCHAT questionnaire, I'll take a look.

And of the little that I do know about thses things, it's that it's best to be completely prepared because often parents can feel 'fobbed off'

Really pleased I've got this off my chest tbh :)

come on over to the Friday Night Thread, Face

it's a good way to get to know people

oh, Friday night thread? Where and when?

I do have two bottles to be exact

ok, just where.

With 'when' I think the clue is in the name 'Friday night thread'

Dunno. Sometimes it starts on a Thurs and often it is still going by Mon.

OP- my dd2 was referred to a pead at her 2 year check up, she was non-verbal and would line her toys up, she was diagnosed with ASD at the age of 3. I also have a dd1 with Aspergers, although both my girls are on the spectrum they are very different. Maybe talk to your gp when she goes for her 2 year check, they may refer her to SALT if they feel her lack of speach is a problem (we were told to wait 3 months and were then sent to SALT).

My dd2 is now 6 and talking (when she wants to) and doing well in MS school.

Hello Face, just wanted to wish you well. If it helps, you already seem much more clued in than I was this time last year - and that will be of such benefit to your DD.
My DD is now 3.6. I feel so guilty now that I didn't listen to the nagging feeling that I had, from she was about 15 months and had some regression, that something wasn't right. I think the fact that my older DS had been advanced meant that I didn't pay much attention to development milestones. I knew that DD's speech was delayed, but I lulled myself in to thinking that she would catch up.
Her delays were picked by HV at two year health assessment. She was then referred to a speech & language therapist, who told me that she was basically delayed in everything, apart from gross motor skills. I was shell-shocked, but managed to ask what causes delay. The SALT gave a fairly non-committal answer, but did mention ASD as one of the causes for development delay. She said that she would have to refer DD urgently to multi disciplinary assessment team.
At that time, I knew very little about ASD and it certainly wasn't something that I had ever considered for DD. The thought of it terrified me. Looking back, she was exhibiting numerous red flags - I feel terrible now that I had no awareness. It is now a year down the line and it is almost inevitable that she is heading for an ASD diagnosis.

This time last year, I was terrified of the word autism. Sometimes, it hasn't been easy. I have taken myself off to the bathroom for a good cry on the odd occasion. But, a year down the line, our life is still good. My DD is gorgeous, affectionate and so loveable. I still go to work, see friends and drink wine! It hasn't been the end of the world, like I thought it might be. She is making progress and there are many things that have helped her.
I am not saying at all that your DD has ASD - but I think that it is brilliant that you and your DH have picked up concerns, and are willing to act on these so early on. All the best to you all.

What a fantastic post Marchduck

Thanks for that post marchduck.

I still haven't had a chance to have a look at the websites and things, between talking to DP and sorting out DD. I will make time this weekend - tomorrow is my lie in so I will probably take the laptop up to bed for an hour or two and have a good read.

The part in your post about still working, seeing friends etc gives me hope that we can do this, and looking at dd now - playing on the floor with crayons and paper, munching on strawberries, I wonder if the things I've described are just 'normal' but I know that by her 2 yr check up, there will be concern with her speech at the very least - so I feel better about having got my thoughts down, spoken to DP and will prepare to properly investigate this and not be fobbed off.

It is quite scary, but like your dd marchduck, ours is loveable and gorgeous and has personality. We'd do anything for her, and this is just one of those things.

I'm rambling :)

Thanks again all.