Would like to hear some of your ASD experiences please - non-controversially!

[snowleopard]

Anyone with a child with ASD - could you answer a few questions for me? I'm very confused by various things said anecdotally, scientifically and by doctors that don't all seem to add up. But I'm really not wanting to start an emotive row or discuss MMR - just would like to know a few things, especially about the pre-dx behaviour of children who were later dx with ASD.

DS is just over 1, we see no great early pointers or behaviour that would indicate anything in particular, but DP is worried as his brother has Asperger's and we are wondering if there's anything we should be looking out for.

If your child/a child you know was later diagnosed with ASD:

• looking back, was there anything that made them seem unusual as a baby?
• or were they totally "normal" and like other babies?
• when did you first suspect anything unusual?
• if you were me what would you be looking out for?
• lastly, I've heard of research that suggests that in children later diagnosed with ASD, the dx can be predicted by their movement patterns in babyhood. I'm not saying I accept or don't accept this - I'm just interested. DS for example does have a lopsided crawl - one of the supposed pointers - but then that could be caused by other things too and he's only just started crawling - so I don't know whether that's a cause for concern.

Thanks if you've read this far and can help!

Didn't know anything about autism so didn't notice ds but looking back yes definate signs.

Poor feeder at birth - he took several weeks to learn to breastfeed. Quite passive and looking back at photos he looks like he's in his own world. He didn't play with toys the way my other children do. He would look at things in an odd way. He bottom shuffled (probably not significant) and didn't point till he was 2 years old and even then it was usually when prompted.

I first had concerns about 18 months when his eye contact was poor.

ds's autism is mild and I'd say it was harder for us to notice although he did have significant language problems between age 3-5 so it was fairly obvious.

HTH

Thanks everyone, this is all really helpful.
DS doesn't seem to have most of these - the crawl is really the only thing I've seen a connection made with, plus it can take a few repetitions of his name to get him to look round, but that's generally when he's very absorbed. (Have also seen him respond when I call but not look up, ie smile and get a cheeky grin on his face, then look up later - no idea what that's all about!) I instinctively feel nothing is wrong - but the family history and stories of regression mean I will still be worrying for a while I think...

But discussing it really helps.

I'm trying to pick just the things that are ASD-related as though it's not a "minor" problem, the sleep issues (for instance) are probably caused by Epilepsy or later brain damage.

I have to say, because of an unrelated condition I picked all this stuff up at the time and was reporting it to health professionals - eg insufficient eye contact @ 5 months. But they pooh-poohed it. Because ASD is almost always diagnosed so late, there seems to be sod all research or provision for treating it that early. Which is annoying because I would have thought it is when the problems emerge that you have the best chance of working with them.

• hypersensitive to touch: hated baby massage till about 18m old
• not "clingy"
• no fear of strangers
• no attachment to specific adults
• no eye contact @ 5m
• no shared regard
• no pointing
• initial babbling and some proto-words. Never progressed beyond that stage
• no "negotiation"; no awareness that adults could be used to get things.
• if in need of something, cried (not "at" you, just cried) and trial-and-error to work out what
• basic interactive stuff had/has to be relearned time and time again. Have taught her to clap 4 times now
• no play
• in particular, no interest in soft toys, ie no understanding of them as "model" people.

Crawling normal, @ 8m.
Walking @ 14m
can't climb, jump, run - some motor component to this but motor is good enough to handle stairs but she can't/won't do it; in particular will just launch herself headfirst down the stairs rather than the usual route.

Re: the responding to name thing - I think that only works up to a certain age. When young (7m? 9m?) they will respond to their name almost instinctively as they are programmed to seek familiar bits of sentences. Which DD1 did, btw. There's a toddler thing that kicks in later where they have enough self-control to choose not to respond because they have better things to do.

For me - a first time mum - the earliest signs were when I took ds to tot groups and in the way his world just didn't seem to hinge upon me in the way that it semed to for other children....quite gutting ! Also, got comments from other parents like 'I can see you haven't socialised him much'??! As ds is SOOO passive and was just happy to bumble along doing his own thing. I didn't know what they meant at the time....- what were they saying about my beautiful boy? - but it's very clear now that he just ignores other children...to the point that he'll sit down on their lap if they're in his spot at playschool!!

ds didn't point, lost his speech at 18 months and seemed increasingly difficult to engage. He was late to walk (about 18 months) but has never been hugely active. He didn't really crawl??!

I think you should try not to stress too much snowleopard but as emma says just get things checked if they become a worry. This way you know you haven't wasted time if something is exposed later.

p.s. Peachy what do you mean about knowing in pregnancy?

For me - a first time mum - the earliest signs were when I took ds to tot groups and in the way his world just didn't seem to hinge upon me in the way that it semed to for other children....quite gutting ! Also, got comments from other parents like 'I can see you haven't socialised him much'??! As ds is SOOO passive and was just happy to bumble along doing his own thing. I didn't know what they meant at the time....- what were they saying about my beautiful boy? - but it's very clear now that he just ignores other children...to the point that he'll sit down on their lap if they're in his spot at playschool!!

ds didn't point, lost his speech at 18 months and seemed increasingly difficult to engage. He was late to walk (about 18 months) but has never been hugely active. He didn't really crawl??!

I think you should try not to stress too much snowleopard but as emma says just get things checked if they become a worry. This way you know you haven't wasted time if something is exposed later.

Whoops sorry

I recognise a lot of what's been said already. Also for us, ds used to scream the house down when he was put into the bath, then he'd scream for about 15-20 minutes when we took him out. I'm guessing now that this was a sensory thing.

He wasn't really talking at all, but one day when I was changing him he suddenly counted from 1 to 10.

At toddlers music class, aged 2, he used to run round the room playing with all the electric sockets and trying to empty out the money pot on the table.

I think a milk intolerance made things worse. I was mixed-feeding him, and he'd scream for a bottle, then when he'd drunk it his eyes would glaze over and he seemed to be in another world.
I think this also relates to his nappies. They were just WEIRD!! Full of stringy bits of mucus and awful, we used to call them 'explosions'. So glad we're past that stage now.........