Autism questions, can anyone help or point me to a good book/resources?

[Chucklebear]

My DD1 has a lot of autistic traits and we are waiting for a diagnosis (have been told its best to wait until she is in a nursery setting though). I don't know exactly what it means for her so I was having a google and I came across this link:

www.webmd.boots.com/a-to-z-guides/tc/autism-what-will-happen

It says that 50 out of 75 adults with autism have no friends. And only 15 in 100 will grow up and live alone. Is that really the case? I feel so sad for her if it is. I had no idea.

I am also concerned about whether the red flag areas are likely to get worse. So she flaps her hands, makes a funny noise and kicks when she is excited or cross (she's 2.5 years old). Does that kind of thing get worse?

I am also worried about whether she is likely to have sleep issues as she gets older. She sleeps ok at the moment but doesn't seem to need that much sleep in total compared to other children of her age. Do all or most children with autism have sleep issues?

i had a bit of a fight an issue with Boots after one of their articles after they described Aspergers as 'mild' autism so wouldn't have much faith in what they say, but if you want factual and researched info, the National Autistic Society pages are a good place to start

if you can't decipher my terrible post up there it means i don't hold anything the boots articles in very high regard

It's ok I knew what you meant! Thanks for the link, had a quick look already and will have a good read (and will ignore Boots who upset me!).

Do you know whether autism might be a reason why my DD doesn't yet drink from a cup herself? I know that sounds like a random question but OT have said how I need to help her learn and I do try, but she just wants me to hold the cup for her. I'm wondering now if this is maybe another autistic trait and whether there might be different or better ways to help her learn. Thanks :)

My DD has a dx of ASD (and ? SPD) and at aged 3 she was really reluctant to hold a cup at all , she'd still drink from a baby bottle today given half a chance!

saying that though, this is not part of the diagnostic criteria, i have no idea if this is linked to her autism or not.

polter she is 2.5 years old. She has an underlying condition as well and there is a possibility that some or all of her delays are due to this. But a lot of her little quirky things are also autistic traits. I adore and her love every little thing about her, but I know that the quirky things may make her not 'fit in' so easily with her peers as she gets older. So she:

Flaps arms and makes a noise when excited
Rarely points
Used to say mama and dadda all the time but then stopped (has started doing this a bit more though)
Doesn't say anymore than one word at a time
Wants to watch the same TV programme over and over
Gets attached to magnets and key rings instead if cuddley toys
Is hypermobile and not walking yet
Gags when something is different (food) or out of place (paper peeling off a crayon)
Is extremely good with computers and has been since about 1 year old

Perhaps things that suggest she may not be autistic are (or maybe not?):

Does imaginary play
Is very loving towards her baby brother and family. Kisses and cuddles all the time
Loves praise and attention
Is inquisitive and loves exploring new toys/places

She has a portage visitor and goes to a special playgroup and they have said she could be autistic but too early to tell. Is it really too early?

Thanks for replies so far :)

Just being nosey but does your Dd also have Down Syndrome??

Just that apparently lots of children with it also have Asd!

You dont have to answer that if you dont want to

Does she do imaginative play or has she learned what to do, eg. Can she pour pretend tea from a tea pot and pretend to drink it? This can be learned!

Does she use a brick or other random object as an aeroplane or pour tea from a totally random shaped object??
That is imaginative play.

good luck

Boo :( no she does the stuff that can be learned. So she feeds pretend food to her toy horses etc. So that doesn't count?

Nope she doesn't have Down's syndrome.

It doesnt count really chuckle sorry but the positive is that she is still very little so has still got time. Just keep your eyes open.

For an introduction to Asd I liked "10 things every child with autism wishes you knew"
It is american which means that a few bits dont make sense here but it is easy to read and very helpful when you are starting out.

Good luck

My DS is 3.8 years old and has Asperger's Syndrome. His Paediatrician dismissed everything that I thought showed he did imaginative play too .

His Occupational Therapy target from the age of about 2.3 years was to drink from an open cup but he has only done it within the last few months, and only really started when he had no choice at nursery (I sent him with his sippy cup but they hid it unless he really wouldn't drink from their beakers).

He still has milk in a bottle though. Guess what our current OT target is

I understand that it is better for speech to use an open cup but really, does a bottle of milk at the end of an exhausting and possibly stressful day really hurt

My Dd3 had a bottle until 4, then a sports bottle until 7 and now at 11 still has a cup with a straw with milk at bedtime some nights, especially when stressed.

It is a bedtime routine and helps her to settle. I wouldnt sweat the small stuff, honestly!!

Yep! Agree with previous posters. DS is 5.2 and only drinks from sports cap bottles. He also has tea and milk from his bottle at bedtime. Tried stopping this but it caused him so much anxiety, which just before bed, was awful to say the least!