worried 15 month old is showing signs of autism

[gillianh2222]

hi, so last week i noticed a few things in my son that wasn't so "normal" a few things i've picked up on are.
dose not respond to name.
rarely makes eye contact.
dose not talk just "hms" did babble but stopped around 10 months.
if he sits down and feels something behind his head (wall for example) will bang his head a few times.
constantly shuts doors.
won't play with myself or other children at play group.
doesn't point for something.
dose not ask for help just cries if he can't do something.
no pretend play unless i put the phone to his ear for him then he will listen and again "hmm".
won't engage in play with myself.
won't bring me things when i ask him to, has no idea what i'm asking for.
spins around on his bum in circles.
shakes his head from side to side (ears have been checked)
doesn't point for things.
obsessed with cars more the wheels.
we have an appointment next week to see a doctor and start getting a referral in place to see someone but since noticing this all i'v done nothing but cry i don't know where i've gone wrong.
he's a very happy little man not much upsets him accept when i say "ta" when i ask him for something he has hold of that he wants.
i've been made aware that seeing a professional can take ALOT of time so in the meantime if this dose sound like autism is there any advice anyone could give me with helping him with the above problems i can try at home. i want to start asap really as read the sooner you start helping there is a very small chance that they can outgrow it or at least make it easier for adult hood.
i'm sorry if this is mumbled and not much sense my brain feels like scrambled egg at the moment.
thank you for any giving advice on it.

Hi gillianh, we're going to move this thread over to our SN children topic now - we're sure you'll get plenty of advice and support there.

Thank you PolterGoose and DawnMumsnet. I hadn't realised i'd posted it wrongly

Good luck, I agree speak to your HV too and make sure you are being supported. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

i don't know where i've gone wrong. this line really stood out to me, I think that is a normal feeling of parents in the early stages but you haven't done anything wrong at all. Infact by being on the ball and identifying concerns early you will help your son get any help and support he may need at an early age.

thank you for responding, i've just moved house and contacted the local HV team and when i explained my concerns and explained he's showing signs of autism she responded with a giggle in her voice "why would you think that" it was only when i was explaining whats gone on she took me a little more serious, i was more hoping they'd tell me i was daft and i'm just a lazy parent but no.
i've took some steps myself by turning of the TV 5 days ago, since then we've had a lot more "hmm" noise but no babbling, and this morning he picked up his toy phone and placed it to his ear and listened i was over joyed.

this morning he's been making plenty of eye contact with me when i sing and even when i pause he will 'hmm" so attempt to carry on, i've been saying his name every time i talk to him so he knows i'm addressing him, if a 20 second gap before my next sentence i will again address him by name.

i'm still sat around waiting for a HV to call me to arrange a visit so i'm going to call back today so she can at least get help in with a speech therapist.

just feel like i'm at a brick wall and very worried for his future.

i thought eye contact was a part of it as i know a few children who struggle with eye contact with autism as well and it keeps popping up when i look for other signs that maybe i've missed but would trigger if i read them.
i've done the M-CHAT_R a few times to again make sure i'm not missing anything and says he's at risk.
i've also read that his shaking head and spinning on his bum would be something to "clam him down" but before doing these movements he was already calm and very happy during doing it and after, their is a lot of mixed reviews on signs and whether it being normal child play or signs of autism.
he'd had a tantrum this morning as i had to tell him "no" to climbing the stairs towards my bedroom as still to put a gate there with it being a new house, so during his tantrum i placed him in his cot and watched his actions how he'd act to calm himself but nothing, he just laid down into his duvet and screamed then calmed down after around 3 mins he didn't do anything "unusual" to calm himself.
a part of me is saying this is happening and another parts saying it's child play and he's a little slow on communication but because he's regressed from communication. i'm in two minds! we have an appointment to see his HV on the 29th so hopefully get some answers and see if we can help him progress in any way.
i'm really grateful for the giving advice and a good boot up the backside to demand a HV coming out was much needed and much help.
thank you

Some of that behaviour sounds like it could be sensory seeking behaviour? Maybe have a look at the sensory processing disorder thread on here for some ideas? Not trying to diagnose him but sometimes there are different ideas there which can help him.

Good luck.

hi Sirzy, we thought the same but sensory seeking was ruled out by his doctor at his 12 month check up with his injections and they put what he was doing then to child play and "he'd out grow it" what he had done but just replaced it with something else, my garden in a sensory seekers heaven i have so many dangly shiny things with bright lights and noise etc but he's not interested in them in the slightest he's more interested in the balls we have round the garden and throwing them behind himself, he dose look to see what that noise is when the wind blows on a chime but soon regards it as oh it's just that thing up their.

Sensory stuff can be hard to place. My son seeks via tip toe walking but hates swings and movement. It's hard to unpick and Ocupational therapy might be the ones to do so.

Try not to panic. It could be something or nothing. My son was a lot like yours. He's dyspraxic. Lots of conditions overlap much like the circles in the Olympic Rings ( as I've heard) my son ticks all the asd boxes. But he's not autistic.

My only advise to you is not to be fobbed off by hv. She can refer to slt and pead. Mine told me 15 months was too young but we did get seen at that age.

Waiting lists are very long.

You could try high attention bucket / bag. It's the first thing slt suggest now. Its about communication which isn't just speech

i've looked up that attention bucket thank you 2boysnamedR and will look into it in more depth when the kids are in bed, we got an appointment with the doctor today as a cancelation took place and he's basically said my sons "thick" nothing more nothing less and just needs much much more attention and interaction, in my eyes this was the best news EVER! so we went to play group afterwards had a normal play then he was having a kick of over some bike as some bigger kids kept taking the cars and the bike of him, so we went the park, was smiling laughing loving the swing, then we left to pick up my daughter from school then went back to the park where he flipped when i tried to place him in the swing so came home and he keeps standing up at the wall then falling back on his bottom so think the "thick" problem is much much more so made an appointment to go private for a referral instead whats on the 28th so hopefully some answers but still secretly hoping they say i'm just a rubbish mother who needs to spend more time with him rather than anything else as i don't think i'm cut out for all this work, been spending loads of floor time teaching him words trying to get him to recognise his name and i'm worn out
hats of to mothers and fathers who've been doing it longer than 4 days.

I hope the GP didn't use the word thick?

Your HV should be able to do a refferal for NHS peadiatrician and anything else which is needed.

i've made an appointment with a doctor from Pall Mall Court in Manchester they seemed to be really helpful, said i would still be on the waiting list with the referral for the same amount of time i would be if i went with the NHS GP but said there isn't back and forth appointments if they believe he needs one they will put one through, but they can also put me on a private waiting list if it suits us but unsure what waiting list that would be said the doctor would explain that in more detail if it's what i wanted.

No he didn't say he was "thick" it said that he's just a little behind as he'd became so fixated with TV he forgotten all the things he could do, and with me always having everything out for when/if he needs it all all toys within reach and before he had a chance to ask for help i've already seen and helping him so he's never had a reason to speak so i responded "so thick basically" he said "not a word he'd use but if it makes it easier for myself to understand then yes".

Yes thank you, i've looked over them briefly but will read in depth when the kids go to bed, they're all saved as book marks on my laptop.

OP, I would cancel the HV. They often haven't got the faintest clue if it comes to disordered development in children. To laugh you off on the phone

I would go via GP. I am speaking from bitter experience

I think as with any medical proffessional you get the fantastic, the shite and everything inbetween!

My HV was awful, my sisters is amazing. It has been the school nurse who has got things moving for DS (but obviously the OP is a way of that stage)

I'm going to go to a different doctor on the 28th along with his new HV on the 29th and see what's said and what they can offer in means on rolling the ball with treatment in his speech, i think reading up on it tons for the past few days his speech and interaction with other children would help massively but i myself have social anxiety so from birth till now he's not really had much to do with outdoors and other people as he also has separation anxiety with myself, he won't even go to his dad if i'm in the room, if their are strangers he cuddles and clings but at play group today he didn't want to know me :)
We do have a diary and i note everything "unusual" he dose when he dose it and what was happening at the time. at the moment i don't see anything causing it. he's fine with routine chance he has no problems with any of that or dose it cause a upset he just gets on with it.

With the high attention bucket. Buy stuff off eBay like cheap party bag filler stuff. Lots of jazzy tat really.

I wished it was just parenting as that fixable. It rarely is that simple.

Your dr sounds interesting. I guess he's not a child development expert?