Apraxia + social communication issues = is not Autism

[Soumia]

Dear mums...lovely mums

I have alwats been reluctant to be open to talk about it as the fiagnosis has been made with a team of professionals...but I know my son very well...

I am suspecting that my son has Apraxia + social interactikn issues .. NOT autism.

The diagnosis was autism...but my son looks as if he has apraxoa of speech...although he started walking at 9 months and all.his development was normal...

His main weakness is rather speech + social.interaction...

I am.confused...frustrated...worried...ripping my hair...Ahhhhgghhggr

Help me plz

i personally think autism can be a bit diagnosed too quickly. looking into other possibilities is helpful. having one or two autistic tendencies doesn't make a child autistic, there can be lots of reasons behind things. No one knows your child better than you

@dolphin05

You are right...i was 100% sure he was autistic 3 years ago... but since 6 months...many things changed:

His eye contact is perfect

He is very clever...understands everything...but he suffers from.deficit in social.interaction because again:

He is non.verbal...no speech at all

Started PECS last month and he is doing wonderfully well...

He has lots of repetetivd sensory play through throwing...he loves throwing anything...

Again..
I believe all the sensory issues would reduce once his speevh comes out....

Ah....if he can just start babbling or point to something and make a sound ....ah i dream.of that
7.
I am.confused ...frustrated...hopeless

I posted on your other thread. I'm not sure it actually matters what the label is. What's more important is getting the right help.

Autism seems to be a very wide label given to a particular type of symptoms that could well have a number of different causes (rather than being a single thing). So I'm not sure that its helpful to spend time wondering whether your son does or doesn't have autism but just look at meeting his needs, as you have been doing.

(On the other hand, having an autism diagnosis can be useful as it makes it easier to access services - very few people have heard of social communication disorder).

I was told that one of the marks of apraxia is a big gulf between understanding and speech, as normally the two are fairly close together. My DS (diagnosis of social communication disorder and apraxia) made a huge leap forward in eye contact/interactivity between 3 and 4, although he has never had any sensory issues. He is still delayed in his social understanding.

I note you are doing PECS. I found once DS could communicate with us, I was much less aware of the lack of speech. We also use makaton (no success with this aged 3 and 4, but caught on immediately aged 5), a symbol book, and just asking questions or offering choices.

When we were going through the Dx process I wondered if SCD was a better fit for DD (as she had no language delay and had good joint attention etc. but she was definitely behind socially) - but was advised (probably here but also elsewhere!) that SCD is not a very useful diagnosis because as lonesome says most people haven't heard of it (many professionals don't even understand autism, let alone anything else...) As lonesome also says our children do continue to develop (often fast!) - that's just as true of autistic children. DD is very social now in ways that she never used to be (joins in other children's games, has a best friend) but I can still see her social differences in other ways that are appropriate for her age. She will always be different but I hope by understanding those differences we can help her navigate them confidently, rather than trying to squash/hide them away.

Everything you've written is still consistent with autism. No autistic person has every autistic trait (just like no NT person has every NT trait). So even if he's not autistic the way you would parent the challenges he does have probably wouldn't be very different? I would stick with the Dx you have rather than throwing a lot of energy at trying to change it, but absolutely understanding which particular traits, challenges and strengths your son has will help you help him develop with minimum barriers and frustration.

How old is your child? What exactly are his “social interaction difficulties”? It took me 3 years basically to admit it to myself. My child is fun makes eye contact has empathy hit all milestones ahead or on par with all of his peers. For a long time I thought he just had a tongue tie issue and maybe some sensory issues as he doesn’t ever want jackets and such/indifferent to cold and a few other things that can totally be seen as normal. NOBODY but doctors believe it’s Autism. Family friends always ask if I am sure etc because “he doesn’t seem like an autistic child”. Honestly I truly believe that most people have an ideal of autism in their heads, and when it doesn’t match up completely to the t with other more severe autistic children then they think your kids just a bit awkward and nothing else.

On the other side though, I have seen people diagnose ASD early because they don’t know what’s wrong and want to give services that will be covered with an ASD diagnosis.

@Aunaturalmama

Thanks for sharing you experience...

My son will be 5 in 2 months.

All his play is srnsory serking behaviour...throwing...climbing...jumping...he loves throwing things up in the air...
Absolutely anything...food...books...he would open any drawer in the house and just throw things up...
Even his poo he throws it to the walls...ceilings...etc

He had no problems with cloths or cold hot weather

But

He is very srnsitive to tickles and he LOVES to be tickled.

I am quite confused if his has srnsory problrm.or he loces sensory play...

His play is sensory and very repetitive...

He has PICA...he would anything...in.his.mouth
I must observe him 24 hrs day...

I have my daughter she 1 year older than him...she used to have srnsory srrking behaviour (much less than him)...which significantly reduced ...almost disapeared ONCE HER SPEECH COME OUT!

that s why i think may be he is too anxious and frustrated because he does noy.know how to communicate...

What do you think?

I would definitely take a look at Sensory Processing Disorder, if you truly believe it isn’t autism spectrum disorder. That’s what my son was diagnosed with first. It can be different for all children- but mainly grouped up in “sensory seeking” and “sensory avoiding”. Some kiddos have aspects of both. I would consider my son mainly a seeker. Loves to throw things, do water play, play dough, messing with raw rice and beans and scooping them back and fourth, loves to be swung around thrown, and ultra sensitive to tickles....
Autism by definition is basically just a behavioral diagnosis of repetitive behavior And lacking in areas of social/communication. They also tend to have sensory issues like SPD, and issues with speech.
ASD is a vast range! A huge spectrum. So all children with autism are different aside from having social/communication delays and repetitive behavior.

For now, I would just go with the diagnosis and take all services you think will help your child. Can’t hurt even if the diagnosis is wrong! It does sound like autism to me personally. However, you know your child the very best!

Also your speech theory might be correct for your kiddos or be coincidental, but my son recently after his 3rd birthday went from about 10 words to countless. His communication and sensory seeking is the same. His words are repetitive things though mainly not free thinking. I have to say is that okay or yeah? after everything I say and he will repeat okay or yeah...or shake his head no or say nothing which means no also for him. He will imitate an entire Movie with words you can make out 75% of the time, but he won’t use those words freely in conversation.
Does your daughter converse with you adequately or are things repetitive? Maybe there is a connection to sensory seeking and Lacking communication not speech? 🤔 interesting theory