Autism

[mrseniap]

Hi everyone

My son is coming up to 2 years and 5 months.

His speech is delayed and although he chats a lot in his own language - he is not using lots of words.

He says no, yeah, oh no, bye and a couple of others like 'bubble' and he uses them in context but otherwise it's moans and whines gesturing to his shoes when he wants to go out or drink when he wants his drink.

A friend a while ago mentioned autism and now I'm looking into it to see if it's signs of autism in my son.

He waves items in front of his face and likes to look at how things work etc ... but then he does look me in the eye, smiles at people, tries to join in playing with other children... so he's showing some signs but not others?

Has anyone experienced something similar? Or had a child with delayed speech and then just suddenly did it one day?

Thanks

Hannah

Hi Hannah, my dd is 2.5 and diagnosed asd. Have you contacted your health visitor about your concerns? Mine started off with sending me a questionnaire for autistic traits - it wasn’t a great way of doing things but it got the ball rolling. If you look at @mrsspeechiep on Instagram she has loads of information about asd in her highlights, so could help you identify whether you think it’s a possibility for your DS or not.
My dd has great eye contact and very sociable, so I know it can be very difficult to tell for sure.
Hope this helps.

Hi Hannah,

This sounds a lot like my son. He is 2y 3 months. He doesn’t say anything yet but does babble things that don’t mean anything. He understands some things I say but no where near what he should do for his age.

He is a happy boy and happy playing with children, loves his food and loves playing.
I requested my 2 year check early as I am worrying about him and she said he does show some signs for autism. These signs were repetitive behaviours (closing doors repeatedly, lack of understanding, not much eye contact, doesnt pretend play) He also couldn’t pass many of her tests she did with him.
He has started a playgroup and I am hoping that helps with his development.
Like R008 says above it is definitely worth contacting your HV.
My Son has been referred to speech and language and also to Neurodevelopment although I am yet to have had an appointment.
I am considering paying for speech therapy as there is a long waiting list where I live. Xx

@LS908 just wondering how your little guy is doing he sounds similar to my 26month old. Doing everything I can but he was supposed to have a paediatric appointment tomorrow which we waited 4 months for but it’s just been postponed so I’m looking for people In a similar boat. It’s scary but I just want answers. Thanks

Both my kids have delayed speech.

Ds is 2 years 8 months. Only just starting to put two words together. We’re not worried about him in terms of ASD- he is on the same wavelength as me and DH, he wants us involved is his world, showing us things, lots of shared interests etc.

Dd is 4 and has a pretty severe speech and language delay- still only using single words, and a few short phrases (and lots of memorised lines from Disney movies). She’s being assessed for ASD, and I’d be stunned if we don’t get a diagnosis.

There’s a big difference between how they were at the same age. Dd was just tuned into a different channel- she was aware we were there, but we were only there to meet her needs! Whereas with DS he’s constantly trying to get me to play or show me things.

Even if it was ASD with ds, I’m way more chilled about it. I can remember when I first started worrying about dd ASD was my worst nightmare, but honestly, I shouldn’t have worried so much.

@TerribleCustomerCervix thanks for the response it’s nice to know we are not alone.Apologies for the long post but here’s my story. My little guy is delayed at everything started around 1 he started bum shuffling around 11 months and didn’t properly walk until he was 24 months. He’s almost 27 months now and has not yet said a single word. He babbles and communicates via sounds and reaches but has never pointed with his index finger he only started clapping at 24 months and rarely waves. If I give him a crayon he can’t scribble with it he just slaps the page with it and he won’t build blocks or do a puzzle I say won’t as I know he can do it I have seen him attempt to do it before it’s like he doesn’t want to. His play is extremely limited he likes to hand me things or put his blocks in and out of a box but he rarely plays with his other toys. On the plus side he is extremely affectionate, loves to be kissed and cuddled cries if I leave the house and waits for me in the morning at the stair gate to come down for breakfast if he and my husband are downstairs. He is very social loves to play and dance with us and is not shy at all for example my brother visited this week and hasn’t seen my son since he was 3 months but he was straight over giving him a book to read to him, looking to be picked up etc.he’s also very cautious knows when he can’t get down a big step for example.He loves books and will hand us books all the time to read his understanding is ok not where it should be at. He rarely has tantrums and if he does get upset he is easy to settle he is always smiling and In good form , we change up his routine all the time and it doesn’t bother him , his sleep is great and he responds to his name most of the time. His eye contact is great if your playing peek a boo for example but on other occasions he just hands me things to my hand so I have to put hands near my eyes so He will look at my face .I’ve asked his speech therapist, crèche teachers and public health nurse they are all of the opinion that he is not autistic but just delayed global developmental delay was suggested but part of me thinks it’s probably autism due to the lack of words, poor fine motor skills , lack of pointing and imaginative play. I would never say he is in his own world quite the opposite and I think this is why people think he’s just delayed but the spectrum is so large. I had a Paediatric appointment for him which had now been postponed but I knew something was off at 15 months so I put him on the list then and I believe he will be getting a place in early Intervention this Jan if not April depending on the spaces. I put him into private speech therapy at 19 months but I have not seen any progress as he still has no words . It’s a constant worry and I hate that I have spent the majority of his life worrying about autism when I should just accept him for who he is and enjoy him it’s just so hard when you just don’t know what to expect!!! I’m also pregnant with a baby girl fur in April and I’m afraid her birth will delay him further if he doesn’t start speaking 😔

@FinnsMammy thanks for the reply. My son is 29 months now and his understanding of things is better where as before I don’t think he hardly understood anything. He is still not saying any words but is making noise. He enjoys playing but he plays in a different way to other children. It is scary I feel like it’s the unknown but I also feel guilty for spending the whole time worrying about him. He is a happy boy though so I am trying to remember that. He’s been attending a playgroup 3 mornings a week on his own and I think this has helped him the most.

my son sounds very similar to yours in the way that change of routine doesn’t bother, he eats well, he does give eye contact sometimes and his sleep is ok so it’s all very confusing. ☹️
Congratulations on your baby girl.
I have a 8 month old son too and I feel guilty as alot to my attention is spent on my older son. It’s probably not the case, it’s probably me just worrying but it’s hard not to x

@LS908 do glad to meet another mother with a child like mine. Did you get him into early intervention yet? I got my son a spot in early intervention because I have been wrecking their heads with calls and emails lol but I’ve heard that 2+10months is the norm in my area to start early intervention at present with all the covid delays but I have yet to have him assessed. Did you ever get a reason for his delays ? I don’t know if early intervention will help my son but it certainly can’t hurt. We started him in crèche 3months ago and it’s definitely helped but they have him in the younger class due to his obvious delays which I’m thankful for as i don’t want him to feel overwhelmed. My little boy is so happy and so engaging but it’s clear there are differences. I’m grateful that he’s happy and present and like you I try to remind myself that he is happy and he is healthy and so many parents have much much bigger problems.

@LS908 please don’t feel guilty either it’s very hard to give two children equal time when you have a child with additional needs. You are doing a great job X

Hi, my son is 8 years old has had sensory needs alongside autism. One of the things in particular I struggle to get for him are boxers. He likes them lose around the leg, but I can only find ones that fit snug around the leg.

Does anyone else's child have this particular need? Where do you get the boxers from? Once he's grown out of the ones he has I can't get anymore of the ones he likes.

Thank you.

@WafflesIsAWally I can’t help, I have a girl! But are you part of any parent Facebook groups? I’m in one called Nurturing Neurodiversity. Members usually have lots of recommendations on there, probably more than Mumsnet. Hope this helps.

@WafflesIsAWally I have a 2 year old still in nappies so I can’t help much but I know next do a wide range otherwise you could look on Amazon they have a faq page for each item you could ask them before you purchase them. X

My 10yr old was recently diagnosed with autism but it has been a surprise to lots of people around us because he is social and gives eye contact, and his verbal reasoning is very advanced. However, at 2 he had few words, they all seemed to come at once when he was nearly 3. He was dx on the basis of repetitive behaviours, intense interests, lack of repricocity, lack of imaginative play and superficial eye contact. His verbal reasoning/ sociability masks his autism. What I would say though is he's not really started to struggle until recently and the only reason I could see for dx was because he needs support/ accommodation round his neuro diversity. So just have a think about what the dx can do, we found that all the "adjustments" he needed at home we were doing in response to his needs anyway. It's quite nice to be able to say to the "he just needs to be told" brigade to say actually he is autistic and this is a necessity for him rather than me being an idiot who allows my son to manipulate me by acting distressed. But up until recently there hasn't needed to be much else