Hand flapping

[worriedma]

Hi just wanted a bit of advice really. Ds is 3.6 He's a very happy sociable boy who plays imaginatively and well with other children. Speech and language is good and he's learning numbers and phonics well. Eye contact all normal too. Nursery are pleased with how he's doing.
Dh and I've noticed that sometimes when he's eating and doesn't like the food he will hand flap or bang his fists on the table while chewing. He also does this when he's constipated and having difficulty going to the loo. Should I be concerned about this? Is handflapping only associated with autism or could he just be being childish?

Hand flapping can be related to other things, including sometimes dyspraxia or mostly just habit. I wouldn't be too worried if this is all that seems to be different. How's his co-ordination?

Co-ordination seems good. Can throw a balloon and catch it. Kicks a ball etc.

Just keep an eye on it. I had my DS5 referred to the CDC at 3 because he hand-flapped-but I knew from experience it could be indicative of problems. (DS3 did it and has AS and dyspraxia)

It turns out DS5 also has Asperger's which was diagnosed eventually at 6.

I'm thinking like the people doing the bush tuker trials on celeb get me outta here?...like that do you mean?
Sounds like he's just trying to take his mind of the food. I used to jog my knee repeatedly as a kid when trying to eat horrible food too...and i also do it when i've got a headache...takes my mind off it a bit.
I wouldn't be too worried tbh

god i cannot spell today...

troutpout, what are you saying about WorriedMa's culinary skills???

Tiggiwinkle Can I ask why one of your dc were dx younger then the other? Was it more obvious for one of them? Just wondering what their traits were as I have question mark over my ds. Many thanks.

Hi worriedma, my ds 4.5 (suspected as and dyspraxia) hand flaps. He does it a lot really though and also rocks at the same time to the point that if he is sat on the floor he can literally shuffle himself across the room. When I was looking into handflapping (stimming) I looked on youtube to see if what my ds was doing was the same. It is different to just handflapping and kind of flicks his hands also at the same time and puts his head down, also sometimes if really anxious or excited he jumps at the same time. Sorry if that doesnt make much sense, but I would deffinately have a look on youtube.

No offence taken over my culinary skills!
I did wonder if it was a sort of diversion thing. It's funny because he's such a social little thing and doesn't show any other signs of as. As a teacher I've worked with as pupils before and I just don't see any other signs but have been worrying myself silly over the flapping. He doesn't actually do the flapping a lot it's just sometimes.
Surely I would be seeing other signs by now wouldn't I?

One of the most noticable things my ds2 does is hand flap, he has done so since he was one years old! However, he had a lot of other indicators that lead to him receiving a dx of autism. He hand flaps when he is excited, upset or angry. Sometimes he even handflaps in front of his eyes just to see how it looks.
Try not to worry about it being an ASD trait, as you've said he doesnt seem to have any others.