Expert: James Michael Roan - 6/3/2006

Question
my son is 2 and half has little speech has bad tantrums where he throws him self therfore banging his head hand flaps although not so often now dose not like loud noises he turns the dials on things like cooker and dyer and will open and close dvd he dose make eye contact with me and people within our house he also hits out or will clear a table with one swipe he has just been seen by doctor and she asked us loads of questions im not sure really what she was telling me she said she could get him into a special nursery  and that she would see me in 2 months to make sure everything has been put into place.  

Answer
Hi Charlotte:

In autism, we are most concerned about social awareness, social development, and social interactions. I would like to give you a better answer, but I need a little more information from you about his social behaviors. I suggest you download off the internet the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) http://www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat.PDF It was normed on 1,293 children and provides a risk estimate for autism. Also download the scoring instructions at http://www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat_scoring.PDF If there is any risk noted then do two things:

1. If you live in the U.S., make a special education referral to the school district in which your child lives. They are responsible for the assessment of children 0-21 years of age, and if they qualify for special education, responsible for education and related therapies.

2. In addition to the special education referral, take the M-CHAT to the child's pediatrician and ask for a referral to a multidisciplinary team expert in this area. Again, if you live in the U.S., you can go to the autism unit at a university near you, or a Children's Hospital.

Remember that the M-CHAT is just a screener. It is not a substitute for a multidisciplinary assessment by professionals knowledgeable about autism spectrum disorders.

You are more than welcome to discuss the results of the M-CHAT with me further.

Kind Regards,
James