About Michelle Fattig Expertise I can answer questions about educational testing, autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, Special Education, IEP, Learning Disabilities, Sensory Processing, Parent Advocacy, Response to Intervention, living and parenting with disabilities, parent rights in special education, school psychology, and more. I cannot provide a medical diagnosis.
Experience I am a school psychologist, medical technologist, author of the Annie Books series: Experience Aspeger's Syndrome and Attention Deficits Through the Eyes of a Child, RTI facilitator, ILCD facilitator, parent advocate, presenter, and researcher. My children and I have Asperger's, ADD/ADHD, and learning disabilities.
Organizations National Association of School Pyschologists, American Medical Technologists, Learning Disabilities Association of Nebraska
Education/Credentials Ed.S. in School Psychology, doctoral studies in SPED Law, SPED Systems Enhancement Leadership, and doctoral candidate Education Leadership. MT(AMT) and MLT(ASCP)
my son just turnes 1 on march 11. i am very worried about him having
autism because my eldest brother has it. my son is doing everything it
seems normally. he rolled over crawled and walked right on time. he is
very social and plays great with other children and myself. he makes
great eye contact and loves to play hide and go seek. his pincher skills
are also wonderful and eats a wide variety of foods by himself and drinks
from a sippee cup. now my concerns are because he is not clapping,
pointing, shaking his head for yes or no, or waving bye bye. hes just not
interested. it seems sometimes he has a short attention span at times.
he doesnt watch tv. could care less. he loves to get into things and
climb on stuff. he does play with toys properly(puts balls in right
containers, turns pages in books, puses cars on floor like theyre moving)
and always looks for hidden objects when you hide them. he's also a great
swimmer, he can go under water and moves his legs and arms in swimming
motion when in a pool. he doesnt have a large vocabulary though, he
can only say dada gaga baba yaya nana which he says all the time. its
just the not pointing, clapping and waving that really concerns me. and
also i feel he doesnt repond to his name every time i call him. sometimes
he will respond on the first call but sometimes it can take like 4 or
5 times. am i just being a parraniod parent or do you think i have
reason to be concerned. his nana and poppy which he sees everyday think he
is just fine but they are older and havent delt with autism like i
have. so i am just soooo worried. please help.
Answer The only real concern might be that he doesn't respond consistently to his name. It is not uncommon for boys to be less verbal or have a limited vocabulary at his age. All of the things you listed about eye contact, social skills, and the like are indications of appropriate development socially, and the fine motor and pincer grasp is good as well. If you are concerned, you can request a multidisciplinary evaluation through your local school district at no charge. If he is exhibiting any developmental delays, the school can provide free services with an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP). Early intervention is the best in remediating any potential concerns. The following is a website that you may find helpful:
