Expert: Jene Aviram - 10/23/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi I'm worried about my son that he may have autism and have had concerns since he was about 9 month here is the list why
- hits the side of his head with his hand(its the right side all the time)
- sleeps a lot but when awake he doesn't cry just lies there or try's to go back to sleep.
- the table has to be clean in front of him knock everything off units
- cant use a spoon
- crawled at 13 half month
- hits, bites, head buts, smacks, pinches, and throws things if you get to close
-doesn't bother with other children.
- doesn't give eye contact if you get near him/or tell him no
-doesn't walk
-says ma ma, da da and screams if you ask him to say a word.
- doesn't like toys being together/wont build they have to be apart
- doesn't point.
-has a very bad temper if he doesn't get what he wants e.g. food, toys etc
-loses his balance while sitting, standing, and crawling.
-like to sit on his own/and doesn't really like to play with toys.
This is my second child and although she is very advanced(walked at 8 half month etc)my son has been having physiology as he couldn't sit up from lying down until 12/13 mth and there excises have got him to crawl, and i have worked with children for 9 years and he does not seem to be 'normal'(sorry to use that word)

please help am i just being paranoid

thanks
Leanne Robinson

ANSWER: Hi Leanne,

I can see that you're concerned about your son and I'm impressed at how much time you've taken to observe and describe his behavior.

Your son is still young but he does display some unusual behaviors.  Some of them sound like sensory issues which are easy to fix with some good OT.  Others like limited eye contact, little interest in toys and no interest in his peers are all flags for a developmental delay.

Have you spoken to your pediatrician about your concerns?  It seems that your son would benefit greatly from a full evaluation.  This way he'll receive any services he needs such as OT, speech or play therapy.

Although your son is young, I'd like to refer you to some links. One of them is the MCHAT.  This test is really for 18 month olds.  After the test, it will tell you which questions were most important.  The link is http://www.nlconcepts.com/autism-mchat.htm

Another article I recommend you read is called "How do you know if your child has autism?"  Although it's written for kids starting at 18 months old, it might give you an idea of what it looks like to be on the spectrum.  You can read it here http://www.nlconcepts.com/autism-howdoyouknow.htm

It's impossible to diagnose over the Internet and I know you've left out all your son's strengths because you're concerned about the other factors.  That's why a thorough evaluation will give you a full picture.  It sounds like your son will benefit from services.  The sooner you begin, the sooner he can start catching up to his peers.  Please ask your pediatrician who you should call for early intervention.

I hope this has been of some help.

Jene Aviram
http://www.nlconcepts.com



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi
thank you for your reply yes i have spoken to his h/v and she said 'well they can display symptoms of autism at this age and he's a boy'but she will do his assessment and see me again then, the test did show that there could be some delays and also social delays and that other link was very useful, i have also noticed that he hits the side of his head to.

thank you very much

leanne Robinson

Answer
I wish you the best of luck Leanne.
The one thing you can be sure of is that you are taking all the right steps.  Your son might grow out of some of these behaviors, but if he does need services, he'll be one of the lucky kids that receives them sooner than later - thanks to his Mom!

Jene Aviram
http://www.nlconcepts.com