Expert: James Michael Roan - 3/30/2009

Question
QUESTION: My daughter has just turned 2 and i'm worried she has autism.She can't say alot,i'd say around 5 words and can't put two words together. The words she can say are only very basic things like no and what but she don't understand what they mean cause she just randomly say them. She can't say mama or mummy or anything like that but she babbles alot and just have conversations with herself. She doesn't follow instructions either. For example if i was to say do you want drink or go and get coat then she wouldn't understand. Though she does go and get her beaker if she want a drink. I have tried making her say it when she gives it to me to avoid making her just think she can be lazy and get what she want without talking. She goes to close family members but if a stranger talk to her or someone she don't see alot she gets very clingy to me and wants to be picked up all the while. She sees other children at the park and will show an interest in them but only by staring at them,she never attempts to speak to them and always run away if they say something to her or get close to her. She have temper tantrums like any other 2 year old i expect but she bangs her head on the wall. I don't really know if this is relevant but i have aspergers syndrome and would like to know if i am just worrying over nothing or if i should have some concerns.hope you can help

many thanks

jennifer

ANSWER: Hi Jennifer;

It is hard to say with the limited information you provided. Download the M-CHAT and scoring instructions and we can discuss the results. Your daughter is at an increased risk for autism since you have it yourself.

http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwpsy/faculty/M-CHAT.pdf

Kind regards,
James

Disclaimer:

While James Michael Roan has attempted to make the information on this web site as accurate as possible, the information is provided in good faith without any express or implied warranty. The purpose of this web site is to provide information to families with children, teens, and adults with an autism spectrum disorder or other developmental delay. James Michael Roan does not prefer any one organization to another, and it is not responsible for the information listed on an organization's web site, or any disseminated information either verbal or written. Please be advised we are not giving medical advice and that circumstances can dictate different treatments. If these issues affect you or your loved ones you should seek professional advice. This site is operated for informational purposes only. At no time will James Michael Roan attempt to diagnose or dismiss a potential diagnosis over the Internet. We hope that you find our resources useful.


Bio

James Roan is a certified school psychologist who has been consulting in the areas of autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and learning difficulties in the United States and in Ireland for over ten years (http://www.jamesroan.com). James earned his M.Ed. in School Psychology and M. Ed. in Adult Education and receives ongoing post graduate training in autism at the University of Washington’s Autism Center. James Roan has traveled to Galway, Limerick, Mayo, Clare, Dublin, Cork, Waterford, and other cities and counties across Ireland assessing children and adults, and consulting with solicitors (lawyers) in defense of children with disabilities. James Roan was the consulting psychologist responsible for many of the autism and AD/HD screening tools and other content for Access Special Needs.Com. James Roan consulted with the graduate department of the Waterford Institute of Technology in Waterford Ireland in the development of their graduate program for the certification of private autism tutors. James has conducted formal assessments of students in the Autism Unit in the Claddagh National School in County Galway Ireland.






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

QUESTION: Thanks for your reply. I done the test as you suggested and have put the results below.

1. Does your child enjoy being swung, bounced on your knee, etc.? YES

2. Does your child take an interest in other children? NO( she will stare at them from a distance but make no attempt to talk or play and run away if they approach her)

3. Does your child like climbing on things, such as up stairs? YES

4. Does your child enjoy playing peek-a-boo/hide-and-seek? NO

5. Does your child ever pretend, for example, to talk on the phone or take care of a doll or

pretend other things? YES

6. Does your child ever use his/her index finger to point, to ask for something? NO

7. Does your child ever use his/her index finger to point, to indicate interest in something? YES

8. Can your child play properly with small toys (e.g. cars or blocks) without just

mouthing, fiddling, or dropping them? NO

9. Does your child ever bring objects over to you (parent) to show you something? YES

10. Does your child look you in the eye for more than a second or two? YES

11. Does your child ever seem oversensitive to noise? (e.g., plugging ears) NO

12. Does your child smile in response to your face or your smile? YES

13. Does your child imitate you? (e.g., you make a face-will your child imitate it?) NO

14. Does your child respond to his/her name when you call? NO

15. If you point at a toy across the room, does your child look at it? YES

16. Does your child walk? YES

17. Does your child look at things you are looking at? NO

18. Does your child make unusual finger movements near his/her face? NO

19. Does your child try to attract your attention to his/her own activity? YES

20. Have you ever wondered if your child is deaf? NO

21. Does your child understand what people say? NO

22. Does your child sometimes stare at nothing or wander with no purpose? NO

23. Does your child look at your face to check your reaction when faced with

something unfamiliar YES


Answer
Hi Jennifer;

Your daughter failed items 2, 4, 6, 8, 13, 14, 17, and 21. Items 2, 13, and 14 are considered "critical items." The authors of the M-CHAT report: "A child fails the checklist when 2 or more critical items are failed OR when any three items are failed."

You should take this to your pediatrician for a referral to a team of specialists in assessing an autism spectrum disorder at this age. You may find traditional teams reluctant to assess at such a young age and may need a private psychologist.

In any case, she has low social development. Check out Stanley Greenspan's DIR Floortime model for increasing joint attention, which is a foundational piece in building social skills and social cognition.

Kind regards,
James






Disclaimer:

While James Michael Roan has attempted to make the information on this web site as accurate as possible, the information is provided in good faith without any express or implied warranty. The purpose of this web site is to provide information to families with children, teens, and adults with an autism spectrum disorder or other developmental delay. James Michael Roan does not prefer any one organization to another, and it is not responsible for the information listed on an organization's web site, or any disseminated information either verbal or written. Please be advised we are not giving medical advice and that circumstances can dictate different treatments. If these issues affect you or your loved ones you should seek professional advice. This site is operated for informational purposes only. At no time will James Michael Roan attempt to diagnose or dismiss a potential diagnosis over the Internet. We hope that you find our resources useful.


Bio

James Roan is a certified school psychologist who has been consulting in the areas of autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and learning difficulties in the United States and in Ireland for over ten years (http://www.jamesroan.com). James earned his M.Ed. in School Psychology and M. Ed. in Adult Education and receives ongoing post graduate training in autism at the University of Washington’s Autism Center. James Roan has traveled to Galway, Limerick, Mayo, Clare, Dublin, Cork, Waterford, and other cities and counties across Ireland assessing children and adults, and consulting with solicitors (lawyers) in defense of children with disabilities. James Roan was the consulting psychologist responsible for many of the autism and AD/HD screening tools and other content for Access Special Needs.Com. James Roan consulted with the graduate department of the Waterford Institute of Technology in Waterford Ireland in the development of their graduate program for the certification of private autism tutors. James has conducted formal assessments of students in the Autism Unit in the Claddagh National School in County Galway Ireland.