Autism/Hand Flapping

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Expert: - 8/26/2011


Question
My son has not been diagnosed with Austism, but he has flaps his hands. He is 4 and has done this since he was not even 2 years old. He meets all benchmarks at his check ups, but I am concerned with school years approaching. I have mentioned this to his doctor, but they do not seem concerned since he meets the expected benchmarks and doesn't have other behavior issues. Do you think this warrants further investigation?

Answer
Hi Leah,

In the absences of any other symptoms, I would just ignore it for now. Drawing attention to it will only make him self-conscious about it.

As school progresses, watch his social interactions. If he plays well with the other children and works well with his teachers, he's good to go. If you see social problems or he fails to learn well, get him evaluated.

Best wishes,
Catherine  

Autism

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Catherine Ridenour

Expertise

I can answer your questions about parenting your High Functioning Autisic or Asperger`s Syndrome child. In particular, questions about family life, discipline, siblings, finding resources, and working with (sometimes opposing) the educational system are welcome.

Experience

I am the parent of an Asperger's Syndrome child who is now 22 years old. She went undiagnosed for 14 years of her life, so I have done extensive reading and Internet research into the possible cause of her difficulties. Even a short 8 years ago, A.S. was practically unheard of by the public educational system.

We fumbled our way through her childhood and early adolescence without any effective outside support. In some ways, that may have been a blessing as we were focused on her abilities rather than a label for her disability. However, I can think of many times when knowing WHY would have been comforting.

Had we known very early on, some social skills interventions might have made her life in school easier. At this point, I like her for who she is so I do not regret how things have turned out. More importantly, she likes herself.

Education/Credentials
I have a Bachelor of Science in Education.

I have worked to educate myself about Autism in general and HFA/AS in particular.

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