Expert: Dr. Sharon A. Mitchell - 8/30/2011

Question
Hi,
My son is 17 months old and is showing a few signs of the Autism spectrum.
The signs are head butting when he is frustrated and also when he is being naughty (he laughs when he does it to people).This happens more when he is tired, upset or excited and playfull.
He also doesnt like his hands or feet being touched and doesnt like being cuddled too much and he is always on the go and would prefer to run around then be held. He is quite restless at times. His speech is a bit delayed (he says mama,mum, dada,dad,nana,no). He does bable a lot though and seems to be having conversations and testing out new sounds and trying to say words. He does through temper tantrums a bit but it is more when he wants something and we have to take it away from him because it is dangerous or if he wants to go outside but cant becuase it is too cold etc. He also throws them when i am about to either go to work or walk into another room or have a shower etc.
His good points are that he waves his hands to say hello or goodbye. He is very social, had good eye contact, high fives, points to things he wants, knows lots of items when we ask where they are and will point to them. He is not shy and will play with other kids (sometimes rough though). He is also very good at pretend play and pretends to talk on the phone, pretends to vacuum and sweep.He dances when we say to dance and thows a ball when we ask him to.
He smiles at everyone and will wave.
From a social point of view he is great and will smile and make lots of eye contact and respond to his name, it is just that some of the other points are shown on the Autism spectrum and I wanted to know if i should be concerned or not.

I have actually written to you before (sorry to bug you again) but wanted to clarify again as i forgot to mention a few points last time.

Thanks!

Answer
Hello like,

I do remember when you last wrote.

The social developments you mention are positive. Of concern is the slight delay in language; I would still suggest seeking the opinion and suggests of a speech therapist.

The head butting, while seen in some kids with autism, is also seen in non-autistic children. I wonder if your little boy likes the strong reaction ge gets when he butts an adult. What happens to him immediately after he does this? Do you think immediate removal of reaction and attention might help reduce the incidence of this behavior? Again, the speech therapist might have some thoughts as all behavior can be considered a form of communication.

At his age, many kids, especially boys are very active. What is his level compared to other boys roughly his age?

The reluctance to be touched depends on just how strong his aversion is. Does he never cuddle? like to be rocked to sleep? Hold your hand in strange situations? Reach for a parent when afraid?

An Occupational Therapist might be able to investigate this further and help you work on desensitizing him to touch.

Even with the additional information you have just provided, this description does not paint a clear picture of a little boy with autism. Of course, it is not possible to make a judgement over the Internet. What you describe, to my mind, suggests a watch. Seek the advice of some professionals, such as a speech therapist, continue to encourage his socialization with adults and children and watch.

Dr. Sharon A. Mitchell