Expert: Catherine Ridenour - 2/7/2006

Question
Just wondering if I have a cause for concern about my 5 mth old baby boy.

He generally seems normal to me - smiles, looks at me off and on when I talk (doens't stare straight at me the whole time but glances on and off), settles when I pick him up (actually if I put him down he usually cries!).  Verbal communication is satisfactory I think - he 'listens' when I talk to him and makes different noises but not really 'at' me, just noises in general.  He giggles when I play with him and squeals sometimes during play.

I suppose what concerns me is what I've read about not liking to be held in the cradle postition.  From about 2 months old he has not like being held down on his back in the cradle position, preferring to be held upright.  I can only hold him down in the cradle position if I am walking around or bouncing up and down on a 'Fitball'.  He squirms, tenses and pulls away when laying down.  Breast feeding ended early (4 mths) due to this.  

The only other thing I am a bit concerned about is the lack of continuous eye contact (but this may be normal, Im not sure) and the lack of speech directed at me during 'conversations' with him.

Do I have any cause for concern?   

Thanks, Lea.


Answer
Hi Lea,

He is very young to be sure if what you see is a sign of autism.  Some babies just don't like being down because they like being active.  Our middle child (not the least autistic) absolutely would not be held facing toward anyone from about 4 months of age, she wanted to face outward to see where we were going.

Some babies who have some forms of autism actually are more clingy than the usual child.  They cry when put down rather than fight being held.  Our eldest daughter was like this.  She was only soothed by human contact.  She was 15 before we got her diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome.

The key thing you should be looking for, as he gets older, is called mutual attention.  He should develop the ability and interest to follow your finger and your gaze when you point at something, "Look Johnny, a butterfly!"  And he will look.  Also, he should begin to try to get you to attend to things he finds interesting either by pointing or bringing things to you.

Keep loving and stimulating him on the assumption he is perfectly normal.  He probably is.  Talk, play, sing, get down on the floor with him.  Go out and see the world together.

If, as he nears one year of age, he is not using single words, "mama", "cookie", or sounds that have meaning as words "duh" for "dog, etc. then you should start to look for a professional opinion.  

Feel free to write back as time goes on.  I'm not going any where.  I will be happy to hear how he is doing.

Best wishes,
Catherine