Expert: Dr. Sharon A. Mitchell - 2/23/2007

Question
Hi Sharon,
I do understand that you dont diagnose but that you do have have dealings with people/children with autism and just want to know if my son is showing signs of being autistic or just of a delay.Iwill try and get to the point witout an essay.My son is 21 months old and for the first 18/19 months of his life he watched television more or less constantly if we was in the house and didnt go out .I thought children learnt from television .Plus i am a 1st time mother and have done absolutely everything for him never giving him the chance to ask for anything because i would be right there with his food/milk etc .at around 19half months i realised my son was not talking or answering commands but when the television was on and he was watching his programs he would not even know anyone was in the room or be with us in mind SINCE THEN I STOPPED THE TELEVISIO. ITS BEEN ABOUT 4 WEEKS NOW AND MY GOD WHAT A DIFFERENCE IN MY CHILD.HE IS AWARE MOST OF THE TIME IN ANSWERING HIS NAME OBVISIOUSLY THERE ARE TIME WHEN HE DOESNT BUT WHAT CHILD DOESNT THAT APPLY TO. HE IS TRYING TO TALK AND MORE SOUNDS COMING OUT OF HIS MOUTH. HE IS PLAYING WITH TOYS MORE.HE BRINGS ME THINGS FOR ME TO DO LIKE MY MOBILE PHONE FOR ME TO TALK, HE WILL BRING ME THE BALL OR HIS CARS OR BRICKS,IF WE ARE GOING OUT AND I GET HIS COAT HE HOLDS HIS ARMS OUT TO PUT IT ON AND THE SAME FOR HIS SHOES , HE HOLD HIS FEET UP,IF SOMEONE SAYS BYE BYE TO HIM HE RUNS TO THE DOOR BECAUSE HE WANTS TO GO,HE PUSHES CHILDREN TO RUN NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE OR WHO THEY ARE,HE HAS JUST STARTED TO TURN THE PAGES OF A BOOK WHEN I SIT WITH HIM AND HE CAN FEED HIMSELF WITH HIS FINGERS BUT NOT YET MASTERED A SPOON PROPERLY AND YESTERDAY WHEN I ASKED HIM IF MOMMY COULD HAVE SOME OF HIS FOOD HE GAVE ME SOME AND I WAS SO PLEASED. HE ALSO UNDERSTANDS NO BECAUSE GENERALLY IT IS WHEN HE IS DOING SOMETHING WRONG AND HE DOES IT ALL THE MORE. HE IS VERY LOVING AND WILL QUITE OFTEN SIT ON OUR LAPS WHEN HE GOES TIRED AND HE HAS ALSO JUST STARTED POINTING TO THINGS. HE LOVES RUNNING ,CLIMBING AND PLAYING ROUGH WITH HIS DAD.DO YOU THINK THAT IT COULD BE A DELAY DUE TO BEING UNDER STIMULATED IN HIS FIRST 18 MONTHS OF HIS LIFE .OR IS HE SHOWING SIGNS OF BEING AUTISTIC i.e not fully understanding commands, onlying just starting to try and talk,he does flap his arms when excited,I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE DEALINGS WITH AUTISM. HE HAS GOT TO HAVE SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY IN NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. SORRY FOR THE ESSAY BUT I HAVE BEING GOING THROUGH HELL LATELY.
                         REGARDS
                         SARAH

Answer
Sarah, I'm not sure if this is a coincidence and you are a second Sarah, but I think you wrote to me Jan. 26th/2007 and I replied on Jan. 27th. Perhaps you were unable to read my answer.

In case you are the same person, I'll copy my original response below. If you are a different person, my apologies and if you write again, I'll try to be more specific in my reply.

The responses your son is showing since you turned off your television must warm your heart. How lovely to see your boy responding and interacting. You are certainly heading in the right direction.

You mention that your lad flaps his arms when excited. Not every child who flaps has autism and not every child with autism flaps. That's only one possible characteristic that children on the autism spectrum may show.

It's often faster and easier for us to do things for our child and we do this out of love. But as you've found, too much "doing for" can hinder a child's independence skills. It sounds like your son is quickly learning to do more now for himself as he spends more time exploring his environment.

Seeing a speech/language therapist is a good idea. But if you cannot get to see one quickly, all is not lost. You are doing so many of the right things on your own. As I listed below, this link offers more suggestions for things a parent can do to help their child's language development: http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Parent-Stim-Activities.htm

If you continue to have concerns a developmental pediatrician or your public health nurse are good places to start looking for an evaluation.

I'd be interested in hearing how your boy progresses.

Best of luck

Sharon A. Mitchell
www.autismsite.ca
________________________________________________________
Here is what I wrote on Jan. 27th:

Well Sarah, there's a chance that it may be autism, but I certainly would not jump to that conclusion at this point.

You're on the right track by turning on the television to see what happens. No, I don't think television caused what you're seeing in your son but depending on their personalities, TV may effect children differently. While a quiet, passive child may be content to sit and watch, a more rambunctious, inquisitive child would still do a fair bit of wandering and exploring on his own. It's not that children's television shows are bad things because kids do learn from them. But passively watching is not the natural or ideal way for small children to learn about their world. Touching, tasting, moving and interacting are a better fit for a young child.

Not only does a child need to explore his environment, he needs to explore his relationship with people. This is the best way for his language skills to develop naturally.

It's great that you notice a difference in your son after only four days without his tele. While picking up a ball may seem like a nice, child-like activity, in reality your son is learning much more from that ball. He's developing his vestibular or balance system by leaning over to pick up the ball without toppling over. He's practicing his eye-hand coordination when he looks at an object and reaches his hand to grasp it. His body is learning just how much force is needed to lift, hold or throw a ball.

We're all creatures of habit. This is no less true of children. If television has been a major part of his day, that is what he is used to. Television is not inherently evil for kids, but like all things, it should be used only in moderation.

You're on the right track when you turned off the television. Let your son play and play with him. If you're still concerned about his language development, contact a public health nurse, pediatrician or speech language pathologist. From your use of the word "tele", I'm assuming you're from the British Isles. If so, you can search for a speech language therapist at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' website: http://www.rcslt.org/government/england

No two children develop at exactly the same rate. Here are some general guidelines as to what you might expect from a toddler's language: http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/child_hear_talk.htm And here are some things you can do to encourage your child's speech development: http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Parent-Stim-Activities.htm

Try these things over the next month. If you still have that niggling feeling that all might not well, seek the opinion of a pediatrician, nurse or SLP.

Have fun playing with your son,

Sharon A. Mitchell
http://www.autismsite.ca