Expert: James Michael Roan - 9/15/2005

Question
Here is my story, after you read this please tell me what I can do to help my son.
I keep getting brushed off about my 22 mo olds issues. About 4 mo ago I sent him to a learning ceter. They tested him. He needed Speech and OT. He is on the level of a 6mo old in vocal skills, and 12 mo on everything else. He is always screaming and throwing fits. I can't even study for school, or do house work when he is home. My husband and I don't know what to do. His doctor said he is not autistic because he has some social skills. This is my sons reactions daily:
He prefers to left alone by other kids, at the center he mainly plays alone, he won't share and wants others things. He throws bad tantrums with ploping on the ground, snapping fingures, head banging, throwing things, and trying to destroy things (last time he pulled down my porcline house and put a small pin hole in his head, no stitches but went to ER). He points or screams for what he wants. His vocabulary consists of that, momma, dada, and kitty. He acts like he cant hear us when we talk to him, and he grunts at us to stop talking or grunts to get us to give him what he wants. But he will some times do what we ask, like go throw that away, and he does. He won't play with his toys, but he will play outside, infact he will head bang the door until we let him outside to play. He also klings to me non-stop.
I am worried every minute about what he will do next, and in the same respect he is hard to deal with at times. Is he possibly autistic and how can I find someone to help? His PCP is of no help.  

Answer
Hi Amanda;
Sounds like you have a real challenge on your hands. It sounds like his receptive language is too high to be autism and the other symptoms you describe seem to be confined to behavioral issues rather than sensory ones. Behavioral problems are best dealt with right away.

Do you live in the United States? If you do, take him back to the Early Intervention Program and have them evaluate the seriousness of his behavior. In any case he should receive services for social/behavioral difficulties as soon as possible.

I would not rule out autism without an evaluation by a psychologist who specializes in autism spectrum disorders.

Kind Regards,
James