Expert: Catherine Ridenour - 8/11/2006

Question

I have a 3 year old with autism.  He was diagnosed at 2 and looking back now that I am educated, we would have know at 12 months when he wasn't talking, pointing, or waving bye-bye.  I also have a 14 month old son.  He has a vocabulary of about 20 words, he points, and he waves bye-bye.  He doesn't say mama or dada though.  This week, he started flapping his hands periodically when he gets excited.  He is also a picky eater for which he receives speech and OT.  I am driving myself stir crazy over him.  So, my question is, can he still regress at this point even though he has progressed so far?  And, do you think this is a sign that he is starting to take a downward turn.  I don't want to go through this again especially after thinking he has been okay all this time.  Thank you for your help!

Answer
Hi Amy,

I hear the despair. All is not bleak, however.

Bear in mind that there are many variations of autism. It is called a "spectrum" disorder as it can range from very severe to hardly noticable. Many on the high-functioning end of the spectrum don't really make a classic regression. They just manifest some symptoms like picky eating, hand flapping and/or social interaction issues.

The fact that you have a previously diagnosed child makes you more sensitive to the signs so you have noticed it earlier than most parents might. This is a good thing. You know who and where to get help for him. It is unfortunate that many high-functioning individuals go undiagnosed until late childhood or even into their teens.

It is believed that autism has an hereditary component and is more common in siblings.  He may be copying some behavior from his older brother, as in the hand flapping, but the language and eating things are likely his own issue.

I want you to realize that you probably aren't "going through this again" in quite the same way. Each child with a spectrum disorder has his/her own set of needs and many do very well, particularly those who get help early on.

Keep reading and educating yourself. More is being learned every day and children with high-functioning autism are living good lives. Also, get some support for yourself by contacting a parents group in your area. Do an Internet search with "autism" and the name of your nearest city.

Here are some web links where you can do more research and find resources. Especially pay attention to Asperger's Syndrome, one of the high-functioning forms.

http://www.patientcenters.com/autism/news/resources.html (books and resources)

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/asperger.htm (the definitions and government links)

http://www.autism.org/temple/meds.html (about medication)

http://www.autism.org/ (many links to information)

http://www.autismasperger.net/intro.htm (Stephen Shore’s web site)

http://www.angelfire.com/pa5/as/asteachersites.html (teaching resources)

http://www.aspergers.com/Adolesc.htm (adolescence issues)

Best wishes,
Catherine