Expert: James Michael Roan - 7/24/2006

Question
A child in the family exhibits hand flapping, sensitivity to light, noise, and especially smell.
Motor functions and speech development seem to be normal or above normal.
Should we be concerned? Should we seek treatment?

Answer
Hi Barbara;

The behaviors you describe could fit with sensory problems. In autism we are primarily looking at social delays or even social aversion in some cases.

If the child is between 18 and 36 months then I suggest you first download the M-CHAT from here:
http://www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat.PDF

Then get the scoring guide here:
http://www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat_scoring.PDF

If your family member is 4 years or older then you will need him evaluated by your school district and/or an independent psychologist. The M-CHAT is a screener only and is used as a trigger for further assessment if any risk is noted. Just because some risk is noted does not mean the child necessarily has autism.

If there is any risk noted, you will want to do two things:

1. If you live in the U.S. make a referral to the special education department in your home school district, and

2. Arrange an appointment with a university autism unit or an autism team at the nearest Children's Hospital for an evaluation. If need be, you can get the referral from your pediatrician using the results of the M-CHAT.

I'm certainly willing to discuss the results further with you and suggest any "next steps" you may want to take.

Kind Regards,
James