Expert: Dr. Sharon A. Mitchell - 9/19/2007

Question
I am really not trying to be an over-protective first -time mom, but I do feel that my son, Anthony, who is 11 months old, has autistic tendencies. He is very intelligent and is already walking and getting pretty verbal. The things I am concerned about seem very minor such as hand flapping, screaching (for no reason other than to hear himself), and recently he has started to hit his own head right behing his ear (not to hurt himself though). He really "likes" hitting his head against walls or anything really and although he doesn't do it too hard I can't stand watching it. I want to start to do what I can to enforse his healthy development. What are some things that I should be doing and maybe not doing for my son who may be too young to be identified with autism or may just be developing "normally" for a child his age??

Answer
It can be worrying, can't it? Some children are diagnosed before they reach their first birthday but that is not the norm. Some of the things you describe could be early signs, but not necessarily. Rather than just worrying though, there are lots of things you can do right now to help your son. I'll get to those in just a moment.

If you're concerned, I never think it hurts to consult with a physician. If you're wrong, then you'll be relieved. If there is suspicion of autism or some other condition, then you'll be armed with information and can begin helping.

A physical check-up never goes amiss. It would be important to mention to the physician or nurse your concerns about hand flapping and head banging. Other things, such as recurring ear infections could be affecting the child.

But at just under one year of age, it may be difficult to make a definite diagnosis about his development.

Without directly observing your child, it's very hard to give an opinion on if you should worry or not. My advice to you is to take your concerns to your public health nurse, pediatrician or Speech Language Pathologist.

But before going, you may feel better prepared if you first read up on the wide variations of what is considered "normal" for a child of your son's age. Even though we expect kids at certain ages to do certain things, there is a range and no two children develop at exactly the same stages.

Here are some sites that talk about typical physical milestones:

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/devmile.htm

http://www.nncc.org/Child.Dev/ages.stages.12m.18m.html

http://parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tpdevelopment/topics/0,,4rwc,00.html

Below are a few websites that can help you sort out what is within the normal speech/language parameters for a child your son's age. Armed with this information, you can then speak to a public health nurse, pediatrician or speech/language specialist.

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/child_hear_talk.htm

http://www.comeunity.com/disability/speech/milestones.html

http://www.ldonline.org/article/6313

Even without professional guidance, there is a lot parents can do to help their child's developing communication and socialization skills. You'll find some suggestions here:  

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Parent-Stim-Activities.htm

http://www.hsdc.org/News/Speech/encourage.htm

If after looking at this developmental information,you're still concerned, I think you should speak to a Speech/Language Pathologist (SLP) to get the best advice. If you live in the United States, you can find a local Speech/Language Pathologist through this site:

http://www.asha.org/proserv/

In Canada, try here: http://www.caslpa.ca/english/profession/find.asp

For other countries and general information on finding SLP help, check out this site:  http://members.tripod.com/Caroline_Bowen/find-slp.htm

While an SLP might be one of the first professionals you want to see, a developmental pediatrician or child psychologist might also be helpful.

Below are two versions of a Checklist for Autism in Toddlers that your physician might use. It may be helpful for you to look them over to get an idea of what sorts of things a diagnostician may look for. The first link explains a bit more about the CHAT:

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=128&a=2226

http://depts.washington.edu/dataproj/chat.html

http://www.utmem.edu/pediatrics/general/clinical/m-chat.pdf

Sharon A. Mitchell, B.A., B.Ed., M.A.
www.autismsite.ca