Am right in thinking it autism

[Anfalas]

hi i am worried about my son, hes 21 months and still hasn't said a word. He babbles a lot saying dadada and hya hya but that is it. He also waves his hands and stamps his feet if he is happy or sad. i also have noticed that he only cuddles or lets me cuddle him (he doesnt allow anybody else to pick him up or hold him, he will sit on his daddies lap though). when he runs he looks to one side all the time and even though he started to walk at 12 months he still is a bit clumsy and can sometime run into things. he doesnt play alot with other childern and i have another son who is 33 months and he chases my 21 month old (who will laugh), but they dont seem to play with anything else together and my youngest dont play with any other children. He also avoids eye contact with people, except a few he sees regularly, and prefers to be left alone to watch the same show on tv over and over again.

i have been refered to a specialist who i will be seeing friday but i would like to know if i am right in thinking it autism.

[nettie]

yes i would have him check out..my son rocks and grunts alot it was hard for the doctor to say he was until he was 4 years old and he still don't talk..but it sounds like he maybe.. wish you guy the best

[nettie]

What are some common signs of autism?

The hallmark feature of autism is impaired social interaction. Children with autism may fail to respond to their names and often avoid looking at other people. They often have difficulty interpreting tone of voice or facial expressions and do not respond to others' emotions or watch other people's faces for cues about appropriate behavior. They appear unaware of others' feelings toward them and of the negative impact of their behavior on other people.

Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and hair twirling, or in self-injurious behavior such as biting or head-banging. They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of "I" or "me." Some speak in a sing-song voice about a narrow range of favorite topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking.

People with autism often have abnormal responses to sounds, touch, or other sensory stimulation. Many show reduced sensitivity to pain. They also may be extraordinarily sensitive to other sensations. These unusual sensitivities may contribute to behavioral symptoms such as resistance to being cuddled. i thought this might.. help you

[Anfalas]

Thank you

i have researched autism, but the people i have talked to about him have made me feel like i wanted something to be wrong with him. One person (the health visitor)even told me i was babying him, he was only 18 months at the time and would sit in his buggy, with his dummy in and play with his ears for two hours. if i tried to get him out of the buggy he would cry and only sit on my lap or lay against me. i was told to take him out of the dummy and walk him to playgroup/nursery instead of taking him in the pram.

i thought this to be a bit harsh since he was only 18 months.

what do other people think?

[AutMom]

Good luck with the Specialist!

Maybe others don't see what you see since they aren't around as much as you are, and maybe since he's so young the behaviour is not as noticeable to others.

[Rebecca]

I have twins, one with Asperger's and one without. They were 18 months old when I started seeing big differences with behaviors. Everyone told me I was nuts when I brought up autism. I got him into a PPCD program at 3 (after a huge series of fights with the school district). He got in based upon his speech delay. His teacher was incredible. She has a master's and is working on a Ph.D., with all of fher postgrad work in preschool autistic children. At the first teacher conference, she asked if I had ever talked to the pediatrician about his behaviors. When I told her that everyone said I was nuts for thinking autism, you could almost see the relief on her face. Legally, she could not bring up the word "autism" herself, but since I had said it first, she could talk about it. We had a long talk that day about it. I called the pediatrician the next day and told him about it. He immediately gave me a referral to a developmental pediatrician, who confirmed my suspicions. He's 5 now and is in a regular kindergarten classroom and doing well. He does have some of the behaviors still, but I shudder to think where he would be had he not had early intervention. Bottom line of my diatribe (thank God, they all say! ;) ) is don't let anyone put you off of investigating this.

[Anfalas]

i found out yesturday that my son does have autism (ASD), i have asked how bad it is (because i thought it would be a mild version) but i have been told it is mediam to highly mostly towards the highly end of the spectrum which has shocked me.
No one belived me that my son has autism(not even the doctors) so when i found out i felt shocked and relived at the same time.
I owe the audiologist big time because if i didnt see her then i would still be pulling my hair out to find out what is wrong with my son.
I would suggest to anybody thinking that their son/daughter has autism to be refered to a specialist (such as audiologist) and tell them of your worries, i found its the only way. Doctors just think your an over reacting parent.
If anybody thinks there is some thing wrong with their child, it probably means there is something wrong. Parents know their children better then the doctors or anybody else because they spend the most time with them. I know that now and for now on i will trust my instincts.