Baby uses my hands to play
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@Kate What a well composed, thoughtful and informative response. Not my question, but really really appreciate your response :)
My son does this sometimes and i just redirect him by using his hands and most of the time it helps.
@Kim Thanks! I'm a therapist and I work with neurodivergent adults. I don't work with/diagnose kids but I do have colleagues who do, and I have experience helping parents determine when it's time to explore extra help for their kids.
My daughter used to do this all the time and even at 22 months she still will do this sometimes. Imo she is doing it because she delights in the fact that she can make me do these things. She loves when she thinks she is the reason I make a certain sound or when I copy her and she thinks it was her who made it happen 😊
Probably just enjoys having you involved and the cause and effect component. If you think this is happening more than he is using his own hands I would let him be frustrated for a minute and redirect him to his own hands and just not allow him to do it. Of course, sometimes is fine.
I’m just here to say that that is so cute the way she grabs your hand and it’s very smart because she knows you’re capable. I don’t know about that but I asked my friend who has an autistic daughter if she used to do that she said no . My husband ( family physician) told me that autism can’t be diagnosed before the kid goes to school or preschool
My baby is doing this exact thing he is 7 months also and I’m so worried. How did this turn out.
Early signs of autism are also normal signs of development many times. Autism is a constellation of symptoms, which it is important to look for, but try not to get too caught up on any one because so much can change. At 7 months there is no mental health professional worth their salt that would consider diagnosing your child. The earliest I know of any of my colleagues considering diagnosis is 2.5 but only with a whole lot of evidence. Usually diagnosis comes after 4-5 y/o depending on how impactful symptoms are with some not being diagnosed until much later. Your baby is trying to understand the world. This is hard and frustrating work. It makes sense that they get frustrated when they can't do things they way they want. Definitely keep an eye on it, but there is every chance this is a behavior your child outgrows.