Possible autism?
Hi I’ve suspected since my little boy was a baby that he may be autistic and he’s now almost 2 (in October) so i can actually start the process of diagnosis but I’m starting to doubt myself, I’m being told that he won’t get a diagnosis and why would i even want one at this age (this is from staff in our local family hub) and he behaves pretty normally at nursery. I’m hoping parents with diagnosed autistic children could let me know if I’m doing the right thing or if I’m just looking for something that isn’t really there, these are all the signs he’s showing.
1. Others kids friends with him, hes not friends with them
2. Sensory seeking, spinning, being thrown, jumping, being upside down
3. Lack of understanding, doesn’t know animal sounds, can only follow very few basic instructions
4. Always plays the same way
5. Speech delay? - does have mild hearing loss
6. Echolalia
7. Unsure if knows his own name or just responding to volume
8. No imagination
9. Gets upset with routine changes
10. Tantrums last minimum 2h usually around 4h, only way to stop them is take him out
11. Enjoys repetitive actions
12. Struggles in new environments
13. Overly independent baby, only cried for food and if in pain didn’t cry to be held
14. Very hard to make smile or laugh when younger, massive difference between him and his sister, only responsively laughs now with sensory input but does randomly laugh
15. Late waving, clapping and pointing
16. Constantly climbing
17. Obsessed with water play
18. Loves to rearrange furniture
19. Runs off in public
20. Doesn’t feel the cold
21. Loves small spaces, will use them to regulate when upset
22. Terrified of certain sounds (bouncy castles ect)
23. Once warmed up to someone has no sense of personal space
24. “Side eye”
25. Puts everything in his mouth
26. Never stops moving
27. Needs “restraining” to fall asleep
28. Overly affectionate with “safe people”
29. Loves staring at lights
30. Everything has to be “equal”, if i tickle one foot he’ll hold the other out and I have to tickle that one as well
31. Doesn’t like having dirty hands, food mess is ok but dirt/sand ect needs cleaning off immediately
32. Seems to forget words he previously knew or no longer understands what they mean
33. “Zones out” multiple times a day
34. Won’t “talk” around non immediate family
35. Will observe other children but won’t interact
36. Once has his mind set on something he HAS to do it and will continuously go back to it for hours regardless of distractions or redirection
37. Has started occasionally toe walking
Obviously a lot of these things can be completely normal for his age but I feel like when you look at the bigger picture it points to something else going on, thank you if you read all of this x
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I doesn't hurt to get an assessment. Diagnosis or not doesn't change his need for support. What does change is the therapies you have access to. For example, your insurance will only cover ABA with a formal diagnosis. Also he should have qualified for early intervention already (if you are in the U.S.) They will provide speech, OT and PT. When he ages out he should qualify for the special education preschool, if the delays are still present.
100% sounds to me like autism, there is a significant amount of signs here. It is never too early to start the process of diagnosis, the sooner the better because it can help your son get the support he needs when he starts school and for at home. I started my son's process with obvious signs from 1.5years and still going through the process, he is 4 now. So definitely pursue it as soon as you can. Take what the staff said in your local family hub with a pinch of salt because waiting could only delay any support your son could get. Best of luck 👍🏼
A lot of these sound like my son who is autistic (privately diagnosed)
I would go for a diagnosis if I was you, it’s never too early to get the ball rolling.
We decided to get a private speech therapist because they come to your home and sadly the nhs doesn’t sound overly promising from what I’ve been told.
However I’ve been told by multiple people including my doctor recently that I should go back on the nhs waiting list for a diagnosis. He also has autistic children so sees it from both sides. He explained to me that say I took my son to see him with sleep issues, he wouldn’t be able to prescribe him anything. Where as if he was diagnosed on the nhs he would have a team who would be able to prescribe something and unlock more doors to other therapies. Worth thinking about.
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