Autism affects a variety of persons. This medical condition starts at birth but most parents will not become aware of the condition until the child is three years or older. What can a parent look for before the child reaches three?
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Dec
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As a baby, my friend’s son never made any eye contact, he did not smile, never really seemed engaged. He just didn’t seem like he was thriving. I had this bad feeling that something was up with him, but I couldn’t figure out what.
When he started walking, he would walk — and later run — in circles around the kitchen table endlessly, as long as anyone would let him. He only ate two foods — ever.
He was nonverbal for a very long time. Then he learned a few words (late) and then — this was another tip-off — he unlearned them, stopped saying any words that he had previously said. Now, it’s true that many kids who do not have autism don’t speak for quite a while, but he still had all of the above described symptoms.
My friend thought his running around the table endlessly was funny, and would always tell me that “Einstein didn’t speak until he was four…” Her son was finally diagnosed a few weeks before age three.
Our son has autism and was diagnosed at 2.3 years.
What was he like as an infant???
-Colicky- but that’s not related to autism
-did not respond to his name- we though he had a hearing deficit and had him tested 4 different times and he passed each time.
-Did not coo or babble. He went from colic to silence.
-poor fine motor skills: he never acquired the pincer grasp. He is 11 now and still cannot tie his shoes and writing is a nightmare.
-Fixation on objects. For awhile before he was diagnosed I called him “edison” because of his fascination with lights: all lights, including the light on the coffee pot.
-Tantrums that were outrageous and started at age 13 months.
-Excellent Memory- when I took something away because it was dangerous- he remembered 3 days later that I had put it on top of the fridge: and began to tantrum again as if it WAS there even when I showed him it was not. He never forgot anything. I will never forget this because he was only 15 months old at the time.
-Fixation on cars and trucks- but not playing with them- lining them up on the couch and watching them. Starting at 1 year of age.
-Stacking cans up- but all babies love to stack cans I guess.
-Fixation on trains by the time he was 2. At age 3, tornadoes- every picture had a tornado in it and he read all that he could on the topic. We have a crate of tornado pictures he drew when he was 3. A CRATE! He drew the same thing- over and over and over and over.
-Food- Ughh…he is very, very finicky. Certain textures are not ok. I made baked potatoes with dinner- and he refuses them each time. It’s a texture issue- one of M.A.N.Y.
-clothing- all clothes must be soft- same with blankets or he will not wear them. Sneakers are impossible. He gets used to the way the old pair fit and the new pairs never fit right.
Hmm…as a baby though, we had difficulty getting anyone to listen to us. “you are a new parent, don’t worry so much…”, whatever. I knew something was wrong.
-From the time he was small, he never allowed for changes- and it took forever and many meltdowns to get him to adjust to a change- any change. Cothing, shoes, new clothes, people, babysitters, you name it.
This is a general list- all kids with autism have a quirk- some do a handshaking thing- our son doesn’t do this. He DOES do this thing we have called “rockets” from the time he could run- running from one end of the house to the other making a rocket noise. He still does it.
Good luck and try not to worry so much!
My son has autism. He is mild, so I did not notice this until he was one and was not talking. However, there were other signs. For one, he never played with his toys the right way. He had a Hokey Poke Elmo, and would rather stare at the turn thing on the foot than do the hokey poky. He hated to eat, and still (he is three) does not know how to use a spoon. He has always made good eye contact, but he did not say his first word until he was 22 months old. Currentally, most of what he says is echoing (copying other’s words, whether immediately or delayed). The big tipoff, which many do not realize, is if they can stand at birth. My son, if you held his hands, could stand up straight on his first day in this world. This is a sign of a neurological disorder, which is what autism is. Curentally, at three, my son cannot answer questions such as “how are you? where do you live? what did you do today?” Also, he loved to play with doors, and never got attached to a toy or blanket. Many children with autism are obsessed with routines, however my son is not. Hope this helps!
Social issues really is all that you can look for now. My brother has a form of autism and we didn’t figure it out until he got kicked out of kindergarden.
It is related to social interaction, however, many parents of autistic children report that their babies were ‘completely normal’ until a sudden change between 18months and 3 years.
Most children with autism exhibit characteristics such as; lack of eye contact, no speaking, swaying from side to side, obsessive behavior in doing one thing (like stacking blocks), or they can start of being normal developmentally, and then all of sudden start to decline in behavioral development. If you suspect that your child is autistic, speak with your pediatrician, so they can diagnose it, and begin to help your child. The earlier it is caught, the more likely your child can develop along with children his/her age.
if they are not communicating, like with eye contact or anything. My brother used to sit isolated from all the kids in his daycare and just separate things into groups and not talk to anyone. If they’re not talking or making eye contact, this is a red flag.
my son is four and he has very mild cerebral palsy.In the last 2 weeks he is having unbelievable tantrums and he tends to kick bite and scream so much so that he tries to be sick. I hold his hands and talk to him calmly until he calms down and dont eave go until he stops when he is finished his tantrum he is like a different child. Could this be autism. im very worried and concerened about it