Concerns for my 19 month old

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Hi Everyone,

I have a little boy, Jack, who is 19 months old. The last thing I want to do is start "labelling" him before he has even had a chance but there's just things about him that I worry about.

I'll try and explain as best I can- He seems in his own little world, at times he even seems deaf. I could scream his name a loud as I possibly could, and he wouldnt even look up at me, he'll continue to fixate on whatever he is doing. He also does fixate alot on things e.g doors HAVE to be closed, he doesnt PLAY with toys as they should be played with, with a car for example, he wont push it along and make car noises, he spin the wheel over and over and over and over....

He also doesn't say anything. He babbled when younger, and then about a month ago I thought we'd hit Jackpot as he said a couple of words 'Narna' (Banana) 'bot bot' (bottle)... but now, nothing. I will go blue in the face saying the words I KNOW he knows over and over, but all I'll get back is screams. If I ask him 'do you want a banana?' he'll scream and almost headbang... and thats his way of saying 'yes I do'

Im a first time mum and I'd like to think I'm just really overthinking things, but I just need advice from other parents who have been through this stage with an autistic child, to either tell me to shut up and stop worrying, or that the things ive mentioned above maybe I should be a tad concerned and see a Health Visitor.

I have a brother who is considered to be on Autistic Spectrum and my step-mum does say quite frequently how Jack is very like my brother was a toddler.



Thank you everyone for taking the time to read

x-x-x

you'd get more replies in the parent subforum

From the things you've said, they do seem like classic signs of autism. However that's a tiny snippet of your life and his behaviour, and 19 months is pretty young still. I worked with a kid a few years ago who really didn't progress as you'd expect until he was well over 2.

But as always, take him along to the doctor. Ask to get him assessed. Early help whether he's autistic or not can't hurt. Best of luck.

My son was a talker, but otherwise similar to your son. It was take ages to walk along out street when he was that age as all garden gates had to be shut and lined up with each other, and yes, the spinning wheels thing.

I'd definately recommend speaking to your health visitor about your concerns.

Agreed.
<< Moved from GAD to Parents' Discussion.>>

Take him along to an aspergers group for kids. Meet with a group facilitator, you will know soon enough

Have you asked your pediatrician what he/she thinks?

It is very early, but there are signs I recognize. I agree with everyone who said to get your child assessed.

Im booking a doctors appointment tomorrow.

The more I've looked into Autism, the more signs I'm seeing in Jack.

Put the blender on today in the kitchen, he went mental! He hated it. The not pointing to objects. Lack of eye contact.

List goes on and on.

Feeling very emotional about it all x

*hugs* I can relate as I have a long list of early signs that my 14 month old is showing as well. We start the assessment process tomorrow morning. On top of that, I just learned that both my husband and I have AS (we're in the process of being assessed ourselves, so far professionals agree that we have it). All I keep thinking is, "how on earth are we going to survive?". We are trying to be as proactive about it as possible though, and get as much help as is available to us (which is mostly going to be through services, seeing as our friends and family have abandoned us in our time of need). We're selling our house to free up some time and money (and free us up to move if need be), and we put our son in half-day childcare as I desperately need respite care but do not yet qualify for any services yet. Wrong Planet has been an absolute lifesaver for us, without this website I honestly don't know what I would do, so make sure you stick around!

I would do these M-CHAT and sensory questionaires and take them with you to the doctor's appointment. Sometimes seeing a bunch of items checked on paper will be taken more seriously by a doctor than your verbal desciption, and help get the referral you need for in-depth testing.

https://www.m-chat.org/

http://sensorysmarts.com/sensory-checklist.pdf

More info on sensory issues: http://sensorysmarts.com/signs_of_spd.html

Sounds very similar to my daughter, except for the language problems. You are doing the right thing by looking into it. He is still very young though so you might have trouble getting anyone to listen, but you can always return to it at a later date if things havent changed.

Good luck and let us know how things go

I think your concerns are valid, my son developed that way. And I knew it wasn't a hearing issue because if I turned on one of his favorite shows in another room he'd come running.

Jack is the same! Definately not a hearing issue, as the second an advert or programme he likes comes on, he'll abruptly stop whatever he is doing and stand in front of the tele, his nose almost touches the screen!! ! lol

Calling my doctors at 9am to book an appointment for today. Im really nervous!! I dont want to go in there 'I think my son has Autism' as you know he'll be thinking 'Oh another mum, reading up on google too much!! !'

How shall I approach this?? Shall I go in and tell him my suspicions, or should I just tell him the things Jack does that Im concerned about i.e not pointing, no pretend play, obessing over things etc.

Advice REALLY appreicated xxx

Dont be emotional and dont prattle on about every symptom.

Be brief, concise and professional.
If the doctor is not, find another[many are not very good, try and find a doctor who has training with ASD's]

Take the M-CHAT test.
https://www.m-chat.org/mchat.php

Sorry to be blunt but based on what you have said so far I would say your boy has Autism.
If the Dr gives you some waffle about boys sometimes developing slowly, and having to wait and see, then best thing is to stand up and leave and refuse to pay the bill, and find someone that knows what they are talking about.

Unfortunately a lot of pediatricians really are like that and they often don't know much about autism. Tell them he lost language skills, they should take that seriously. My son had a boatload of red flags but that was the only one that got their attention.