Signs of autism as a baby

Post Reply New Topic

Did you show signs of autism as a baby? If so describe them.

I could repeat long strings of words and remember other patterns, was somewhat impervious to pain. I would go from being completely uncoordinated (think dead weight, sack of potatoes) to repetitive motion, lifting heavy objects, or, let's say, aiming, but only as I was fixated on those activities. My brain was in one place at a time, and one place only. I could not multi task, to save my life, but I could give my all as a matter of routine. Hearing and vision abnormalities. I think these may have pertained to my point of (mental) focus. I am not a mean person, would typically be pictured hugging animals, etc, all the time. I was fearless or had a delayed response to fear and pain, when people were being mean to me. So, every time I did something, spectacularly, people would think I had finally turned over a new leaf and come out of my shell.

I didn't show any atypical actions or behavior as a baby. I developed typically like any other baby. Even the teachers at preschool didn't have any concern about me, and part of their job was to observe how each toddler is developing, and the preschool I went to had a good reputation for that sort of thing. I even remember interacting well with my peers.

It wasn't until I started school was when I suddenly displayed odd behaviour from my peers and caused concern for teachers and my parents.

Before I was 2 is what a relative told me. But i did learn to talk on time. Just not conversations. And I have that weird look in photos kids on the spectrum sometimes have.

How about you Jeni?

Unresponsive I'm pretty sure is one. I was like that. And my mom said I seemed very emotionless, I didn't smile or even cry like a lot of babies do.

Other than that I'm not sure there was a whole lot out of the ordinary with me, not as a little baby at least.

I used to like crawling to dark places and I used to stare at certain things when I saw them and my sleep wasn't normal

As a young baby after been born I did not make any contact,
contrary to my brother who is not autistic.
My parents wrote it in my photoalbum with photos from when I was a baby, a sentence: Ok, I am born, but leave me alone,
it's written there.
In photos and as told I never have eye-contact, I was withdrawn, I did not tolerate a lot of food, I had allergies to clothes, even to diapers, I had hyposensivity to cold, meaning age about two I would play in the snow and takt my jaket off, my arms were blue from the cold, but I did not feel it.
I was rocking in the baby-buggy permanently and in the seat of the car, I have vivid memories from it.
I would be panicking going to sleep as in the dark my room did not look like in the daylight, and I could not cope with the change.
But that was I guess not being a baby but age 2/3/4 and more.

My mother said I never smiled when I was a baby.
She also said as a young child I was slow, babyish, temperamental, and I didn't let her hug me.

I cried allot and did not want people to pick me up.

Like Joe90 I was a typical baby and toddler. I loved being held, and the surest way to stop me from crying was to pick me up. When they left the room I would whine and cry, and stop when they came back. At one I came to my grandfather for safety. I craved their attention and company.

In the first years of school I was seen as shy because I was quiet. Then something traumatic happened and as a result I acted out, like any child would. That started a series of unfortunate events and the sh** hit the fan.

My actual aspie traits didn't make me stand out too much and didn't get so much in the way until I was in my teens, to say nothing of my adult life.

The only things that I can remember my aunt (she helped raise me) saying about what I was like as a baby, are: I was a good baby (didn't cry, much), I was interested in EVERYTHING (NOT that I got IN everything, but that I would LISTEN to everything people were talking about); she said the "wheels" in my mind were turning, constantly; and, that I ate everything except peas----which I would spit-out, like a B-B gun!! LOL I like peas, now.

None of those things really seem Aspie-like, to me, but I remember doing TONS of "Aspie things" from a toddler, on up.

For almost two years I just sat and watched and listened to music. Didn't talk, crawl or walk. Doctors couldn't find any reason for this. Then one day I simply started to talk (in words) and got up and walked. My real mother with whom I lived for only the first 6 months of my life said that I would only eat the same things in the first six months of my life - stewed apples and cream, wouldn't eat them without the cream. I still love cream! I spent the next year to 18 months of age in foster homes and an orphanage, so I think my delayed walking and talking was probably attributed solely to the trauma of that. There was trauma, I believe it probably aggravated my pre-existing ASD typicalities.

If you are familiar with Harlow's monkey experiment, where young monkeys were offered wire and towelling substitute mothers instead of maternal care and affection, I can't bear to look at pictures of them, even now, decades later.

I didn't cry much at all apparently. I talked on time but developed my own language that only my Mum, Sister and the lady down the road could understand.
I loved repetition and harmonic sounds. I started stimming around 4 as I remember it.
I was very intelligent and could do things far beyond my age. It's impressive when you're a child but not so impressive when you're an adult. That sux!

I didn´t like eyes. I have been told, that, as a baby I looked very angry and tried to poke people in the eyes, when they got too close. I wasn´t too happy about being handled any time either. My mother thought, I was a peculiar, "independant" baby. Well, it may say more about her.
I apparently didn´t need much sleep compared to other babies my age. The nap had to go.

From what I've been told, I did exhibit quite a few behaviors indicative of autism as a baby/young child. However back then (1990s), HFA/AS was rather unknown so autism was never suspected in me.

I was a quiet, happy baby with a tendency to stay up most of the night. Not crying, just awake. My dad tells me that up until I was about 5 years old, he or my mom would have to stay awake with me, often well past midnight. And then the next morning, I'd wake up at 6 to watch educational preschool TV shows (most likely Barney).

I had a little problem with choking on my own saliva when I was laying down (8 months-18 months, approximately) so I slept upright in a car seat and was prescribed Reglan (not sure of the dose).

I was delayed with speech and motor skills. I didn't ever really crawl. Instead I scooted around on my butt. I was given a label of "nonspecific developmental delays" and placed in speech and occupational therapy. I began talking shortly before I was 3 years old. I don't know precisely when I started walking, probably before talking but I don't actually know. Apparently, my speech delay was not significant though as I was later diagnosed with Asperger's.

I had sort of a milestones spurt when I was 2.5-3 years old during which walking, talking, and toilet training all happened relatively close to each other. Once that happened and I had basically caught up to my age group developmentally, the concern went away and I was thought to be a typical child albeit a bit quirky.