Help! Autistic Scare

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Hello,

I am the parent of a 17 month boy and I am convinced from the red flags he has autism. He's a very happy toddler who's always smiled at us and loves to luagh. He plays with all toys and is very active (maybe hyperactive).

He's hit all his milestones physically on time (rolling, crawling, walking, climbing) but I'm more scared of his verbal and communication delays. He only knows and rarely uses 4 words at 17 months and is nowhere near talking and also when he's playing with toys he's in the zone.

He makes eye contact with me while playing and laughing but when call his name he doesn't respond most of the time. In fact his eye contact is poor too, he only looks in my eyes if I'm playing with him. He ignores me most of the time. I call him and call him and it's like I'm not even there. I know that's a big red flag and he has a few. Any thought or help on how and if he is on the spectrum what do I need to do now before his 18 month screening.

Thanks!!

Number 1 thing you can do is to take a step back and take a deep breath.

Kids even very young ones pick on parents distress

All kids are individuals and mature at different rates. Not only that but in one area they are ahead of the average and other areas they are behind. Autism is a pervasive developmental condition meaning a few autistic traits does not make one autistic.

The most important thing he is "happy toddler". If he is autistic that would make him a happy autistic toddler. I see no reason to worry about a happy kid that likes to play with you.

Many "normal" kids don't really talk at 17 months.

At that age, kids are still pretty self-centered, and into their own world while they play.

From what you've described, he just might be a "normal" 17 month old.

I would start worrying if he has absolutely no words by his 2nd birthday.

The fact that he plays with his toys appropriately is a sign of a kid NOT being autistic.

I think you'll find his 18 month screening will come soon enough. Try not to let it worry you. He's a happy kid. That's important. And you're going to continue to talk to him and interact with him and love him up. That's really the extent of it in babyhood. If he was unhappy, he would let you know with his behavior. If he's autstic, he would REALLY let you know if he was unhappy. It's kind of ironic. They say autsitic people don't communicate. But all of the autistic kids I know communicate just fine. They just do so with crying, biting, and running away instead of words.

Autism is not the end of the world. It's a different way of being. If you really want to learn about autism, you have us to talk to. We're the real experts and most of us will tell you that it's not as bad as Autism Speaks makes it out to be.

That doesn't really sound like autism to me. My cousin is NT but often didn't respond to his name when he was a toddler (but he didn't have hearing problems). And 17 months is a bit early to be saying too many words.

Even if it might be the indicator of something, it might not necessarily be autism, but some other neurological disorder, IF it is anything at all. But I doubt it. He's still a baby, so just let him be a baby before making any assumptions.

Of course, I agree with the above posters who say that autism is not necessarily "the end of the world."

This is not just the rants of an "autism activist." It's a fact. Many people of autistic neurology DO succeed. As B19 stated, whether he's autistic or not, you should play to his strengths, and don't emphasize his weaknesses. Don't deny the weaknesses, but don't harp on them, either.

Be that as it may, I don't see much autism in what you write. I see a self-centered toddler (which is "normal" for that age).

This sounds like the same story that was posted months back when some man was also scared of his one year old having autism for the exact same reasons you listed. Except he had a wife and the wife thought everything was fine but the OP wasn't convinced. So I don't even know if your post is even real and if it's some internet meme going around so pardon my skepticism.