Autism - Tampa,FL

A mom always knows.........it's a gut feeling. Look at social, language aquisition, quirks, sensory challenges, motor coordination and balance issues, behavior and autoimmune problems like asthma, allergies, diabetes, etc.

My son was diagnosed in June of this year with ASD with speech delay. He was 2.5 then, he will turn three in December.

I had a suspicion but I wanted to know why my kid seemed "different" when compared to other kids his age.

He needed glasses too at a very early age. Here is what triggered my suspicions.

>He was (and still is) VERY fidgety, would not sit still for one minute. Constantly on the go. (Hyperactive)

> He knew allot of words but would not use them to communicate. He would always moan and point or drag me to the item he wanted.

> He had allot of sensory issues, and needed constant input, like open and close doors repeatedly (and he could do this for hours on end - non stop).

> He woud seek out strenuous play, like push heavy objects, and stomp his feet to get that "feeling" almost as if you are addicted to exercise and can't get enough of the "movement" associated with it.

> He seemed a bit OCD when it came to routine and Transitioning from one activity to the next became a nightmare

> He would be fascinated by anything with patterns (Bricks, or the way things are packed at the grocery store) or moving objects, like watching cars on a highway. He would make strange gestures with his hands and his whole body would become tense and rigid.. from excitement. This seemed very odd to me.

> He was a very picky eater (VERY) - and was very sensitive around his head.. brushing his teeth, washing/combing hair, wiping nose... NIGHTMARE to get him to sit still was always a mission in the first place.

> He does not play WITH the kids, but rather in paralel play.. next to them or in his own corner. He seems oblivious to all the other kids around him. He would sometimes look up and notice, but then carry on with what he was doing.

> Hates anything messy (Sensory Processing Disorder) Playdoh, sand, finger paint - anything that would stick to his hands.

Other than that, thank God, he is very emotionally connected to us (Loves hugs and kisses and lots of loving...) and tries very hard to be a bit more social. He will say hi in passing and bye when we leave.. but while we are visiting, he would find a door to go open and close until we leave, or climb up and down the stairs.

I hope this helps. If you need to PM me I might be able to answer some of your questions.

Not all Autistic kids have trouble showing emotion. But it is very common. They have a disconnect and cannot express or "read" other's emotions and can be very frustrating for both parties.

> Autistic kids might rock, bounce or spin sometimes to "center" themselves when noise level becomes too much or they are getting overwhelmed. Mine bounces on his hind legs. He sits in a "W" shape and bounces his but on the floor. Or he would hold his ears when the noise becomes too much.

They are very sensitive to noise, and crowds.. especially busy shops and gatherings.

I have a daughter who is now 8 3/4 years old who has Autism. We found out during the summer after her first preschool year, which should have been the summer before her kindergarten year sooooo... she was about 4.5 years old.

There are a lot of signs, more than can be discussed in just one post. It took us years to figure things out although we knew there was something from birth. We knew she had sensory problems from birth for certain. She had some major social problems. Had problems meeting milestones with social skills, certain major motor skills, OCD, anxiety disorder, global learning delays... I could go on. Flapping arms, hopping, spinning, stimming, perseveration, echolalia, need for rigid routines... so much.

Every person with Autism is different. That's why if there are concerns, there need to be evaluations. A good start would be any one of the following, who will follow the DSM-IV: Pediatric Neurologist; Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician; Child Psychiatrist; Child Psychologist.

My son was diagnosed on the spectrum right before his 3rd birthday. We started to notice "interesting" behavior around his 2nd birthday. At 4, he got a diagnosis of Asperger's. He was diagnosed by a developmental pediatrician. We got referred by Early Intervention.

We noticed that he has an incredible memory, lined up his toys all the time, and had intense tantrums when things weren't "done right" - like if I didn't read his books the right way (the way my husband did) or when his toys didn't behave the way he wanted them to (he'd line up sidewalk chalk standing on end, and if a piece fell down, he'd have a complete meltdown and swipe everything off of the table he was working at.) Also pronounced words perfectly when developmentally, he should have been mispronouncing them.

Here is a good resource. http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/learn-signs

1: Yes I do!
2: Looking back, there were signs as an infant with my son. The pediatrician had "red flagged" him at 6mo as he was showing signs of delayed development. They continued monitoring him for about 4 more months then right before he turned one, is when the school therapists began coming to our home to work with him. This continued until he was 18 months old and that's when the pediatrician suggested getting on the waiting list to have him evaluated for a possible autism diagnosis.
3: The signs that I now can see looking back, he never gave me real eye contact, he stared down a little bit as if he was just watching my mouth. He also could spend A LOT of time all on his own at a very young infant age. He developed insomnia at only 6mo old. He had a hard time manipulating simple toys that other children younger than him could do. He loved staring at our ceiling fans, he had a huge amount of trouble breast feeding to the point we had to just call it quits and go to the bottle (he has horrible oral sensory issues), moving off of pureed foods to regular foods took us until he was 2 1/2, he'd throw tantrums for no apparent reason, he didn't understand how to chew, he had language delays, his babbles were more just noises, his screams when he'd get his hair cut or have his toe nails clipped were more than just screams, it was almost like he was in shear agonizing pain (which autistic kids can feel pain when others may feel softness, their nerve endings interpret senses differently etc..).

That's the jist of what we noticed early on, but became more and more clear as he got older. Hope that helped:)

I have a son with Autism. He was diagnosed at 19 months old. He was given a referral for a formal evaluation based on the results of his M-CHAT at his 18-month checkup. You can google the M-CHAT and how to interpret the results. It is cautioned that laypersons are not meant to use it and it in no way replaces a formal evaluation, but it can help you focus in on the flags.

Some children on the Spectrum can't sit still, some have amazingly long attention spans. Some have physical manifestations. Often there are communication and social delays. Stimming behaviors can be anything from flapping his arms when he's excited to spinning in circles, banging his head against the wall, or just laying on his side on the floor spinning the wheels on his cars as he lines them up.

Feel free to PM me if you want more specifics or want to share the specifics of your concerns. I would be happy to help you out, but ultimately a formal evaluation is always the best bet.

I don't have a kid with autism but I was told, because of a video I uploaded once to youtube that his actions he was making was a sign. Really, I think they were all crazy, but I did look up what people thought signs of autism are.

Now mind you I am not sure if some of these are really signs of autism or kids just being kids. But some said the act of putthing things in perfect order, like lining up blocks perfectly or what not, that was one sign. I think the biggest sign they point out, which I can see as being and actuall sign is the fact they start showing emotion, happy emotion anyways. Start being distant, not being as responsive to you or your hugs and what not.

Again don't take me for my word, as these are just some things I looked up once when people claimed my son had it.. Really my son is normaly a very happy and loving kid and has no issues playing with others, so I think they were all wrong. But there are lots of resources out there that might tell you more. And surelly others here that might tell you more.

If you have concerns, I would urge you to have him tested through Early Steps. My son has what they call red flags for autism. Early Steps and CARD are working with him. WE have been told that he is not autistic, but he does have some behaviors and speech delay that qualify him for services. It's really helping. The earlier you get help the better.