Could it be Autism? I'm tired of dissecting my daughter!

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henn doubt, get an eval! You have nothing to lose, and you will know one way or the other!

Repetitive, restrictive behaviour, and social communication problems are the core problems.

Giftedness, acute anxiety can lead to a heightened state of awareness, 'Sensitive person' I can't remember the exact name of it.

I re-read some of the things you wrote and I realized that the "shiver" thing you mentioned was mentioned to a nurse and not the pediatrician is that right? I would bring it up to the actual doctor and get an explanation. No offense to the nurse, but the pediatrician might have a different perspective or want to ask follow up questions.

The reason I say this, is not to alarm you or anything at all. I do think I would want a more thorough explanation of it.

I really wish I could figure out how to multi quote responses like this, it would make life so much easier! LOL

I am no doctor but I am pretty sure sensory processing disorder can exist on its own.

As for the core deficits, well at my house anyway it's communication. My four-year-old has been diagnosed as having the communication level of a two-year-old (and my two-year-old has started talking more than him.)

I agree that she may have sensory issues, you can have sensory processing disorder without autism. Many people in the general population have some sensory differences, eating is a typical one, it's why some of us love spicy food while others can't stand it. Or why some people can't stand nails on a chalkboard but others have no problems with it. Her pretend play sounds great! Not sharing is also pretty typical development, it's the "mine" phase.

Regarding the picky eating, here are some resources I found helpful


Just Take a Bite: Easy, Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges! by Lori Ernsperger, PhD, and Tania Stegan-Hanson, OTR/L

http://itsnotaboutnutrition.squarespace.com/

To many posters on this thread, and other "do you think this is autism" type threads: Even if the OP is asking you directly, I would caution you strongly against making diagnostic statements based on a single post in a public forum. First of all, you don't have enough information. Second, you are not trained in diagnosis. Third of all, I'm seeing a lot of "well, it doesn't fit X criterion, so it isn't autism" which ignores the fact that the autism spectrum has multiple criterion, not all of which need to be met to fit the profile. I and many other concerned parents have been put through the wringer by professionals and other people who offer all kinds of platitudes and dismiss our concerns. Please be careful how you respond to new posters on this board and don't let WrongPlanet become one of those dismissive places.

To the OP: I trust parents' instincts more than I trust any single diagnostic method. If you suspect there is something going on, you are probably right; YOU are the expert in YOUR child. In our situation, the key to figuring out that our school's initial diagnosis of AS was correct was finding out that the interventions for AS were the only thing that worked and that helped my son. Read up on autism and see if the parenting style most people use for it makes sense to you; there's an Index sticky and others that may be helpful at the top of this board. Many of us have felt we've had to knock on every single available door before we found a professional who would listen, and once we got the correct evaluation and interventions, our child's life improved considerably.

Ask your public school system to do an eval - it's free and if there's an issue, they will set you up with the services they have (which can be harder to get when she's school-aged) I would also say that if the tests come up negative and you are still seeing behaviors that concern you, make arrangements to have her re-tested at every developmental jump, because it's common for autism to show up (meaning, it's always been there, but because it is a delay sometimes OTHER kids' development makes it obvious) as late as middle school.

The sensory issues are what triggered my exploration. The shudder, walking on her tip toes, her overwhelming language ability at such a young age. It made me start to watch and analyze everything I saw in her. She would complain about the sun being to bright at times, but we both have blue eyes, and when she was complaining it was hurting my eyes as well. She has gotten scared and complained about loud noises in the past, but that seems to have subsided for the most part with age. Basically internet reading has led me to possibility of autism, it was a fear instilled in me before she was born for no apparent reason other than the alarming number of cases of it, and the crappy call we got after my wifes 20 week ultrasound stating she had red flags concerning a spot on her brain and fluid in her kidneys. The level 2 ultrasound a week later showed the fluid level in the kidneys was normal, and the spot on her brain (miniscule according to the doctor) was in relation to development of spinal fluid, and not indication of a brain abnormality. Core deficits is what I'm really trying to understand. What is seen differently in an autistic, aspie, spd, adhd child vs an NT child? It's very confusing!



First off, I'm glad I didn't offend you. I know people can be sensitive when talking about children. This kid is the apple of my eye, and what I live for daily! As far as the "worry club", yeah I figured that out while waiting for my wife in the initial 20 week ultrasound. It just kind of hit me, that all of a sudden I was responsible for another persons life and well being "forever". It scared the crap out of me. As a man, you are given a mission to protect those around you, but it's a different kind of feeling between a mate and your child. My wife has told me multiple times to appreciate this age, but I've had a hard time letting go of my worries, and just enjoying her as a kid! My uncertainty in her development, has led me away from wanting another child. I feel like I'm try to survive theses years, rather than absorb them!



I was ready to do that a few months ago, but decided to sit back and watch her grow. Unfortunately is she line up her blocks, or cups (in no particular order), that crappy feeling in my gut comes right back! There is a local psychologist that specializes in this area of child development, not too far from us. It's like $3000 for a 6 part evaluation/ consultation. If I knew that she needed to be evaluated, I'd sell my business and pay $3 million to get this girl whatever she needs in life. Beg, borrow, steal is what you'd do for your kids. Does she need this, IDK? I would not want to put her into a stressful environment or testing , when I could spend that money on toys that make her happy!



I did speak to the doctor about this a few weeks ago at her 3 yr checkup. The doctor was taken aback that I told her it sounded like benign shudder syndrome, but she did agree that is what it sounded like.



The pretend play is something that I thought was a great sign to, but then I read about imitative play being different? This confused me a lot. If she tells me she took a rocket ship to the moon with a dinosaur and had a bubble guppy as a pet. She obviously had seen that somewhere on TV in order to put herself in that role. Is that imitative or pretend play. I don't understand this!



Thanks for the link! I have heard of a lot of kids having picky eating issues. Again, it's just another symptom that autistic kids can have, so the fear is there. She loves chicken nuggets, but only certain brands (Burger King and Tyson). My wife makes home made ones battered in corn flakes, and she can't stand them!



I know this is no online medical evaluation. I'm just trying to understand what is crucial, and not so crucial to pay attention to. I wish there was a place to talk to a doctor online, but parents see everything, and can share there personal experiences and knowledge.

Last edited by JsDad183 on 26 Jun 2012, 10:40 am, edited 6 times in total.

ditto!

Well I would certainly hope the OP is not posting here looking for medical information, just opinions from people with similar experiences.

Do we need to label this forum FOR ENTERTAINMENT ONLY just to be clear?

No, but the postings of other parents of kids on the spectrum, or people on the spectrum carry weight, and we need to be aware of that weight.

Answering "it doesn't sound like autism to me," like it or not, sounds like a diagnosis. Answering "It doesn't sound like autism to me, but I don't have all the information and I'm not a doctor - you are better off asking a pediatric neurologist" is a better way to put it.

Remember, most people who are new to this forum are not used to the sometimes abrupt and direct ways that people on the spectrum answer questions.

This sounds appropriate to me. NT children will also reenact a story they've seen on tv. It's only a concern if they show no other forms of imaginative play, or are hyper-controlling about how the play is done. Your other example of putting her imaginary friend in timeout shows she has a good range of play abilities. If you joined in and said "let's fly to Mars next, Elmo want to meet us there," would she go along or insist passionately that it can only be the moon and only be a bubble guppy, because that's how it happened on the tv show?

I don't now but I'll find out tonight. I obviously need to pay more attention to that. She does like building different things with blocks. Last night she suggested a farm, when I asked her what shape the roof should be, she told me a triangle like the garage (we have been building one for the last year. When we were done, she team to show mama what we built. When mama asked, she responded with "a cake, a farm cake". She makes mistakes like that a lot, but always self catheters when she knows she has said the wrong thing. Sometimes she gets on ridiculous tangents, going from subject to subject. When I ask her if she knows what shes talking about , she sometimes responds with "I dont know what I'm talking about", and then we monde on.

This is a public forum, anyone can post, and people who choose to participate should understand this.

And since you're singling me out, why exactly do you not think I have a kid on the spectrum?

Last edited by Wreck-Gar on 26 Jun 2012, 12:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I thought that was implicit. I mean, that unless stated we're not paediatric neurologists, and no one, even a paediatric neurologist can diagnose a child from a forum posting. If someone is under the impression that they can, then maybe they should be allowed near forums.