Normal or not normal for almost 2 yr old

Post Reply New Topic

Younger son is 21 months, noticing some odd behaviors, I could be just too "on the look out", but want other opinions to be sure. He has a growth disorder, the suspected type of which has a higher incidence of ASD than the general population and his brother has PDD-NOS.

-Obsession with buttons since he was able to crawl
-All milestones at later end of normal age range
-Has large vocabulary, but nearly all words are repeating rather than spontaneous (e.g. Me: "Do you want a baba?" him: "baba". Me: "Where is the puppy?" him: "puppy")
-Unusually long attention span for buttons and lids since 9 months old (45 minutes)
-Very social at home and daycare
-When out at play museum, prefers to stand and observe rather than engage
-Walks and runs on tippy toes (running on tippy toes makes him very clumsy)
-Flaps when excited
-Absence seizures
-Specific about routine (e.g. every morning upon waking, must take small pillow, place in corner of crib, must place pacifier in center of pillow, cannot be off center, refuses to get out of crib until it is centered. Other pillow and blanket must be in proper place before getting out. Cannot used same spoon for different foods.)
-Does not do well with change in routine (throws tantrum if routine is not adhered to and will physically take items and place them where they should be after we get home)
-Very rough, loves touch and playing, good eye contact
-Extremely observant of minor detail (he will notice if a new candle is put on the mantle)
-Is always going, extremely high energy

None of these things adversely affect our life right now, but I don't want to 'miss it' or ignore it like I did with my older son.

Thoughts? Don't be afraid to tell me I am reaching, I am very open to the idea that I am 'too on the look out'.

Thanks.

BJ, I don't think you are over reacting. He does seem to exhibit some traits. The things that really stick out to me is the running on tip toes, flapping, particular about the way things have to be done, problems with transitions, prolonged interest in buttons. However, as you know from being on this forum, we can't really diagnose here. It may be too young to tell, but since your older son has been diagnosed as on the spectrum, then there is a big chance that your little one may be too. I would definitely have him evaluated. My son was diagnosed at 2.5 yrs of age as PDD-NOS. He is 5 now, and is progressing fairly well. I am a very firm believer in early intervention.

Looked at your list again, and the delayed milestones, seizures, and the attention to detail also seem to be indicators to me. This is just my opinion, though. I am definitely not a professional! Please keep us posted.

I'd be curious - for those of you who have a child this young or younger who has been diagnosed, what did they do? I mean, after the diagnosis, what therapies, treatments, etc. did they offer? What, exactly, does early intervention mean?

That list sounds very familiar.

My son got Early Intervention pretty young, maybe 2 1/12. At that time he was just thought to have an auditory processing disorder and barely "squeeked by" to be admitted. He charmed the pants of the interviewers. It was only after the intervention started that one of the people who worked with him noticed his traits and suggested more evaluation. No surprise to me, I knew it all along.

The interventions in his case were home visits from a speech therapist and a "play" specialist. The visit were play oriented and fun for him.

If you've read my posts to all the new parents asking about their kids, you know my position at this age. I think it is impossible to diagnose, but there are things you can be sensitive to, just in case he is.

Mostly, do what you already have figured out now for your older child: throw out the conventional wisdom rule book. Kids, and most especially AS kids, shouldn't be parented by a conventional wisdom rule book. They should be parented based on your unique understanding of the one child's needs.

Love him for who he is, whatever that is. Worry about labels some other day.

I guess my point with the question - like many of the other interventions for autism, seems like they wouldn't hurt and would probably benefit a NT child. Unfortunately, one usually has to get a diagnosis/label to get them...

I agree that a child cannot be diagnosed this young. Could be quircks, could be something else. Other people have pointed out his need for things, how they don't understand what he wants and he freaks, can't figure it out. It is always something that is apparently meaningless such as not putting his pillow in the right direction or not putting his kiddie couch in the right spot in the living room. He only has so much coordination right now so sometimes he can't get it just right. I do want to talk to his ped about his toe running - it is dangerous and he gets hurt a lot because of it. There could be other reasons for that too, such as a bone or tendon problem (or nothing). I wanted to check and see if this sounds typical. I realize that I thought my older son was typical but he wasn't, so I have absolutely no reference for what is just toddler quirks and what is not quite right.

As far as early intervention goes, my son started physical therapy first at around 12 mos because he had low muscle tone. He was not even attempting to walk, so they did alot of swinging him, bouncing him on a therapy ball, just exercises in trying to strengthen his upper body strength and working on his vestibular system (which affects balance) They thought he was probably afraid to let go and walk because he was unsure of his body position in space.

We started occupational therapy at age 17 mos, because he had some signs that he had sensory issues. She really did a lot of play type things too just trying to get him to follow directions and complete little tasks. She also worked with trying to get him to use both hands to complete a task. She said it had to do with bi-lateral integration (which I think relates to the brain)

Then we started with speech therapy which I think is probably the most important because it helps them in expressing wants and needs which will reduce the frustrations.

My son never toe walked, but from what I have learned, (someone correct me if I am wrong) it is a sensory related issue, in that they don't like the way it feels for their feet to touch the ground. My son never wanted his feet to touch grass when his feet were bare. I don't think he was really strong enough to walk on his toes, he just sort of walked on his heels. When I was taking him for physical therapy, I saw several children who were being worked with for toe walking. Over time, it can have an effect on their tendons in their feet.

That is really interesting angelbear. I am always amazed at how early things can be recognized.

I met a woman last week in my son's vision therapy waiting room. I had seen her son before in the room, but not her. When I had seen him previously, I immediately knew he was ASD. I started chatting w/ the mom and she confirmed it. We talked a lot about diagnosis, treatment, finances, all the usual stuff you would expect moms like us to talk about. She was extremely open and I really hope I see her again this week. Sorry, that has nothing to do with this..lol.

She said that her son had sensory issues since he was an infant! A few months old! I was amazed that was recognized! She said he had major feeding problems with no physical cause - it was the texture of baby food! She acknowledged that she was in touch with some wonderful medical professionals and supportive moms and her son received very early intervention and tons of therapy from infancy! I was just so amazed by her story.

BJ, I know. My son was a pretty good baby except for sleeping. He always ate very well. At about 4 mos of age, though, he started shaking his head back and forth as if he was saying "no". I kept trying to research it, and could find nothing. His pediatrician was not that concerned.

Then I started realizing around 6 or 7 mos of age, that he was not even attempting to sit up. At the time, I didn't connect autism with it at all. My son was smiling and had good eye contact, so that did not even cross my mind.

He finally sat up at 10 mos of age, but at 12 mos, was not even attempting to crawl. Then he started laying on the floor staring at the ceiling fan, flapping his hands. Then his pediatrician started to get concerned. I knew in my heart at 1 yr of age, that he was probably on the spectrum, but at that time I was so afraid.

He had words, and he had good eye contact, and he smiled and was loveable with us, and didn't have extreme tantrums. He has ALWAYS been a good eater.

When we started getting physical therapy for him, they started asking me a lot of questions like "Is he pointing to things?" Is he showing you things? He had very little interest in playing with toys. He was more interested in strange things around the house.

All along, every time he would see a new therapist or doctor, there was always a mixture of "He doesn't seem autistic" , but he fit so much of the criteria.

All I can say is that it was a very long process for us. One day I would be convinced that he was fine, and the next I would know that he had ASD. It was a roller coaster ride. I thought that once he walked he would be fine. He finally started walking at 21 mos. Then he started repeating things and memorizing all of his books! He was not engaging with other children. I knew for sure then.

When the first OT worked with him at 18 mos. The first thing she said when she saw him shaking his head was that it was sensory related. That he was seeking some sort of sensory input. The same with the hand flapping.

I know many posters here feel that you can't diagnose that early on, but I can tell you that at 1 yr of age, I knew there was something going on with my son. Now that he is 5, I am feeling more hopeful because I have seen how far he has come. Things are getting much better, but it has been a long road.

Sorry for the long post! Sometimes, it just helps to let it all out!! !