Does anyone else's toddler do this?

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So, I've been trying to capture my son and some of his quirks...I've not seen anyone else's baby do this, and the only way I can describe it is he's like a car spinning their wheels! It's cute as anything, but has anyone else seen a baby who likes doing this?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6UzU0IGhIw[/youtube]

I think its adorable! I'm pretty sure I've seen that before. Well, at least, it doesn't seem odd to me. Been a while since my kids have been that age, but I honestly think I've seen either one of mine or a friend's child do that. Or was it a video of my sister as a baby? Odds are good on the later; she always was a lot of motion. Still is. Anyway, at that age kids do so much experimentation with movement; I think it's related.

Yes, i've seen it before, my daughter also likes to crawl backwards, (sometimes farrrr away until she hits a wall) ; or walk on her hands and feet like a spider, she doesn't do the little rocking movement at the beginning but my son used to or push herself on her belly using just the arms, sometimes also backwards. It's just experimentation of what they are able to do with their bodies, i think it's perfectly cute and normal...

Thanks Ladies!
I think it's darling! Sometimes when he's crawling around he'll also stop and lift up one arm and then the next so that it looks like he's exercising! I don't know why he does it, but it's so cute too! Maybe I'm just too enthralled with him (that's reasonable for a mom!)

I've been trying to capture him flapping his hands and stuff too, but I am worried that I am trying to see things that may not be there, if that makes sense. Just like I've always known I'm different, I feel it in him too. Even when he was born I told my partner that there was something about him that was unlike other babies...I really hate how everyone is making me feel like a paranoid parent and telling me that there's nothing wrong with him. Of course there's nothing 'wrong' with him(being an Aspie is not wrong), but that doesn't mean they know my child better than I do, right? Has anyone else experienced this? How did u deal? Were ur suspicions ultimately correct? Thanks in advance for any replies!

Oh, that's what your question was about ! well, i never saw anythying "wrong" with my son, but i knew he was different, and i had a strong instinct to protect him from emotional pain,strong noises and disrespectful touches (strangers touching his face,picking him up, etc, i could see that LOOK in his eyes, but he never cried, so noone understood why i was opposing to it) when he was....no, i'm going to lie actually, i still do it. I could always feel it....and i wouldn't be surprised if your son was, too, ofc i can't "diagnose" anyone, not even if i had seen him in real life, but that rocking thing he did from side to side, my son did it too, and also back and forth, making the bed squeak endlessly (he broke 4 or 5 beds in a year, around that age...). Just trust your instinct to treat him like you feel you should.
edit: i just rewatched the video, looks like he is looking at his shadow and hands while walking cute....)

ediself,
No, I wasn't asking those questions initially, but based on ur responses, I wanted to ask some follow up questions, so thanks so much for coming back to reply! I can't really talk to any other moms I know since they don't understand me, let alone my concern about my son. I am so sure about this intuition feeling, that I cannot ignore it! Hudson loves rocking from side to side while he's watching tv, and he and I both LOVE spinning around in circles. I'd like to catch more of it on video, but I'm so afraid of over-analyzing (like I do)...Does it sound bad that I don't WANT him to be NT? Because I am positive that both myself and partner have AS or some related condition that if poor H were NT, he'd be the odd man out...and we all know what that feels like!
Do you think I should bring up my thoughts with his doctor? I thought that most doctors would have a wait and see approach at his age (15 months), even though his symptoms seem to be glaringly obvious (at least to me)...but then again, I go back to playing devil's advocate and try to find reasonable explanations for his behaviour, and most babies act funny! It's part of learning how their bodies move about in the world...I hate being this confused about myself, and it's worse to worry about H like this! I just want him to have the childhood that my partner and I did not get, and I don't want him to struggle the way we had to.

we went through something similar with our oldest, still going through it. until he was 10 or so, we thought it was us parents to varying degrees. everyone else thought he was fine and dandy, tho. then his NT brother came along, and we realized its not us. then his autistic brother came along, and we realized its REALLY not us. i finally asked the school to assess him right after he turned 14, i was thinking it would be add or odd or executive dysfunction or mood disorder or something i had no knowledge of, and two weeks ago they surprised me with an asd eligibility diagnosis. im still struggling with that, there are times he does something and i think "you are SO autistic", then other times when i start to question and doubt it again.

he is the only one of the 3 autistics in my house who makes me wish there was a definitive test for autism.



it sounds quite natural to me. we WANT our kids to be like us. thats why we analyze a babys face to see whose nose he has, or whose eyes. we want to be able to understand them and help them. best way for that to happen is if they think like we do. we want to connect and bond with our children, and we tend to think thats easier if they are like us.

no matter which way he turns out, you will love him regardless. and whether hes NT or ASD, i think you can find a way to understand him, simply because you will work for it if you want it to happen.

My strongest intuition has been about my daughter and I won't even voice that one because I'm sure it's wrong; it had better be wrong. And, so far, just the fact that the pregnancy came to term proves it wrong. Still can't shake it, though.

Sometimes our intuition says more about ourselves than it does reality; sometimes it is an important piece of information. I've had both, and I'm not sure how to tell which may be which.

Just something to be aware of.

All parents spend time trying to make sure they accurately understand their child. I think that what you are voicing here may be related to that: you want to be sure you know who your unique child is so that you parent him in the right way for him. Plus, as I'll note more on later, you're just plain eager to discover him! Given that you understand what it is like to be AS, you would find it easier to parent him if he is also AS (in some ways yes, in others no, actually, from what we've seen here, but the logic is there). When they are little the waiting can be frustrating; most things are "too early to tell" but of course you just can't wait to know what this wonderful being will be like! Is he going to love math? Is he going to hate lima beans? WHO is he? Parents start trying to interpret all the little things in large part because they are so eager to find out!

So ... I know many of those feelings, but I can't resolve them for you. It's like waiting for Christmas. It comes when it comes.

Thank you azurecrayon. Sometimes it's exhausting how much I worry! But, of course it's because I want the best for everyone in my family.

DW_a_mom, thanks. I understand what u are saying about mother's/woman's intuition. Certainly I know that it can be wrong, as I was convinced that my son was a daughter and refused to accept otherwise until I saw his 'parts' on a 3D scan!! It's a good thing to remind me of, and I will definitely take all factors into account.

I agree with you about the total enthusiasm to find out who they will become! It's so very exciting to watch someone grow and explore their world, and it's even more amazing to be part of that and to guide him into becoming a person he can be proud to be. I will continue doing what I have been, and when I feel the time comes to speak to his doctor, then I have all the support I need from my partner. My most important goal here is to parent him in a way that HE will understand but something that works for all of us, and to make sure that he is getting the type of upbringing that enables him to get the absolute most out of his life (but what parent doesn't aim for that). I just don't want to be the type to get discouraged and give up when people tell me I'm wrong, even though I believe something strongly to be true. I just found out that is exactly what happened in my youth when my mom expressed her concerns about me. She let others tell her that she was wrong and gave up trying to show them that she was right. That is my worst fear. But I'm afraid to go totally overboard looking for something that isn't there! Aaah! So frustrating (and exciting) being a mom!

That is the trait you will need when your child gets into the school system (assuming you don't choose to home school). When it doesn't feel right, what you are hearing, odds are about 90% that it ISN'T right. Trust your instincts full force when going against institutional pull. I actually had great overall experiences working with the school, but many parents here have not, and the one thing we hear a lot is, "what they were saying never quite fit."

Some things the teachers actually do know from experience, like the whole thing with toddlers crying when you leave: "oh, she'll stop crying 5 minutes after you leave, I promise! It's just the change and separation that is hard." But, even then, there are exceptions. Their advice worked like a charm with my daughter, she had a wonderful preschool experience, and I could FEEL it when I came back for her. With my son, however, it never felt quite right, his issues were deeper than the teachers were seeing, and I FELT that, too, just didn't believe I had any other options.

Point being, there will come a time when you will "know," and should trust it. That's just really hard to have with infants and toddlers, because so much is yet to be explored; you don't really know the full child yet (but you still know him better than anyone else does!).

I like DW a Mom's response. That makes a lot of sense. I had an intuition about my son pretty early on and people thought I was a little crazy. I actually never thought he was on the spectrum though. He didn't really have all the early red flags and was meeting milestones, so the pediatrician didn't see any reason to get him assessed. It wasn't until he was about 3 that the sensory issues became really apparent (even though in retrospect we see them back to age 2 now) and the difficulties with social skills started to really show.

Anyway, my point is, we can have intuition early, but not really know until they're older what's exactly going on. At 15 months, they do all kinds of funny, quirky little things. So, in a lot of ways it's too early to tell! But, if you're seeing red flags, it's always good to bring it up with the pediatrician because you never know. Our children are all so unique. ASD can present in a lot of different ways. My son is a great example. His sensory issues are mostly sensory seeking behaviors, which doesn't really stand out as a red flag for a toddler boy... gee a boy who likes to crash into things, jump off of stuff, hit and push people, etc (these were the things that I worried about that made people think I was crazy!) The thing is, a lot of things appear as developmentally appropriate and only become a red flag when the child doesn't grow out of it or if the intensity of it is really profound.

I can totally relate with you also because I have a second child who isn't quite 2 yet. I look at her with SUCH a different lense than I looked at my son. Every time that girl walks on her tip toes or spins in circles, I get really anxious... even though it's developmentally appropriate for toddlers to do these things on some level!

Anyway, good luck to you, and have fun getting to know your boy. They only get more awesome as they get older.

Thanks everyone for all of your replies!! I finally feel like I am doing the right thing and that I should trust myself. I feel so much better knowing that I'm not the only one who has felt this way, and that it does get better! I think the best thing I can do is just enjoy him everyday, just like we always have and to seek help when we feel the time is right! I really appreciate everyone's words of wisdom!! Of all the things in my life that I've screwed up, being a great mom is one area where I REFUSE to fail!