What signs did you see in your spectrum babies?

Post Reply New Topic

And what age?

I don't know if you can call these "signs" but looking backwards it was always clear he was different. Far more active, for one thing. Not content EVER to be by himself (I guess he is a sensory seeker in the way of human contact and attention - not interaction, so much as attention), and sleeping well below normal. People told us it was just because he was such a smart baby. Maybe, lol. He sure did attract a lot of positive attention. People were so drawn to him (as adults are, still). He gives off this interesting and positive energy.

If any of that is common for the spectrum, who knows (I think most parents describe the opposite?). Except, I guess, that all spectrum kids seem to hit the extremes in everything. And as a baby, he was "extreme."

son was very colicky and inconsolable every day from 4-7....in retrospect, i don't think it was colic.....son would only calm down if hubby held him tight-and i mean tight

Early signs in 9CatMom as a "kitten":

My mom told me I was a "good" baby and slept easily, atypical of those with ASDs.

Very active as a child

Very interested in books, music and animals

Had unusual interests from childhood

I was the SAME!

Husband and I will never forget how, from almost the moment he could walk, our son started spinning. As fast as he could, for fun. And throwing himself into walls or onto the furniture (couch, bed) or the floor or ground. He thought that was the most fun thing EVER. He was like a human pinball - going down a hallway, he would literally bounce back and forth between the two walls.

And my mother watching him spinning at 13 months and saying, "Um, isn't he a bit too...YOUNG...to be doing that?"

It actually took us some time before we could make him understand that the entire purpose of sports (football, soccer, basketball) was NOT "falling down." He really thought that was the PURPOSE of those sports, to fall down. Because what could be more fun than that?

Reflux baby. Cried a lot.
Aged 1-2: A biter. Had to tie a playpen over the top of his cot to keep him in it. Very noisy and hard to control at times. Could read letterbox numbers. Ran everywhere.

i can't reacll anything specific from infant years but had advanced language and clear speech for his age. knew his numbers at least up to 20 by about 18 months and could count up to and down from 100 before age 2.

My son was an irritable baby. He would go stiff when held. He lacked eye contact and didn't appear to recognize us as parents when we entered a room - kind of like he was watching a movie and we were just characters. Also when he turned 1 year old he began screaming and throwing himself around and slamming his head into the floor for no apparant reason. Oh I almost forgot: we had different shape bottle nipples that came with bottles - all shaped different. He began screaming and refusing to eat at about 3 months old. It was strange because I could tell he was hungry, but when he started to suck he would get upset and scream again. My mom figured out he preferred a specific nipple for formula bottles and then another specific nipple for water/juice bottles! It was the most bizarre thing ever! So we had to mark all the nipples and make sure he had the Gerber nipple for formula bottles and the other nipple brand for the water/juice bottles! I made sure I used only ONE brand of nipple when my second child was born.
Dawn

My son was the best baby in the world - almost too good. He just never made eye contact at people at was always looking at objects. He could care less if you were paying attention to him (don't worry, I always did0. He never had the separation anxiety and didn't even reciprocal smiles, well hardly. There was no back and forth reciprocal communication. He also was very VERY interested from a very early on with things and how they worked. He was able to eat with a spoon around 8 months and never got any food on him because he didn't like to get dirty. He was advanced in the fine motor area when it came to that (different with writing). I have a 10 month old now and even when he was three months, he would smile at us and just stare at me. He still stares at me. It's just different.
My 10 month old is bringing me things and wants me around him every second.
My NT is more difficult BY FAR compared to Nate. Wow. It wasn't until Nate was around three, when he became more difficult.

I think it's more typical to have a baby that is easily irritable when they are on the spectrum due to sensory issues. Anyone else have a baby that seemed almost too good. My baby seemed like he was on Valium most of the time.

I was also told that I was "on the run" from an early age.

Very curious baby, huh??
My 10 month old is on the run already!! One second he is there, the next second he is gone.

Karin

My childhood was probably opposite of most spectrum children, as I walked early, talked early, was potty trained early, and although I was no where near an "easy" child, I was for the most part, normal. Issues only really came up once I started going to school and had to try and control tantrums and not scare off the other kids with the crazy things I would say.

As for my own son, he was different very early on. He used to cry a lot, puke a lot, and was actually put on anti-reflux meds because they thought it was acid reflux. He had a ton of tests taken including a barium swallow test to see why he kept vomiting, but they could never find anything physically wrong with him. It was after he was 1 year old, when he still wasn't walking or talking or doing "normal" things that it really started to all click. He didn't eat well because he was sensitive to the textures, and he vomited because he couldn't handle textured food at all. He had no sense of when his mouth was full, and would always overstuff to the point of choking himself. He didn't walk until 15 1/2 months old, he didn't say his first word until about then, and only said about 6 words by the time he was 2. At his evaluation at 15 months old he was globally delayed (about at a 10 month old level).

At that time we seriously thought we'd be changing his diapers and wiping up his vomit at 30 still living at home.

BUT WHAT A DIFFERENCE THERAPY MAKES!! !! !! Now at nearly 3 he's almost completely normal in most areas except in physical and social development, but he's actually ahead cognitively. Now most people can look at him and not even notice a difference other than his abnormally large head. But I'm really confident that by kindergarten he'll be better off than even I was.

I was the same to THAT degree. As for your child's head, not that it really matters, MOST end up having a head that appears roughly normal size. He IS only 3, after all.

I'm told I was a very good baby. I rarely cried, occupied myself looking at objects or surroundings, was indifferent to playing with other children. I had an internal clock that told me when it was time for bed, and I'd fall asleep no matter where I was. I didn't like for things to change, and got upset if, for instance, one of my parents cooked something that the other one usually did. I couldn't understand why I didn't get a Christmas tree for my birthday (in May) because my sister always got one for hers (in December). Funny little things.

Z

10 y/o DD's early signs

-HATED being swaddled and would squirm out of it from day 1.
-did not like to be held unless it was required for feeding, changing, etc, from day 1
-very content to entertain herself, play all by herself, watch the same video over and over and over- 18 months
-lining up and stacking objects. Severe tantrums if objects did not cooperate how she wanted them to or if some outside force messed up her lines, stacks, etc. -18 months
-self-induced sensory deprivation- piling pillows, blankets, etc over herself- 18 months
-self-harm during tantrums- we'd have to pin her down or she would hit herself, etc. 2 yrs
-easily overstimulated from day 1
-oh, reflux, poor weight gain too- had to supplement
-sensitivity to light- always wore sunglasses from about 1 year old on
-sensitivity to loud noises too- she would cover her ears and scream when I vacuumed
-early talking and very large vocabulary by age 2, very advanced, but she rarely spoke
-did not take to other people, relatives, etc at all. She didn't cling to me, but wouldn't interact with them either. We spent 2 weeks at my dad's for a visit and during that 2 weeks, she never was comfortable with him or my brother. My brother pointed out her issues back then at 15 months old and when I told him about her autism dx 7 years later, it came as no surprise to him.

-