how do you find out if a toddler has As or else

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Hi,

I was wondering how you find out if a toddler has AS or something else (adhd...)

My son is in his own world. He is not deaf, but you have to shout at him if you want him to listen to you. but even with shouting it doesnt necesseraly happen.
He is very artistic, loves painting, working with beeswax crayon. But he has to wash often his hand.
He screams a lot.
He is very clingy.
He really needs to have an heavy duvet on him when he is lying down (just like me)


I know all i am saying is quite common for a child of his age. But i would like to know if i could do something to understand him more.
i am not very good with noise (sensory thing), and his screaming are annoying me a lot!
My first one is very quite. She is able to stay on her own for a lomg time (which is good for me, because i need to be on my own a lot!) that 's why i am not used to that constant need from him to be with me all the time.
When we go to the park, he can stay hours on his own playing forgetting what is around him. and it does us good to be appart for a bit. lol

I guess my question is this: what are you hoping to gain by knowing if your son is AS at this age? To my eyes, the term is only as useful as what it can get you, and for us, that didn't really apply until kindergarten. But if he is falling behind in some important developmental milestones, you may wish to have help sooner. Or if you feel you will be needing services, this can be a good age to start getting qualified.

For making sure he hears you, have you tried touching him or getting his attention visually, before speaking? I found this helped a lot with both my children (one NT, one AS).

As for understanding your child, each AS is different just as each NT is different. You've already tuned into him well for some things, like the blanket, so keep doing more of the same. It is difficult, I know, but we can discover quite a bit about our kids by observing and taking notes (mental or paper, depending on how your memory is).

Thank you for the advices.
when i touch him on the shoulder for example, he shouts at me, like he's been hurt. like electric shock.
He is also very nervous, and he is not scared. but he has done something naughty and we tell him off, he will ask "do you want to be hit, bite or push?" (which is very funny, i have to admit)


I want to know as early as possible, because i dont want to react in a wrong way. i need to understand him, because i wasnt understood by my mum and family.

i will write down (i need to! lol) everything he does, to understand him

If he screams when touched, then my idea of using that to get his attention definitely won't work, lol.

I think what I would try, then, is sitting in his line of sight and giving him a certain amount of time to notice you. Then proceed with the instructions. And remember to give him a decent amount of time to shift gears and comply. Time warnings often work well, either by the clock, counting, or music.

so much depends on the severity of the symptoms.....if you're concerned, you can talk to your pediatrician who should be able to reflect on the symptoms & tell you whether they are within the AS spectrum or the NT spectrum....

Toddlers are SO strange and there is such a variation on "normal" that it can be just plain hard to tell if your kid has an issue.

Personally, I started with my pediatrician, who then referred my child for evaluation. During the process, however, I learned that if your child is under age 3, you can also seek an Early Intervention evaluation directly. The EI testing is free (the state and your private insurance divvy up the bill for the eval). I really liked the EI eval that we had. It was just a bunch of "let's see your child do X" tests, very friendly-game like. It's completely open to appeal if you have a differing opinion from another clinician. Of course your experience may vary.

I don't think he is old enough to be diagnosed with either of those, but I agree that it's worth an evaluation from Early Intervention if he is under 3. How old is he? Also, do you notice any delays - speech, physical movement, etc?


btw, how long does your daughter stay on her own, and how old is she? If she is a young child, that would be very unusual as well.

my son is 2 1/2.
my daughter is 4 1/2... thinking about it, she gets very stressed when we are in a new environment. She doesnt like when people are talking to loudly around her (we were on a queue to go to an exhibition. and we had to wait for half an hour. There were loads of school group. She starts to say "shut up" "stop making so much noise" and she sat down on the floor, fingers in her ears....
She cries when there is too many children running around. It takes time for her to get used to it.
Her speech is not really good. I understand her, but others dont always...
she was an easy baby. never cried (expect when hearing noise she didnt like... and when she was hungry) she used to stay all day on the floor since she was born. I didnt connect very easily being an aspie , myself i was a VERY independant mum. I love my kids, but i tend to leave them. (not on their own. But i dont like to disturb them, i am in my bubble, so maybe they are too, i feel guilty but that is another subject)

she is starting to play with other, but sometimes i feel she is a little bit out of the game. Sometimes they will talk about something, and she will say something differently...
What should i do then? Do you think she may be an aspie?

I really can't say, but it's always a red flag for me, after having my son, when people say that young children, especially toddlers and younger, are independent. Because my son was also an "easy baby," except when he heard loud noises, or was hungry or sleepy.

It could just be that she is sensitive to sound, but since she's over 3, you can always contact your local school and ask for an eval.

Hi,

I decided not to put my children into school, as i had a very hard time there.
Anyway i dont think it will do them good now, as my son is always near me, and screams if he is far from me. And my daughter she gets stressed if there is too many children around. So school is not for them now.
I could ask my health visitor..
I dont know how to do that.....
Should i ask to do some tests??

yes, i would ask for testing

Thank you.. I am just scared to ask... LOL

testing can be a daunting situation. trust me, though, it's better to get the testing and at least know what you're facing.

Iam not concerned about the result, i am just scared to ask.. dont know how to...
Should i talk about me, and saying that i ve my doubts?

You can even just write out a list of your observations and hand it to them when you ask for the eval.
Even if it's nothing, at least you will have the facts.

thank you!! that is a good idea.
I am going to see the doctor for my daughter on wednesday, and later for my son.
My daughter has some problem with "pipi". She doesnt feel when she has accident. She goes to the toilet often, but sometimes (well 7 times today) she forget herself. Do you think it has a link?
somebody told me that sometimes Aspie or autie has accident while younger... (this person is an aspie too) I personnaly don t like to go to the toilet, and will hold myself hours... (but that is another story! LOL)