Does my son have autism?

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Hello everyone,

This is my first time posting, so please bare with me..
I am posting about my son, JJ, who is 14 months old. Since J was about 8 weeks old, he has been a habitual head-banger. He would do this in his cot, normally around sleep-time. Initially I thought it was to self-soothe, but he used to headbut my chest when I would hold him.
James has been body-rocking since about 5 months old. He could kneel for 30 minutes at a time, just rocking. I often try and call him to make him aware of me, but he just seems to be somewhere else in his mind. J has also developed a head twitch, which I noticed a few weeks wgo while I was feeding him. He tends to do this more when he is in his walker, but it is also noticable when he crawls. James's speech is limited and he has no words, just 'mamama' and 'dadadada' - neither of which is directed at me. J doesn't point or seem interested in his surroundings, unless there is a toy within reaching distance. J is cruising the furniture, but only on his tip-toes. He rarely puts his soles to the floor. His sense of balance is very poor and he often falls backwards and bangs his head. James is a very sensitive baby and he doesn't do well with new people, it's hard on public transport when it's busy as he will just cry. I have set up an appointment with his GP for next week, but just wanted to know what will happen, etc.

Thanks for reading,

G.

No one can really give a diagnosis online, you should ask a professional about that if you are worried.

You are welcome here though, if your son has autism, you'll probably find informations and stories which could help you dealing with it.

14 months is very young for a definitive diagnosis. Speech and social development are not far enough advanced to see whether they are affected. There are some links off this http://autism.about.com/b/2007/07/04/ea ... rt-eye.htm

But the earlier any intervention starts (for any developmental disorder) the better the outcome.

You know, you're probably right about JJ's rocking and head-banging (head-bumping?) when you say that he does it to self-soothe. That's true of typical children and autistics both; and many typical toddlers do show repetitive movement like rocking and hand-flapping; I'm guessing it's really the frequency of it and the intensity that's raising a red flag for you.

I don't blame him for crying on buses. I would, too, if I weren't twenty-seven and better now at not crying the second something unpleasant happened. Because buses *are* unpleasant--they're noisy, unpredictable, and people on them smell of perfume and sweat and whatever they've been eating. It's pure chaos.

So you're definitely seeing some indications that you should have him evaluated. Rocking and head-banging are both ways he probably uses to help himself feel better, process things, handle stress, etc. I personally consider them rather healthy ways to deal with things, provided the head-banging doesn't cause injury (it does sometimes, in which case an OT could probably help him find another way to do whatever it is that head-banging helps him do; but if he's just thumping his head against your chest or the crib mattress, it's highly unlikely that it'll ever hurt him.)

Toe-walking, sensory sensitivity (the phrase "sensory integration disorder" is the official term), and slow speech are autistic traits; but then, he's fourteen months old, and that's very young yet. The other posters are right when they say it's really too young to definitively tell. However, it's not too young to try to give him the best possible environment. Autism means you learn differently, and environment is a big part of that. Having a quiet place to learn and a good teacher goes a long way. So does starting early. Your doctor (and you're right to check with him) may recommend something like an integrated pre-school program (for kids with and without disabilities to learn together); or he may suggest occupational therapy or speech therapy. He may just suggest watching and waiting, in which case I think you should probably ask him for a referral to at least talk to someone who does therapy for autistic kids and get some advice on how you can help your son learn at home, and how you and your son can connect better. Be leery of people who want to put your son in hours and hours of intensive therapy. If there's anything autistics need most of all, it's time to rest and recharge and process things. The most important thing, the cornerstone, for educating autistic kids is to establish communication. Whether that's sign, or writing, or speech, or pictures, or anything else, it's important (and what method he learns first won't slow his eventual learning of speech--will probably speed it up, in fact, by giving him experience with communication... have you considered baby sign language? Lots of moms do that and they say it helps their kids, and those are typical kids.)

But I don't know if he's autistic. Right now, I don't think anybody does. Babies develop differently; and for all I know he's just a quirky kid without any problems at all. But you're right to check, and early intervention can help. I know "intervention" sounds dramatic; but really it's just a way to make sure a child's got the optimum environment to learn things in. Autistics don't learn some things near as naturally as most people (but then again, we learn some things that most people have to be taught...)... That's a good reason to make sure we have access to good education, from early on, so that we can be taught the useful skills where we don't automatically pick up like most kids do.

I think you are wise to have your son evaluated. Much of what you described could indicate an autism spectrum disorder, but would wait and see the doctor before you get too concerned. The doctor will probably observe your son and ask a lot of questions. He may suggest early intervention therapies to help your son get on track developmentally, and may want to see your son at a later date as well. Whatever the outcome, I agree, that early intervention will only help your son. Hang in there, and Welcome to Wrong Planet! You may want to check out the Parenting forum as well.

Fourteen months is very young. He might be autistic, but you can't know for sure for another year or two.