Do you have an autistic child?

Yes, I do. There are many different types of Autism spectrum disorder, and each child in each disorder is different.

My son has high functioning autism, which means that while he is extremely bright he has no social skills and can't control his emotions. There isn't enough space to go through all the different symptoms.

if you are really concerned, start with your GP, also depending on age of child, teachers normally have a good idea.

Most of all, if your child has a problem, keep trying until you get some help. It took 5 years and dozens of specialists before my son was finally diagnosed.

One more thing, if your child does have autism, remember it is not a disease, they just look at the world differently from the majority.

I wish you luck.

I do have an autistic son. I also work with autistic children. I will tell you that they are all very different to one another, because it is a spectrum disorder, ranging from very mild to very severe. It can also be complicated by learning difficulties. Personality also plays a part. I think as a parent, you have a 'feeling' that all is not well - sometimes you cannot put your finger on exactly what. I could tell you about the 'Triad of impairments' (three areas in which all autistic individuals show some impairments. However, it would be better to a) see your doctor and b) visit www.nas.org (The National Autistic Society in the UK - don't know if there is a US equivalent). You may like to know that it can take a long while to get any kind of diagnosis. In the meantime, you can still get someone from the NAS to help you.

Good luck

I do not have an autistic child but I answered your question about your son and the road signs. I can tell you are very worried, but all children do not progress at the same rate. My son had similar characteristics that you explained in your son. I will admit that my son scared me to a little. But now he is 6 and he talks my leg off, and he is very smart in matters of math and problem solving, puzzles and strategy. He loves mazes. But he is not autistic. Take a deep breath and relax! Give it at least 6 more months and I think you will see that your son is fine and he is developing on his own level. My best friends child was diagnosed as autistic when she was 3 but the doctors were wrong, now she is the top student in her class, always on the honor roll and on the academic team.

no but I have an autistic little brother. He crawled,walked, and talked at a normal stage until he turned 2 years old. One day he just stopped talking..... after numerous Dr. visits they finally figured it out. At first they thought that he had lost his hearing. One Dr. even said that he thought that he was severely retarded!! If you have any feelings that your child may be autistic you should set up a Dr. apt immediately!! Early diagnosis leads to the best out comes. Please check out the site that I listed, it should answer a lot of your questions

Yes, I have one, and I babysit one. For my son,he had problems from birth. He had night terrors, was extremely clingy and cried all the time. He hit all his milestones on time or early, except that he didn't put things in his mouth. I thought that was good at the time, but now know that is an important developmental milestone, and that that was a sign of sensory problems that usually go hand in hand with autism. He was always very loving, affectionate, not afraid of peope, so I thought he was fine. Just before his second birthday, he started changing, after we moved to a new house. He started having severe tantrums that would last about 45 min., many times a day,and nothing would stop them. He would dig his nails into his skin and draw blood or shove his fingers down his throat. He started becoming obsessed with spinning in circles, for 1/2 hour or more at a time. He started lining things up. By almost three he still wasn't sleeping through the night, was still having night terrors and sleep walking. He started losing words in his vocabulary, which already was low. He only had 30 words at that time, which is about what a 1 1/2 yr old should be at. Now, I was still confused because socially, he seemed fine! Well, I've learned enough about autism to know now that they can be OVERLY emotional, and even though he LOVES people, he goes to the other extreme and doesn't have a clue about strangers and safety, etc. I have to watch him like crazy, because he would walk off with anyone, thinking they are the greatest person in the world. He does have problems understanding social cues, and cannot regulate his emotions. So, as he gets older, more and more is becoming evident.

With the boy I babysit, he was about 1 1/2 when we started figuring things out. He wasn't talking at all,not even one word. He was hiding from me even after babysitting him for six months, he'd hide in the corner. He wasn't interested in playing, didn't know how to play, I had to teach him how to play with toys just like I did with my son. He showed no interest at all in the world around him, was content to just sit. He wouldn't respond to his name, point to things he wanted. He would easily go all day without eating, because he didn't let us know he was hungry. At first we thought he had a hearing problem, that was ruled out. Then we were told it was SID, and finally, autism. He was between 2 and 2 1/2 before it REALLY became obvious that he is autistic. Both are doing really well now, I do my own therapy with each boy based on their individual needs, but they are still most definitely autistic. If you are having concerns about your child, DON'T WAIT! Get them tested. Being autistic does not mean they are not smart. The lady who was talking about her child being able to mazes and things? That does not mean the child is not autistic. They typically have scattered skills and can be extremely bright. We would have wasted precious months of therapy with the boy I babysit had his mom not taken it seriously. By the time his more autistic traits became evident, he had already learned to play, learned to make eye contact (was very important to him, helped him focus on what we were saying which helped him to process), and was up to about 40 words. Waiting does not benefit them, and it's extremely rare to be diagnosed and not have autism. But most of all, trust your instincts.

generally if your child is showing signs of lack of good interaction with other children or is socially unaware, your child is autistic. you should have tests done to confirm your concern, it may be nothing. it can also go undiagnosed in very small cases, which i have come across.

They need to be tested by a peadiatricion.