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Is my baby fine or am I just nuts? Sensory problems? Autism? Late talker..?
My son is 20 months old.. Around 16 months I started thinking he might have Autism.. Since I have pretty much ruled that thought but it still enters my head from time to time. He is already in Speech therapy and just started an OT for sensory problems. He does exhibit a lot of the characteristics of sensory problems.. he used to jump A LOT in fact there for awhile I used to joke he forgot how to walk because all he would do was jump! He has since cut back on his jumping to probably about 25% of the time.. he also does other things like runs into the couch as hard as he can, spins in circles, shakes his head back in forth, flaps his hands when he is mad or excited, head bangs when mad, stands on his head, etc etc but other then his activities he's a very normal toddler.. very happy and loving always smiling and playing.. nothing really "weird" he's always developed everything on time if not early.. other then his speech which he is still behind on.. he has yet to say his first word at 20 months.. his speech therapist is the one who told me she thinks he might have sensory problems.. he makes great eye contact, very social, great imitation etc he's not the best at responding to his name usually only during TV time but he does respond I would say about 75% of the time.. What is sensory problems really? Will he outgrow it? Will it make him "slow" or "different"? I just don't understand why he can't just be a late talker and thinks jumping and spinning in circles is fun? No problems with clothes or sounds etc As far as how excessive it is I would say his jumping is the most excessive out of all of them and now it's about 25% of the time.. the other things.. I do see them everyday a couple of times a day maybe 5-10 times a day? Mostly for the head shaking back and forth the rest of the stuff he doesn't do as often.. As for his speech as I said he still isn't talking at all but he does make sounds and noise pretty much none stop all day which is a huge improvement to hardly ever babbling a couple of months ago.. Could there really be something wrong or am I just nuts and trying to find a reason for everything? I tend to worry a lot and basically make myself sick over it all.. also I might add that he has had some hearing issues he had tubes placed at 15 months and I had his hearing tested at about 19 months he scored low in his right ear and they thought his tube might be clogged I took him to the doctor and it's not so he could have hearing loss in that ear but they said that he can hear at normal tones of voice. I am still in the process of all of that.. ANY insight is appreciated as today was a worrying day and I don't want to go back into obsessing that my kid has autism or something
3 Answers
- 1 decade agoFavorite Answer
Having sensory issues is on the spectrum. Is it full blown autism? No. Just relax and enjoy your child for who he is. Keep getting him the help he needs as things come up. Keep a list of things that happen. The jumping is sensory stimulation. Hand flapping with nervousness and excitement--it's an autistic behavior. It's called stimming. Does it mean he has full blown autism? Not necessarily. Does it mean he's a normal kid? Not necessarily. It's still too soon to tell.
Keep in mind that if you look at the first link, which is a check list, it's got the different categories jumbled so you don't separate out the different senses automatically. Your child may do some of the things and not others. Your child may do some of the things and may have issues with only one of his senses, but not the others.
http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/SPD-sym...
Source(s): Been there, done that... these children are no less special than any other child... Plus, I am a teacher and deal with children who are autistic or have sensory issues on a daily basis and many of them are in regular classrooms and function quite normally! - 1 decade ago
He doesnt sound autistic to me. The eye contact thing is the big clincher for me, I've baby sat autistic kids, they really have a hard time with eye contact. I think his speech is late because of his hearing problems. Plus sometimes kids just don't talk until they are ready. When I was little I didn't talk til I was 3. I didn't have speech therapy or anything, I just started talking one day. With full sentences. The spinning thing... is good actually. It helps with brain development and balance. Let him spin all he wants, spin with him, make it a game. He might be jumping because he gets farther when he jumps. The head banging thing, my daughter does that too when shes angry. I have baby sit a lot of kids that did that. I think thats perfectly normal. I think its because the first time they did it and bashed someone when they were angry, the figured out that it was a way to express frustration by bashing mommy. (My daughter broke my nose 3 times-Im much better at dodging now lol) We are really going after the head bashing with discipline, it doesn't get ignored, even if shes really tired and sad, she still gets looked in the eyes and told that its not ok.
Anyways, whos to say whats "normal" no child develops exactly like any other child. I think you should persue the hearing route, his hearing aids might not work well enough. Good luck! And don't worry.. Ask yourself this "If my baby had autism would he be any less special? Would I love him less?" The answer is obviously no. So don't worry, and he will be who he is, and be loved.
- 1 decade ago
OK hes had tubes... which means cronic ear infections he got the tubes at 16 mnths hes 20 months now.. its like listening to my story. My son shakes his head falls all the time losing balance his speach is still very min. but he can mimic sounds. I cant say for sure but i wnt to say it could just be hearing lose do to all the infection.... is it for the rest of his life who knws.. but after today about hearing about the sensory thing it caught my attention for my cousins kid and my son.. Now the only reason i dont think he has it is cause 2 moms i know have a kid who has it.. The chil has a hard time feeling things.. she said if she was to grab her arm supper tight she would just feel it.. its a nerve issue something did not cnnect right somewhere (im still learning about this) BUT my son when he falls CRIES at times i think i have a lil girl he hates mud in his hands or anything... SO some test i would do is pinch him not hard just enough that a normal person would turn fast see how he reacts how is he when he falls (LOL that might happen before you get the nerve to pinch him then you might not have to worry about that) Put mud or grease or slime or something in his hand how does he react. then after if he reacts weird never reacts to anything funky you put in his hands then you have something to use to inform the docs. NOW autisium i cant think of anyway to be able to figure that out.. and he can be a sevont which he can excell in one area and be horrible in another. the moms i know their 2 kids are like that.. they have their issues but the one can talk perfectly.
I want to say first BREATH, sit and write all your concerns down all of them then call the ped and talk to them about what your seeing. You might be forgetting a small piece of the puzzel that they need at first wit my son to get tubes they were gonna wait it out till after the summer when the ear infection season calms (this was the ENT) I informed them that is what the ped said last year and he had 4 + ear infections during the months may to october.
Do you have a video camera??? Use it have it ready so when he is doing the things you can tape it and then show the docs. I remember hearing of a case where they were complaing about something wrong with their daghter but it never happened during test.. finally he got the video camera out and recorded it and was able to see what was wrong and going on and get her diagnosed. We as mothers are our childrens voice we know them we carried them watched them grow every day so we are the ones who knw when something is wrong not docs or others US. Always go wth your heart and your gut instincts.
