Help and Explanation of Autism

[krushing]

I have a 9 month old niece (will be 10 months this month).  She was born at 35 weeks and was fine.  Didn't have to go to the NICU and her only problem was jaundice, but got that taken care of witha couple of extra days in the hospital.  She is a petite child, but we associated that with petite parents.  Her pediatrician has thrown around the idea of Kaitlyn being autistic because of the size of her head (smaller than what it should be).  I can not find anywhere that states the size of a child's head is a sign of autism.  Kaitlyn has reached her milestones.  She crawls, stands up and walks around holding on to the table, etc., claps, says bye, hi and dada.  Recently within the last week or so, we have noticed that she's not talking like she was.  I thought maybe her parents weren't spending enough time talking to her, but my mother, who keeps her 3 days a week says that she talks to her all the time and Kaitlyn will just look at her, not try to mimic or anything.  I want to think that because of what the pediatrician has said that we are "looking" for the signs, but are we being realistic?  I thought 9 months was a little early to diagnose this.  Either way, if she does or doesn't have it, we can't change it and we aren't going to love her less.  We just want to be informed as much as we can so we can help her.

[Rachel Thompson, Ph.D., BCBA]

It sounds as though your niece is ahead of the norm for language development. In fact, based on your description alone, I would not have any concerns about her development. But, I do recommend that families share all developmental concerns with a qualified professional because it is vitally important to intervene early. An autism diagnosis is made based on delays in language and social development and the presence of repetitive behavior. I am a little concerned that her doctor suggested autism based on head size. Perhpas her family should consider meeting with one or more additional pediatricians.

[krushing]

Thanks for your comments.  She is still talking, but not as much as she was.  She said dad again the other night and she is in this phase where she waves all the time and say hey.  She does turn and look at you when you call her name.  The only time she doesn't is when she is fixated on what the dog is doing and then you have to tap her on her shoulder to get her attention.  She is constantly smiling...especially if she thinks you are taking her picture.  I think the pediatrician is jumping the gun, but I'm no doctor, nor is my family, so what is a person to do?

[tejodouro]

9 months is early to determine the reason that she is not talking.  Does she look at you or anyone that calls her name? By this I mean: does she look and make eye contact when your call her name?  Does she play pick a boo, smile and look at your face/ eyes? does she clap? I am not an expert, but I read somewhere that the earliest test for autism is that the baby does not turn when you call out his or her name.  If the pediatrician is worried about autism, he should refer your sister to a child development specialist.  The earlier you start intervation for speech and social skills the better in the long run for the success of the child. Good luck.

[MaryannesMom]

I never heard of small head size being an indicator, either.  As a matter of fact, both my daugther & husband have big heads and have Asperger's.  9 months does seem a little young for a diagnoses.  Obviously, if she isn't talking, you will want to explore all possibilities until you find an answer.