Could my three year old have early signs of autism or ADD??

[LaurBeth]

My son just turned three a month ago and for about a year and a half  I have noticed that he has been walking on the knuckles of his toes. I constantly have to remind him to get off of them. He will stay off for a little while but then he will get right back on them. For a while I just thought it was in habit, but now I am getting concerned because it has it has gone on for so long.. Im afraid that  his tendons are not growing correctly or even Autism could be playing a role in it.. He is kind of hyperactive and some things stick out that make me wonder. He doesnt have a very high attention span. Only on certain things like Starfall.com or Veggitales. He cant play with one toy for more than five minutes and from the moment he wakes up in the morning he is non stop. he literally cannot be still.. I just needed some input and should I take him in to see his doctor or is this just the behavior of a typical three year old? Thanks

[888mom]

Some kids can have sensory processing issues, or sensory cravings/avoidances that overlap with autism symptoms.  People with ADD/ADHD can also sometimes have sensory processing issues.  I have ADD (though not the physcially hyperactive ADHD kind) and a ton of sensory processing issues, but I do not have autism like my daughter.  

You should have your issues addressed by the doctor.  If he's having developmental issues in addition, like language delays or social communication delays, that would be another thing to address and get therapy for.  

Are there any other concerns you have besides the toe walking?  

[LaurBeth]

well.. he still doesnt talk very well and he seems to get frustrated if he cant relay and message to me. Its like he knows what to say but he cant form the words.. Thank you so much for your help. My husband and I have fought taking him to the doctor, but I think that for my sons well being as well as his future well being we are going to have to get it evaluated! Thanks again!

[888mom]

I was told that toe walking is sometimes a sign of autism, but it can also be a sign of language delays and other language issues that are not autism.  

Getting therapy for the speech is important.  My sister had/has a language processing disorder.  She started speech therapy around age 4 and continued after school until about 4th grade.  She also got pulled out of class for an hour each day (usually during reading period) to get language/speech/reading help.  She was in a regular classroom.  My sister did not have autism or any other issues, just a speech delay which turned into speech problems where she couldn't pronounce anything correctly and her grammar was all out of order.  (I vaguely remember that she used to walk on her toes because I thought she'd be like a ballerina or a toe dancer or something -- except my parents thought she was a bit too clumsy/awkward to do ballet, which she probably was).  She now speaks very well, graduated college with almost straight As, and writes amazingly well.  She usually speaks well, thoughs he still has trouble sometimes processing language when it is spoken to her.  She doesn't often have that problem, but it's still there.  

My mom had to be very proactive with the school system as well.  My mom every spring would request that the school system give her the textbooks for the following year to give my sister a headstart on reading some of the material.  It also helped my mom prepare to help my sister fully during the school year.  My mom was working nights and weekends full time waitressing, so she really needed the extra time to help my sister.