Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Unsure if this is autism behavior?

my question is about a 3 1/2 year old girl. She has a speech delay. The more your around her, the more you can understand. She can say her abc's and count to 20.. She likes to watch tv and color. She will play somewhat with other children, easily distracted and goes off by herself. Cannot carry on  a conversation. Cannot pronouce many words correctly. Has outburst in public often. Bites others and self. Does not like to cuddle or be held. Can be very lovable, but very easily can change. Children around her age talk so much more than her. She has tubes in her ears, can that be causing her speech delay? You can understand one to two words then blabbing comes... Any help?
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
535822 tn?1443976780
As she has tubes in her ears sounds like its her hearing causing the Behavior , she is acting out in frustration, maybe she needs some speech therapy I very much doubt if everychild with a hearing or speech problem is Autistic.Try a lot of care and extra attention and see what triggers an out burst it could be a frustration no one heard her or she cant express something.
Helpful - 0
365714 tn?1292199108
If you're concerned, chances are you have reason to have your girl evaluated. Chances are she may get a PDD or PDD NOS if she expresses some autistic behaviors but not enough to get the full autism dx.

The biting likely is the result of frustration/anger and not knowing how to handle or cope with certain negative emotions.  As a kid I'd bite up my arms as a way to try to distract me from uncontrolled crying spells or intense emotions triggered by various emotions ranging from boredom, loneliness, anger, frustration, etc... It helped me to realize what I am feeling and if there is a better coping strategy that works.  Some emotions can't be controlled such as crying spells. At those times I am coming to realize the crying is likely a biological reaction to an emotion I felt, regardless of whether I know in my rational/logical mind if the feeling is "right or wrong"... It helps to let go of that, and just tell myself it is okay to cry and let my body do what it wants as long as I don't hurt myself.  Finding something else to do in the mean time goes a long way.
Perhaps when you see your girl beginning to get frustrated you can help divert her attention to something she enjoys doing or let her have a break. As far as identifying and coping with the emotions, that takes maturity and is an ongoing process. Perhaps if you can think of a way to encourage her with the emotional understanding/coping, that may help?

I too had tubes put in my ears. Seems ear infections are a common thing with autistic children? Or is it all children? My doctors tend to make note of there being some damage done to my ears from the tubes, but otherwise I think a lot of my hearing conflicts may be to central auditory processing issues... Imagine talking on a cell phone with a bad signal. That's how conversations can sound to me when in a noisy area or if I have a lot of internal "mental chatter" going on in my head. I have to make conscious effort to hear people from the background. It may only require a little effort and feel natural or may take a lot of effort.  It's especially hard with soft voiced people, people with accents, or people who have speech difficulty. (Which is likely hard with anybody to fully hear and understand.)

The babbling could possibly come from what she thinks she hears or it could be her attempt to retrieve a word.  I'm sure we all get "slip of the tongue” That tends to happen more often, especially in the earlier years with autism. My dad would not accept me grunting or groaning to get things. He insisted I "use my words." It was a bit harsh of an approach and I hated it, but now thinking back, I'm glad those times I remember, he forced me.  It helped me be able to connect what I wanted with what I needed to say to get what I wanted. If it was a box of cereal I wanted, I needed to retrieve the word "cereal" or at least a description, maybe "Cookie Crisp" or "Captin Crunch" to get what I wanted if it was a specific cereal I wanted.

As far as cuddling, have you tried offering firm hugs over light ones?  I've read from various autistic people they like tight firm hugs but detest or dislike light hugs or light touches.  For instance pat my back, I may slap you (as a kid. As an adult I'll kindly ask you not to do that again but let you know a firm back rub/scratch is more than welcome). I love to have my back scratched, a good firm scratch. Light touches tend to tickle and itch. Same with being poked. It's like getting burned or bit by a huge mosquito... Not comfortable. But a firm touch leaves a nice warm feeling.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Community

Top Children's Development Answerers
189897 tn?1441126518
San Pedro, CA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Fearing autism, many parents aren't vaccinating their kids. Can doctors reverse this dangerous trend?
Yummy eats that will keep your child healthy and happy
What to expect in your growing baby
Is the PS3 the new Prozac … or causing ADHD in your kid?
Autism expert Dr. Richard Graff weighs in on the vaccine-autism media scandal.
Could your home be a haven for toxins that can cause ADHD?