Aa
could this be a mild case of autism
My son is 8 years old was a preemie born at 29 weeks 4lbs on vent for 1 week in nicu for 1 1/2 months, surfactant was used in he's lungs because he had very little,I knew somthing is diffrent with my son but he has never been diagnoised with autism, it never crossed my mind either my son looks totally normal gets good grades in school except in math, I started to research when I tried to teach my son to ride a 2 wheel bike, this is the second year, he tends to lean when riding,gets very furstrated, He has no balance, my son falls down alot when running,He walks on his toes usually when he barefooted,my son cannont skip tried to teach him to tie shoes, he just gets frustrated and states I can't.he has a hard time falling asleep at night, My son has to have a cup of ice everynight to chew on before he can go to bed , my son fixates on 1 thing at a time one month it may be dukes of hazards, one month it maybe ghostbusters he enjoys playing video games but is not good at them,my son covers his ears when certain noises occur,or when he's scared, He does have some behavioral problems gets angry really easy will growl when he gets mad he has done this to his teacher,he has severe ha about 2x's amonth to where he cries and needs a ice pack plced on his head. lot of times people state he's a preemie and will alway's be behind , but I think this is more than a preemie isssue, I was just wondering what test should be done? and am I on the right track? thank you for your time
Is toe walking when you walk on the ball of the foot close to where the toes are? *tries it* Okay that must be it. I seem to walk with a better spring to my step doing that than the normal way of walking.
It's more comfortable than walking with the heel of the foot touching the ground. Even so I don't know if it can be sustained for too long without some soreness.
Although I've been told I have good arches to my feet,if I walk too long, my arches get really sore...and that pain extends almost through the entire foot... By walking on my toes sometimes it subdues that pain...at least until the ball of the foot near the toes gets sore, then I'm screwed and it's time to call the trip over and find a place to sit or lay down.
It's more comfortable than walking with the heel of the foot touching the ground. Even so I don't know if it can be sustained for too long without some soreness.
Although I've been told I have good arches to my feet,if I walk too long, my arches get really sore...and that pain extends almost through the entire foot... By walking on my toes sometimes it subdues that pain...at least until the ball of the foot near the toes gets sore, then I'm screwed and it's time to call the trip over and find a place to sit or lay down.
Hey, how are you? I just wanted to tell you that my son, now 3 was recently diagnosed with autism but, I knew something wasn't right a few months before his second birthday. I had a feeling it was autism after researching alot of his symptoms but, my husbands family all treated me like I was crazy and they would tell me nothing is wrong and I was the one with the problem. Just so you know, a mother always knows. If you feel like something isn't right, take him to see a nuerologist. I can say that toe walking is a sign as well as lack of cordination. I have a two year old as well that can drink from a straw but, he cannot and he gets very frustrated with it. He has lots of repetitive speech, sensory issues, and used to have poor communication skills before he was put into a pre-k program which may I add has made a huge diffrence. Those are just some things you may want to watch for. There is a wide spectrum for autism and most of the time no two children with autism are alike. Autism effects 1 in 150 children and is more common in boys so, it would hurt to have it checked out because, though there is no cure, early intervention is the key to helping the symptoms.
Hi Kelly,
Some things, the sensory stuff, strikes a bell (visual, hearing, taste, smell, touch, balance and proprioception (knowing where your body parts are in space). My son also struggled to get onto a two wheeled scooter. He was terrified of attempting to ride it. His balance is immature, but he managed it. He also has hearing sensitivities. He covers up his ears to certain noises and when he is scared. He can also appear deaf eg. if he is watching TV and I call his name he won't hear me.
They also tend to have a narrow range of interests, which can alter frequently, but they don't have this general curiosity about everything that other kids seem to have. They tend not to notice that stuff and zoom in on whatever interests them and they put their attention and focus on what is attracting their attention (which may not be what they should be paying attention to).
There is usually difficulties with stopping/starting things (called transitions). Eg. if I have to turn off the TV because we are going out my son will go balistic. He needs to see things to the end and then we go out! Leaving things uncompleted is not an option for him. He has difficulties planning and organising (but he is getting better). Sequencing the order things need to be done in, or sequencing physical movements required to complete a task can be difficult.
My son also likes computer games but doesn't want to play them, he prefers to watch someone else. I think alot of autistic children have difficulties with multi-tasking and playing computer games requires alot of multi-tasking because you have to look, listen, and co-ordinate your hands to play.
I also noticed, from a very young age that he would 'emotionally overract' to situations. I would do something straightforward or request he did something relatively simple and he would just go crazy.
Of course there is a huge range of differences in abilities from severe to mildly affected and this is across all the systems affected by autism. No two children are the same, it is as unique as a fingerprint, but when you chat with other mums you notice the similarities. Some kids do very well academically, usually because their obsessions are around academic stuff. Others really struggle at maths and literacy.
Of course, to get a clinical diagnosis, you have to meet the criteria and I think it would be worth you having a look at that. There has to be some kind of difficulty with communication (understanding language and producing language), there has to be some kind of difficulty with social interaction (maybe not knowing how to 'chat', or play, or social rules), and there is usually a narrow range of interests, rigid behaviours or routines or obsessions on certain things or topics (eg. repeatedly watching the same DVD, or knowing everything about a certain subject). The criteria for Aspegers is a bit different. There is not usually a noticeable communication difficulty, although I think most people with Aspergers would agree that they do have problems with concrete thinking and literal thinking. So I think they do have problems and actually their difficulties are underestimated.
If you change his routine does he accept it or does he go mad?
My son is 7 and autism seems to affect him mostly in academic work. He has a sense or humour, and imagination, and empathy (but maybe not to the extent of his peers, we we can laugh and tease eachother etc. He asks me to play with him). He does quite well socially on a one-to-one basis. He finds it harder in groups or crowds. For example, he went to a party last weekend and it was held at a sports centre. He hates sports because he cannot understand the team rules. He cannot tolerate one-to-one physical contact (such as football). So he played for a bit, and then wanted to watch rather than participate. He socialised really well and won some of the party games. He does really well and he has alot of self awareness. He is aware that he is different sometimes and he is aware that he doesn't get things like we do and he knows that sometimes he gets really upset (more than other people) and he cannot control it.
So I would say, even if you do end up with a diagnosis it is not the end of the world.
I would say, look at the criteria. Do some reading and research about autism. See what, if anything, applies to your son. If you are still concerned then go to your doctor and say what your concerns are. Your son will then be seen by a number of professionals to determine what, if any, difficulties he has. If he has enough difficulties across the clinical requirements he will get a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder or Aspergers. If he meets some criteria, but not all of them he may get a different diagnosis, or none at all.
Do some detective work eg. why is he walking on his toes??? Is it a visual thing (is he moving from different types of flooring eg. concrete onto gravel, or squares etc); is it a way of limiting tactile stimulation, only putting part of his foot on the floor (is he okay with socks and shoes and clothing and tags etc).
There are usually a number of things that can accompany autism. This includes dyspraxia (which can be physical co-ordination problems or mental co-ordination problems or speech co-ordination problems). There can also be problems with executive functions such as understanding time.
Anyway, I think that's enough for now! Good Luck.
Some things, the sensory stuff, strikes a bell (visual, hearing, taste, smell, touch, balance and proprioception (knowing where your body parts are in space). My son also struggled to get onto a two wheeled scooter. He was terrified of attempting to ride it. His balance is immature, but he managed it. He also has hearing sensitivities. He covers up his ears to certain noises and when he is scared. He can also appear deaf eg. if he is watching TV and I call his name he won't hear me.
They also tend to have a narrow range of interests, which can alter frequently, but they don't have this general curiosity about everything that other kids seem to have. They tend not to notice that stuff and zoom in on whatever interests them and they put their attention and focus on what is attracting their attention (which may not be what they should be paying attention to).
There is usually difficulties with stopping/starting things (called transitions). Eg. if I have to turn off the TV because we are going out my son will go balistic. He needs to see things to the end and then we go out! Leaving things uncompleted is not an option for him. He has difficulties planning and organising (but he is getting better). Sequencing the order things need to be done in, or sequencing physical movements required to complete a task can be difficult.
My son also likes computer games but doesn't want to play them, he prefers to watch someone else. I think alot of autistic children have difficulties with multi-tasking and playing computer games requires alot of multi-tasking because you have to look, listen, and co-ordinate your hands to play.
I also noticed, from a very young age that he would 'emotionally overract' to situations. I would do something straightforward or request he did something relatively simple and he would just go crazy.
Of course there is a huge range of differences in abilities from severe to mildly affected and this is across all the systems affected by autism. No two children are the same, it is as unique as a fingerprint, but when you chat with other mums you notice the similarities. Some kids do very well academically, usually because their obsessions are around academic stuff. Others really struggle at maths and literacy.
Of course, to get a clinical diagnosis, you have to meet the criteria and I think it would be worth you having a look at that. There has to be some kind of difficulty with communication (understanding language and producing language), there has to be some kind of difficulty with social interaction (maybe not knowing how to 'chat', or play, or social rules), and there is usually a narrow range of interests, rigid behaviours or routines or obsessions on certain things or topics (eg. repeatedly watching the same DVD, or knowing everything about a certain subject). The criteria for Aspegers is a bit different. There is not usually a noticeable communication difficulty, although I think most people with Aspergers would agree that they do have problems with concrete thinking and literal thinking. So I think they do have problems and actually their difficulties are underestimated.
If you change his routine does he accept it or does he go mad?
My son is 7 and autism seems to affect him mostly in academic work. He has a sense or humour, and imagination, and empathy (but maybe not to the extent of his peers, we we can laugh and tease eachother etc. He asks me to play with him). He does quite well socially on a one-to-one basis. He finds it harder in groups or crowds. For example, he went to a party last weekend and it was held at a sports centre. He hates sports because he cannot understand the team rules. He cannot tolerate one-to-one physical contact (such as football). So he played for a bit, and then wanted to watch rather than participate. He socialised really well and won some of the party games. He does really well and he has alot of self awareness. He is aware that he is different sometimes and he is aware that he doesn't get things like we do and he knows that sometimes he gets really upset (more than other people) and he cannot control it.
So I would say, even if you do end up with a diagnosis it is not the end of the world.
I would say, look at the criteria. Do some reading and research about autism. See what, if anything, applies to your son. If you are still concerned then go to your doctor and say what your concerns are. Your son will then be seen by a number of professionals to determine what, if any, difficulties he has. If he has enough difficulties across the clinical requirements he will get a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder or Aspergers. If he meets some criteria, but not all of them he may get a different diagnosis, or none at all.
Do some detective work eg. why is he walking on his toes??? Is it a visual thing (is he moving from different types of flooring eg. concrete onto gravel, or squares etc); is it a way of limiting tactile stimulation, only putting part of his foot on the floor (is he okay with socks and shoes and clothing and tags etc).
There are usually a number of things that can accompany autism. This includes dyspraxia (which can be physical co-ordination problems or mental co-ordination problems or speech co-ordination problems). There can also be problems with executive functions such as understanding time.
Anyway, I think that's enough for now! Good Luck.
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