10 month old Strange Posturing,etc

[jsmommy]

Hello,

I have a 9.5 month old son who is seemingly developmentally sound. He is the joy of my life and my husbands. He literally guffaws when things are funny, he clearly understands much of what people are saying, he says 'cat', and 'daddy', and 'bea' for bears, and 'hi' and 'hey' whilst waving. He plays peek a boo by literally crouching down behind objects and then popping back up.He sat alone at 4.5 months, crawled at 5.5, began cruising at 7, and now stands alone preparing to walk. He has healthy seperation anxiety. Will easily go to grandma1, who he sees every weekend, but will not willfully go to strangers without checking them out for a time unless we are around lots of people and they just come and pick up him up without giving him a chance to hesitate. During those times, he goes with the flow, but when their is a clear option between mom or dad and someone else, he is clingy. In light of all of this though, my husband and I are concerned about him.

He was diagnosed with reflux at 3 months and placed on Prevacid and Zantac. The reflux was bad and had me an utter mess. He was chocking and gagging and carrying on nearly all day. I feared he would aspirate, but all doctors assured me that he wouldn't. Well, they were right. He is 10 months almost, and the reflux seemed to be going away, but about 3 times a day he has an episode that is really bad. In his sleep sometimes, it even causes him to wake straight up in order to catch his breath and begin swallowing down the contents. Last week my husband and I were playing with him on our bed and he did this strange thing with his arms. He was in a crawling position in front of me with his feet facing me, and he turned his head back to the left as if looking towards me, stiffened out his left arm and extended it behind his back and arched to the left side. He did this about 10 times in 10 minutes. We took him to the ER where they checked him for seizures. His CT scan was abnormal, keeping us in the hospital for 3 days for observation and more test. The CT results were "abnormal areas of decreased and increased attenuation in left frontal lobe of uncertain etiology" and so an MRI was ordered and an EEG.

The MRI result was "decreased volume in left temporal lobe. Correlate with EEG". EEG was normal. The neurologist assured us that all was ok, then spent lost of time with him in three days, watching him, even observed an episode, but said he was fine and his behavior was probably due to reflux. I am unfamiliar with infant behavior, as he is my first, but very concerned. He also crawls, occasionally, by pushing off with his left foot and then following using the right leg in a normal crawl. This crawling style was implicated in a small study done on Asperger's Syndrome, but the doc said no worries. I am totally worried. My son has bumped his head a few times on our floor, first time at 5 months with my roomate, but doc always said he was fine. Could his behavior be brain damage?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

I cannot comment on the neurological findings, but am in a position to remark on the question of Asperger's Disorder. There really is nothing in your description that would invite consideration of Asperger's or of any other condition along the Pervasive Developmental Disorder spectrum. Children's skulls can tolerate a lot by way of bumps, and there does not seem to be any reason for you to be concerned that he incurred any brain damage. Be sure to talk about your worry with the neurologist, and I imagine he will reassure you. Your son's development appears to be proceeding well, and the imaging studies that have been completed provided the doctor with data to support the encouragement you have received.

[tomel]

Keep an eye on yours sons communication. Pointing at things he wants and things to get your attention. Those are the things that always stop or never happen or are delayed in children with any type of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). My son said all kids of words before he turned 1 yr. and crawled and walked on time. It wasnt until he was 12 months old we realized he wasnt pointing, he did not point until 16 months old. Lots of children do everything your son is doing that 1st yr. and then all of a sudden they slow down in their development or loose skills they once had. Keep a checklist, one that is used for Autism screening. Not any of the ones in those books most all of us have.

[jsmommy]

Hi, thanks for your response. My son does not point, but if I look at something, he follows my cue and looks too and will run over to whatever I am looking at. My understanding is that pointing is the same thought process. He also hands me toys and will take them from me and waves "hi" while saying "heeeeey". I will surely keep an eye on him, but his interactive communicative skills are very much on par. It's just the strange things he does sometimes with his little body. I appreciate your time! Thank you.

[tomel]

He sounds like he is on target and he is still a little young for pointing.Plus boys do take a little longer than girls in the communication department. My son did the same things you are describing and my son did wave and say "Hi", all the time to everyone. I am sure your son is just fine and I hope you find out everything is ok with him arching his body.

[tomel]

You had mentioned Asperger syndrome which is an ASD (Autism Sperctrum Disorder). The communication skills pointing, saying words, and also eye contact are usually the big indicators. Also, not playing with toys appropriatly. My son was never given a diagnosis just put "at risk". Partly I think because I followed my instinct and didnt listen to the pediatrician who of course said "lets wait and see" we started him in early intervention when he was 19 months old , the first thing we taught him was sign language. Which one of the reason most people teach their children sign is so if there is a communcation problem the child can let you know their needs it is also a step towards talking, once we started with sign language the words started to come and eventually the signs stopped. My son had the "right" amount of words on time by the time he was 12 months old he had even put a couple 2 word phrases together, then it just seemd to slow down along with the no pointing, the pointing did come but not until 16 months.  If I had known someone whos child had any ASD I would have listened to them before those books or the doctor on child development.

[meikman]

My son was born 8 weeks early and also has reflux.  At his 9month check-up I ask the Dr if he still needed his meds because he went without his meds for a day and he throw-up just as much as he does on it.  She said that the meds wouldn't stop him from throwing up but to watch for him waking up in the middle of the night gagging, coughing, trying to catch his breath.  Well when we stop the meds that is exactly what happened. So he is back on them.  My son also does what your son does with his arm and head but he would hold both his arm straight out and stretch behind him.  It worried us so much we were told about so much that could be wrong with him because of his prematurity.  He did it all the time and now not soo much.  Hopefully it is just as the Dr said and part of the reflux.  Joshua reflux was so bad that he would destat and had to come home on a monitor that and he had apnea.  He no longer needed it at 6 months.

Best wishes to you.  It always harder with the first you tend to worry much more.