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possible signs of autism in my son

Yesterday, it was brought to my attention by a close family member that my son may be having some developmental delays and possibly early signs of autism.  My son just turned 2 and of course, I am totally devastated by this possibility.
I have already contacted First Steps and am starting the proces of having him evaluated.
He does make eye contact...but not all the time.  He responds to questions and his name...but (again) not all the time.  He has a good vocabulary and puts 2 words together but several people have said that he isn't doing this at a level that they would consider appropriate.  One important factor is that I stay home with him and always have.  He is not around other children and has not had the opportunity to socialize adequately.  
If anyone has any advice, I would greatly appreciate some help/guidance.
He is not sensitive to schedules or anything like that and does not throw tantrums.  He smiles and is generally happy and adjusts well to new situations.  He does tend to play alone and seems to be very "independent".  however, when he is around another child (mainly my 2 year old nephew) he will play with him and interact, just not all the time.
There is so much more to this but I suppose this is a start in explaining my concerns...
18 Responses
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Avatar universal
can having dark circles under the eyes be a sing of autisum?My son is 2.5 yr and I just filled out the paper work for the early start program.
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Avatar universal
A family member suggested to my mom that my son could be autistic.  My son seen speech pathologist a few months ago because I was concerned with his speech.  He made no mention this could be a possible result.  Now I am freaking out and wondering how to go about getting him tested.  My sons was never in daycare and did not have much interaction with children his age until recently.  He is two and his speech is not where it should be.  He interacts very well with all kids, he can recognize all commands, understands when I tell him to do something.  The biggest problem is his speech.  He has seen an audioligist to check his hearing and they informed me there were no problems.  I wondering could my son have autism?  My son can say very few words clearly.  Since I have put him in daycare I am seeing he is starting to get better on his words.
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Avatar universal
If he is eating a balanced diet fruits and veggies that is a good sign.
He doesnt sound like he has allergies. Although alot of kids who are allergic to dairy will actually crave alot of it.
Who is telling you he has autism and why?
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13167 tn?1327194124
Sosad - from your description I don't see many signs of austism.  I hope you post back after his evaluation - I bet you'll be relieved afterwards.  

Take care.
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Avatar universal
Parallal play is very common at this age. Dont expect him to play all the time with other children just yet. I wouldnt be to concerned about that. Even Autistic children play with other kids when they get a little older. Alot of autistic kids want friends very much. There are alot of myths out there about Autism. It is a Spectrum disorder so there is not one set way of how they should act or be.
The fact that he is doing some talking is a good sign. Some kids never speak. So that is a mixed blessing for you right now.
Make sure you get more than one opinion. Make sure you are seeing someone who is qualified. And get him on a good diet along with supplements if you are willing to go out of your way and do that. Alot of people feel therapy is the only way to help thei children. and although it is very important it is not the only thing that will help. In fact yrs. down the road autisitc kids can have helathy problems they didnt have when they were younger. Temple Grandon ( a very famous autisitc advocate) is a product of alot of very good therapy but nobody ever adressed the healthy issues (homeopathic side ) no as an adult althught she is very high functioning, is successful and lives on her own she does have health problmes.
Some very good books I reccomend
Children with Starving Brains
The out of Sync Child
Vaccines, Autism and other Childhood Disorders (crucial data that could save yuor childs life)
I think your son will be ok. They told me my sone was at risk for autism if you saw him now you probably wouldnt think it outsied of his langauage still a little hard to understand and he is a little energetic. He is a pretty typical 4 1/2 yr. old.
Good Luck      
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Avatar universal
The fact that your addressing it now is also very good. If he is delayed the earlier the intervention the much better the outcome.
I started with my son when he was 19 months old.
Although it is very scary and it very upsetting ( I know I have been there, used to wake up every night at 3 crying ) denial will not help the child, so it is good you are seeking information.
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Avatar universal
Thank you first for your advice and sharing your personal experience.  Also, I looked at the web site you posted below and through that found some other resources that I am pursuing.
Currently, I am having him evaluated (Friday) by First Steps, which is the best program available in my area.  However, even with that said, I have full intentions of taking him to the best children's hospital in the state.  I talked to a very reputable person who is an expert in special needs children in this area last night (he happens to be a family friend) and was encouraged by what he had to say.
I totally agree with you about the destructive potential in denial.  Naturally, I wish that this wasn't real and wasn't happening, but it is.  That is fact.  There are some questions and concerns.  The way I see it, if there were no signs and no autistic related behavior in my child, I wouldn't be here having this conversation.  There is something there.
Maybe, however, it is a product of his lack of social interaction compounded by a slight speech problem.  It is just so strange to me that he talks, has a great vocabulary, and is putting words together.  In fact, he learns new words and progresses with his verbal skills every single day.  I do understand that some kids will appear to develop normally and then take a sudden "nose dive".  He is gesturing and pointing and says bye bye and puts words together.  There are a lot of positives.  I will definitely continue to post here. I have also decided that even if Jackson (my son) is not autistic, I am going to do what I can to contribute to this societal epidemic.  I can't possibly know what I know now and turn my back on the families and children who are affected so deeply by this disorder.  
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Avatar universal
How is your son with eating food? Any allergies? Does he have dark circles under his eyes? How are his stools?

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Avatar universal
No, he does not have dark circles under his eyes.  He is sort of a picky eater but I don't think anything abnormal for a toddler.  He loves juice and milk, and we have been careful to give him a balanced diet and to offer a variety of foods.   His stools are normal and regular.  Also, I don't know if this makes a big difference, but he is very healthy in the sense that he is very rarely sick.  He has a cold maybe two or three times a year and only once or twice he has had fever or diarrhea.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your response!  I have so many mixed feeling about this.  And for a while at about 1 year, I was taking him to the YMCA with me and he would go to their childcare area for an hour or two several times a week but I couldn't afford to renew the membership.  I don't have many opportunities to join any play groups but I am making it my mission to find something for him so that he can be socialized.  I am a single mom and full time college student and unfortunately, my lack of time and constant focus on school has been a deterrent to me being as proactive as possible in finding social opportunities for him.  We go on walks (when the weather permits) and he has been to the children's museum, but not really a place that focuses consistently on socialization and group play.  He sees his cousin, who is 2.5 yrs old as much as possible but with schedule conflicts, it is difficult to be very consistent with this.  When he is around his cousin, he actually does play with him but will still play by himself a lot.  Then again, I get so confused b/c it's like, is he "parallel playing" or being anti social???  I have his first evaluation this Friday and I am so anxious to get some answers.  I can't eat, I can't sleep.  I cry and research and try to evaluate him but this is all so new to me....
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Avatar universal
He doesnt have to have colds or be sick to indicate signs of allergies.
If he has good bowel movements that is good as well.
How was he as a baby? Colicky or Docile?
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Avatar universal
As a baby he was very happy and content but I know that one of the signs is that as babies they are almost "overly" content or as you said, docile.  He was not fussy and didn't cry unless he needed something or was hungry, tired, hurt, etc.
There are two different people who have mentioned the possibility of autism in the last month.  First, my grandparents (his great grandparents) watched a special/documentary on tv and they thought he exhibited some of the charactistics.  Then over this past weekend, at a family gathering, another family member (who has only been around my son maybe once or twice ever) said something about how she felt like something "wasn't quite right".  He was in a very crowded room full of people and was the only child there.  He ran around a lot and wasn't really focused on any one person or activity, which is actually uncharacteristic for him.  At the same time, he is rarely in social situations, especially situations where there are 70+ strangers and maybe 10 familiar people, which was the situation this weekend.  So for him to run around could just be his way of reacting.  He was happy and smiling and laughing, but he didn't want to sit still or focus.  After an hour or so of being there, he calmed down and played with the toys I had brought for him and as the crowd got smaller and people left, he acted more like his typical self.  The woman that I am referring to is a tutor and works with a lot of children but she was literally only around him for 5 minutes and in a setting that was totally unfamilliar to him.  I am so confused about this.  His father and I are more inclined to think it is a lack of socialization.  On the autism speaks website, they said children should begin to put 2 words together by 25 months.  He is right at that age and he is putting 2 words together, such as "big truck" and he knows all his colors, shapes, most letters, he imitates me and uses gestures.
I know this is a lot of info, but what do you think???
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Avatar universal
Without seeing him, it is hard to tell.
He could be ADHD.  Although ADHD can be common in Autism of course.
But it could be just that. Or it could be sensory dysfunction.
Being to docile and being a content baby are two different things Doenst sound like he was to docile.
2 yr olds are also hyper by nature. I guess his eye contact is a good indicator. Does he stare at people or children. For example small children will spend alot of time staring at people and not things. When you go in a store does he look at people or just concentrate on the items in the store, does he stare at ceiling fans, wheels etc.
How does he play with his toys? Does he still bang them or does he use them for function? Is he strating to use imaginative play?
Watch him around other kids his age and compare (this is always a good indicator)  
Want my honest advice if you want to keep him on a straight path of progress. Give him Omegas Nordic Naturals is the best , DHA. We gave this to my son starting at 19 months old or so and saw a huge change in him. and a good multi vitamin. This is just for starters if you find a good ped. who deals with ASD he.she may recommend more supplements.
And dont be afraid to stop immunizing him. Get him as socialized as much as possible, try to find a  preschool or playgroup.Take him to the mall play area. anywhere he can play with other children. Get a good speech eval. talk to him constantly always labeling objects and show them what they do. Play alot of childrens music for him, especailly when your in the car.
Here is the CDC website for child development.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/ActEarly/milestones_2years.html
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Avatar universal
Also try and remember back how were his other milestones up until this point.
Was he pointing & clapping before 1 yr. of age.?
How was walking, sitting up, crawling?
If you notice anything missing in the dev. milestone checklist and he shold of hit it already this is a good indicator there may be a delay. Of course that DOES NOT mena he wont or cant catch up,he will.
Lots of children arent socialized yrs. ago we didnt have all teh social groups we hav enow for small kids. That really isnt a good reason for a child not developing on target.

This is another case that makes me sad that you ped. didnt notice or say anything to you. The more you read this website you  realize how the medical system is failing people in such a scary age of autism.
I guess the parents jsut have to learn to be more vigilant even before the child is even born.
I think there are to many out there who feel "It could never happen to me"
That is why I am not afraid to tell people my story and that as cheezy as this sounds , dont always tkae advice from any medcal professional, they are ditacted by the government, insurance companies and drug companies which are all  out for the big bucks.
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Avatar universal
I totally agree.  I think it is practically criminal how physicians often miss the signs of autism or blow parents off and dismiss their concerns as trivial.  My son was at his 2 year well baby appt about 2 weeks ago and the doctor didn't mention anything.  He said he was an extremely healthy little boy.  
As far as eye contact is concerned, there are times when he will seem to ignore you...but he does make frequent eye contact and he does respond to his name and to commands appropriately.  In stores and so on, he pays equal attention to people and things.  I don't think he favors one or the other.  
He does love to play with cars and he loves to examine how things work in tems of toys.  But he isn't attached to any particular toy...he does love to play with cars.  But he also pretend plays with a kitchen set and puts the plastic food in the pans and then "feeds" me.  
He also adapts very very well in terms of schedule changes or being in new places, not caring if he has a particular cup, etc.
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Avatar universal
When you say he is interested in how toy's work do you mean he will turn them over or look at them closley? Mabye play with the buttons alot? Or spin the wheels on his car? Stuff like that?
That is not a normal type of play if that is what he is doing.
If he is following instructions i think 1 or 2 part at this age ,that is good.
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Avatar universal
I suggest you read previous posts regarding the subject of delays and autism on this website. For a goood eval. dont go to a regular pediatrican.
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13167 tn?1327194124
It's so hard to tell what's going on here.  It does sound like he has a bit of a language delay,  which,  as you say can be from being isolated.

When you say he doesn't have the opportunity to be around other children,  does that mean that you don't belong to any playgroups,  or take him to library story hours,  or have neighbors in with their children regularly?  Whether or not he has a delay,  he really will need to have social contacts outside of the home.

I think getting him evaluated would be a great thing,  that way you can either work toward improvements,  or can rest easy.

best wishes.
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