Autism Signs in a toddler

[Nannydavis]

My grandson (who just turned 2) has unusual arm/hand movements that have been causing us to wonder if this is a sign of autism.

After visiting several web sites, the movements appear to be the only system of autism he possesses.

When he gets excited, his arm and hands flail out to his sides.  This happens during meals (when he likes what he is eating), ball playing, or the anticipation of a good TV show (Barney or Telly Tubbies!).

He social skills seem great.  He smiles, laughs and is a very animated & bright child.  

Do you have any idea what these movements mean?  Should he be tested for autism?

Thank you for addressing my concerns!

[alchris]

Any concer nwith a child is worth looking into.  I would suggest an autism center if you can find one - you will get the best evaluation that way.  If possibly it is a mild form of autism which something is telling you it might be than this is the time to catch it, if it is diagnosed the child can grealty benefit from treatment at an early age.  A friend I use to work with her daughter was diagnosed at the same age she is now about 15 and you would never even know.  wishing your granchild the best.

[Capital H]

Autism is generally considered to be a triad of impairments with strong sensory differences which may be either hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity.

The triad of impairments comprises communication, social interaction and imagination, which imagination really means difficulties in understanding others intentions, and dealing with change, a tendency toward preserving sameness and ritual, for instance an autistic child may play differently with toys, lining up cars or spinning the wheels rather than using them as interpretive objects to stand for something else.

Autism is a whole spectrum and some manifestation from each area of the triad is necessary for a diagnosis, however the mixture of that varies from individual to individual, no two autistic children will be exactly the same, that is in the nature of autism to be highly individuated.

Autistic traits however merge of into "neurotypical" traits and it is impossible to differentiate at some point what is a stereotypical "stim" or repetitive hand movement and something which non autistic children will also do from time to time.

The things to watch out for are the childs use of language, whether it bears much communicative intent, the childs interaction, does the child use adults merely as a tool to get things or is there shared interaction? does the child like to play with other children, is the child excessively attached to certain objects and tantrums when they are removed? Does the child make good eye contact, and look at things when you point to them?

You have to be careful of web sites too, as some of them are written with strong hidden agendas according to the various theories of what causes autism and what the best interventions are.

It happens that Autism is my area of expertise, as apart from being the chief of all hypochondriacs on this board, I do actually have various ongoing involvements with the world of autism.