Is my son showing signs of Autism

[mama121510]

My son turned 2 in April and of course at 2 children get there 2 year check up. I had brought my son to the doctor with concerns for him. He does not speak much and when he does he doesn't say the word clear at all, he doesn't respond to his name, he has really bad behavioral problems like hitting slapping stomping his feet and what not. Anyways he doesn't like people touching his ears but he is always playing with them and covers them with different sounds. He will play with selective toys like blocks cars/trucks and anything soft he can chew on. Yeah hes still in the chewing faze. I can't seem to get him out of that. When I had asked the doctor she said everything seemed to be fine. Well I don't think everything is fine. He is not affectionate with me or his sister that much. And when ever I do tell him no he will slam his head of the floor and or wall or slap his head. Please help me. I need some answers. If so were do I go to get him tested? He is not set up with a new pediatrician yet because we just moved to a new state and we don't were anything is yet. But I am working on it. One thing I forgot to mention is he also screams alot.

[mama121510]

I will definitely look at the forum and see what its all about! I will keep everyone posted:) Thank you both very much for all the help and advise. Greatly appreciated.

[Sandman2]

    Great, great points by specialmom!  Do take the time to check out the SPD  forum here.   And the only other suggestion I would have (if you haven't  already done so) is to get his hearing checked.
   Please keep in touch and let us know how things are going.  Best wishes.

[specialmom]

Oh good.  Well, here is something to think about-----  In the US, early intervention is encouraged by our government.  Consequently, every state has services that they offer familys.  It starts with birth to age 3 and your pediatrician can put you in touch with them.  They contract with agencies that will evaluate your child and then set up services for them paid for through government grant (based on income).  At age 3, the local school system takes over and from 3 to 5 a child can participate in the early intervention preschool program paid for by tax dollars.  This is an excellent resource for families!!  Your child could receive physical therapy, speech and occupational therapy through early intervention programs if he qualifies!'
I just thought I'd mention this!!  And MO is a beautiful state.  I'm glad you ike it there!!  

[mama121510]

Yes I do. I live in MO. I just moved here from NH. Its really nice and much more to do here then there!

[specialmom]

Oh, I'm happy to help.  Do you live in the US??

[mama121510]

Thank you very much for all the information. It has been very helpful.  I will definitely be making a bunch of phone calls on Monday to see what I can do for him! He has been behind on alot of things. Like walking crawling etc. Lot of what he learned wasn't until a year old. I hope the doctors are better here than where I was previously living and will be able to provide me with some answers appose to him being okay. I see children younger than him speaking so well they behave so well and they way they do things are a lot different and I spend a lot of time with him trying to teach him different things.  Thank you again and I hope to get answers soon. I will continue till I do because this is just not normal.

[specialmom]

Hi there.  Well, you are doing the absolute right thing to have him checked out.  While you are checking for autism, I'll make another suggestion for something else to look into as well.  Sensory integration disorder.  There is an excellent web site to look at that goes through it all called "SPD" or Sensory Processing Disorder.  

My son has this and did many of the same things your child is doing as well.  Many kids with autism also have sensory overlapping as a secondary condition but kids like my son have sensory integration disorder all on its own.

It is a processing disorder involving the nervous system.  The brain and nervous system must be organized and be able to work together and the nervous system must be able to send accurate signals to carry out speaking, movement, etc.  Speech is often involved with sensory processing disorder.  There are three parts to speech, receptive (taking in and organizing what someone has said to you), expressive (organizing your thoughts into what you want to say) and articulation (actually making the correct sounds).  All three can be affected by sensory issues causing speech issues.  

My son is a sensory seeker or craver.  His nervous system needs 'input' which involves things like stomping, banging head, crashing into things, rough play, spinning, jumping up and down, etc.  

My son has tactile dysfunction in that he can be overresponsive at times.  He too wasn't too affectionate as a young one and would pull away from hugs or touches.  He felt it differently than we did.  Not being able to connect with people is also a classic sign of autism too.  so you'll have to figure out if it is the touch that bothers him or if he is unable to connect.  

My son has auditory processing issues and he can not respond to his name.  For him, all sounds are the same at times.  My voice, the mower outside, the radio, etc.  All equal volume so he doesn't pick out the voice calling his name from the other sounds.  He then can be overly sensitive and clamp his hands off his ears at loud noises.  

My son is orally oriented too.  He would s uck on everything, chew on his sleeves, his collar, etc.  Often this is a sign that a child is trying to regulate themselves or self soothe.  The make some excellent items you can give them to help them do it in a more appropriate way.  

Regulation of mood is another biggie for sensory and obviuosly autism as well.  We've worked hard on this and things are better,

I think that seeing a developmental pediatrician is a great idea.   An occupational therapist is who treats for sensory integration disorder and let me just tell you, early intervention is AMAZING.  It changed the course of my son's life.  He is doing fantastic.  He goes to school, does just fine, has friends, plays sports, can communicate well, is affectionate, etc.  We have our challenges that we work on, but he is doing really awesome.

I invite you to join a new community here, it is called sensory integration disorder and you can find it in related communities to the right on this page.  Even if your child has autism, you will be able to get some ideas for things going on.  It's become an area that I spend a lot of time reading about and coming up with strategies to help my family and would love to share and help in any way I can.  So, you might find that forum helpful.  

Well, I've thrown out a lot of information, but just wish you the best and am here any time you need to vent, have questions, want to share what you are doing that might help me with my child, or just need support.  goodluck