1 year old daughter with autism?

Question

I think my 18 month old little girl has autism. I thought she was normal until my mother said something. I took her to a therapist, and the lady said she was developmentally delayed. I've been crying ever since, and I wanted to know if she does have autism and gets treatment early, will it help her to grow up to be a normal child?

Answer 1

Developmentally delayed doesn't necessarily mean autism.  You need to figure out exactly what's going on, and then treat it.  Of course she could benefit from early treatment.

Answer 2

The only way to know for sure is to get her to the doctor and have them decide. My son was delayed at this age and we got him into speech therapy and a special preschool(which he loves) and it has helped him a lot. He is now starting to talk. My son is not like most children(possible autism)but that just makes him more special to me.  

Answer 3

developmental delays are not the same as autism. my daughter has developmental delays because she is 16 months old and isn't walking yet. it is really too early to have autism diagnosed for her. if she does fall on the autism spectrum, there are several types of autism, there is no cure and she will always be autistic.  

Answer 4

What does your doctor say?  What did your mom say to get you worried?  My mom has a roommate with an austic son.  When you look at him you can tell he is not "with" us.  Of course there are different kinds of autism and he is still in the process of being pin pointed of what degree.

Answer 5

The Center for Disease Control lists specific milestones for each age under their autism information.  They also list warning signs for possible developmental delays.  Below is the link for one-year-olds.  

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/ActEarl...

Answer 6

at 18 months my daughter had a speech delay. my husband and i had no clue, we thought she was do'n fine. she started seeing a speech therapist and developmental therapist. no matter what kind of delay they have it automatically puts them in the developmental delay catagory. don't freak out. wait for her to be evaluated, and then go from there. when my daughter was two i had a developmental therapist tell me she might be austistic because she couldn't pick a toy to play with. we took her to her pediatrician and she saw an occupational therapist and both told us no she wasn't. everyone has different things they think points to autism, but only a few can actually diagnose it. call the Early Intervention Services in your area and get her an evaluation, they'll decide what your daughter needs, and can help you get the help she needs.  

Answer 7

What kind of therapist did you take her to? And according to her, what specific delays (speech/language, gross motor, fine motor, social, cognitive...) is your daughter experiencing?

"Developmentally delayed" does not mean that your daughter has autism. Have you noticed any signs or symptoms that indicate autism? For example,...

.not pointing at things or gesturing (waving bye, clapping hands, giving"five", etc..)

.not playing with toys appropriately (might prefer to spin toys, line them up, throw them, etc... as opposed to playing with them the way they are intended to be played with)

.lack of imaginary play (doesn't pretend to talk on a phone, won't pretend to "feed" a doll, etc...)

.doesn't imitate you or others (won't clap if others are clapping, won't follow others, won't follow hand motions for songs such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," etc...)

.doesn't share attention (won't look at your reaction to something, won't look at you when you are both playing with a toy, etc...)

.doesn't respond to her name

.doesn't seem interested in other children (doesn't observe them, doesn't notice them)

.walks on her toes, flaps her hands when excited, rocks back and forth, spins in circles

Those are some signs that COULD indicate autism. If you are concerned, you should discuss it with your pediatrician. Or you could make an appointment with a developmental pediatrician or psychologist. A therapist is not qualified to make an autism diagnosis, so you want to make sure you see someone who is qualified and experienced with autism.

Even if your daughter does not have autism, if she has developmental delays, you should look into getting early intervention. Depending on what delays she has, she may be qualified to receive speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc... through your state. These therapies are free to children who have delays. It would be handled through your state's early intervention program (assuming you live in the U.S.).

The first step is making sure that you know exactly what is going on with your daughter. The next step is getting her the help that she might need. I know it is overwhelming, but it gets easier.

Good luck!!

Answer 8

Well, you'll have to have her evaluated by an expert to find out if she has autism. If so, dig up some research on NAET. Google it and find a practitioner in your area and start treatment. Lots of people have never heard of this time of treatment, my daughter and I have been through the course of it and are no longer allergic to things we once were. I met families there with autistic kids who were seeing improvement. NAET stands for Nampudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique and will improve many conditions. It's worth the research. Oh, and it works on animals too.