Good chance it can be autism?

Question

ive posted other q's about this before,my 3 year old son has this thing where he draws in the air with his fingers almost like hes spelling.I started noticing it when he used to do it when he would see the credits move fast on the end of a movie,but now its constant.....he also doesnt converse...he can talk and get his point across,and is learning more and more,but from what ive heard(since hes my first)kids at this age should be talking real well by now,h**l be 3 next month.but all other autism symptoms he doesnt show.He makes good eye contact,LOVES playing with others,is very friendly,constantly telling people hi wherever we go,shows emotion,always pretend playing,and he does point thing out to me....

so is it possible for these two thing s to be normal??ive had 2 ppl point out the possibilty of autism,while the rest including his (once a week) day care instructor tell me he shows no signs????

Answer 1

In order to diagnose psychiatric problems, we look for impairment.  It

doesn't sound as if he is particularly impaired at this time.  He is

able to communicate with words and is learning.  He chooses not to use

words often.  Having him checked by a doctor is definitely a good idea.

It is always prudent to err in the direction of being too cautious.    

Making recommendations without knowing the child is always tricky since

one has such limited information.  However, you might try a couple of

experiments.  

1.  Create a small indoor sand box for him.  It could be the size of a

piece of typing paper or larger.  Encourage him to write and/or draw in

the sand with his finger.  Have him recreate some of what he is doing in

the air in the sandbox.  See how he reacts.  See if he can print letters

or draw stick figures with his finger in the sandbox.  In other words,

play with the activity.  You might also try drawing pictures together

with him in the air.

2.  If you want him to produce more speech, create a game in which you

reward him for speech production.  You could have a series of magazine

pictures and reward him with some small special food treat, like

raisons, for naming the pictures.  You could also use a game, like

Shoots and Ladders, and assign different small numbers to the pictures.

He can than select a picture randomly, name it, and move around the

board.  Be creative!  Play the game with him.  

Let me know if either of these suggestions are helpful.

~Dr. C

Answer 2

Hun from what you say here to me that isn't a sign of autism ...Thomas was your sons age when he was diagnosed with severe autism the classic signs for us were

No speech at all

No eye contact

Wouldn't respond to his name

Would not play with anyone

Hated being cuddled

Didn't feel pain

We had a six week assessment for Thomas but within two weeks he had been formally diagnosed with severe autism, Thomas is now 10 non verbal and still in nappies/diapers, i agree autism has a wide spectrum but have to be honest what you say here i wouldn't be worried xx best of luck xx

Answer 3

doesn't really sound like autism to me.  maybe he just has a speech delay.  i have a nephew that's the same way.  while my son was diagnosed with autism, he was only diagnosed with a speech delay.  social awkwardness is almost the most prevalant characteristic of any ASD.  best thing to do is to get him evaluated though.  your local school district will do it for free.

Answer 4

Firstly I'd like to say that not all autistic kids have bad eye contact. Just wanted to clear that up because it is a common mistake people make when discussing autism.

Back to your question, from what you have said, it does not sound like autism. But please remember, the autistic spectrum is huge. There are so many different types of autism, it would be impossible to tell without seeing him. if you have concerns please talk to your dr. If Autism is ruled out, he could still get help for his speech.

Good luck hun xxxx

Answer 5

This is a link to a screening tool to see if your child could be affected by autism. It's not definitely accurate, of course but it can give you an idea of whether or not you should rush to the Dr. It gives you direct instructions on how to choose your answers and will give you a score at the end to see where your child falls- make sure you click on "how to rate" so your answers are accurate. =]

http://childbrain.com/pddassess.html

Answer 6

I agree with Abbi.  Autism is such a huge spectrum and general symptoms can not apply across the board.  Most of what you read about autism pertains to more generalized forms of the disorder.  Autism falls within the PDD spectrum of the DSM IV.  That's what professionals use for diagnosing.  PDD stands for Pervasive developmental disorders.  Even when there is no clear diagnosis of Autism a child can fall within the overall spectrum.  I have a son who has Asperber's.  He's very high functioning, at grade level with academics and due to vigilant and consistent work with speech and social skills you wouldn't be able to tell he's has the disorder unless you were around him all the time.  Speaking from experience go with what you know.  Gage the areas he struggles in and get him help with those.  I'm glad to see you are seeing a doctor but  be careful.  It is also my experience that even those who claim to be experts may not take the necessary steps to eliminate all the possibilities.  The earlier your child has services the better off he'll be in the long run.  We just had our son who's getting ready to turn 9 reevaluated by a developmental pediatrician who came very highly recommended.  The DP will not only spend time evaluating the overall characteristics and makes observations but will also do a full physical including blood and urine screenings.  If your seeing a regular pediatrician see if they can refer you to a DP.  I know at least where we live it can take 6 months to get in with one and you will have to complete a ton of paperwork necessary for the doc to review before your first visit.  After having my sons labs draw, the DP is now looking at some other conditions which may be contributing factors in his autism.  No matter if he falls in the PDD spectrum or not you know as a mother whether your child is exhibiting symptoms which are concerning.  No matter what others have to say do your research and advocate for services that will improve your sons skills.  If you could see mine today you would have never known at age 3 that he was non-verbal, stressed over changes and emotionally unstable.  He's not perfect nor is he in the normal range as other kids his age but he's come a long way and I have very high hopes he'll be able to cope in this crazy world when he reaches adulthood.  That's all any parent can hope for.  If you need to talk feel free to email me.