Red Flag signs of autism in our 3 year old?

Question

I'm overwhelmed with anxiety that my 3 year old son maybe autisitc. He shows some signs that he maybe under that spectrum. He makes eye contact when he wants to when I'm talking to him but its hard to get his attention sometimes when I'm calling him, like hes deaf or hardheaded. But other times he seems to follow instruction.We had his hearing check and it seems normal.

He knows the alphabet, how to count, the colours and most of the animals. He does occassionally line things up which I heard is a red flag warning for autisim. He likes to count his fingers and likes to read books. He can determine from photos who is his Mum, Dad and grandparents but doesn't yell out Mummy when he sees me. He likes to play tag with kids and laughs and smiles.

The occupational therapist can not determine if he is autistic but she said there is a possibility but she cant say for certain. We are starting speech therapy next week.

Can anyone relate to our situation?

Answer 1

ask the speech therapist if she can  test him for an auditory processing disorder. If he cannot process what he hears correctly, then that can affect his behavior. See if you can find a book called "the out of sync child". It deals with sensory disfunction and how it relates to behavior. I read it and found several odd things about my  fairly typical 2.5 year old...He has tactile defensiveness around his head and face, but he is a sensory seeker when it comes to gross motor activities. he did have a major speech delay 6 months ago, but he has made very good progress and has caught up some.

it is possible that he will be diagnosed with PDD-NOS like my older son. My oldest has a few symptoms of autism, but not enough in the right categories for a solid diagnosis, so he was given a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Delay.

feel free to e-mail me for further discussion and support.

Answer 2

Another place you may want to check is Dr. Stanley Greenspans social/emotional chart that lists the social and emotional milestone that are often missing in children diagnosed with autism.