With a 2 yr old child (just turned 2) is this a sign of autism? cant coordinate with a spoon..?

Question

she gets the spoon about a half inch from her mouth and then dumps the cereal off missing the mouth.. almost every time...

Answer 1

It's nothing to worry about, especially if she is just learning to use the spoon. My daughter still occasionally misses and she just turned 3.  It takes a lot of coordination to be able to eat with a spoon. (My grandmother had a stroke a few years ago. I learned THEN just how hard it is to handle a utensil to eat.)

She'll eventually be able to make it to her mouth.

Just to allay your fears, I hope, I'm including information about early detection of autism. While missing your mouth with the spoon can be a sign of a developmental disorder at an older age, at two it can be expected -- especially if she has only been trying to feed herself using a spoon for a short time.

Most kids with autism at her age would have trouble when their routine changes. They tend to have incredible memory skills. If you take her someplace she learns isn't a "fun" place -- like a doctor's office, she'll likely freak out when you arrive there again, even if it's not a visit in which she'll get her shots.  She'll tend to want to play by herself. And by "play" I mean line up her toys, dolls, blocks, whatever her favorite things are. She won't act like a "mommy" to a doll. In fact, she likely would rather play with blocks or other things that are "inanimate" in nature.  She could be incredibly sensitive to sounds, sights, tastes, textures, and odors.  She might have an unreasonable or irrational fear of something that is around the house. Some panic and scream at the sound of a vacuum, toilet flushing, dog barking, doorbell ringing, lawnmower, etc.  She would be overstimulated by going to the store and would likely have tantrums that last longer than a few minutes (close to an hour and that is something to worry about).  The child might have a habit of making a certain noise or moving certain body parts in a rhythmic way when she is upset.  She won't like changes in her routine one bit, and that includes trading in spring clothes for winter clothes and vice versa. She may potty train late. She will be behind in verbal as well as social skills.  Two year olds don't generally "play together", but she wouldn't be understandable to anyone aside from those who are around her all the time.  She will be incredibly picky about food. Like only wanting to eat three or four foods and that is it.  She may panic if she feels like you are leaving her, and she is likely to also be very stubborn.  Giving in to her "demands" would just encourage her inappropriate behavior and she would keep doing it. She would likely be sensitive to heat or cold.

My son has autism. These are things I've learned over the years of raising him. He's now 13 and most people can't tell he ever had a problem. He is well-spoken for his age, and part of that is due to his genius-level IQ but also due to the fact that what most kids learn by instinct, he has to learn by rote.  His new lessons about life in one situation would not transfer over to another situation. It's like he's always at "square one" when he is in a new situation.  It's frustrating to him as well. He wants to be friends, but most kids see him as a good target.  He walks differently and up until very recently, he stood ramrod straight and looked terrified while waiting in line at school pickup. He's learned to lean on a pole and sometimes just sit and do his homework. His stance is more natural now, but he still can look very rigid in a new situation. He tends to get along better with significantly older or younger people and he also tends to be very empathetic toward animals.  This is just the tip of the iceberg, but I wanted to include enough examples of strange behavior so that you will be more likely either comforted at the lack of symptoms or know for sure you need to see a doctor.

Autism is harder to diagnose in girls because girls do tend to be more shy and quiet, and often their behavior is interpreted as such.  Girls also tend to want to learn the social "norms" and can teach themselves how to mimic other people at a younger age.

My daughter began showing the signs last year after a flu shot. Up until that point, all of her vaccines were supposedly lacking thimerosol (mercury derivative used as a preservative). The flu shot, however, did have thimerosol. Within a couple days, she was flapping her arms when she got excited and she started having meltdowns, which are tantrums that are so scary that you worry your child is hurting herself and they last anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. My guess is some can last even longer. Sometimes you can figure out what triggers certain inappropriate behaviors and you can learn to help her avoid them. Other times, things just all of a sudden are making her freak out and there is no apparent trigger.  I do know my daughter can't tolerate red dye, just like her brother. If she gets red dye, she turns into a monster. Hitting, yelling, biting, kicking, lying down and kicking her feet or banging her head. She was normal until that flu shot. She'll never get another vaccine while she lives under my roof. One autistic child has been enough. She'll eventually improve and I'm just thankful I had my son to learn from. I know better now than to let her get another vaccine and I already knew how to set up routines that were reliable and not likely to get messed up when I had to  adjust to my son's behavior.

More about autism below, especially early detection. I hope all is OK and I will link you to at least one site which talks about the dangers of vaccines. You can choose for yourself if you don't want your daughter to get any more vaccinations. If you don't want her to, you can use religion as an excuse. She can't get shots if you say you're Jehovah's Witnesses -- even if it isn't true. I'd rather lie on a form than see my daughter go through what my son has.

I hope I helped you out. I have a feeling your daughter will be fine, but I wanted to make sure you could have information that will either allay your fears or at least indicate if there is a need to worry.

Answer 2

That's pretty typical coordination for a two year old. A kid with autism probably would not even use a spoon, at least mine didn't. She didn't even realize that spoon's had a purpose...no matter how much we worked with her.

Answer 3

Poor eye-hand coordination is NOT a sign of autism.  She is young and her problem is very age appropriate

Answer 4

Autism is a communication disorder. There is some physical involvement at times, but not usually. It is much more important to look at whether your child is beginning to speak and whether she has social reciprocity. Typically autistic children do not speak and do not like to play or be affectionate with other people. Also, being able to imitate, like smiling or laughing after she has observed you do this is also important. Most autistic kids do not imitate very well.

Answer 5

One specific sign of autism is the lack of socialization, an avoidance of contact, such as not wanting to be touched, the ability to do one thing continuously and becoming extremely upset when the activity is interrupted or attempted to be stopped as well as other behaviors that cover a broad spectrum.

If your child appears to be uncoordinated and it is not deliberate, (two year olds are beginning to realize their ability to manipulate their environment and their  parents), do take her to see her pediatrician. Her actions may be a continuation of what I call "I mess up, you clean up." In other words she enjoys your reaction to her behavior. I hope this helps and remember you should not feel bad about consulting your child's pediatrician when you have concerns.