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Wondering if my son could be Autistic ?

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Latest info on Connor Davis, 4 years old

Our son Connor, currently has Severe Global Developmental Delay and Hypotonia, I’m also wondering if he might also be Austistic?

Feeding

He can eat with his fingers e.g. bread chips snacky foods, from a plate or dish, when finished he will then try to play with the plate or dish by spinning it, or may throw it on the floor, so it is sometimes best to remove the dish. Connor cannot use a knife or fork, but he can eat reasonable well with a spoon. He likes most foods, does not like too many sweet things like rice, chocolate or sweet biscuits. He will drink from a bottle, and will drink mainly watered down juice. He cannot drink from a beaker or cup. Connor does tend to let you know if he does not want the food or drink you give him, by either pushing your hand away, or by pushing the dish away. He goes through stages where he will push the dish of most foods away. He does tend to get upset and annoyed when doing this, and may tip this dish onto the floor; Connor is not able to tell us what is wrong. When Connor eats you do have to cut it up quite small as he tends to put food into his mouth without chewing it, and will put it in whole. He also tends to put too much into his mouth at one time, has to make his mouth really full before swallowing, and sometimes he has choked with doing this.

Sometimes when Connor is given a desert he gets quite distressed and frustrated for some reason. It’s as though Connor wants what you have given him but cant put it in his mouth. Could say that he’s frightened to put it in his mouth. At times I’ve given his something different for desert but still the same thing happens.

Movement

Connor is now walking about 95% of the time, all be it unsteady. Otherwise the rest of the time to get around he will crawl. Connor is crawling and walking. holding on to the banister with two hands when going up and down the stairs at home, without help. Connor will go up easier than coming down. When walking he does not still look where he is going so does not noticed steps, or edge of curbs unless you show him. He is unable to go up and down, even an inch step without help or holding on to something. He does seem good with his hands he can catch and spin a ball, and can pick up and hold small objects, that he is interested in. When walking he is still quite wobbly and he can only go short distances outside with you, after about 100-200 meters, he would want to be picked up and carried or put into the pushchair.

Play

He can play well by himself, but does like to play with us, at times. Connor get's quite aggressive with his play at times. He seems to not play with the toys as they should be played with, e.g. he has got a fire engine, which makes a noise, moves and shakes, Connor just seems to like to spin the wheels and really concentrates when doing this, waiting for the sounds etc. He does not treat it has a moving vehicle, like moving it around the floor etc. He’s spends a lot of time spinning toys, swinging toys, throwing the toys or banging them together. Connor does like music and likes you to put on the music for him, but it tends to be music with a beat. Certain slow music or high pitched sounds upsets him. He also likes you to play certain songs over and over again. If you were to give him some wooden blocks, he would not try to build anything, this would also be thrown around or banged together, or see if he can spin them. We’ve also noticed this in other situation’s like bathing him he will spin the sponge around in the water. Connor does enjoy playing with water, likes to feel it running from the tap, and does not bother him if it’s cold water. His hands can be freezing but this does not affect him. Connor does have a very short attention span with toys and dose not play with them for long as he loses interest. His play does seem very repetitive and does not do anything new very often, always wanting to play in the same way, with the same toys, objects etc. Any new object will be tested too see if it will swing, bounce or spin or shake if not it is likely to be ignored.

Connor has got a few obsessions around the house that he must play with or look at, e.g. washing machine, fans, shoes, (holds the laces and spins them), also ceiling lights, clocks, microwave, water, and anything he can get to swing, spin or shake. He gets upset if you try to change this. With toys and objects that shake e.g. the fire engine or the washing machine he likes to put this right against his face to feel the vibration. Connor also still likes to lie down or sits in a chair and rocks and shakes his head a lot, anytime of the day. He likes to flap his arms and legs a lot for no apparent reason.

Communication & Language

He can say Mum, Dad, Nan, ta, tick tock, (as we have a lot of clocks around the house). Has recently been counting 1,2,3. Also babbles a lot But these words are said randomly and repeatedly and witho

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5 ANSWERS


  1. You should really get a diagnosis from a doctor.


  2. Hi, I can't tell you if your son has autism because autism can mean so many different things. But here is a link to a website with a questionairre you can fill out. It's results can tell you where your child MAY fall on the autism spectrum. http://childbrain.com/pddq6.shtml No substitute for a doctor's evaluation of course, but it can lead you in the right direction. Make sure you read the "how to rate" tips so your responses are accurate. I hope this helps- good luck to you and Connor! =]

  3. it sounds to me like a lot of his symptoms can be attributed to sensory dysfunction. it sounds like he may be a sensory seeker in several areas. Does he drool too? There is a possibility that he may have a form of apraxia and that is what is causing his lack of speech. My youngest son is a gross-motor seeker with tactile defensiveness above his shoulders. I dicovered this by reading a great book called "the out of sync child". it deals with sensory integration problems and how they affect the behavior of the child.

    I'm not saying that he is not autistic, because he very well could be, but my gut tells me that most of the odd things he does are a way of fulfilling his hunger for sensations. the hypotonia could account for his difficulties with walking and feeding.

    Having "special" kids like this is hard. My oldest son has PDD-NOS  and is a challenge to deal with. my youngest son has a speech delay and had many tantrums until he learned sign language.

  4. I didn't see anything that struck out as him having autism but I did see some things that he could benefit from early intervention if you wish to go that route. they could help you alot with communication with conner and getting his daily skills up to speed.

    however if you are not getting some intervention you could use icons from boardmaker for telling him what is expected of him and some for him to let you know what he wants.

    contact your local school system that he will be attending and they can offer you some services before he gets there.

    good luck with your boy conner!

  5. Consult with Connor's pediatrician and a mental health expert who specializes in dealing with small children. I think they would be the only ones qualified to determine exactly what's wrong with your son.

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