autism Helps

pinkpigl:

There’s not much you will notice at 5 months of age. However, some babies with autism hate to be held at all. My son was like that.
Please do not read Jenny McCarthy’s book. She is NOT an expert and I do not recommend that as a place to start.
Here is a website put together by experts if you are truly concerned:http://www.autismspeaks.org/whatisit/lea…

search engine optimization consultant:

i didn’t start noticing a change until age 1 1/2…
but the first sign was “uncontrollable meltdowns”

Lisa T:

We have a 13 year old son with high functioning autism
As an infant you would look for signs such as:
Lack of eye contact
Speech development. This includes early speech development such as cooing and babbling. Our son started to coo at 6 weeks – then at about 8 weeks he was silent. There was no babbling, bub bub, dad dad or mum mum type development. He failed his hearing test. But as he had numerous ear infections this was the reason given. He had surgery. But then he went from no speech what so ever to talking like a little professor – all kids should go through the standard speech development. Our son didnt.
He was very routine. Was difficult to settle and would scream for hours once he awoke from naps. He was not interested in play – particularly imaginative play. Would stack things over and over – was mesmerised by the television for hours and hours. Would play opening and closing doors over and over, but watched the mechanism of the door hinges. In other words he would have obsessive type interests – but love or money or would not get his attention to other things if he was not interested.
Difficulty with weaning and taking to solid foods.
He will only eat certain foods of a particular texture and color.
He often gagged an vomited when learning to eat solids.
He can be clumsly – has an unusual gait. When excited he would flap his arms and hands. Sensitive to light touch and people touching his head. Unusual and intense fears.
Loud sudden noises and new places would frighten him.
When he was able to walk – he would wander away – so we would have to watch him closely.
There are many other signs.
I would not actually say he was ever hyperactive. He may have signs of attention deficit – this is more to do with getting him to move from one activity to another – as opposed to being hyperactive. When he is excited he will flap – and may run around – but he would not be hyperactive at all times of the day.
You cant just self diagnose something like autism. There ar many types of autism on the spectrum. Individuals present with autism in different ways. So my sons fear of something may not be the fear of another person with austism. Enjoy your baby – if you are really worried – get an assessment completed by a suitably qualified practitioner. Though this may be difficult to do at 5 months – as many of the signs may not be there.

kelly j:

Social interactions and relationships. Symptoms may include:
Significant problems developing nonverbal communication skills, such as eye-to-eye gazing, facial expressions, and body posture.
Failure to establish friendships with children the same age.
Lack of interest in sharing enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people.
Lack of empathy. People with autism may have difficulty understanding another person’s feelings, such as pain or sorrow.
Verbal and nonverbal communication. Symptoms may include:
Delay in, or lack of, learning to talk. As many as 50% of people with autism never speak. 2
Problems taking steps to start a conversation. Also, people with autism have difficulties continuing a conversation once it has begun.
Stereotyped and repetitive use of language. People with autism often repeat over and over a phrase they have heard previously (echolalia).
Difficulty understanding their listener’s perspective. For example, a person with autism may not understand that someone is using humor. They may interpret the communication word for word and fail to catch the implied meaning.
Limited interests in activities or play. Symptoms may include:
An unusual focus on pieces. Younger children with autism often focus on parts of toys, such as the wheels on a car, rather than playing with the entire toy.
Preoccupation with certain topics. Older children and adults are often fascinated by train schedules, weather patterns, or license plates.
A need for sameness and routines. For example, a child with autism may always need to eat bread before salad and insist on driving the same route every day to school.
Stereotyped behaviors. These include body rocking and hand flapping.
Symptoms during childhood
Symptoms of autism are usually first noticed by parents and other caregivers sometime during the child’s first 3 years. Although autism is present at birth (congenital), signs of the disorder can be difficult to identify or diagnose during infancy. Parents often become concerned when their toddler does not like to be held; does not seem interested in playing certain games, such as peekaboo; and does not begin to talk. They also may be confused about their child’s hearing abilities. It often seems that a child with autism does not hear, yet at other times, he or she may appear to hear a distant background noise, such as the whistle of a train.
With early and intensive treatment, most children improve their ability to relate to others, communicate, and help themselves as they grow older. Contrary to popular myths about children with autism, very few are completely socially isolated or “live in a world of their