Son Having Interesting Behaviors

Does he flap them or wave them back and forth? Is his speech and eye contact with other people okay? I am asking(Not to scare you), but arm flapping is sometimes a sign of autism. If he doesn't have any other symptoms I wouldn't worry, it's probably just a phase he is going through.

Hi T.,
Children with autism have a tendancy to hand flap. Children who have milder forms of autism like aspergers tend to flap only when they are excited and do so less frequently then with more severe cases of autim. Asperger kids say it 'feels good' and relieves some of the anxiety that comes along with the anticipation..I agree with the other mom who said you should go to a specialist to check it out.. unfortunatley pediatricians dont always pick up on all of the indicators of autism during a brief consult...

I am the mom of four - oldest 26, youngest 9. My nine year old has always done this. Perhaps if he had been my first I would have been concerned, but he is my fourth and last so it is just cute and funny. Perhaps if my son had been premature, I'd be on the lookout for problems, but he was not premature. He is and always has been healthy and perfectly normal. He flaps his arms when he gets excited. We see it as adorable! Just this past Saturday we were laughing about it at his soccer game. When the action got exciting, he was the only kid jumping up and down and flapping his arms around. Last week when I arrived early to pick him up from school, the teacher was quizzing them orally on times tables. My son was so excited when called on that the arm flapping started. Cute. Endearing. An indication, not that anything neurological is wrong, but that he has a great enthusiasm and zest for life. He is a terrific kid, lots of friends, at the top of his class. He gets excited about things and he is unself-conscious enough to show it. We see it as a good thing. We do not see it as anything that needs to be "handled". It is simply part of our son's unique individuality. We have a close friend wo is a pediatric neurologist. He has witnessed our son's excitement many times and never thought it indicative of a medical issue. I hope this helps you put things into perspective.

I'm with Laurie on this. You may want to check out the local school district (LAUSD?) to see if they can evaluate your son. Based on the results from the evaluation, he may qualify for free services through the school district.

Beyond that, I advice that you carefully observe your son to see what behaviors trigger this reaction or what "sets him off." He may be sensitive to certain types of stimuli. Hand flapping is one (ONLY ONE so don't freak out here) symptom of autism. You can get more information at http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/autism-symptoms With autism or other needs, early intervention is key!

Whatever the cause, the outcome or the situation, be certain to follow that motherly gut instinct of yours and do the best you can for your child. Best of luck!

Hi T.,

Let me start this off by saying that this is not something that I have come across with my children and I don't have any expertise in this area so, what I am giving you here is a guess as to what may be going on. It seems like your son is actively seeking out movement sensation. For some kids, their brains may be a little bit more sluggish and they instintively seek out movement to waken themselves up. I know this happens a lot with children who have significant communication delays and sensory processing issues. If this sounds like something that may have some validity to your situation, I would recommend that your pediatrician refer your son to an Occupational Therapist who specializes in sensory processing disorder for evaluation.

Hi T.,

I don't know anything about your child's behavior,but if it bothers you, get him to a specialist, NOW! If it is nothing, then you will sleep better! If it were me, I would take him straight to a pediatric neurologist, perhaps at a Children's Hospital or a teaching hospital like UCLA. I have always gone straight to the top and it has paid off.

I have 3 children, ages 20,15 and 13. I am an attorney, but have only worked parttime for most of their lives. They are all amazing, out going,and fun-loving. My eldest has had 4 eye surgeries, my middle one has problems with her knees and my youngest has type 1 diabetes.

In each of these situations,there were signs and behaviors that bothered me. I didn't know what any of it meant, I just knew that I was concerned. Other people told me it was no big deal, I was just a nervous mom. Fortunately, I didn't listen and I took each of them straight to a specialist. In each situation, my early response saved my children from serious complications.

I know it sounds like they are very sick kids, but nothing could be further from the truth. Due to my immediate attention to things that "bothered me", they are all healthy and active. They all have black belts, one is in college for dance, the second plays lacrosse and swims and the diabetic play tackle football!

Go with your gut and get the best help available. If you are wrong and it is nothing, then HURRAH!

N.

T.,

Google sensory integration disorder and you'll find tons of info on sensory issues. You can even find checklists that will tell you if you need to be concerned or not. You can also call your local school district and ask for an evaluation. Early Intervention deals with any issues for kids birth to age 3 and then the school district takes over at age 3 - so if you think he has a developmental delay like autism the school district would be the place to go (my 5 y.o. has autism and things like the arm flapping you describe are extremely common in kids with autism and are called "stims"). Another option would be to find an occupational therapist who specializes in sensory stuff in young children (there are different types of OTs so make sure you ask what they specialize in) and ask for an evaluation. If you are in Las Vegas I have a fabulous OT that I can recommend.

In my experiences, regular pediatricians are a horrible source of information. They are amazingly uneducated in abnormal development. Mine told me when my son was 2 that he couldn't possibly have autism but my son clearly does... And my pediatrician has been practicing for close to 30 years and has numerous awards for being one of the top pediatricians in the nation.

Another option would be to seek out a Developmental Pediatrician. They are normally affiliated with teaching or children's hospitals. You could call the hospital to get a referral. Developmental pediatricans tend to be expensive and are typically not covered by insurance. So that would be a question to ask when you make the call (if they take insurance, otherwise an evaluation will typically run you around $2000). I'm in Las Vegas Nv and there is one Developmental Pediatrician here and she has a 12-18 month waiting list....

The main thing to remember is that ALL kids have quirks. Quirks only become a problem when there are enough of them or they are severe enough to interfere with a child's ability to function. And if you suspect that your child may have a problem, I'd highly recommend getting a professional evaluation. I know from my own experience that as a parent, you've been around your child since birth so they seem "normal" because what they are doing is normal to you because they've always done it. It can be really tough to see the bigger picture. An outside profession evaluation can tell you if there is some issue you need to address or tell you if you just need to quit worrying about it. Either way it is better that waiting and wondering and worrying.

:-)T.

As a rule, I always get a second opinion when my gut tells me something doesn't seem right.

My son was premature (8 weeks) and his pediatrician (who I adore) didn't think there was anything wrong with his feet...but, I went with my gut and found a podiatrist that specialized in early development, and he diagnosed my son with calcification of the ankles and joints. I knew his not 'trying' to walk was being caused by something more than just a lack of interest, and followed my gut. I got him to a pediactric OT, and he was walking like a champ after just four sessions of therapy.

My son's cousin, was just diagnosed as Autistic after his Mom didn't listen to the pediatrician about his behavior being odd. He had taken to sitting at the window, and talking to his relfection and had even started to make piles of stuff under the couch or in the cabinets, that no one was allowed to touch.

To be honest, I think pediatricians are great for the basic stuff but, sometimes they are too quick to discount a Mommy's gut feelings as panic or overreaction. Bottomline if it bothers you, then push the issue and find a specialist that can help you get answers.

Best of luck.

This could be a form of a tic, not the bug tic but a neuro problem, I have seen reports of tic that has to do with what your son is doing, I would get a second opinion.

My son, 5 years old, will be 6 in december, does this also. Every time he is excited, his arms start going, or if he is overtired and trying to stay awake, or if he is anxious. HE DOES IT ALOT!!!!
Though I think it bothers my husband, I know it is something he will eventually outgrow. He just started Kindergarten and all of his silly little behaviors at home are not as prominant in school.
I wouldnt worry to much about it, just part of his personality, but if you find out it is more serious let me know, but my pediatrician told me he was fine.

Hi T.,
It was so amazing to read your message today because my daughter does the same thing! She's 4.5, but she's been doing it since she was a baby. When she was 2.5 we videotaped a bunch of times when she was flapping (and jumping) and took her and the tape to a pediatric neurologist. The Dr. told us that if there were no seizures or loss of consciousness during the flapping episodes, there was nothing to worry about--that she would grow out of it. Just recently I've been worried again, and we just got the video camera out last night to start taping the behavior again.
My daughter has had no other health concerns, and she's very bright and active. She wasn't a premie either. My 17 month old son doesn't do the flapping at all (unless he's copying his sister). So, I think we'll tape some flapping and then go to the neurologist again--probably just to ease our minds.