Hello,
I was googling arm flapping and autism kept popping up.
I guess it never entered my mind that this could be what my daughter is having symptoms of.
But, I looked further into it and she exhibits many signs of the disorder.
This is what is going on with her.
The arm flapping as if she has a burst of energy she has to get out and flaps her arms really fast and gets a really excited look on her face.
She started this around 1 yr. old and has just gotten more and more often and more intense.
She had delayed motor skills (walked later than usual)
She is 29 months and will say her siblings names and mamma, dadda, hi, bye and not much more.
She makes a loud repeated noise when she is tired or trying to sleep.
We use to always say she was singing when she was a baby but is more of a chanting? of some sort.
don
My laptop messed up and didn't get all of her signs or symptoms out.
she walks on her toes quite frequently.
she likes to spin around in circles a lot.
Don't know if this is related and just putting it out there incase somebody else has a child and this is maybe a sign.
She has always touched by her ear when she seemed to be thinking since she was young and twist her finger.
On the other hand she hasn't ever seemed to have any emotional problems such as connecting with her family or such.
She does have outbursts of anger and does not like being told no and seems to take longer to get over her tantrums than most.
My mom is the only one who keeps her at times other than my husband and I and has had a very hard time with her throwing tantrums and says she seems very upset that I am not there.
I don't know if this sounds like any and I am going to watch her for other signs I have been reading up on.
I just feel something is different or special about her as she is my 3rd child and is definitely having more difficulty in certain areas than my other ones.
She is also in her own little world quite often and hard to get her attention sometimes where you have to really yell at her and even wave your hands in her face to get her attention.
She will see you but will push you out of the way if she is into a tv show or something.
She also is very much a hand talker trying to show you what she wants by showing you with her hands or physically pushing you to what she wants.
She will even take my hand and put it on what she wants at times.
The more and more I talk about it I am thinking it seems it is very possible and don't know why it never occurred to me before.
Please if anybody has one with a disorder and this sounds like it let me know.
I know you are not a a doctor and she will need to be diagnosed by one but just need to put my mind at ease or try and start some early intervention.
Much thanks
Hi... my best friend has a daughter who was diagnoised with Autism and has MUCH MUCH experience with it - maybe she can help guide you. (she's local too).
here is her facebook: ____@____.com http://joyearlyautisminterventions.wordpress.com/
I hope this may help...
At two they are only scratching the surface for noticing autism.
From what you describe it is hard to say if that is what is going on.
My youngest has a Sensory processing disorder, Opposition Defiance disorder and High functioning Autism.
He was only diagnosed with the Sensory disorder in 2010....after he turned two.
The other diagnose's we did not get until this summer/fall.
At two, he was not saying more then 5 words...and those words were not really words...more like noise's we had set up as a means for communication.
My first thought and course of action should be taking her to her doctor...and have him evaluate her.
They will be able to better tell you what is going on, on where to go next for testing.
Diagnosing Autism over the computer is not safe. I would get her in ASAP and see what you guys can find out and start to help her with:)
Good luck....it can be a slow trying process. But that is what weare here for:)
With what you have added, I would get her checked out..Cause it sounds likely something is going on.
She may just have really bad OCD. But that is also common with kids who have Autism.
Please call Early Intervention. They will do a developmental screen on your daughter and help you determine the next step. As you said, some of these things could be red flags, but no one can know for sure just by looking at a list of characteristics on the computer. A professional needs to actually see her, how she interacts with you, etc.
I have an 8 year old son who falls under the autism spectrum, he is high functioning and to most seems "normal" but he has been diagnosed as autistic. That being said it has been such a blessing to have that diagnosis because with out it he would not get the help that he needs. It just helps to understand why they are a little different. Find a neurologist and have her tested. Good Luck and God Bless.
Yes it sounds like she is definitely exhibiting symptoms that were on our autism spectrum checklist that our pediatrician uses for first intervention. Call your ped and ask them to make an appointment for an evaluation soon. Certainly it doesn't mean that she has autism or is even on the spectrum could be something else entirely. But you being concerned is enough of a sign that she might need some clinical intervention to keep her development on the right path. Good luck.
J., it sounds to me like she is just being a sweet albeit sometimes feisty 2 year old. My son also did not speak a word until he was two, walked on his toes, flapped his arms in excitement, pushed you outta the way to watch a TV show, so I flipped out around his 18 month checkup because he "should have" been meeting all these milestones the docs go by the books on. Everyone said he was just a normal kid and that I was overreacting. Took him into an Early Intervention eval and once again, based on the checklist (and them needing to meet a certain quota for government funding) they said he had "warning signs" of having developmental delays. I decided AGAINST a further eval, put my faith in God and he is now almost 4 and totally on track now. He is chatting up a storm (started on his 2nd birthday, go figure) he cannot get enough face time with people and other kids and occasionally flaps his arms when super excited. Heck, I occasionally flap my arms when I am excited! ;) If it makes you feel better, take him into the doc or even an early intervention screening, as I may be wrong, but this all sounds exactly like what my kiddo went thru. I just needed to understand and accept that all kids, like adults, are different and don't always meet "milestones" at the same time. Is she progressing with her development? Mine was and that's what I needed to focus on. Please try and rest easy. I know how stressful our own expectations can make things. Good luck and God bless!
Autism has a wide spectrum, so don't get yourself freaked out; on the milder end is Asperger's (again, though, this ranges from very mild to intense). Take her for an evaluation. If it turns out to be something of concern, therapy can possibly help diminish what you're seeing, & keep symptoms from becoming more severe. Good luck to you & your family! :)
I recommend calling Early Steps and having her evaluated. My son was evaluated when he was 18 months. We started speech therapy and services with CARD (Center for Autism and Related Diseases). At this young of an age, they usually wont actually diagnose autism. You'll be told that she has red flags and they will work with her on those issues. You may want to start sign language with her. We did that with my son. He liked the Signing Times dvd's. You can check them out from the library. It's a good way for both of you to learn the signs. My son is almost 3 now and we are being told that he does not have autism. Early Intervention does help!
I work with children on the spectrum which includes Sensory Processing Disorder, Sensory Modulation Disorder and Autism. Many times the child is diagnosed wrong with autism when it is actually SPD/SMD. SMD looks almost like Autism but it responds to sensory integration, auditory integration and reflex integration. Get a SIPT certified OT to give a complete evaluation before you go to any doctors. They can't help you. Insurance does not usually pay for these therapies either so getting a diagnosis of autism is pretty much for people who want to use state run Early Steps which is ridiculous. See if anyone in your area does Masgutova Method, Listening Programs like ILS or others. You definately want a great speech/language pathologist and audiologist. Check for food allergies and gut problems. A great book is Healing The NEw CHildhood Epidemics by Dr. Bock. Also anything by Sally Goddard Blythe or Lucy Jane Miller.
The reason for the chanting is because the child tries to block out the "noise" they hear in their own ears. A few of the kids I work with used to do this when they first started and they don't do it anymore because they can produce language now. The listening program dampened down on all that extraneous noise. Feeling their own bodies and sowing their bodies the correct motor patterns changes the kids quickly. All children learn through their bodies 1st.
