17 month old rubs pacifiers across his eyes and face to fall asleep in his crib or when he wakes up. Sometimes he moves it in front of his eyes. I am so freaked out that it is autism be causes I heard that morning things in front of their eyes is a sign of autism. He only does it with his pacifier in his crib. It is not fast or anything it is more like rubbing it on his eyes and face. He is not staring at it or anything. Any advice!! Sorry nervous first time mom and autism seems to be everywhere especially with boys. Thanks:)
Thank you so much for all of your advice!! It helped so much!! Being a first time mom is so scary sometimes. It is so great to have a place like this to go. Thanks again!!!
Hi, T.:
Maybe he likes to feel the sensation.
Do you do any infant massages?
Just a thought.
D.
He probably just likes the way it feels ... I wouldn't worry yet (unless you see other true signs of autism and then get him evaluated as he gets older). My sister (29 years ago) had 2 pacis -- one that she sucked on and one that she bit some of the end off of and used to use it to flick the end of her nose while she fell asleep -- we called it her nose flicker. There was just something about the feeling that she liked. She is perfectly normal, well educated, and married now.
Just a way that he has found to self sooth himself. Little guy has skills! lol
C.
Okay- TAKE A TRULY DEEP BREATH!!! STOP!!! PANICKING!!!
This is your son's way of self-soothing - EVERY CHILD is different - he might like the feel of the plastic across his face - so instead of jumping to autism - just take a deep breath and think HOW GREAT MY SON CAN SELF-SOOTH!!!
Oh - that is totally normal!!! Oh you just brought back memories. :) My 1st baby did that until he was over 2 years old - he did it with his pacifier, his bottle, sippy cup, corner of his blanket, whatever. Don't worry, it's normal and it's just comforting to him. One day he'll outgrow it and it will be a distant memory. :( My 1st baby is now 4 1/2, smart as a whip, already reading! You have NOTHING to worry about.
Ok. First, take a deep breath. Second, think this through. Does he have any other signs of autism? Or does he communicate well? Make eye contact?
Kids with autism do all sorts of things, so lots of regular behaviors *can* be associated with autism. Walking on tip-toe, flapping hands, chanting in a sing song voice... all regular toddler behaviors... that are also done by kids with autism. They're not the reasons kids are diagnosed, though. They're like add-ons. And really, moving things in front of eyes is so far down on the list of potential autistic behaviors that it's practically not even on it.
So if your son is perfectly normal in all other respects, don't stress about what he's doing with his pacifier. It probably just feels good, and he's learning how to interact with his environment... which means he wants to explore things that feel good or calm himself down.
My daughter is on the spectrum and the first signs were her inability to play, she would obsessively line up toys, and her lack of reciprocal interaction, eye contact, etc. She still is not much of a hugger, will if asked, and she now makes eye contact but play still eludes her. I didn't see anything like what you describe. I have a brother who is profoundly autistic and in addition to what my daughter did he also had tantrums mostly because of his lack of ability to communicate. Is he showing any signs of autism? Things like not making eye contact, not attempting to communicate, not playing with toys? If he is showing other signs, you could take him to the Dr. If not, try not to worry about these things. Time will tell. And even having a child on the spectrum is not terrible. My brother and my daughter are so different. He will never be able to live independently and my daughter wants to be a vet, and i think she would be great at it if that is what she ends up wanting to pursue. And she was diagnosed with Autism at age 3. My brother was also diagnosed at age 3, but his symptoms were very obvious and much worse. Blessings!
I think he may just like doing it. sometimes kids do strange things!(you haven't seen nothing yet) don't automatically think "something is wrong". heck i know adults that do strange things . lol he will alright he;s just soothing himself, like someone else mentioned.
I agree with the other moms - take a breath. He is self soothing. If you think about it - I bet that does feel good! :-)
I think he's just soothing himself. My daughter rubs her arm and my son rubbed his ears. I wouldn't worry too much if it were me!
HI T.,
It sounds like this is soothing him for his nap. He knows that it relaxes him and that's why he does it. That's just my hunch, but I think it is just " first time mom jitters." Babies have different ways to self soothe themselves and it sounds like your son has found his own method.
When my son was a baby he would put his hand out in front of his face and wave it while staring at it. This fascinated him and kept him calm while he stayed in his bouncy seat. His twin sister would sit in her bouncy seat and suck on her toe! They would stop this from time to time only to start babbling sounds and then would go back to the hand staring and the toe sucking. I would just keep trying to get the kitchen cleaned while they sat happily for a bit in their bouncy seats.
Fast forward 9 years......... my twins get straight A's and get pulled out for enrichment math and language arts. So they are doing just fine despite their baby behaviors.
I hope this helps relieve your worries.
-J.
My son (who is now 14 and is in the gifted class @ his school) slept on the floor for nearly a year b/c he would rub his pacifiers (he had 3 - 1 for each hand and 1 for his mouth) across the carpet and then stroke his cheeks with him. They picked up carpet fibers and he just liked the way it felt. It soothed him. Weird? Yes. But not anything worth worrying about. I wouldn't worry about your son's behavior either.
We all have our ideosyncracies...some start young. :)
I'm another mom of a child with autism and I've never heard of this being a sign. My oldest used to stroke my hair (and then his own) to sooth. My youngest rubs my arm. My daughter NEEDED her favorite stuffed animal. They all find something that calms them, sometimes it's just unique!
My daughter has Autism and has never exhibited those behaviors you are describing. In fact, I have never heard of that being a sign of Autism. I don't think it is a sign of Autism, just a way for your baby to comfort themselves. If your child has lack of eye contact, prefers to play alone or next to other children instead of with them, flaps his hands, has no babbling language or obsessively lines things up, then you may have a case of Autism. If I were you, and there are no other apparent signs of Autism, I would not worry about it. Be happy that your baby soothes himself instead of needing you do do it for him all the time.
i think you need to stop worrying...you will end up stressing yourself out! You posted about him looking at the fan too, right? Just stop worrying, relax and enjoy your baby :) and I mean all of this in the nicest way possible!! :) :) Quit reading everything about autism and just read your baby a story instead.
My oldest brother (now 55) used to pull his stuffed kitty's tail through his thumb--firmly in his mouth--and under his nose. In no way was it a sign of autism. He's self-soothing. No biggie.
