If I am understanding things correctly autism is generally not diagnosed until after two. For those of you that have children with this diagnosis did you have a sense of it before? Were there things going on from early on that seemed to point in that direction?

I am not looking for "issues" though I have observed a few things that cause me to raise my eyebrow. Wil has just turned one though so I suspect any dr. would tell me it is too early to be concerned. Just curious. Thanks.

You're asking me to think about to events from the last century!

I think when Mikey was around 2 we started to be pretty sure that Mikey was not like other children with Ds.

Well.. I think it started becoming aparent that Russell was not like other kids w/DS around 2 yrs old.. but I couldn't put my finger on it. And it wasn't like.. ALL the time I knew it kinda thing... I had just started coming online to the DS groups.. and just kept thinking "how come my son doesn't do THAT".. kinda thing. But it didn't really hit us truly until he was 4. Until then.. I chocked it up to the DS and just figured he'd "get there". We figured it was just his lack of vision (he was legally blind until 4 1/2) and maybe he was on the lower end of some DS chart somewhere.

Although there are "signs" probably around age 2... I would be careful at a "quick to judge" kinda thing.... if that makes sense.

And... like I always say.. regardless of extra labels and DX's.... children w/JUST DS... can have some "traits" that can get in the way of learning.. and should be redirected whenever possible. You don't need another DX to do that.

A.

with hannah when she was 2 I noticed things such as

little or no eye contact
very poor communication ie no speech/words and no babbling
not walking
very little responses when I used to try and get her to point to things in a book
obsessive play with doors and dolls
flapping of hair

these were a few things I saw and raised the issue of dual diagnosis with her home school teacher

at that stage they felt it was too young to diagnose ( and still do ) and have advised me to wait until she is 4 years old as there is a more definite split between DS and autism

I do know that in my heart of hearts tho' that Hannah has got some form of autism

I guess I know my own child

At first I was very low about it and my heart was sad that she would get another diagnosis.

Now I am better with it as I know that I love Hannah for who she is, not her label ( hope that makes sense )

Kameron is now 4 1/2 and was diagnosed around 2 1/2... BUT I started noticing things around 18 months or so...
He wasn't talking, not even mama.

He was obsessed with anything in the shape of a circle.
(He had a set of pool rings and a set of stacking cups... I think the cups came first) and they went EVERYWHERE with him. Seriously, those cups are in every picture I have of him in about a 6 month period!

He would have meltdowns constantly (especially if he lost a ring or a cup, he had to have them all, and he knew!) And these were not temper tantrums. It was like he lost control of himself and wouldn't even see me. I learned quickly that there was nothing I could do and he had to ride it out.

He obsessively lined things up... cars for example... one exactly in the middle of every square tile in my kitchen, all faced exactly the same direction. If we switched two around or moved one facing a different way, he wouldn't get upset, but he'd walk out, study them and move them back to the way he had them in the first place. He also organized my pantry by brand, size and content. I miss that! LOL I never had to look for veggies!

He didn't play with other kids, except for Kassidy. He would play along side them but would not interact. It got to the point where he would shut himself in his room so he didn't even have to interact with us. We finally started locking him OUT of his room so he had to!

Severe sensory integration disorder - no one could touch his mouth, ears or feet or he would FREAK. Getting a pair of socks on him was drama enough but ohhhh for a kid with constant ear infections, the doctor struck absolute terror in him. I didn't even bother with the dentist till last year.


So all that to say, I KNEW something was not right with Kameron. I told his doctors over and over and over and they said "oh he's a boy and a second child, he'll grow out of it." GRRR So when we moved from California to Tennessee, Kameron was almost 2 1/2 and I was 7 months pregnant with Kennedy. I was determined to find out what was going on with my son! I went to my new hospital here for my first OB appt and I walked onto the elevator and there was a huge sign that said "Are you concerned about your toddler's development? Call us!" I was like YES!!!! LOL So I called, he was tested, sent to a developmental ped who diagnosed him with PDD-NOS. Frank and I were actually GLAD because this meant he would get help!

So within a few weeks time he got started in speech and behavioral therapy and all of the sudden something just "clicked". He really started to make progress. Now, like I said, he is 4 1/2. His vocabulary is way beyond his peers, he can read! He no longer lines things up... any more than a typical 4 year old at least. He's not obsessed with circles (but he is obsessed with these little miniature zoo animals lol). His sensory issues he has learned to control... but this is ongoing... he won't touch a rice krispie treat to save his life, but he loves them! LOL I will hold it and he'll eat it. He will touch play-doh now which before he wouldn't dream of doing! He doesn't freak about his ears hardly at all anymore, and he insists on putting his own socks and shoes on . His mouth... well, 6 months ago when we went to the dentist it took 4 people to hold him down just so the dentist could count his teeth! LOL Last week when he went he laid there on his own and let them polish the front ones but couldn't stand the vibrating part in the back. The Dentist didn't get bit... this is a good thing! LOL

Right now he's in a developmental preschool... the same one Kennedy will go to when she turns 3... but next year, on his teacher's recommendation he will go to a typical pre-k. He's SO excited! (Though he'd rather go straight to Kindergarten lol.)

Anyway, that's Kam's story. Thanks if you read this far!