Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders.
Autism can begin as soon as the child is born, this is Infantile autism . Autism can also present itself as Childhood disintegrative disorder. This ASD disorder is the scariest type of Autism . Imagine your typical three year old, he will appear to be developing normally. Talking to you, playing with other children,hugging you .Then like a thief in the night you watch your child slip away. The child loses his abilities in areas such as language, play, and bowel control and has impaired social interaction and communication.
Rett syndrome affects one in every 10,000 to 15,000 live female births. usually the girl child is diagnosed with autism first.
Asperger autism would be considered at the higher end of the Autism spectrum. These children seem to have the same symptoms of Autism of autism, but have the ability to communicate. Asperger children usually have speech developed that is well advanced for their age. The aspy children have great specific interests and are generally very knowledgeable about that interest.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder also falls into the Autism Spectrum. Children with PDD vary widely in abilities, intelligence, and behaviors.
My Baby has Autism Tips to Look For
Early on I knew, I knew there was something, just not quite right with my baby Phoenix.
from the beginning there were signs of Autism. Symptoms, Clues.
My son’s birth was not easy at all. Phoenix’s umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck two times.he was in complete distress . I remember asking my husband over and over his he okay I dont hear him crying. I Do Not hear him Crying? and I didnt.. . Then I heard my husband,shhh listen, and the room of busy nurses and doctors fell silent and I heard him. I heard the tiny sound of my son whimper and the nurses whisked him away.
the nurses went and cleaned him up, did the apgar score, swaddled him , and placed my son in his father’s arms. The nurse said,” that baby did not want to do anything”. His Apgar score was a 5 then a 6 moments later. His eyes were wide open, his eyes were as big as black saucers looking up at his father.
at two months he would just gaze at the world.
I remember at his fourth month check up asking his doctor when will he begin to coo. I have two older sons and as babies they cooed, they made noises, they adored my voice and turned their head when I spoke. but, this baby,my third son was silent.
By six months old he just would stare off, focused on a particular toy or object. still no cooing, but we did receive the occasional smile.
at nine months old my son found sesame street. he was amazed with music,colors, number,letters, and mostly learning. He could not take his focus away from Sesame street. I tried other toddler shows and he didnt care for them.
at twelve months old my son was twirling what little hair he had between his fingers and pull out his hair. This was the very first indicator of his sensory disorder. I didnt know what to do. my baby kept pulling his hair out. Then one day my son dug in the couch and discovered fluffy.aka pillow stuffing. he began rubbing the fluffy between his fingers and I saw it gave him great comfort.Once his fluffy would become spent and it losts its sensory appeal. He would dig in the couch again. I found myself stitching up our couch twice a week where Phoenix had stuck his fingers in the couch to pull out fluffy.
When Phoenix turned One we went to his well checkup. I was asked the typical questions.
Is he pointing?
NO
is he saying any words?
NO
is he waving?
YES
the answers to these questions alarmed my doctor. He asked me to schedule an appointment to see in him in four months. and I did
and in those months no real progress. No words. No Mama No Dada no nothing.
Our doctor suggested we schedule a hearing test.
Phoenix’s hearing is fine.
I went back to the doctor and he put me in contact with a local agency. the next thing I knew I had people coming into my home to evaluate my little boy. I was told after weeks of occupational play, to be prepared for an Autism diagnosis.
Nobody ever wants to hear that. I heard it.
At eighteen months was the golden number for us.
Phoenix spoke.
he said dede.
no. not dada
but dede. that’s ok I’ll take IT! I called my husband,Phoenix said Dede first!. we were thrilled and we had so much hope wrapped around that little voice.
Phoenix had turned two and we went for a visit to Grandma. Grandma loves to shop at the toy store for Phoenix. In the toy store was a basket of different color letters and Phoenix made a dive for the basket.
I heard a “W” from Phoenix. shocked i grabbed a different letter, and I heard “E” and another “A”
Phoenix’s grandma was stunned. here we have a our little guy barely saying a word, and then to hear letter after letter.
I thought that Phoenix being able to do this made him typical like the other two year olds. the exact opposite was true.
My son was showing another sign or symptom of autism. exceptional Visual skills and memory.
Phoenix was scheduled for his Autism appointment. We went, he built a tower of blocks with his daddy, while the doctor asked the same old questions.
Is he pointing?
No
Does he say three word phrases?
NO
is he saying mama or dada?
we exclaimed , does DEDE count?
my husband was furious about the doctor’s diagnosis. My husband did not understand Autism and did not want to wrap his head around his son’s diagnosis of autism.
The doctor said Phoenix is a High Functioning Autistic.
my husband stormed off and that was that.
I tried and tried to explain to Phoenix’s father, that having a High Functioning Autistic is a blessing…… it could be worse, way worse. he did not want to hear any of it. We never returned to that Doctor.
Phoenix continued speech therapy and began the Early Childhood Program in the public school system. He has had an IEP since he began school at age three.
Phoenix is now four years old. He is potty trained. happy happy dance.
He can dress himself, sometimes, he puts his shirt on backwards or his shoes are on the wrong feet. If he does dress himself, I dare not try to correct his mistake.
Phoenix’s speech and language skills are growing, but at snails speed. He is just now beginning to use three word phrases.another blessing..
Autism Early Intervention Act Today not Tomorrow
Early Intervention is crucial for Autism . Phoenix had a speech therapist at age two.He clearly had a speech delay. She would come into our home and spend an hour of turn taking and playing with different toys. Phoenix would play with toys the way he wanted to play with them and not the correct way. another symptom of Autism. We were then visited by the Occupational therapist twice a week.
She would play with Phoenix for an Hour,playing with puzzles and books and games. He would be so excited to see his therapist, they would bring in a large bag of new toys to play with every single visit.
Phoenix was having this intense therapy before his was diagnosed with Autism.
I will never forget the day Phoenix’s occupational therapist said to me ” you know he’s probably going to be diagnosed with Autism”
that autism diagnosis came.
Phoenix continued his at home speech therapy and occupational therapy until he turned three years old.
At three years old he came out of the early intervention program into the Early Childhood program through the public school system.
Public school and being in a classroom with eight typical children and seven special needs children.
by this time in the intervention, Phoenix was saying one or two words.
Learning social skills as early as possible is crucial for Autistic children. If Phoenix had his way he would never say another word. but, he must use his words at school.
Early Intervention in speech and occupational therapy has made it possible for Phoenix to use three word phrases. even though, sometimes, he yells those three word phrases at me. he hasnt learned the difference between his inside voice and his outside voice yet. he is getting there.
If you think your child has any of the symptoms of Autism ,please call your doctor or local health department.
Early Autism warning signs or symptoms in infants
Many Different clinical studies have revealed the following warning signs and symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder being present in infants at certain ages:
6 months – absence of smiling
9 months – failing to exchange smiles and/or sounds/cooing with other people
1 year – the inability to babble, point at or reach for different objects, or to wave at others nearby them
1 year, 4 months – a lack of or a total absence of vocabulary development
2 years – inability to create simple phrases (two words)
Any age – any regression of communication, social, and/or speech skills
Autism Symptoms in Children
The following are some of the National Institute of Mental Health’s early warning signs:
In many cases, the child doesn’t respond with a joyful facial expression (i.e., smile)
The child hasn’t spoken a single word by the time they are 16 months old
They appear not to understand how they should play with their toys
They are not babbling, making meaningful and/or noticeable, or pointing by the time they have reached 12 months of age
They do not maintain eye contact for any length of time, if they do make it at all
They haven’t started to combine two words together by the time they reach 2 years of age
They rarely interact with others, sometimes not at all
They rarely respond to their names,
They sometimes focus entirely on a single object or toy
They start losing acquired language and social skills
They will focus less on critical or important issues, yet they will focus on lining up certain objects or toys
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