Autism? When did you know?

A friend of the family has some concerns about her DD. When did you "know" that your DC had autism? Were there early signs? When did you get formal dx? Thank you so much for any info you can giveme.

Message edited 3/30/2011 7:17:13 PM.

Re: Autism? When did you know?

i knew at 6 months old.

DS didnt look when you called him, didnt follow objects, didnt roll, didnt sit, when presented with a toy he just looked at it, if it had wheels he would spin it, i could leave him in one spot for HOURS and he would be perfectly content.

i expressed my concerns to his ped, but being a first time mom, they all said he is slow, give him some time to catch up.

at 12 months i was still concerned and the ped said if by 15 months your still worried to call EI, again, being a first time mom i listened to them.

between 6 months and a year.
he rolled over at 8 months for the first time, spoke about 10 words (clearly, very early on) and then he just stopped. he would spin, flap, bang his head. he was a very late walker (16m 3d) but it is still within in the normal range limits.

at 15 months i called MKS who put me in touch with the county and we had special ed, speech, ot, pt evals set up.

everyone kept telling us we would not get a true diagnosis at such a young age so to wait, by 16 months i set up a supplemental eval. by 18 months he was formally diagnosed, and in my opinion, way too LATE.

i feel if i would of went with my gut, he would have been put on the spectrum before his 1st birthday. but i cant think about what could have been. i focus on the present.

my DD is totally typical, but she started child find at 3 months old, and at 18 months old we got her an evaluation just to be safe. they closed her case at 20 months old.

so in a nut shell, (and this is not directed at anyone) go with your gut, as a first time mom, with no history of autism or being around it, i knew my child was off, your dr. does NOT always know best. speak up and do something, and keep fighting for your childs rights.

i wish i did. again i know i cant change the past, but i wish i knew what i knew now.

Re: Autism? When did you know?

My DS was late with everything (sitting, crawling, walking).

Like above poster said, as a first time mom, I listened to the ped. and waited, even though I had "gut" feelings.

By 15 months I was on the phone with the county.
DS would love to spin things, flap his arms, and just watch things spin.

He was doing good in EI. His therapists didn't think he had autism. I still had that "gut feeling".

He was evaluated for the Pre-K program by a psychologist at about 2.5 years old (maybe a bit older) and he was then diagnosed with PDD-NOS.

Re: Autism? When did you know?

Thank you both very much! Your information was very helpful. As an EI provider myself I understand the importance of early detection and intervention. My friend and I are also first time moms who need to learn how to trust our gut and maternal instinct. Thank you again.