Scheduled my 15 month old for an evaluation
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Anonymous
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DS was born late preterm (36 weeks) and small in size. he also had a traumatic birth and got an Apgar 2, but he seemed to have recovered well, and developed as expected in the first year (rolled, crawled on time, etc.)
At the 15 month appt, the pediatrician expressed concerned about a few milestones. He said his gut was that DS was just a late bloomer, and gave me a choice of having an evaluation now or waiting until 18 months. I chose to have one done. Got home and started researching on signs of SN and ASD in toddlers, and couldn't sleep last night. DH thinks I'm worried for no reason, but here's the checklist Concerns: Score 11 on M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers I found online) Oral issues: still drooling unrelated to teething'; eating problems - took a while to eat solids well and it's still a struggle at times Not talking/ calling names; although he can say mama, daddy, it's never to call our attention. Repeats a couple of made up words a lot. He says no other words although he can pronounce all vowels and every consonant except 'l' and 'r'. Not responding to name (he really seems to be purposefully ignoring me, because when I would grab his hand to get his attention he'd start laughing sheepishly, as if to say "I could hear you all along, but didn't want to respond) Not walking (although he's been cruising for months), clapping, waving, pointing, or following when I point Doesn't shake head Y/N He likes to watch things spinning Daydreams/ stares off into empty space for 10-20 seconds at a time Likes/ doesn't mind being by himself for 1 hr at a time as long as there are toys around - I thought it was an independence trait Does not bring objects to me Stopped saying mama when I ask him, doesn't high-5 anymore, stopped pointing to body parts (e.g. nose and ear) when prompted - I thought he was being stubborn, he doesn't seem to like when I "make him" do or say things. BUT Not sensitive to sounds Very focused on the toy/ activity that engages him Makes noises to get my attention Takes my hand to make me push button on his interactive toys Likes new things, new toys, new experiences; not a stickler for routines Likes watching other children, playing with others Very social: interacts, laughs and smiles easily, makes eye contact, was making constant eye contact with me when nursing. Not shy at all. Always coo'd and babbled back as a baby. Normal sensitivity to pain Enjoys/ doesn't mind cuddling Did not cry as an infant, easily soothed No repetitive self-stimulatory behavior like rocking, flapping hands Great sleeper from early age, without sleep training Mild separation anxiety - he's completely fine with strangers, but doesn't want to be left off with them. I don't know how I'll get through the holidays - the appointment isn't until early January. Any thoughts, words of wisdom? Am I right to worry? What else can I do for my little boy? Thank you in advance. |
Anonymous
| I would be concerned and proactive. It may just be a very mild autism or a speech or other delay. |
Anonymous
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Any time a parent is concerned like this an evaluation is a good idea. My suggestion is to walk away from the google. It really sounds like you are making yourself crazy, researching various scenarios, finding reasons why everything will be fine. Early January is soon. Until then, try to give yourself a vacation from all of this. Ruminating won't accomplish anything.
Its really hard for anyone to make a guess, especially with the difficulties of his birth. You are doing the right thing. Tell yourself that between now and the appointment there is nothing else to do. |
Anonymous
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Try not to worry. It's great that you're being proactive, and there's nothing you can do until you see how the evaluation goes in a couple weeks. If there is an issue, it doesn't sound like it's severe, and early intervention can make a huge difference.
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Anonymous
+1000 |
Anonymous
Couldn't agree more. |
Anonymous
| I just posted on GP. Nothing here suggests autism and developmental delays alone don't prompt an autism diagnosis. They lean more toward motoric problems (CP, gross motor issues). But nothing here screams that either. Yes, call Early Intervention. But do get off Google, please. |
Anonymous
WALK AWAY FROM DR. GOOGLE!  Nothing you've written screams out as an issue and I see a lot of positives. It's good to follow up on concerns but as you've seen, you can pretty much find information that confirms/denies your fears. I know how very hard it is but the best thing you can do right now is just take a deep breath and enjoy your baby. He sounds lovely.
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Anonymous
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Thank you so much for the replies!
I know, I know you're right about Google. There's not much I can do but wait for the evaluation at this point. I just allowed myself a day to freak out, before we go away for Christmas.  You are right about information that both confirms and denies my concern, as evidenced by the checklists.
To clarify, the dr's biggest concerns were: no real words, and him not pointing and not following when we point. Something about inability to relate to others' experiences and vice versa - not including others to share his own experience. CP was never mentioned as a possibility. The dr. actually did not mention any possible diagnosis, other than to say his gut feeling is that DS is not on the spectrum, because of his social skills. DS is probably the most social toddler I know. The kid will stare at strangers in the store until they make eye contact, and then his face opens in the biggest smile and giggles. That makes strangers come to him to say hi, and he seems to enjoy the attention and interaction. We'll see how the evaluation and the next few weeks go. We'll be around family, so maybe that will stimulate him more for talking, interaction, etc. Thanks again! |
Anonymous
| My completely normal child had fewer words and was barely walking at 15 months. Keep an eye on things but don't worry. The mchat is for 18 months and up - a LOT happens in 3 months!! |
Anonymous
| Oh and for pointing - try reading those Usborne "that's not my ..." books. Pretty sure my son learned to point from those. |
Anonymous
| I'm the poster who said CP and I'm not suggesting this is CP!!! I'm just saying that everyone is so spectrum-oriented -- developmental delays are much more related to motoric dysfunction, that's all. I agree it's good to relax. |
Anonymous
| All kids are different but there a lot of similarities here with one of my sons. Born at 36 weeks, but IUGR, really tiny. No real red flags developmentally except for late speech. Clumsy, loads of drooling, some difficulty with food (like easy gagging)--but all seemed like things he would grow out of. Also incredibly social and smily. I had him evaluated at 19 months for speech and he didn't qualify for services--he was just at the very bottom of what is considered typical. I had him evaluated privately at 24 months and started speech therapy, which was incredibly helpful very quickly. The two issues she identified right away were weak fine motor muscles (especially the oral motor muscles) and some motor planning challenges. We started OT for both of these but there are plenty of easy things you can do for the oral motor muscles, including things like drinking from a straw, blowing bubbles (or tying to), putting on chapstick and kissing a mirror... this kind of thing cannot hurt and it could help so it is an easy way to start. Within a year he had a huge vocabulary and had graduated speech therapy. My son is seven now and, while it is obvious to me that lots of things (riding a bike, swimming, writing) don't come as naturally to him as to others, he can learn anything with extra practice. |
Anonymous
| I also had a 36 week "barely term" baby. For the first 2 years, I used his due date when calculating where he should be on charts. So your son, developmentally, is really only 14 months old. Don't worry too much! |
Anonymous
You're right, I don't know how I missed that! Thank you! |