Autism-World

Q: My son is almost 3 years old and he has SOME of the symptoms of autism… he is “teriffied” of children his age, but he has never really been around any kids either. He is VERY shy i mean to the point that usually if someone talks to him that he doesn’t know he will cry and want to go home. Other times it just takes him a little bit to “people watch” then he is fine… he is also obessed with fans… not watching or staring at them, just fans in general. If we go into a store he has to point them out and always has to tell me “fans on” or “fans off” 500 times a day!

He speaks normally for his age. he makes eye contact and all that stuff i’ve read but its just that some things don’t add up… like the problems with socializing, the fans, teriffied of doctors or any offices that he thinks is a doctor. (He was very sick and in the hospital 2 years ago) other than that, he seems very intelligent, loving, caring and loves to play (just not with kids) no he has not had any bad experiences.

Answer:

I think it’s worth bringing up to his doctor. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy question to answer because autism is a broad spectrum disorder, meaning, that cases vary from mild to severe. More than likely, your doctor will (or should) refer him to a child behavoir specialist.

Even if it turns out NOT to be autism the behavior specialist can more specifically address your concerns than a regular primary care pediatrician. You can find out exactly what is going on. But please DON’T WAIT!!! My son had similar symptoms and he does have PDD (a very mild form of autism).

He was obsessed with fans and phones. I had him evaluated at 2 1/2 and he has been in therapy since. Early intervention is KEY and has done WONDERS for my son. No one besides his therapist can even tell there are any issues and he is functioning on grade level! So please, go with your gut! If you think there is just something a little “off” then have him seen. All educators stress the “early intervention” idea! Hope this helps…good luck!

Technorati : autism

This entry was posted on Friday, September 14th, 2007 at 7:41 pm and is filed under Ask and answer, Parent Resources.