Autism-World

Q: I have a 2 and a 1/2 year old son here are the symptoms oesn’t like hugs, kisses, or any kind of affection,Won’t play with his toys, he just lines them up and counts them over and over again, Calls things by there colour iinstead of there name, for no apparent reason stands and flaps his hands, doesn’t like it when anyone comes into the house, doesn’t like it when anyone looks at him, hates having his nappy changed, hates the thought of a potty, doesn’t stop counting from waking to sleeping – he even wakes in the night counting sometimes, if i praise him he goes mad, starts crying and shouting no mummy!,he gets very violent towards people for nothing, he screws his face up when he talks to people and talks purposely in a deep growling voice.

Answer:

While many of these behaviors are typical for a child his age, some that you have mentioned may be related to a type of autism called Asperger syndrome. I had a student (from the age of 3 to 6) who was diagnosed with AS when he was 4. He did not like affection, could not make eye contact, had extreme difficulties with changes, had violent tendencies when things did not work as he expected, was not interested in playing with others, he did not like to be looked at, he counted everything, and was reading by two. His behaviors were also very repetitive. Daily, he would come in class, sound off the months of the year, count the days on the calendar, tell me a story (same one every day), go outside and swing, come inside and do the same activity in the same place. If another child tried to watch what he was doing he would scream. Any changes in his routine would set him off. Asperger syndrome is also called “High functioning autism.” With practice, those with AS can be “trained” to behave in “normal” ways. This child’s mother practiced with him showing affection, playing with toys, and speaking with others. It took a long time, but in the classroom we practiced with him dealing with change, making friends, and what to say to other children when they looked at him doing an activity. Instead of screaming he would say “Please don’t watch me work” (very loudly at first but after a few weeks he did so in a normal voice). He ended up being a great asset to our classroom.

He is a bit young to really tell if he is autistic. Usually children are not diagnosed until they are older. I’m not sure if a pediatrician would be able to diagnose him. I would ask his pediatrician to refer you to a behavior therapist or psychologist. I don’t know if this helps but just wanted to share. Best of luck!

Technorati : autism

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 6th, 2007 at 9:42 pm and is filed under Ask and answer.