could it be autism or a delay

[Trillian]

Firstly, a lot of what you describe can be put down to normal toddler behaviour - the speech, the tantrums etc. My 3rd child didn't even have that many words at that age and if you ask mums of other children the same age as your son, you will find that there will be kids on par with him, kids that are speaking sentences and then there will be kids that have even less words. So it is a department that can vary a lot from one child to another.

Here is a list of Signs/Symptoms from the WebMD website;

• • Extreme difficulty in learning language.
  • Inappropriate response to people. A child with autism may avoid eye contact, resist being picked up or cuddled, and seem to tune out the world.
  • Inability or reduced ability to play cooperatively with other children or to make friends.
  • Inability to understand other people's feelings.
  • Need for a rigid, highly structured routine -- and being very distressed by changes in routines.
  • Extreme hyperactivity or unusual passivity, and extreme resistance to change.
  • Repetitive body movements including pacing, hand flicking, twisting, spinning, rocking or hitting oneself.
  • Insensitivity to pain or lack of response to cold or heat.
  • Impulsive behavior and no real fear of dangers.
  • An unusual attachment to inanimate objects such as toys, strings or spinning objects.
  • Frequent crying and tantrums for no apparent reason.
  • Peculiar speech patterns. An autistic child may use words without understanding their meanings.
  • Abnormal responses to sensations such as light, sound and touch. At times an autistic child may appear deaf. At other times the child may be extremely distressed by everyday noises.
  • Some of these symptoms occur in children with other disabilities. Symptoms can change as the child grows older.

  
  Call Your Doctor If:
  
  

  • Your infant or child resists cuddling and doesn't respond to his or her environment or to other people.
  • By about the age of 1 year, your child is not pointing to objects, bringing items to you or engaging in simple interactions such as "peek-a-boo."
  • By the age of 18 months your child is not using any words or attempting to communicate.
  • Your child bangs his or her head or demonstrates self-injurious behavior or aggression on a regular basis.
  • Your child demonstrates unusually repetitive behavior, such as repeatedly opening and closing doors or turning a toy car upside down and repeatedly spinning its wheels.

Another one I would add to that list is a lack of empathy for others. Our friends 7yo DS has Autism and he just can't respond to the way others are feeling in an appropriate manner. If he sees someone fall and hurt themselves etc, he is in hysterics laughing at them.

But, even if you think your little boy is showing some of those tendencies I've listed, it doens't mean that he has Autism, but you shouldn't discount them either. I would do as Dachlostar suggested and see your GP for a referral to a Paed and take it from there. If it proves to be nothing more than behavioural issues, there are several paths you can take to help him be less agressive towards others etc.

[Phteven]

For what it's worth there are many wonderful children and adults who are on the autism spectrum. Some children with aspergers and autism are very high achievers and/or loving and affectionate with those who are close to them. With the right help these children can learn the appropriate skills to socialise with others.

[oscar]

Hi Noni

Answers to your question, thanks for your help-
does he show affection to the people he is close to easily? yes, constantly kissing

in what situation does he push other children? just randomly? ithink just random
Amazes me what he can understand etc. understands a lot


definitely shows affection, and knows many body parts etc..

[*noni*e*]

by the sounds of it oscar i think its just normal toddler behaviour..
sorry its taken me so long to reply i forgot where the thread was ughhh scramble brains!
at that age i dont think the speech should concern you they all develop differently i remember i had a mother of a boy who was trying to book him into speech therapy because he had NO words at all and they said not to bother till he was atleast 2.
have you taken him to the gp yet?

[cate0404]

Hi my name is cate and I am from Canberra, my son (3) was and still is having some of the same problems. I started off at the GP and she gave me a referral to a pedatrician who then sent us to a speach therapist who then sent us to TherapyACT. We have an appointment in 1 week for Corey to be tested for Autism. Corey also goes to a Early Intervention Preschool for special needs children. If you go to your GP and tell them you want a referral then they have to give you one, if you don't get any where with them, then I suggest you hire a speach therapist, they will point you in the right direction. The best peice of advise I can offer you is not to leave it any longer (even though my GP said to wait until he was at least 2.5 years old) because the process takes forever, my son first went to the GP in Feb 2007 and is still having appointments.