Parents with ADD children-earliest signs

[Mrs Cheryl]

I am a mother of two, a 11 year old and a 26 month old. My children have two different fathers. My oldest developed normally and is a fantastic kid. My 26 month old is different. He has failed all of his "autism tests" at 12 mos, 18 mos and then at 24 months he barely passed but he failed the communication portion. My sons issues are... No eye contact, does not respond to name, does not follow directions ie. Come here, give me the toy, lets go bye bye. My son has never waved "hi" or "bye". My son talks in one word phrases never combines 2 recognizable words. He normally just takes me by the hand leads me to what he wants instead of telling me. like he pulls me to the fridge and puts my hand on the door for milk, or pulls me to the tv and puts my pointer finger on the power button. He appears to ignore me when I talk to him and he gets ingrossed in a toy and wont even turn his head if i make a loud noise (hearing is fine) he had balance issues until 22 mos, he walked at 14 mos and he was behind on development from the get go. I wonder if he has some level of autism or if he is just ADD. I only hear about ADD in school aged kids, but what I am wondering is... Parents who later had their child diagnoised with ADD did they notice a difference in their child during early stages age 1-3. I am curious if they always felt something was off, or did they have a hard time communicating with them early on? I am so worried about providing the help he needs as early as possible, so I need some answers!!! Please help.

 

[SRL]

Hi, and welcome to our forum.

It sounds to me like there are red flags for Autistic Spectrum Disorders.
http://www.oreilly.com/medical/autism/news/getting_diag.html

By 26 months if he's failed the Autism screening tests he should be referred for early intervention as well as being referred for evaluation. Has your pediatrician set you up for an evaluation yet?

 

[jal]

Hello Mrs. Cheryl,

I'm sorry you had to find us, but am glad that you did. I can only answer from my experience in that my son is now 7 and recently diagnosis'd with-ADHD/ADD combined type. He hit all his milestones on time if not beforehand and was speaking in 11 word sentences before 2 yrs. of age. Before the age of 1 he would wave hi/bye. A lot of what you describe (taking your hand and leading you, no eye contact, no strong verbal communication) plus the fact that he's hasn't passed most of his autism screenings seems to indicate you may already be on the right track.

I knew something was different with-my son by the time he was over two. That is when his issues began to manifest themselves in the form of behavior issues in daycare, but again they were behavior issues, not developmental.

If your state has a birth to 3 program you may want to contact them to have him screened again. If he qualifies, they can help you to access early interventionswhich is extremely important.

Others will be along soon to add their input.

 

[trinityroyal]

Hello Mrs Cheryl.
I agree that a lot of what you're describing sounds very much like your child is on the autism spectrum, especially given that he has shown evidence of that on the screening tests. It's wonderful that you're looking into interventions this early, as they can make a tremendous difference.

My difficult child's early development was similar to what you describe for your child. Late hitting most milestones, trouble with gross and fine motor coordination, poor eye contact, etc.

My Little easy child, also spectrum-ish, has more clearly defined ADHD traits. I had my suspicions within the first few hours after his birth, when I heard a funny rustling sound coming from the cot in the hospital, and then all of a sudden a tiny knit hat came flying over the side. Little easy child was working hard to hold up his head by 1 week, saying single words at 6 months, and running (he never did walk) at 10 months.

I think that as parents, we know fairly quickly that something is "off" with our children. The key is persevering and continuing to follow up with the professionals until we get the answers we need.

I applaud you for taking these steps now, as they will help your child so much.

Trinity

 

[BusynMember]

I have a son on the autism spectrum. that's what it sounds like to me, especially no eye contact and not responding to name. I would get him into early interventions whether or not you can get a diagnosis. Many doctor's shy away from labels at that age. But early interventions are paramount for a good prognosis. You will see improvements right away because autistic kids improve quickly with the right help. I would take him to a neuropsychologist. (((Hugs)))