"Normal" toddler behavior vs. ASD? | Autism PDD

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As a parent of a child on ASD (Pdd-NOS in my 29 month old), I have never really had much experience with a "normal" (sorry to use that phrase, but you know what I mean) toddler. Frankly, I am unsure as to what is regular ol' 2 year old stuff and what is behavior that is more likely to be associated with ASD. Here a brief run down:

1. He has a really, really hard time NOT going after certain things around my house (standing light- likes to try and knock it over), candles (unlit ;o) even though I am constantly telling him "please don't touch", turning on the tv. He is pretty good about it when i'm around but not when i turn my back.

2. Still isn't talking. He understands me but doesn't do more than grunt, make high pitched noises and occasionally babble at the tv.

3. Has to stop and scan the sky whenever he hears an airplane, whether we are  inside or not. Forget about going anywhere if a plane is flying overhead (we live near an airport, so you can imagine how our day goes, lol!)

4. Just giggles when I try to get him to sign. We watch Signing Time and he loves it but isn't attempting any of the signs on his own yet.

5. Loves anything that spings (tops, wheels, etc.) Now, I know that spinning stuff is a popular one on the spectrum, but don't other "normal" toddlers love spinning stuff too? If not, why is a 'top' toy so darn popular?

6. Insists on a bath nightly, sometimes more than once a day (you can imagine our water bill!). Gets very upset if we don't take one. Is it normal for a toddler to love baths? Hey, let's hope this continues!!! lol

7. Doesn't haev an attachment to any particular toy, blanket or stuffed animal. I thought most toddlers had this?

I don't mean to sound ignorant or dumb, but I'd really love some advice from folks who know toddlers, both on the spectrum and off. Thanks guys!!

 

My son has been seen by various professionals and none feel he is clearly on the spectrum. I always felt they were missing it because he's got obsessions and just started to enjoy spinning things too. He doesn't watch the object that is spinning for more than one minute even and quickly transitions to another toy that is more exciting, but he does enjoy doing it several times a day. He has an attachment to only one stuffed animal. He loves baths and showers too. He's not intrigued with airplanes. My husband's argument for why he's not ASD is exactly as you noted - kids love to spin things otherwise the toy industry wouldn't make toys that spin such as tops, gearation toys, etc....and all kids have obsessions from time to time.

the folks who "interviewd" my son, at 18 months, really felt reluctant to label him on the spectrum. They gave him the pdd-nos diagnosis because he did show delays in speech and emotional relationships. I am going to have him re-diagnosed in a month. I have a hard time accepting this diagnosis as, frankly, how can you give a child a life-long diagnosis after observing him for 3 hours? I think it's totally unfair. Yes, my child has some delays but he seems so perfectly fine to me, oither than not talking. I hate to think of him being labeled like this. Thanks for the reply!! :)

My observations with my kids.  I think at that age they are all into touching things they shouldn't.  I also believe they will continue to try to touch these things because they are testing your boundaries seeing how far they can push you. 

The talking thing I am not so sure about my sister's ds and my second ds didn't say more than a handful of words at their 2 year appointment.  Doc said give it a few more months and if they aren't talking we will do a hearing evaluation.  Well both must have heard him because they both started jabbering away just like any other 2 year old within a few weeks of the appointment.  Now I know this will not happen with every kid but I will say it CAN happen lol.

Both of my kids look for airplanes.  I am 29 when I hear a plane I stop and look.  lol.  I think it is just kind of force of habit or something maybe.  I hate flying and I always look up and think uggghh glad I am not in there lol.

I don't know anything about signing because I haven't had to use this. 

With the spinning thing.  With my oldest ds I noticed he would not at least at that age play with any toys correctly that had spinning parts on them.  Cars he would sit and spin the wheels on, he would flip over his bike, tryke, big wheels, scooters anything that had wheels to spin them.  He would also spin things that wouldn't normally spin by putting it on the linoleum floor and spinning it on the hard slick surface.  He still does this stuff.  Not as often but still a great deal more than my 3 year old ds.

I think all kids like baths.  Mine hate the shower but love bath time.  They don't insist on one nightly unless for some reason our routine changes (i.e. summer when they are outside and getting dirty more).  So if we have to start bathing them nightly it takes only a couple of times before my oldest ds incoorporates this change and makes it "routine" and wants a bath every single night.

Both of the boys did have an attachment.  My oldest ds was horribly attached to a woody doll and had to take him everywhere.  My youngest ds was attached to a boy cabbage patch doll that he had to take everywhere.  They have both since grown out of this.  Those poor dolls though they had horrible existenes.  Woody finally perished in a dragging accident.  DS hooked him to his bicycle by a rope and drug him. lol  Warped little child. 

 

Good Luck!

OUR SON IS 10YRS OLD LOST SPEECH AT ONE AND HAS GOTTEN A ADHD/BP DX SO FAR.WE KNEW HE WAS DIFFERENT AT 4 MONTHS OLD. MY SON HAS ASD ISSUES BUT THE PROFESSIONALS SAYS HE ISN'T ASD. WE HAVE HAD 2 EVALUATIONS BOTH DID THE SAME TESTING PSYCHOLOGIST AND A NEURO PSYCH. TESTS ONLY WAS ACADEMIC,IQ,CHECKLISTS.

This sounds exactly like my son at that age.  He was originally seen at 18 months by a developmental ped and diagnosed with mixed developmental delays and possible PDD-NOS.  At 2 1/2 the same ped diagnosed him PDD-NOS.  He is now in preschool and is talking and much more social.  Most people wouldn't be able to tell he's on the spectrum.  (parents of pdd or autism spectrum kids might pick up on it though)  I felt the same as you when he was 18 months but now that he's older I just figure the benefits he has gotten with early intervention outweigh the downside of the label.   I think it's good that you are having him evaluated again if there is any doubt in your mind.  It never hurts to get  a second opinion. 

You are right about spinning toys.  A lot of kids like them -just not to the same extent.  I have a 2 yr old NT boy and he could care less about things that spin.  My older PDD-NOS son still loves things that spin.  IE -tops, pinwheels, wheels, etc.  He also is fascinated with airplanes, helicopters, cars, and trains. 

Good luck to you,

Laurie

DANIEL LEARNED TO SIGN THE US PLEDGE IN 1 WEEK. OUR KIDS BOTH FEARED WATER UNTIL SWIM LESSONS.
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