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Hi, question if baby he is 4 months old scratches things with his hand like when he is touching stuff or constantly moves his arms is that a sign you would say? Also he constantly grunts not like in pain just like as a noise i don’t know if im explaining it right 😓
Yeah, hard to say from that description. If you have concerns, the best thing to do is to ask your pediatrician, getting a second opinion as well can be important. Often times doctors won’t diagnose this early, but it is good to be aware of signs.
My only son also named Simon, was diagnosed autistic at the age of 4. A lot of what you mentioned Simon did the same as a baby. He is now 29 and has a full time job and even wrote and published a fantasy novel. So proud of my boy and how far he has come.
@@7Aheadfamily I went through a grieving process of what could have been. Changed my perspective to “He will be what he can be”. He never ceases to amaze me! 💕
I love this! I think it's so very important for those of us with grown autistic children to let parents of the younger ones know that there is hope for a wonderful life for them. My son is 28 and has Asperger's. He is SO intelligent. He has friends and has a degree in computer science. He can crack open his game systems and solder new, more advanced components into them. He is a serious gourmet cook! One of his teachers in elementary school told me once, and it has shown itself to be true, that kids with Asperger's have a very difficult time being children, but they make AWESOME adults!!! She was so very right!!!
My 24 yo grandson had a lot of these features, he always seemed lost in his own world, he would entertain himself for hours focused on toy cars but did not actually play with them in typical ways but instead memorized the make and models and spun the wheels like you mentioned… he taught himself to read by studying new car adverts in the newspaper, he was also fascinated with maps, google earth and begged to be taken on random trips in the car, memorized all the routes and road signs, he could already read in preschool and in grade school his IQ was tested at genius level and he was put in advanced classes but because had no real interest in the subjects, being taught got average grades, except for music, geography and languages…played clarinet in band but taught himself drums, piano and guitar, was In Spanish club also all through hs … Went away for college graduated with a degree in linguistics, lives on his own, and is going to China to teach English this fall… some levels of autism are really an advanced degree of fierce concentration for self learning
Sounds like my son who will be 18 in July. As a young child Obsessed with anything cars and the Titanic, grades never reflected his aptitude and even though he required special ed reaurce with writing (cause he struggled to sit down and actually write lol) he tested gifted and had the 2nd highest testing scores of his high school in 10th grade. I'm so so proud of my son but a long with his amazingly bright mind he was horribly bullied and it took a toll on him emotionally and mentally. It still breaks my heart to think back on those years. He is so kind and gentle and generous and sweet. I wouldn't change a thing about him. He is high functioning autistic/ Asperger's, he got it from me, his mama. I didn't learn about myself being autistic until my 30s, I'm glad I found out about him around age 5. He has taught me so much about myself. He goes on to college next year and I pray the bullying will be a thing of the past and he can focus on his interests and reality excell. I know he's gonna be successful in life I can feel it and he deserves it and so does your grandson :)
I have two boys with high funtioning autism. They're both completly different. My eldest doesn't give eye contact, never liked being in his papoose, he used to lean away when being held, had an obsession with cars, made screeching noises to cover noises he didnt like, didn't answer to his name (when young. Hes now 17), difficulties getting off to sleep and would run off regularly. My youngest was very cuddly and still is (he's 13), gives some eye contact, used to spin his toys, never played make believe games, hates sharp noises, bright lights etc... has had difficulty with food since birth and has been diagnosed with ARFID, has difficulty following three step instructions eg.. pop upstairs and bring your cup down from your room. I love them both with all my heart. I love your openness and your transparency with what to look out for. Thank you. From the UK 🇬🇧
My 5yo has autism, looking back he would cry as a baby when people sang happy birthday, pull on his ears and didn’t sleep well. Today he’s doing wonderful taught himself to read by 3 and is learning above his grade level 🩵 he was born on my birthday and the best gift I’ve ever received.
1，Not responding to voices. 2, No or limited social smile 3, Fixed on an odd angle for a long time 4, Not trying to get your attention 5, Not responding to stimulus 6, don’t like being held 7, Don’t cry 8, eye contact 9, Lack of interaction with other baby 10, Sharing the moment 11, Repetitive hand movements 12, Don’t babble
My cousin is 30, autistic. He was always fascinated by maps, languages, and computers. At age 10 he still had problems with pronouncing my name but did things with his computer that we didn't even understand. Now he is finishing his PHD and starting his own business with a geography program he designed. We are SO proud of him, fantastic guy😊
This is a GREAT video! I have an autistic daughter who is level 1. She's 21 now and was our first child so we didn't know what we were seeing. I remember so many of these signs. She didn't respond to our voice, didn't recognize we could meet her needs, didn't socially smile, did NOT like to be held, stared at ceiling fans....so many things! I just came across your channel and love what you're doing here!
There are other extremes to two of your signs. One is if instead of not wanting to be held, they prefer to be swaddled really tightly and held very tightly. They are sensory seeking instead of sensory avoiding. They may feel overwhelming in their seeking of this sensory input. Also, instead of being socially avoidant (or at least neurotypically socially avoidant) they can be hypersocial instead. Being overly friendly and extra social can often make an autism diagnosis take more time. Remember, if you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism. Thanks so much for your video!
My 6 yo is extremely social. He’ll yell “hello” at the guy jogging down the street and if the guy doesn’t respond he has to chase him down to say hello. He does this everywhere we go.
I have a 40 year old autistic son. He is a treasure. He is completely independently at this point in time. Self employeed and doing a job he loves. He was already showing problems in the 4 days we were in the hospital. saw other signs along the way. I believe on top of many mental health problems his father was autistic. I remember being at church on day and a woman started talking to my husband and he turned his back on her and left. A home he complained that no one talked to him! Had my son in the grocery store one day and a child he went to kindergarten with came up and started talking to him. He turned his back on him! Back then autistism was rarely diagnosed so although he did go to special school from 18 months, he was officially diagnosed at 19. I only went through that in case he needed help getting a job. As he got older and saw his differences compared to others he worked on some of the problems he had. You didn't mention your kids having food problems, and my son did. I will give a tip that I used with my boy as a young adult. I would watch him watching TV with the laugh track and laughing. We ended up with DVDs of The Office, King of the Hill, and Monk. With just the two of us in the room we would watch the shows and whenever he laughed I would ask him what was funny. At first he never knew. After a year of intensive watching these DVDs he was comprehending the humor, etc. so much better. In King of the Hill there is an episode called Isle 9, where Connie who was left at the Hills while her parents were out of town and Peggy was away from home, Connie had to tell Hank that her period had started. I think they did everything in that show to help answer questions such as Isle 9 with the sanitary products. Who would have though that slowly going over these, my son learned so many things. It was just the two of us in the room as I would never embarrass him in front of others, but he sure learned a lot. It has only been in the last month that I have heard of autism being numbered. My son didn't talk until two weeks before his second birthday when he came over to me and patted me on the cheek and said mama. I cried, He never talked babytalk but immediately started speaking in sentences. He hung around while I was helping his older brother with reading homework. What I didn't realize was he was teaching himself to read. One day while driving in town he pointed to a siign and told me an old lady from our church lived on that road. We had NEVER been to her house. I had no clue where she lived. He had memorized the entire church directory when he was 4!!!
I turn my back on people all the time when talking. Sometimes I start walking away. It’s not something I do consciously and I don’t intend to be rude but I can’t deal with eye contact or even face contact, so I don’t do them. /All I can think about when someone is talking to me is that I’m extremely scared and uncomfortable. My nervous system goes haywire and before I know it I’m recoiling in the other direction. It’s nothing against the person. If they could sit back to back with me or send me a text I’d love to communicate and get to know them, but face-on drains me so much it can take a week or more for me to recover alone. That’s one type of shutdown I have. I’m Level 2.
Our Daughter was also diagnosed at 21 years old. She just turned 22. Gives me hope that one day she will be able to have a job. She is brilliant like her Dad who is more than likely autistic too. They are just alike.
I just watched a story about 2 autistic twins now 53 who can remember what day every date in their lives was...what meals they had those days...all music and when recordings came out I mean unbelievable!
I had 5 children also. Number3 and 4 are on the spectrum. 3 has autism . Both boys. I’m grateful that it wasn’t my first. I wouldn’t have known any better. Both grown now. Asbergers son has a bachelor’s degree. Autistic son has a great job that he loves. I would have never guessed they would be where they are now if you had asked me when they were little. They WILL suprise you.❤️ I taught both of them to drive at night. Too many distractions in the daytime. No problem now. Both great drivers. They are also each other’s best friend. It’s really nice to have siblings. One of the best things for your boys too. They are lucky to have you as a mom. 👍
It's awesome to hear your boys are so close! I am also autistic and I also can't drive during the day for the same reason (easily distracted, but I also tend to slowly fall asleep during highway drives), however I also have really bad eyesight (I have proper glasses for daytime use), the kind that is practically night blind. I can recall seeing a total of 3 animals, at night in my lifetime, despite being in close proximity to many more that others saw. I don't drive so it was never my responsibility to see it. But I would be watching from all directions, but rarely saw any signs of creatures or critters with heartbeats myself.
I'm autistic and 31 years old. This is a great video. So accepting of the autistic traits, which is invaluable for the children!! I have video footage of autistic traits in me as a little one too!
My son is not diagnosed, but people meeting him can tell right away. He is a sweet hyper focused kid that will tell anyone who will listen about math and planets and human anatomy. I knew he was not typical and now he does long division for FUN at 5.
My son is on the spectrum. He has a very high IQ and was way ahead in school academically. But socially he really struggled understanding how to interact with others. He had very poor impulse control, as well as emotional regulation. He’s 41 now and doing really well.
As a late diagnosed (going on 40) autistic woman, this made me sob. I don't have my mom or dad to ask as I lost them 10 and 30 years ago, but this even covers "The Stare" I've been trying to explain to people. "It's like my mind is a thousand little tiny fingers, and wants to take in and understand all what I see as important or fascinating." That's how my mind gets lost. When I'm volunteering at the farm/doing horse therapy (it's an exchange), sometimes I'll just stare at the fields. What people don't seem to get is most of the time I'm actually evaluating little details in the fields to make sure a fence post isn't out of order due to my pattern recognition skills. I've lived with very high masking level 2 autism my whole life, and at one point. I just collapsed. I always have at least low level anxiety, live in the moderate to high anxiety range. It's interpreted by our brains and our bodies as abuse, regardless of the intent, when our needs are constantly unmet as children. When we are not supported, or shown how to support ourselves as adults, like neurotypicals are, we flounder. I think there's a term for it: The lost generations. It's the generation where people who score 98th percentile in the sciences in the United States are facing consequences of the lack of support. These consequences have resulted in the following: Can't stay at properties for more than a year or two because I get priced out. The constant threat of poverty if you fill out your disability form wrong. Liver damage from severe chronic gastritis because of my anxiety levels. I don't even drink. Multiple SAs as a child because I was not protected. Multiple SAs as an adult because I didn't know how to protect myself. Multiple concussions from head banging as a child throughout early adulthood, and currently being evaluated for CTE. And now having NO IDEA who we are because our parents tried to use psychiatric medications and therapy to get the then unknown thing called "Just existing with autism" out of us. Please support your autistic children so we have a chance to be able to cope with the normal hard things, like grief, loss, and trauma. Those are already difficult and can sometimes break just regular people. Imagine coming at it from a different angle, like how your kid would hold up a car to the light at a neat angle. I used to do that with lego trains btw. We already are at a disadvantage because therapy does not usually integrate being autistic as well. Please take this to heart, and please take *her viewpoint to heart*. As activist and model Chloe Hayden says in her book title, we're "Different, Not Less."
@@cplmpcocptcl6306 It infuriates me as well. That's really sweet with the heart and bandaid. My gosh. It infuriates me that it's also just a symptom of a stressful and sick society and there isn't help for struggling mothers. That the United States Government denied my father disability in the 50s because he had a "childhood illness" but was estranged from his family. This is generational. My whole family is struggling right now. I just... was the one who found my dad. That's pretty much it.
I am so sorry you had so much to deal with. I hope life is better now Do you mind my asking abut the wheel spinning and light? I have a feeling the lights catch the attention as the wheel spins and changes the light, was that how it worked for you or not at all.
My 34 year old son was misdiagnosed with AD/HD and ODD when 7, and I never thought those matched him. He was diagnosed with Asperger's and Tourette's at 14 by a psychologist. Asperger's was new and I had previously been told by a dr that he was not autistic because he was affectionate and loving with me. My son pretty much looks like everyone else and people expect him to be normal. I learned to advocate for him and numerous times had to stand up for him with the schools He is my first child, so I pretty much winged it raising him. One of the hardest things was I really didn't have any family support, though I sure was told what I should do when negative things happened to Nic. He was the most sleep deprived child I knew of. I'm so glad I followed his lead raising him and did what was appropriate for his needs. I understood the developmental delay's, and knew he would not be as mature as a typical 21 year old till he was in his 30's. Unfortunately, after they are 18, it is challenging to be able to protect them. I now am his power of attorney for whatever is necessary. He has had some meth issues. He finally found rehabilitation where they teach a 12 step program and got him on the meds he needs to function normally. He is doing great and gets out next Monday. Follow your instincts and always research what the Dr's attempt to diagnose your child with. They are not an expert on your child, and are only guessing. Tell them when they are incorrect, I did it numerous times when they tried to diagnose Nic with all sorts of "behavioral disorders", when it was all neurological. Remember you are the expert on your child. No one else.
The diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome is actually no longer a category in the DSM-5. Instead, this disorder was collapsed into Autism spectrum disorder. Asperger’s syndrome is a milder form of autism that mainly presents with social deficits and cognitive functions intact. Unfortunately, for people with children would formerly diagnosed as pervasive developmental delays (PDD), that too is no longer a diagnostic condition in the DSM-5 and would likely fall in Autism spectrum disorder. It is great that you advocated for your son. Often some family members don’t accept that the child has a condition and argue that the child if fine, when it is not true. The best remedy is early intervention. When they are grown, you can only do your best. I’m sorry that your son has gotten involved with drugs, as. Drugs cause unpredictable behaviors and have horrible long-term effects on one’s ability to function effectively and avoid incarceration. Meth is terrifying because of the distortions it creates in reality and the effects can last 10-12 hours after use. The goal of most meth users js finding their next dose of meth. I pray your son’s addiction can be controlled.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting. We appreciate you sharing your story. You're right; if you have doubts about your diagnosis, we always encourage you to get a second and sometimes 3rd opinion.
Yes! I has a coworker who had aspergers, and you would not know. You would just think she was socially awkward. But she was so kind, It was hard, because i know people took advantage of her. I couldn't be there all the time to help her.
My 5 y.o. daughter shows many signs of Autism. I live in VA peninsula, and it's not easy finding a Healthcare provider that I'm comfortable with in the Hampton roads area.. My husband and I are both late diagnosed, level 1 (Husband bordering level 2) . We are happy and excited to be new subscribers! Thank you for the helpful content!!
Great content, so informative! My oldest son 4 years old, is autistic. His younger 3year old brother is not, but he’s so great at teaching his brother how to engage with him in play time and communication. Thank you for sharing , beautiful family ❤
Interesting. As a Nana with a 10 year grandson with Autism, it has been a learning time for me. I knew what normal child was like, and I saw the signs way before my daughter did. With 3 other grandchildren around I could see the differences. My daughter would get angry if I said anything. So for about 2 years I watched, and waited as the parents went through all the testing. Finally coming to terms with the diagnose of her son. Our grandson is doing amazing. Excellent reader, he takes piano lessons, he loves gymnastics, and has OT every week. So I would say he has it mild Autism.
My cousin refused to see the signs in his kid until she started kindergarten and the school wanted to get her diagnosed. I wish he'd gotten her diagnosed sooner so they could have learned to communicate with her better and gotten her into free preschool. I'm not sure how to bring it up politely and never tried because I knew other family members were talking to him about it, including cousins who are therapists and teachers. If he didn't believe the cousins with relevant experiences, why would be believe me? Plus he is a blockhead and a jerk so I don't talk to him much anyway.
I raised three sons with OCD, ADHD, AND autism, and yes, as babies they were different. Even at 4 months old my eldest would get completely over stimulated. He was also a fussy eater, had some food allergies too. By six months, he stopped taking naps. My eldest loved to laugh and smile when happy-and not over stimulated. By 13-15, he needed head phones and music to break the over stimulation of high school with 700 other people. He also has learning issues, reading disorder. So, he’s adapted to audio books to enjoy his love of reading. One thing my ex and I agreed was that every available blue program, medical need for our children would be addressed. Both of us graduated high school in the 1984-86 years, so the knowledge about these neurological conditions was really in its infancy. Eldest son got more introverted as he got older but has a great sense of humor and is a great parent. Both my grand daughter, grand son have autism. My middle son is a huge introvert, extremely bright, and still can get over stimulated as an adult. He was also the sleeper, eater, cuddle child until he was roughly 8-9. He was a wonderful sleeper whereas big brother was still not sleeping through the night until he was nine months old. Extremely bright, he was learning Russian on his own by 12. He was also the kid with perfect musical pitch, and wanted to learn everything. He was extremely polite at school, but simply wouldn’t do homework, or some days did not work in class at all. This was the kid who came home from home every day, and hid in his blanket, all the way to middle school. This was my huge 9lb baby who at six months was the size of his brother who was 19 months older. These days he wears a 13.5 shoe. Big guy, big bones, but severe auto immune disorder that prevents him from working or attending university successfully. Third son: oh boy, where to start. The pregnancy was extremely treacherous for both of us, and he was born six weeks early, only one artery in his umbilical cord, developed seizures, was able to hear, but neurologically the wiring between hearing and speech was missing. When he was born he didn’t cry,he croaked. He spent a week in NICU being evaluated while I recovered from an after birth near death event. He was also on the “failure to thrive “ growth chart even though he ate and digested far better than his elder brother. At nine months, he was the size of a six month old. At 29, he weighs 130 lbs soaking wet, is 5’7” in height, and has the small bone structure of both great grand fathers,two of my aunts. He’s married to a lovely woman and they have a great relationship, because during his educational process, he was taught all the necessary relationship, working in teams skills that weren’t parent of his parents curriculum. He’s working two jobs, slowly making his way through university, and I’m very proud of him. Things the boys loved: Legos (all those engineering, mechanically inclined men in both families), music, such as all the Disney movie music, construction equipment, gardening, and then as they came intobeing, visual video games with active role play. And yes, it was alll about the vehicles- they were raised among people who worked in the metro Detroit auto industry, went to old car shows, ect. So their memory for make models, reading vehicle manuals straight from the glove box and telling someone all about it. We knew my ex had the same diagnosis as the boys, with other mental health, toxic narcissist thrown in as well, but I had no sign, nothing that would be enough to test me. I come from a family of super musically inclined, super bright people. My mother started kindergarten at 4, graduated high school at 16, graduated university with a degree in teaching at 19. She taught for 42 years, while also having a full on singing career, and volunteered as part of the women’s group in our local congregation. My father, equally gifted was ready to graduate high school at 16, but the school district refused him that honor. So, he went to vocational school twice. He was also a jazz musician, built a house onto a house, farmed,and in his spare time, sang in choral groups, musical theatre. My youngest brother started playing piano at three. He was also extremely mechanical, needing to see something only one time to perform the same task(my middle son was the same way. He started popping off the tops of paint cans at 18 months, graduating to “fixing” the tv and vcr controllers by exchanging the circuit boards. My father rebuilt an entire radio at 7). My eldest and youngest sisters appeared perfectly normal for our time period. No extremely extra anything. Great at school, played musical instruments except my middle sister because she was nearly deaf. Singing and playing music wasnt optional between two parents that were musically gifted. But only my younger brother and I have music degrees and gone onto our Masters. I have two. Me: I didn’t know what the word hyperlexic was until I was 41. All I know was by 9 months old I could say compound words like “cookie”, and by 2, my most often used sentence was “Read me”. I was reading chapter books by four, and whole novels like the “Little House on the Prairie” by second grade, while following the actual show on tv (1970s). Our parents did not have the tv on for all hours of the day. They listened to radio, read books, magazines, news papers and didn’t get cable tv until 1990. We watched mostly educational programs with exception of Disney’s Saturday night at the movies program. We also watched PBS tv, including the Boston Pops and Live at the Met, because my mother sang opera until she was fired for being married, and expecting a child. In 1965, the men could marry, but the women could not. So, she did local musical theatre, choral groups, etc. So. In sixth grade I started taking courses half days at the junior high. I was already reading at college level by fifth grade. My parents refused to advance me as well as other parents (there were five of us), so this was the solution. I started Advanced Placement classes in 8th grade, having enough test scores, certificates of completion to test completely out of the first 1.5 years of university. A C in any class was completely unacceptable, punishable, even though I didn’t understand math, nor taught it very well. If someone had explained it as a language, I would’ve understood, as I was already trilingual. I took logic, advanced logic among other things to substitute for many a higher math course. Those classes were easy to me in comparison. I-started choir school at 4, musical theatre at five,made my stage debut at 6. By 7, I had a schedule as full as most adults I knew, receiving my first calendar to keep bags for events, and due dates straight. Playtime usually only happened at holiday breaks, but with my father’s assistance I played 3-4 sports a year until 8th grade. This also meant I had no friends outside of the ones chosen by my mother. So, usually I was alone on holiday breaks. With a super extrovert mother, extrovert father, I was not allowed to be anything they didn’t want me to be- including an introvert. Things that might’ve helped my frustration level (drawing, reading in a quiet atmosphere in a room separate from parents,not taking big roles on musical theatre, or choir, occasionally not playing a musical instrument to my utmost best) was not allowed. My parents were both born in the 1930s and that generation of parenting comes from the Victorian, Edwardian age, in which children were to be seen, not heard,nor offer an opinion, nor ask questions. It’s extremely strict, and strictly controlling. Manipulation, triangulation, domination are tricks of the parenting trade for this generation, learned at the knee of their Victorian or Edwardian born parents. It was a stifling atmosphere, one filled with all sorts of denial about the reality of many things,including the fact I really needed medical attention, and Ineeded to be tested for Autism, which was brought up to my mother by two teaching friends that thought it would help me do better at university. “How dare you. There is nothing wrong with her.” She literally never spoke to them outside civil greetings again. I learned all this as my mother was placed in care for dementia (which of course all my siblings denied was happening-too late for the drugs that might’ve given her more time). I cannot tell you how angry Iwas for quite a while. But after I left the anger behind, I was able to see all the things I didn’t understand, didn’t like and why that was. I can’t stand mean girls or bullies. My own mother was a bully and chief manipulator, which I wasn’t able to put words to, comprehend until I was in my forties. I wasn’t able to make a female friend until my mid forties, because I instinctively didn’t want to be at the mercy of another female. I’ve always had plenty of male friends and been blessed with their presence on my life. I’m now 58. Married second time to an introvert, which is such a blessing to me. Books about women and girls with autism started appearing 4-5 years ago, and I am most grateful they exist, so my grand daughter doesn’t have to go through what I went through.
Wow, you have been through a lot. Thank you for sharing your story ❤️. I am sure it will benefit a lot of people. We definitely have a lot we can learn from you. Thank you for being here. ❤️
Very intruiging thanks for informing but can you edit with which of your sons has which combo of disorders. I have 3 sons and they all have different issues. I am curious to find out how to help them.
@@Maderlololohio all three have the ADHD, OCD, ASD level 1. The OCD issues are very different in the older two- one is a horizontal stacker of piles of info, whereas the second son is a minimalist. Third son is least affected of the three sons, but had more going on neurologically until he was 13, and that could be why.
Well you have sure gone through it all. My mom could tell that my son was having problems but didn't say anything as you don't tell moms that something was wrong with their kid. I was trying to be a good parent and not comopare my two sons. My oldest has a high IQ, Knew the entire alphabet by 18 months and then when the youngest hit 18 months and wasn't even talking I knew something was wrong. My peditrician got us hooked up with a school for children. All the time from high school through college whenever I saw a book about children with mental health disorders as well as children that were autistic, but not diagnosed. I took those books in and soaked them up. So when my son was born and I realized that he had problems those books came back to me. I always said that I reached him by going throuch the back door. In other words, what worked for most kids never worked with him. The thing I missed most, is never once did he fall asleep in my arms. 😢
You're doing a Great job! I am a Paraprofessional for a Special Needs class in a middle school and your information is spot on with the experience I've had with Autistic children.
My twin grandsons are autistic. Son and his wife didn't want to hear it. They go to a school for autistic children. I pray that they will do well in life.
My daughter had a friend who was autistic. Her mom made sure she took advantage of all the developmental help that was available for her. About a year ago this girl contacted me to tell me she had landed a job in Atlanta for the government. She is doing well. The importance is, accept the diagnosis and then make sure to get them help. My daughter’s friend has done so well. It has NOT been an easy road, but she has done well enough with it.
This is a fascinating video and makes me reflect on my only child as a baby, who is Level 2. He only sometimes has a social smile when greeting or farewelling people - other than that and a preference for his preferred topics of conversation - his outwardly signs of Autism are minimal. His inwardly challenges I feel are more apparent and he hides them well, trying to fit in with peers.
Thanks for this. My first child had autism (he is now 40yrs old). It was not picked up until he was in his 30s when I looked online and thought, "hey!". How I wish I could have known what it was way back when he was a baby.
Respect to you. These kids get so much love and patience...hope all parents of special children can be full with love and understanding. Your doing a good thing by sharing your experiences with other people with the same fate.
Your channel is a blessing. We are having our 22 month old son evaluated next month. I mentioned some of the signs to my pediatrician twice and she brushed me off. We started my son on speech therapy and the therapist recently mentioned if I ever thought that he was autistic, and I was relieved that someone didn’t think I was crazy. My son’s signs reminds me a lot of how you described Simon.
If your pediatrician is NOT taking your concerns seriously, please look into finding a new one. Don’t feel like you need to stay with the same one because that’s who’s been seeing your child since birth. Finding the right doctor and professionals is important in getting the ball rolling on early intervention.
I can think of 2 other signs. The first is joint attention. If your baby is sitting in a high chair and they drop their spoon before they have object permanence they don’t know the object still exists. That is typical. However, most babies will look at mom when she says “Oh oh” and she looks down at the object most babies will look where mom is looking (joint attention) this is how babies get important information about the world. Children with Autism do not know to look where others are looking so they miss important information. The second is point following. When dad says, “There’s a puppy. “. And points does the child look where dad is pointing? Children with Autism often do not follow a point. I love the video you made and I love how you love and accept all of your children for who they are!
This is a pretty offensive comment. A blanket insult sprinkled with feined empathy at the end. Autistic people are in fact known for their attention to detail. Your perception of our experience sounds extremely dismissive and ableist. Just because you don’t know how to communicate with an autistic child doesn’t mean they are missing important information. Perhaps that is a challenge that you are facing instead.
@@Jaytee1765 the comment is about how autistic children often do not look where someone is pointing or where someone is looking. This is a common observation that has nothing to do with the child's attention to detail. They are just less likely than a neurotypical child to use that method to gain relevant information, particularly at early ages. While neurotypical babies fixate their gaze on people's faces, especially eyes and mouth, autistic babies often look everywhere equally. Therefore a neurotypical baby will gain more information from someone's face, and an autistic baby will gain more information from everywhere else. A neurotypical baby will usually start following people's gazes to see what they are looking at way earlier than an autistic baby, and some people with autism don't follow gazes even as adults. Both babies can miss out on important info that the other notices or gain the same info in different ways.
@Jaytee1765 depends on the tone you read it in, as well as the mood you may be projecting onto the comment. I read the comment and thought, "wow, more signs to look for!" I then read your comment and thought, "did I miss something?" So I read the comment again, and I stay solid on my opinion. You are in a mood to perceive things in a negative light. I know what a real insult is like, as one who has received and given them it, and to call this comment offensive feels like you're reaching. No offense.
@@Jaytee1765 Autistic people are not known for their attention to details pertaining to facial expressions, body language and voice inflections. Whether you want to allow it or not, parents do have important information to communicate and teach to their offspring that they specifically communicate through facial expressions, verbal tone and body language. It is in a parent's job description and part of the reason children have parents in the first place, i.e to love and protect them first and foremost, but also to teach them and introduce them and get them ready for the world. Thankfully we have all kinds of therapies now to aid parents in doing their job in imparting information to their autistic children. Still one of my best friends growing up had an autistic child (non-verbal till he was 9) who grew up without all those therapies and he became a successful engineer anyway. However he had more to overcome than this generation of children who are growing up with more therapy options, and more community support as well. With growing numbers means a growing voice and even more important than that a sense of belonging. It has never been a better time to be autistic or to love someone more than life who is autistic. Also education isn't a race. There is no finish line. The "important information" the child may be missing that day, he or she will learn another day.
I think a common sign of autism in babies is severe reflux/spitting up/GERD and digestive issues/constipation. My son (almost 7 now) excessively spit up for a solid 7 months. He also had ongoing, sometimes severe constipation. MANY years after the spitting up stopped and we finally found the perfect blend of things to keep his bowels moving, I took a free webinar on feeding challenges with kids on the spectrum. The doctor explained that kids on the spectrum can have low smooth muscle tone (stomach and bowel included!!) and frequently have GI issues! I was like 🤯 woah!!
Interesting. Might be, but not necessarilly, sometimes reflux goes away without any other comorbidity. All my children have had severe reflux and even longer than 1 year 🙄🥺
God Bless you! My neighbor has two sons that are autistic. The younger son is severe (non-verbal) and not allowed out on his own-their house is like Fort Knox! The older son, is not that bad-his Mother thinks he’s seeking attention with his actions. Over the years, I have volunteered for the couple to go out for dinner and I would sit with the boys, they always turn me down. They will tell me when they go away because their older son doesn’t want to go.
Soo many adults are autistic to varying degrees, without knowing it. Your video and everyone's comments are very helpful. It pains me to think how being so unaware of the autistic person's experiences have led us as a society to define neurotypical as normal for so long, forcing so many to mask their nature and suffer in silence... Just recognizing the fact that we may not know which adults may be autistic and what they may be going through, it behoves us all to be much more tolerant, empathic and forgiving of what we consider "rude", "awkward", "temperamental" or "indifferent" behavior in others. Perhaps we could bring to mind people who have come across as such, and make an extra effort to be kind to them. We have to be the change we want to see... Thanks again for a very enlightening video and comments.
Thank you for this insightful and thoughtful comment! We appreciate your thoughts. And I agree with everything you said. I couldn’t have said it better.
Not always responding when someone tried to get my attention was (I have been told) the reason why my hearing was tested by a specialist when I was about nine or ten years old (third or fourth grade). Apparently in class my teacher or teacher’s aide would call my name or try to get my attention and I wouldn’t always notice it. When my hearing was tested it was actually found to be better than average. Because my parents were not told that my reason for not responding was autism-related (even though I was first diagnosed shortly after my two-year checkup) they thought (and told me) that I was trying to make them worry (and that it was “not very nice to do that”) and that this was obviously just my way of trying to be the center of attention. In actuality I was not trying to be the center of attention at all and (despite what some people in my family alleged) it was not “a sibling rivalry thing”. I could go into more detail but this probably conveys the basic idea.
My baby wouldn’t giggle. She never giggled. She would smile, but it wouldn’t come out. She also would starve if I didn’t feed her. She wouldn’t cry or ask for food. I feel bad now knowing she has autism. So many things I didn’t know till she was 3 and diagnosed. My poor munchkin❤
My daughter passed from a disease that took all of our attention . It has only b been since her passing that I realized she may have been mildly autistic, as well. She was one as an infant who only really cried if she needed something and was content on her own in the playpen or whatever. She couldn’t handle, though, even as a very young baby, sleeping anywhere other than her own crib. My mom had planned to babysit at her home at times, but she could never sleep over there, so Mom came to our house. She didn’t really ever even sleep in a stroller or car seat like most will. She was also very fearful of new faces and cried if a friend or other unfamiliar face came near. Then, when she was 6, she was diagnosed with Selective Mutism. She was bright, but obsessed about getting her school work perfect and also obsessed about a few other things as well as having a lot of anxiety. So I just don’t know, but your video makes me feel like she could have been, and I have heard SM can occur in autism.
Thank you for sharing your story. ❤️. Sorry to hear about your loss. Yes, it does sound like she may have had autism possibly. Thanks for watching and commenting. ❤️ keep in touch and let us know if there’s anything we can do to help out.
First, I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine going through that. Second, I think you are probably correct. Neuro-divergent girls often go undiagnosed because things like autism and ADHD look different in girls. Your daughter sounds like she had a lot of the traits associated with autism. My friend's daughter has selective mutism and was diagnosed with autism closer to 10 years old. She also has cystic fibrosis, so I think that was always the bigger focus.
My older son (autism level 1 diagnosis) focused intently on my mouth instead of my eyes. He was always watching my mouth when I spoke. When he was three months old, he said “hello.” He had no clue what he was doing, of course, but he was mimicking what we constantly said to him, same inflection and everything. At 16 months, I have him on camera saying a full sentence. He said, “Daddy’s changing my diaper.” And his dad really was changing his diaper. So, precocious language development can even be a sign, especially if your baby’s first intense special interest happens to be the spoken word.
I wish my autistic son didn’t cry. He cried non stop the first 2 years of his life and barely slept. He needed to be held constantly and would scream immediately if we put him down. We finally decided to cosleep with him which allowed us to get our sanity back. He finally slept (not great, but better), because he felt comforted touching one of us at night.
Kids without fully conversational communication often cry because they don't have the ability to tell you exactly what the problem is. They might even be talking at that point, but they can't tell you what the problem is with their words. Hope this helps❤️
@@7AheadfamilyI agree. We realized that when he started crawling, walking and talking he cried less because he felt he could express himself. He hated going to sleep because it seemed that he didn’t want to miss out on anything. He hated the stroller and the car because they made him sleepy. Thankfully he’s a teenager now and finally enjoys sleeping! 💤
One of my kids is on the spectrum and he would scream and cry for hours, every single day until he was about 4. If we talked to him, touched him, looked at him, anything, it made the screaming worse. He hated to be hugged or cuddled. Now that he's 9, he likes massages (especially his hands or back) and hugs/cuddles, but on his terms.
Just curious, any difference in deliveries with your neurotypical and autistic kids? I have an autistic son and his delivery was rough so I’m just curious
My son is autistic and he is a very smart young man today. I gave him autism when i was pregnant with him and did not know it until years down the road. I will always blame myself for his autism.
I was married to a man with undiagnosed autism. He absolutely did not want to be touched, except for a few minutes during sex. “Don’t touch me.” In our first weeks of marriage, he hit me if I touched him when he wasn’t expecting it. It is important to get an early diagnosis and some intervention! Maybe he could have had a happier life if he’d had a diagnosis early.
@@7Aheadfamily --- I think most of autism is a scam; big money and people like the woman here whose entire life is autism. I also notice most of these autism victems are white and live in really nice homes. Study these vids for facts and don't just except
I have to share the relatable feeling that I had when you mentioned minimum-holding. My youngest is 18 months, and she was nursed until 9 months. I had to prop her in blankets and pillows with minimum contact. It was like a Nursing Shrine 😂. As an Autistic mom with Autistic children, it has been challenging, but always exciting and happy. I find their social quirks so unique and beautiful.
Sorry to hear about your struggles. There are many challenges that come with autism, but the more we learn the more we can help. Let us know anything we can do to help you. ❤️
Your autistic kids are in good company! They are lucky to have you as a mama! And just in case you don't hear it enough you're doing a great job and your an amazing mom! They look so well taking care of.
Very interesting, so many signs I wish I had been aware of and looking back some were there. My son was my first child, he's now 29 and only last year he discovered that he's autistic with a cross over of ADHD. In hindsight this now makes sense and as his mother I feel bad for not realising this sooner, always thought he was a little different. He's done very well career wise, but it's entwined with his passion and longest fixation of transport, planes, buses and boats and I couldn't be more proud! 😊
I feel a cold chill to my core watching this video! I was a late diagnose in my late 50s (not ADOS; but RITVO). & yet I relate to so much in this video! I wonder if I’m actually on the ADOS scale; but didn’t present because I’ve learned to mask. wow!
I don't have autism and don't know anyone who has autism in my environment, but I think your video is very valuable to people who have to deal with it ❤ (either they are autistic themselve or have someone who is autistic).
Looking back at my daughter's earlier development, she would scream and cry in the back seat and was completely inconsolable until about 7 or 8 months old. Even if I would be talking to her or reaching back to hold her hand. Until she was face to face with you she was crying. And she isn't startled at all by loud noises and doesn't respond if I'm calling her name or trying to get her attention. She constantly meeded to be held or feel someones warmth, but hatedls blankets. What really caught my attention was lack of gesturing and pointing. She only learned to raise her hands to be picked up because it was something she was taught early on. I'm thankful we have received her diagnosis and are now able to start the journey to seeing how we can support her with any of her needs. She's 2 years old now and we just received the diagnosis a few weeks ago
As a speech-language pathologist, I saw this disorder increase exponentially over the decades. So I wondered why? Then I took a job in healthcare PR, and that began my path towards learning why. But I'd rather hear what others think.
Both my kids were different, but my son was perfectly normal until after a round of vaccines as a toddler. He cried as an infant, smiled, etc. As a toddler my mother who was a school nurse at that time noted the loss of words soon after a round of vaccines and also stated he was having absence seizures. I couldn't accept what she was saying for quite a while. Eye contact became difficult in school. Now he is very social and can make eye contact as a 32 yr old and has/wants more friends. Daughter had a serious infection as an infant, didn't cry as much, but both kids loved hugs and smiled. She doesn't have friends and I have to ask for hugs now. Son always hugs. Both were considered as having ADD/ADHD and later got the "Asperger" diagnosis. Nothing was evident when they were infants. My mother spent some of her time in special ed and never noticed anything either until my son lost a lot of speech.
My 7 yr old grandaughter was finally diagnosed with autism, we've been trying to get her diagnosed for a long time. Another couple of signs you didn't mention are: walking on tippy toes constantly and being hyper focused on things to the point of looking like OCD.
Here are some videos about what to expect in the diagnosis process… Demystifying Autism Evaluation: What to Expect ua-cam.com/video/Ki3c1nUJw6g/v-deo.html Unlocking the Mystery | How Early Can You Diagnose Autism? ua-cam.com/video/24qOsvhJl4s/v-deo.html Crucial Reasons to Diagnose Autism at an Early Age ua-cam.com/video/kzDrYlokPHQ/v-deo.html Does my child have Autism Quiz (Explained) ua-cam.com/video/lTEhhw_Yl9w/v-deo.html My Child has Autism. Now What? ua-cam.com/video/ka7dVqGs-cI/v-deo.html
This actually helped me a lot! I've always wondered what neurotypicals are expecting and this is a like a cheat sheet video! Thanks for bridging these gaps in such a pleasant way!
Great video which I’m sure will help many parents. The sooner you know, the better opportunities for maximizing every child’s potential. My 38 year old son had all these signs, but as a firstborn, it was not easy to pick up on differences. But now I know the signs were there from the few weeks of birth. It was so tough that even pediatricians at that time had no clue what the signs are or how to diagnose autism.
My son was like that, too. He hardly ever cried, when he did cry it was because he wanted to be held. But I could have forgotten to feed him and he wouldn’t cry. He didn’t cry when he was born either. I was so worried. He is my only child, and we used fertility treatments to have him so my family said that he was fine just spoiled…. He is 13 now and the BEST kid I could have ever dreamed for! Middle school is kind of rough for him, though. 🤪
My son and daughter both have autism and had a lot of the signs you shared when they were babies. Another one I would add as a sign is excessive crying.
My youngest son at first did the dada and mama, then he completely stopped talking or even making noises. At the age of3 one day he said vegetables. He now works for Google.
Hey there.Thank you for this video. I do not have an autistic child myself, however my sons are in their early 20's so they're approaching the age of becoming parents themselves within a few years. Your video came across my feed and I fig this would be great to raise my awareness to notice any possible signs in my future grand babies. Also, with so many diagnosis of the spectrum I've been interested in learning more about autism just so that I'll understand the proper interactions and what they're comfortable with and uncomfortable with that way if I happen to be chatting with someone that's on the spectrum when Im out and about around our community I'll understand how to make sure they feel at ease during our interaction. I really found your video to be very informative and you are just lovely. You have a kindness that radiates from you. Much respect for your position as a mother raising 5 children just in itself.Lol you're a rockstar! But also having 2 of them with autism I can imagine that you are a very busy Mama. God Bless You. It's very heartwarming to see someone really enjoying motherhood. Our babies are the most precious treasure we'll ever be blessed with. I subbed to your channel and look forward to watching your videos. You have a beautiful family, I appreciate you sharing your insight.
Thankyou for this video. I had a very hard time with my second baby. He failed his hearing test when he was born. I had to take him back the second time and they said he was ripping the patches off of his head screaming! ( at 2 days old!!) He passed. He was angry from the second he was born. I was never able to set him down for two seconds. I would have him on the kitchen counter in one of those little lean back boucny chairs as i was cleaning or cooking. My whole family would be there and it would just be a normal loud italian houshold with people walking about, but he would round his fists angrily like babies do and scan my every move making grunting noises and crying until I picked him up. This was constant and then when I would try to give him back or tummy time he was even angrier. He hated every single toy and he would look frustrated and squeeze it and cry. Forget if it made a song or a noise because that was even worse! When he could finally sit up, He hated toys even worse because if he had to fit a shape into a hole and he couldnt do it immidiatley? It was curtains for him!! I will add more to this later if anyone is interested but I have to pick up a family member. Much more to say
My son is 33. He NEVER slept like a typical baby or child. I could hold him but he never wrapped his legs or arms around me. He is still the center of my life. He cannot be independent. He used to run & bolt. I was terrified he would get hit by a car if I couldn’t catch him. While he was in school, I would go into the forest preserves & run 5-8 miles just to maintain cardio fitness so I could run after him. Very Scary! He stopped running around 17-18. Thank God… He still loves caves & culvert systems so we still need to be careful. We have been financial over achievers because we worry what will happen when we are no longer here. Plus We have an older daughter, and though she loves him, i cannot ever expect her to sacrifice her life to care for him. So of course, I still stress about it. I try not to but it’s a stress regular people will NEVER understand
I used to do the thing with spinning the wheel of a toy car that you describe. It was only by about age nine or ten (a little older than Ezra’s current age) that I started playing with toy cars in a more conventional manner (and even then my parents had to teach me how to do this).
My son loved playing with wheels and watching them. Now he is 23 and is obsessed with cars. He used to take them to bed. He never liked being handled as a baby, which saddened his daddy very much. I deliberately handled him even he cried. A great day came when aged 8 he gave his granny a hug for the first time.
Sounds like my son as a baby. Hated breast feeding, hated being held but did want you there in the room. I thought him pointing at things meant he didn't have autism but he never looked at me then pointed then looked back which I now know is a sign. My son was never interested into other babies or toddlers. He talked early and had a complex vocabulary with an amazing memory, again now I know they can be early signs.
When I was younger (e.g. three and under) I would cry if I was hungry or needed to be changed or if I was in extreme pain (for example if I had a severe ear infection), but that was about it (based both on what I remember and what family members have told me).
Wow..a lots of things you said are so true..my son is 21 years old who, has Austin didn't walk or talk until 8 years and he still look anyone in the eyes or dont like hug and kisses...I worked very hard with him and so proud to say he in 2nd year of college at the moment 😂
Hey 7ahead. Thank you for posting this information. It really helps the community. We really want ppl to understand us and youre really helping us accomplish that. Thanks guys.
Oh my! My son is 2, and i already raised my concerns with the pediatrician, so we starting the process! I would add the head banging on the pillow, tight swaddle as a baby. As a toddler my son is expressing with vocals. Like aaaahahaa( when is happy), iiiiiiii!(when is upset)and so on. Spinning ( and not even getting dizzy). My sun love to jump and roll over. He also at only 2 years can stay on his head with straight legs up on the wall. My son is also good with balancing ( balancing in my hands like acrobatic style). He loves the bright colourful lights and hates to touch the fur of our dogs. He plays with them, but not touching them. 8s not interested in toddler songs or lullaby. He doesn't wear anything on his head and has interrupted sleep ( due to lack of melatonin, I guess). My son bubbled at around 1 year old, said mama and dada soon after and then stopped. I, now I think that mama and dada was bubble sounds as they were not directed at us. He doesn't play pretent or imitates gestures. Not waving goodbye or clapping. Thank you for the educational and supportive video.
Oh my gosh! This is awesome! I only wish you'd been around when my kids were babies. I have two boys, twenty-one and twenty-two, both diagnosed with autism, the first lower functioning that the second, so in comparison, I didn't think my younger son could be on the spectrum. I wish both boys could have been diagnosed earlier. Before I had a nervous breakdown. Very few practitioners recognized autism back then, and I was seriously looking for guidance. I think what you're doing is so important, and I hope that your work makes it to an even larger audience!
❤❤ I do honestly love you guys to pieces ....you are such a lovely mum and it does really make me smile when I hear that you don't force Ezra to behave any differently than he wants to or to do anything socially expected of him that he dosent feel comfortable with...that you respect his autonomy to play how he wants....*tears up* 😢 honestly touched I wish so badly I had a mum like you when I was younger. ❤ Thank you so much for being my virtual family even though you don't know that I have adopted you 😅 watching you guys always induces happy rocking stims 😊 Also interesting that I was told it wasn't so obvious when I was little apart from the refusal to talk but literally every single point you make in this I can basically remember, even very very young I have a weirdly visually structured memory of things that children don't normally remember
My upside down family; several (6 out of 15 adults have been recently diagnosed with varying degrees of autism. Two more are awaiting testing) . The youngest at 7 is brilliant and reading at a college level; he has not been evaluated yet. We are still waiting on his referral. I'm not complaining. We are a crazy fun group.
@@sarahdunn9498 It can be for some people, but if you mean emotional and/or psychological trauma that’s already been ruled out in my case as a cause of this after seeing a psychologist and having psychological testing performed when I was in High School. However, in my case a different type of trauma is at play in addition to being on the spectrum. I was born prematurely and had a stroke on the right side of my brain when I was born. This often produces autism-like symptoms. The effects of this were still visible on two separate trans-cranial ultrasounds between twenty-five and thirty years after I was born.
As an educator, I thank you for this video. Many parents think some behaviors are cute or they simply do not know there is an issue. Others feel there might be an issue and are afraid to have their fear confirmed. I believe that knowledge and early intervention is so important. As an infant, my nephew did not track with his eyes and did not react to anyone's voice. His milestone for walking was delayed and he never crawled like most children. He did a bear walk and never touched his knees to the floor. He demonstrated obsessive-compulsive behaviors such as repeatedly opening and closing kitchen cabinets. Then he began crying spells when in unfamiliar places. He does not respond when spoken to but will repeat a simple word or phrase constantly.
My grand baby didn't show much emotion and lack of eye contact and response She slept all through the night. But was behind in walking , talking and other skills. She only wanted books learned to read very early and have us label everything. . She sang nursery rhymes before she could actually communicate. She also had fear of unusual things . She started a tick movement in the neck about 10 months by 18 months. She did several stims. When she did learn how to walk. ..She turned her body for hugs and started having problems with certain sounds.
I didn't have an autistic child but, I have followed channels of people who have autistic children for years. I recognize signs of autism in children I meet or see in public.
Thank you for the information you are helping a lot of people with information. One possibility of a sign might be When a baby is fixated on a moving ceiling fan, staring for long periods of time not paying attention to anything else…just something I’ve noticed
My autistic son is now 49. The one thing not mentioned is the meltdowns. From age 2 any frustration would often lead to a meltdown. As an infant he didn’t like to be held. Many of the other signs mentioned could apply to my son as well. Very good information.
@@7AheadfamilyYes I Know it is 2024 Now But May i ask u Something What? How Can u tell if someone Suffer From Actual Syndrome Not Autism? Because I Am Having Issues With Telling due to my conditions And also how Come the name “Mark” Is Usally For Kids with No Autism I Don’t get it Why is everybody naming autistic kids simon , Raymond and If a parent is having a future Baby They need to make sure if there having an autistic child They have to d make sure it comes out autistic right? like if A baby was gonna be autistic but failed test?
I found myself nodding my head through all of these. My son, who is now 20, exhibited most of these signs. He was diagnosed with Asperger's a few weeks before he turned 4 (which I understand, they don't call it Asperger's anymore). He was my first child, so I had no real comparison at the time. He was a colicky baby, and I was forever trying to soothe him. One day, when I was at my wit's end and exhausted, I decided just to lay him in his crib and go take a break. Within minutes he was silent, so I panicked and ran into his room, which startled him. I began to realize he DIDN'T want to be held. I was annoying him when I was trying to soothe him. He also didn't seem to react to my voice or seeing me. He was very content to do his own thing. When I called his name or made a noise, if he wasn't looking at me, he wouldn't turn to me. He wouldn't react to things you would expect a reaction from. When he was about a year old, I gave him a slice of lemon to get that classic sour face photo: nothing. He made no face and continued to eat the lemon. He always rubbed his face with a blanket. His cheeks would get so chapped! I don't remember him babbling either. He did talk on time, but seemed to have skipped the babbling (other than kind of humming to himself when he was going to sleep). Also, he never had the "stranger danger" phase that most babies go through. He'd go to anybody and never checked or seemed to care if I was still there. He didn't look for me nor was he excited to see me when I returned (if I left him with a sitter). I think this is a sign you missed in your video, or maybe this isn't all kids with autism.
I haven’t watched one of these videos in a long while. In my daughters infancy I watched them constantly. On any channel I could find. She is 3 now and I’m not sure why I watched this one, but I decided to pop on the comments here to add my experience with what I thought was autism- but wasn’t. So many of the signs/occurrences/or tells, that I see talked about in these videos lined up with what my baby did. And that is lack of bonding. Slow bonding, or lack of attachment. I could write a whole novel here about my experience, for I have much passion regarding the topic, but I’ll try to leave it short. My baby and I didn’t fully connect until she was around 11 months old. Many of the things I saw in her that worried me looked like autism, but all stemmed from a lack of proper attachment, or attachment on a typical timeline. Just in case there’s another mother out there struggling with this, I wanted to shed hope that with time, you and your baby may be as lucky as me and mine were and become one. Connected, in love, and stronger than ever.
Curious about other inputs. Breast fed babies? What were their vaccine schedules? Diet of you (mother) during pregnancy and then diet during breast feeding?
In photos of me as a baby and toddler, I never look directly at the camera, you couldn't get me to look at the camera, I seem to be somewhere off in my own world as you point out in the video with Ezra. Looking directly at the camera was something I had to learn to do that neurotypicals just seem to do naturally. Once I learned to "Smile for the camera!" I followed that "rule" but it took until I was in my teens for my smile to be natural 🤣Sometimes it just takes longer for us to hit certain milestones and some we might never hit, but to anyone with an autistic child, even though they may seem far behind their peers now, we do catch up eventually in a lot of areas with the right kind of support!
My son Jason is now 24 years old and has level 3 autism. Looking back, we saw so many of these signs when he was a baby. Some additional things seen: He would push away from us when held, had unexplained "shivers", played in isolation, visual perception and balance issues such as having trouble not running into door frames, lots of spinning, and was fascinated with opening and closing kitchen cabinet doors. He also played with toys in unusual ways like you mentioned. Even though he could read letters off shirts at 15 months, language use for communication is still a struggle as he is limited verbal to this day. The hand flapping was the most noticeable sign to me of autism, which wasn't until he was a little older. That's when we knew for sure.
@@Ash-gj2lf yeah sounds exactly like me I once hit my head so hard on something it was bleeding and needed stitches falling down stairs , the doctors thought I had concussion because I didn't cry or seem to care in the slightest 😅 only lost my mind when I touched my head and put my fingers in blood
My son was late to speak, wide awake constantly as a newborn, and never really cried.. he stared at his cars for hours.. he was kind of an angel. My daughter cried a lot, I thought she had colic at first, hated being held, and she's still kind of aggressive, and socially very quirky. She didn't smile at me for a long time. She gets fixed and obsessed with one or two things for a long time. Right now it's axolotls and unicorns and rainbows.. but everything has to be that.. or she'll get upset.
My 18yr old son is high functioning on the spectrum. You will never get a smile, socially or otherwise😂 I don’t push socialization because I actually don’t like socializing. I fake it but I can’t stand people🤦🏽♀️😂😂😂
My daughter was called a "classic" one, when I showed her to a Neurologist 8 years ago. She is 9 now and is able to go to a "normal" school, but the older she gets the more dominant it is to see how she still struggles in social situations. She either whispers when she is speaking ( to us) or she has a very loud voice when she plays with friends. She also gets easily mad when she doesn't understand rules of a game they have just "invented" for example. A correction to unwanted behavior of her through words can ends up in her walking away with stomping feet. Every time.She doesnt seem to get it when she did something wrong and she doesnt seem to really understand what dangerous is - even though she can point the finger at unwanted behavior of others. She knows exactly what is wrong or wright, yet when it comes to herself it seems not to fit their autistic "bubble". She never liked to be touched really, it never got better so far. I can speak to her and she doesn't even hear me until I ask her direct if she could pay attention to what I say. She cried so much as a baby, couldnt be happy with a pacifier, couldnt be happy with a finger to suck on also. I find it very hard to accept, and maybe I still do, that Autism makes the ones I love the most so "untouchable" and hard to communicate or even play with. I find it hard to watch her being content with herself alone and her "electronic devices". I find it hard that I can not cuddle her. I know too much then to be content with this. A child needs to feel the touch and love of their parents. It is painful to not be able to do so. Not for me, but I think SHE NEEDS TO FEEL A LOVING TOUCH. Everybody does.
And again... Forgot this. I'm sorry I wrote so much. My child was the easiest baby ever. She never cried over anything. Only if hungry. Didn't cry over dirty diapers or anything else. Didn't like being held. But at age 3 she started horrible tantrums. She would easily cry for hours. Also would get upset over normal easy things other kids wouldn't think about. She's not diagnosed but I've always wondered. She does have adhd so could just be from that.
Ok joining in. Son was dx at 12 1/2. No family would hear of autism nor could they see in the same lens as me. But- yes temper tantrums (meltdowns) began at three and lasted through five. I’m only going to share this one story- He was 5. I told him to pick up his soda can and take it to the kitchen . He fell apart like you would not believe. Banging his head on the stairs- shrieking… crying. I bring this up because he had a school diagnosis at at age 15 1/2. Level 2 needing supports. But his comprehension for verbal commands was tested at age 4 years/ 8 months. He was 15, verbal command recognition was Age 4. I flashed back to the soda can day and realized I was essentially giving commands to an infant. If an urgent care doctor had not seen him for an illness at age 12, when it all went south- he might have never been dx. He is now 24- lives at home. Has fibromyalgia amongst a host of other dx.
My son had following signs (actually same as yours). -no response on ur voice -always had 1 favorite toy. -never eye contact -staring a lot (to the ceiling ot something like that). -2 and half years still didnt had his first words spoken. -always want same tv program, and get really mad if cant watch tv.
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Hi, question if baby he is 4 months old scratches things with his hand like when he is touching stuff or constantly moves his arms is that a sign you would say? Also he constantly grunts not like in pain just like as a noise i don’t know if im explaining it right 😓
Hmm 🤔
Yeah, hard to say from that description. If you have concerns, the best thing to do is to ask your pediatrician, getting a second opinion as well can be important. Often times doctors won’t diagnose this early, but it is good to be aware of signs.
@@7Aheadfamily thank you ❤️
❤️❤️❤️
My only son also named Simon, was diagnosed autistic at the age of 4. A lot of what you mentioned Simon did the same as a baby. He is now 29 and has a full time job and even wrote and published a fantasy novel. So proud of my boy and how far he has come.
Your sons story is amazing! It gives us hope😊😊
@@7Aheadfamily I went through a grieving process of what could have been. Changed my perspective to “He will be what he can be”. He never ceases to amaze me! 💕
That is so awesome!🩷🩷
I love this! I think it's so very important for those of us with grown autistic children to let parents of the younger ones know that there is hope for a wonderful life for them. My son is 28 and has Asperger's. He is SO intelligent. He has friends and has a degree in computer science. He can crack open his game systems and solder new, more advanced components into them. He is a serious gourmet cook! One of his teachers in elementary school told me once, and it has shown itself to be true, that kids with Asperger's have a very difficult time being children, but they make AWESOME adults!!! She was so very right!!!
I love this very encouraging
My 24 yo grandson had a lot of these features, he always seemed lost in his own world, he would entertain himself for hours focused on toy cars but did not actually play with them in typical ways but instead memorized the make and models and spun the wheels like you mentioned… he taught himself to read by studying new car adverts in the newspaper, he was also fascinated with maps, google earth and begged to be taken on random trips in the car, memorized all the routes and road signs, he could already read in preschool and in grade school his IQ was tested at genius level and he was put in advanced classes but because had no real interest in the subjects, being taught got average grades, except for music, geography and languages…played clarinet in band but taught himself drums, piano and guitar, was
In Spanish club also all through hs …
Went away for college graduated with a degree in linguistics, lives on his own, and is going to China to teach English this fall…
some levels of autism are really an advanced degree of fierce concentration for self learning
That is so cool!❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for this!
Thank you ❤
The one I met today is 3 and will never say mom or dad, and he seem to have the mild type.
Sounds like my son who will be 18 in July. As a young child Obsessed with anything cars and the Titanic, grades never reflected his aptitude and even though he required special ed reaurce with writing (cause he struggled to sit down and actually write lol) he tested gifted and had the 2nd highest testing scores of his high school in 10th grade. I'm so so proud of my son but a long with his amazingly bright mind he was horribly bullied and it took a toll on him emotionally and mentally. It still breaks my heart to think back on those years. He is so kind and gentle and generous and sweet. I wouldn't change a thing about him. He is high functioning autistic/ Asperger's, he got it from me, his mama. I didn't learn about myself being autistic until my 30s, I'm glad I found out about him around age 5. He has taught me so much about myself. He goes on to college next year and I pray the bullying will be a thing of the past and he can focus on his interests and reality excell. I know he's gonna be successful in life I can feel it and he deserves it and so does your grandson :)
I have two boys with high funtioning autism. They're both completly different.
My eldest doesn't give eye contact, never liked being in his papoose, he used to lean away when being held, had an obsession with cars, made screeching noises to cover noises he didnt like, didn't answer to his name (when young. Hes now 17), difficulties getting off to sleep and would run off regularly.
My youngest was very cuddly and still is (he's 13), gives some eye contact, used to spin his toys, never played make believe games, hates sharp noises, bright lights etc... has had difficulty with food since birth and has been diagnosed with ARFID, has difficulty following three step instructions eg.. pop upstairs and bring your cup down from your room.
I love them both with all my heart.
I love your openness and your transparency with what to look out for.
Thank you. From the UK 🇬🇧
Thank you so much for sharing. ❤️
How many vaccines did they have?
Great question, we actually did a video on that here…
Did Vaccines Cause our Son's Autism? Uncovering the Truth
ua-cam.com/video/PXVSckLhC4g/v-deo.html
@@7AheadfamilyYes.
My 5yo has autism, looking back he would cry as a baby when people sang happy birthday, pull on his ears and didn’t sleep well. Today he’s doing wonderful taught himself to read by 3 and is learning above his grade level 🩵 he was born on my birthday and the best gift I’ve ever received.
1，Not responding to voices.
2, No or limited social smile
3, Fixed on an odd angle for a long time
4, Not trying to get your attention
5, Not responding to stimulus
6, don’t like being held
7, Don’t cry
8, eye contact
9, Lack of interaction with other baby
10, Sharing the moment
11, Repetitive hand movements
12, Don’t babble
Thank you for watching and sharing!❤❤❤
My cousin is 30, autistic. He was always fascinated by maps, languages, and computers. At age 10 he still had problems with pronouncing my name but did things with his computer that we didn't even understand. Now he is finishing his PHD and starting his own business with a geography program he designed. We are SO proud of him, fantastic guy😊
That is so awesome that he has gone so far!❤️❤️❤️
This is a GREAT video! I have an autistic daughter who is level 1. She's 21 now and was our first child so we didn't know what we were seeing. I remember so many of these signs. She didn't respond to our voice, didn't recognize we could meet her needs, didn't socially smile, did NOT like to be held, stared at ceiling fans....so many things! I just came across your channel and love what you're doing here!
Thank you so much! Happy you found our channel!
How is your daughter doing now?
There are other extremes to two of your signs. One is if instead of not wanting to be held, they prefer to be swaddled really tightly and held very tightly. They are sensory seeking instead of sensory avoiding. They may feel overwhelming in their seeking of this sensory input. Also, instead of being socially avoidant (or at least neurotypically socially avoidant) they can be hypersocial instead. Being overly friendly and extra social can often make an autism diagnosis take more time. Remember, if you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism. Thanks so much for your video!
Thank you for sharing! Glad you enjoyed the video!💕💕
This comment needs to be highlighted more! 100% correct. The video just portrays one set of types of possible autism responses.
My 6 yo is extremely social. He’ll yell “hello” at the guy jogging down the street and if the guy doesn’t respond he has to chase him down to say hello. He does this everywhere we go.
I have a 40 year old autistic son. He is a treasure. He is completely independently at this point in time. Self employeed and doing a job he loves. He was already showing problems in the 4 days we were in the hospital. saw other signs along the way. I believe on top of many mental health problems his father was autistic. I remember being at church on day and a woman started talking to my husband and he turned his back on her and left. A home he complained that no one talked to him! Had my son in the grocery store one day and a child he went to kindergarten with came up and started talking to him. He turned his back on him! Back then autistism was rarely diagnosed so although he did go to special school from 18 months, he was officially diagnosed at 19. I only went through that in case he needed help getting a job. As he got older and saw his differences compared to others he worked on some of the problems he had. You didn't mention your kids having food problems, and my son did.
I will give a tip that I used with my boy as a young adult. I would watch him watching TV with the laugh track and laughing. We ended up with DVDs of The Office, King of the Hill, and Monk. With just the two of us in the room we would watch the shows and whenever he laughed I would ask him what was funny. At first he never knew. After a year of intensive watching these DVDs he was comprehending the humor, etc. so much better. In King of the Hill there is an episode called Isle 9, where Connie who was left at the Hills while her parents were out of town and Peggy was away from home, Connie had to tell Hank that her period had started. I think they did everything in that show to help answer questions such as Isle 9 with the sanitary products. Who would have though that slowly going over these, my son learned so many things. It was just the two of us in the room as I would never embarrass him in front of others, but he sure learned a lot. It has only been in the last month that I have heard of autism being numbered. My son didn't talk until two weeks before his second birthday when he came over to me and patted me on the cheek and said mama. I cried,
He never talked babytalk but immediately started speaking in sentences. He hung around while I was helping his older brother with reading homework. What I didn't realize was he was teaching himself to read. One day while driving in town he pointed to a siign and told me an old lady from our church lived on that road. We had NEVER been to her house. I had no clue where she lived. He had memorized the entire church directory when he was 4!!!
I turn my back on people all the time when talking. Sometimes I start walking away. It’s not something I do consciously and I don’t intend to be rude but I can’t deal with eye contact or even face contact, so I don’t do them. /All I can think about when someone is talking to me is that I’m extremely scared and uncomfortable. My nervous system goes haywire and before I know it I’m recoiling in the other direction. It’s nothing against the person. If they could sit back to back with me or send me a text I’d love to communicate and get to know them, but face-on drains me so much it can take a week or more for me to recover alone. That’s one type of shutdown I have. I’m Level 2.
Our Daughter was also diagnosed at 21 years old. She just turned 22. Gives me hope that one day she will be able to have a job. She is brilliant like her Dad who is more than likely autistic too. They are just alike.
I just watched a story about 2 autistic twins now 53 who can remember what day every date in their lives was...what meals they had those days...all music and when recordings came out I mean unbelievable!
Thank you for sharing that. It helps me understand you better.@@pennyloafer3358
"He was already showing problems in the 4 days we were in the hospital." May I ask what these were? x
I had 5 children also. Number3 and 4 are on the spectrum. 3 has autism . Both boys. I’m grateful that it wasn’t my first. I wouldn’t have known any better. Both grown now. Asbergers son has a bachelor’s degree. Autistic son has a great job that he loves. I would have never guessed they would be where they are now if you had asked me when they were little. They WILL suprise you.❤️ I taught both of them to drive at night. Too many distractions in the daytime. No problem now. Both great drivers. They are also each other’s best friend. It’s really nice to have siblings. One of the best things for your boys too. They are lucky to have you as a mom. 👍
That is an amazing story!💕💕
It's awesome to hear your boys are so close!
I am also autistic and I also can't drive during the day for the same reason (easily distracted, but I also tend to slowly fall asleep during highway drives), however I also have really bad eyesight (I have proper glasses for daytime use), the kind that is practically night blind. I can recall seeing a total of 3 animals, at night in my lifetime, despite being in close proximity to many more that others saw. I don't drive so it was never my responsibility to see it. But I would be watching from all directions, but rarely saw any signs of creatures or critters with heartbeats myself.
I'm autistic and 31 years old. This is a great video. So accepting of the autistic traits, which is invaluable for the children!! I have video footage of autistic traits in me as a little one too!
You are so kind!❤️❤️ Thank you!💜💜
My son is not diagnosed, but people meeting him can tell right away. He is a sweet hyper focused kid that will tell anyone who will listen about math and planets and human anatomy. I knew he was not typical and now he does long division for FUN at 5.
That's Amazing!
Thanks for watching and commenting with your story. ❤️
My son is on the spectrum. He has a very high IQ and was way ahead in school academically. But socially he really struggled understanding how to interact with others. He had very poor impulse control, as well as emotional regulation. He’s 41 now and doing really well.
indeed many kids are being diagnoses with autism when they just have heavy metals in their bodies and gluten intoxication
Our son would spin. If he was happy he would stand and spin. If he was upset he would spin and throw himself into things.
As a late diagnosed (going on 40) autistic woman, this made me sob. I don't have my mom or dad to ask as I lost them 10 and 30 years ago, but this even covers "The Stare" I've been trying to explain to people. "It's like my mind is a thousand little tiny fingers, and wants to take in and understand all what I see as important or fascinating." That's how my mind gets lost. When I'm volunteering at the farm/doing horse therapy (it's an exchange), sometimes I'll just stare at the fields. What people don't seem to get is most of the time I'm actually evaluating little details in the fields to make sure a fence post isn't out of order due to my pattern recognition skills. I've lived with very high masking level 2 autism my whole life, and at one point. I just collapsed. I always have at least low level anxiety, live in the moderate to high anxiety range. It's interpreted by our brains and our bodies as abuse, regardless of the intent, when our needs are constantly unmet as children. When we are not supported, or shown how to support ourselves as adults, like neurotypicals are, we flounder. I think there's a term for it: The lost generations. It's the generation where people who score 98th percentile in the sciences in the United States are facing consequences of the lack of support. These consequences have resulted in the following: Can't stay at properties for more than a year or two because I get priced out. The constant threat of poverty if you fill out your disability form wrong. Liver damage from severe chronic gastritis because of my anxiety levels. I don't even drink. Multiple SAs as a child because I was not protected. Multiple SAs as an adult because I didn't know how to protect myself. Multiple concussions from head banging as a child throughout early adulthood, and currently being evaluated for CTE. And now having NO IDEA who we are because our parents tried to use psychiatric medications and therapy to get the then unknown thing called "Just existing with autism" out of us.
Please support your autistic children so we have a chance to be able to cope with the normal hard things, like grief, loss, and trauma. Those are already difficult and can sometimes break just regular people. Imagine coming at it from a different angle, like how your kid would hold up a car to the light at a neat angle. I used to do that with lego trains btw. We already are at a disadvantage because therapy does not usually integrate being autistic as well.
Please take this to heart, and please take *her viewpoint to heart*. As activist and model Chloe Hayden says in her book title, we're "Different, Not Less."
We are very sorry you went through such a hard time❤️
❤️🩹So sorry you weren’t protected.
It infuriates me that we need to protect our kids from SA.
@@7Aheadfamily I appreciate that, and it warms my heart knowing that people are doing better with supporting us
@@cplmpcocptcl6306 It infuriates me as well. That's really sweet with the heart and bandaid. My gosh.
It infuriates me that it's also just a symptom of a stressful and sick society and there isn't help for struggling mothers. That the United States Government denied my father disability in the 50s because he had a "childhood illness" but was estranged from his family. This is generational. My whole family is struggling right now. I just... was the one who found my dad. That's pretty much it.
I am so sorry you had so much to deal with.
I hope life is better now
Do you mind my asking abut the wheel spinning and light?
I have a feeling the lights catch the attention as the wheel spins and changes the light, was that how it worked for you or not at all.
My 34 year old son was misdiagnosed with AD/HD and ODD when 7, and I never thought those matched him. He was diagnosed with Asperger's and Tourette's at 14 by a psychologist. Asperger's was new and I had previously been told by a dr that he was not autistic because he was affectionate and loving with me.
My son pretty much looks like everyone else and people expect him to be normal. I learned to advocate for him and numerous times had to stand up for him with the schools
He is my first child, so I pretty much winged it raising him. One of the hardest things was I really didn't have any family support, though I sure was told what I should do when negative things happened to Nic.
He was the most sleep deprived child I knew of. I'm so glad I followed his lead raising him and did what was appropriate for his needs. I understood the developmental delay's, and knew he would not be as mature as a typical 21 year old till he was in his 30's.
Unfortunately, after they are 18, it is challenging to be able to protect them. I now am his power of attorney for whatever is necessary. He has had some meth issues. He finally found rehabilitation where they teach a 12 step program and got him on the meds he needs to function normally. He is doing great and gets out next Monday.
Follow your instincts and always research what the Dr's attempt to diagnose your child with. They are not an expert on your child, and are only guessing. Tell them when they are incorrect, I did it numerous times when they tried to diagnose Nic with all sorts of "behavioral disorders", when it was all neurological. Remember you are the expert on your child. No one else.
The diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome is actually no longer a category in the DSM-5. Instead, this disorder was collapsed into Autism spectrum disorder. Asperger’s syndrome is a milder form of autism that mainly presents with social deficits and cognitive functions intact. Unfortunately, for people with children would formerly diagnosed as pervasive developmental delays (PDD), that too is no longer a diagnostic condition in the DSM-5 and would likely fall in Autism spectrum disorder. It is great that you advocated for your son. Often some family members don’t accept that the child has a condition and argue that the child if fine, when it is not true. The best remedy is early intervention. When they are grown, you can only do your best. I’m sorry that your son has gotten involved with drugs, as. Drugs cause unpredictable behaviors and have horrible long-term effects on one’s ability to function effectively and avoid incarceration. Meth is terrifying because of the distortions it creates in reality and the effects can last 10-12 hours after use. The goal of most meth users js finding their next dose of meth. I pray your son’s addiction can be controlled.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting. We appreciate you sharing your story. You're right; if you have doubts about your diagnosis, we always encourage you to get a second and sometimes 3rd opinion.
😊
Awesome job! Kudos to you. There was so much bad info back then...even now it can be a struggle.
Yes! I has a coworker who had aspergers, and you would not know. You would just think she was socially awkward. But she was so kind, It was hard, because i know people took advantage of her. I couldn't be there all the time to help her.
I just wanted to tell you you are an amazing mom and your children are very lucky to have someone so warm and caring like you
You are so kind!💕💕💕 Thank you!💕💕💕
My 5 y.o. daughter shows many signs of Autism. I live in VA peninsula, and it's not easy finding a Healthcare provider that I'm comfortable with in the Hampton roads area..
My husband and I are both late diagnosed, level 1 (Husband bordering level 2) .
We are happy and excited to be new subscribers! Thank you for the helpful content!!
I am so happy you are here with us now. Glad you found our family channel. Please keep us updated on what videos are helpful and which ones you like.
Great content, so informative! My oldest son 4 years old, is autistic. His younger 3year old brother is not, but he’s so great at teaching his brother how to engage with him in play time and communication. Thank you for sharing , beautiful family ❤
That is such an amazing thing that you younger son is doing!💕💕 Thank you for sharing!💕💕
I'm an 18 year old with autism, I love your videos. Keep uploading great content. 👍
Thank you so much for watching and commenting ❤️
We appreciate it!
@7Aheadfamily I'm really glad you are uploading and spreading awareness and educating people on autism in all of your videos 🙂
I’m a 21 year old with autism
Thank you! We appreciate you watching and commenting ❤️
Interesting. As a Nana with a 10 year grandson with Autism, it has been a learning time for me. I knew what normal child was like, and I saw the signs way before my daughter did. With 3 other grandchildren around I could see the differences. My daughter would get angry if I said anything. So for about 2 years I watched, and waited as the parents went through all the testing. Finally coming to terms with the diagnose of her son. Our grandson is doing amazing. Excellent reader, he takes piano lessons, he loves gymnastics, and has OT every week. So I would say he has it mild Autism.
Thank you for sharing. ❤️
My cousin refused to see the signs in his kid until she started kindergarten and the school wanted to get her diagnosed. I wish he'd gotten her diagnosed sooner so they could have learned to communicate with her better and gotten her into free preschool.
I'm not sure how to bring it up politely and never tried because I knew other family members were talking to him about it, including cousins who are therapists and teachers. If he didn't believe the cousins with relevant experiences, why would be believe me? Plus he is a blockhead and a jerk so I don't talk to him much anyway.
I raised three sons with OCD, ADHD, AND autism, and yes, as babies they were different. Even at 4 months old my eldest would get completely over stimulated. He was also a fussy eater, had some food allergies too. By six months, he stopped taking naps. My eldest loved to laugh and smile when happy-and not over stimulated. By 13-15, he needed head phones and music to break the over stimulation of high school with 700 other people. He also has learning issues, reading disorder. So, he’s adapted to audio books to enjoy his love of reading. One thing my ex and I agreed was that every available blue program, medical need for our children would be addressed. Both of us graduated high school in the 1984-86 years, so the knowledge about these neurological conditions was really in its infancy. Eldest son got more introverted as he got older but has a great sense of humor and is a great parent. Both my grand daughter, grand son have autism.
My middle son is a huge introvert, extremely bright, and still can get over stimulated as an adult. He was also the sleeper, eater, cuddle child until he was roughly 8-9. He was a wonderful sleeper whereas big brother was still not sleeping through the night until he was nine months old. Extremely bright, he was learning Russian on his own by 12. He was also the kid with perfect musical pitch, and wanted to learn everything. He was extremely polite at school, but simply wouldn’t do homework, or some days did not work in class at all. This was the kid who came home from home every day, and hid in his blanket, all the way to middle school. This was my huge 9lb baby who at six months was the size of his brother who was 19 months older. These days he wears a 13.5 shoe. Big guy, big bones, but severe auto immune disorder that prevents him from working or attending university successfully.
Third son: oh boy, where to start. The pregnancy was extremely treacherous for both of us, and he was born six weeks early, only one artery in his umbilical cord, developed seizures, was able to hear, but neurologically the wiring between hearing and speech was missing. When he was born he didn’t cry,he croaked. He spent a week in NICU being evaluated while I recovered from an after birth near death event. He was also on the “failure to thrive “ growth chart even though he ate and digested far better than his elder brother. At nine months, he was the size of a six month old. At 29, he weighs 130 lbs soaking wet, is 5’7” in height, and has the small bone structure of both great grand fathers,two of my aunts. He’s married to a lovely woman and they have a great relationship, because during his educational process, he was taught all the necessary relationship, working in teams skills that weren’t parent of his parents curriculum. He’s working two jobs, slowly making his way through university, and I’m very proud of him.
Things the boys loved: Legos (all those engineering, mechanically inclined men in both families), music, such as all the Disney movie music, construction equipment, gardening, and then as they came intobeing, visual video games with active role play.
And yes, it was alll about the vehicles- they were raised among people who worked in the metro Detroit auto industry, went to old car shows, ect. So their memory for make models, reading vehicle manuals straight from the glove box and telling someone all about it.
We knew my ex had the same diagnosis as the boys, with other mental health, toxic narcissist thrown in as well, but I had no sign, nothing that would be enough to test me. I come from a family of super musically inclined, super bright people. My mother started kindergarten at 4, graduated high school at 16, graduated university with a degree in teaching at 19. She taught for 42 years, while also having a full on singing career, and volunteered as part of the women’s group in our local congregation. My father, equally gifted was ready to graduate high school at 16, but the school district refused him that honor. So, he went to vocational school twice. He was also a jazz musician, built a house onto a house, farmed,and in his spare time, sang in choral groups, musical theatre.
My youngest brother started playing piano at three. He was also extremely mechanical, needing to see something only one time to perform the same task(my middle son was the same way. He started popping off the tops of paint cans at 18 months, graduating to “fixing” the tv and vcr controllers by exchanging the circuit boards. My father rebuilt an entire radio at 7).
My eldest and youngest sisters appeared perfectly normal for our time period. No extremely extra anything. Great at school, played musical instruments except my middle sister because she was nearly deaf. Singing and playing music wasnt optional between two parents that were musically gifted. But only my younger brother and I have music degrees and gone onto our Masters. I have two.
Me: I didn’t know what the word hyperlexic was until I was 41. All I know was by 9 months old I could say compound words like “cookie”, and by 2, my most often used sentence was “Read me”. I was reading chapter books by four, and whole novels like the “Little House on the Prairie” by second grade, while following the actual show on tv (1970s). Our parents did not have the tv on for all hours of the day. They listened to radio, read books, magazines, news papers and didn’t get cable tv until 1990. We watched mostly educational programs with exception of Disney’s Saturday night at the movies program. We also watched PBS tv, including the Boston Pops and Live at the Met, because my mother sang opera until she was fired for being married, and expecting a child. In 1965, the men could marry, but the women could not. So, she did local musical theatre, choral groups, etc.
So. In sixth grade I started taking courses half days at the junior high. I was already reading at college level by fifth grade. My parents refused to advance me as well as other parents (there were five of us), so this was the solution. I started Advanced Placement classes in 8th grade, having enough test scores, certificates of completion to test completely out of the first 1.5 years of university. A C in any class was completely unacceptable, punishable, even though I didn’t understand math, nor taught it very well. If someone had explained it as a language, I would’ve understood, as I was already trilingual. I took logic, advanced logic among other things to substitute for many a higher math course. Those classes were easy to me in comparison.
I-started choir school at 4, musical theatre at five,made my stage debut at 6. By 7, I had a schedule as full as most adults I knew, receiving my first calendar to keep bags for events, and due dates straight. Playtime usually only happened at holiday breaks, but with my father’s assistance I played 3-4 sports a year until 8th grade. This also meant I had no friends outside of the ones chosen by my mother. So, usually I was alone on holiday breaks.
With a super extrovert mother, extrovert father, I was not allowed to be anything they didn’t want me to be- including an introvert. Things that might’ve helped my frustration level (drawing, reading in a quiet atmosphere in a room separate from parents,not taking big roles on musical theatre, or choir, occasionally not playing a musical instrument to my utmost best) was not allowed.
My parents were both born in the 1930s and that generation of parenting comes from the Victorian, Edwardian age, in which children were to be seen, not heard,nor offer an opinion, nor ask questions. It’s extremely strict, and strictly controlling. Manipulation, triangulation, domination are tricks of the parenting trade for this generation, learned at the knee of their Victorian or Edwardian born parents.
It was a stifling atmosphere, one filled with all sorts of denial about the reality of many things,including the fact I really needed medical attention, and Ineeded to be tested for Autism, which was brought up to my mother by two teaching friends that thought it would help me do better at university. “How dare you. There is nothing wrong with her.” She literally never spoke to them outside civil greetings again. I learned all this as my mother was placed in care for dementia (which of course all my siblings denied was happening-too late for the drugs that might’ve given her more time). I cannot tell you how angry Iwas for quite a while.
But after I left the anger behind, I was able to see all the things I didn’t understand, didn’t like and why that was. I can’t stand mean girls or bullies. My own mother was a bully and chief manipulator, which I wasn’t able to put words to, comprehend until I was in my forties. I wasn’t able to make a female friend until my mid forties, because I instinctively didn’t want to be at the mercy of another female. I’ve always had plenty of male friends and been blessed with their presence on my life. I’m now 58. Married second time to an introvert, which is such a blessing to me. Books about women and girls with autism started appearing 4-5 years ago, and I am most grateful they exist, so my grand daughter doesn’t have to go through what I went through.
Wow, you have been through a lot. Thank you for sharing your story ❤️. I am sure it will benefit a lot of people. We definitely have a lot we can learn from you. Thank you for being here. ❤️
Very intruiging thanks for informing but can you edit with which of your sons has which combo of disorders. I have 3 sons and they all have different issues. I am curious to find out how to help them.
@@Maderlololohio all three have the ADHD, OCD, ASD level 1. The OCD issues are very different in the older two- one is a horizontal stacker of piles of info, whereas the second son is a minimalist. Third son is least affected of the three sons, but had more going on neurologically until he was 13, and that could be why.
Well you have sure gone through it all. My mom could tell that my son was having problems but didn't say anything as you don't tell moms that something was wrong with their kid. I was trying to be a good parent and not comopare my two sons. My oldest has a high IQ, Knew the entire alphabet by 18 months and then when the youngest hit 18 months and wasn't even talking I knew something was wrong. My peditrician got us hooked up with a school for children. All the time from high school through college whenever I saw a book about children with mental health disorders as well as children that were autistic, but not diagnosed. I took those books in and soaked them up. So when my son was born and I realized that he had problems those books came back to me. I always said that I reached him by going throuch the back door. In other words, what worked for most kids never worked with him. The thing I missed most, is never once did he fall asleep in my arms. 😢
@@cindyloomis-torvi3396 thanks so much
You're doing a Great job! I am a Paraprofessional for a Special Needs class in a middle school and your information is spot on with the experience I've had with Autistic children.
You are so kind, thank you!💜💜
My twin grandsons are autistic. Son and his wife didn't want to hear it. They go to a school for autistic children. I pray that they will do well in life.
Thank you for sharing, we wish you and your family the best!❤️❤️
My daughter had a friend who was autistic. Her mom made sure she took advantage of all the developmental help that was available for her. About a year ago this girl contacted me to tell me she had landed a job in Atlanta for the government. She is doing well.
The importance is, accept the diagnosis and then make sure to get them help. My daughter’s friend has done so well. It has NOT been an easy road, but she has done well enough with it.
its poison
This is a fascinating video and makes me reflect on my only child as a baby, who is Level 2. He only sometimes has a social smile when greeting or farewelling people - other than that and a preference for his preferred topics of conversation - his outwardly signs of Autism are minimal. His inwardly challenges I feel are more apparent and he hides them well, trying to fit in with peers.
Thank you for taking the time to comment!🩷🩷🩷
Thanks for this. My first child had autism (he is now 40yrs old). It was not picked up until he was in his 30s when I looked online and thought, "hey!". How I wish I could have known what it was way back when he was a baby.
Thank you for sharing❤️
Every person with Autism is unique.. sees the world through different eyes/perspective. Such special kids.. love my son dearly 🩵
Thank you for sharing!❤❤
Respect to you. These kids get so much love and patience...hope all parents of special children can be full with love and understanding. Your doing a good thing by sharing your experiences with other people with the same fate.
Thank you for being so kind🩵🩷🩵
Your channel is a blessing. We are having our 22 month old son evaluated next month. I mentioned some of the signs to my pediatrician twice and she brushed me off. We started my son on speech therapy and the therapist recently mentioned if I ever thought that he was autistic, and I was relieved that someone didn’t think I was crazy. My son’s signs reminds me a lot of how you described Simon.
Thank you for sharing. ❤️
If your pediatrician is NOT taking your concerns seriously, please look into finding a new one. Don’t feel like you need to stay with the same one because that’s who’s been seeing your child since birth. Finding the right doctor and professionals is important in getting the ball rolling on early intervention.
I can think of 2 other signs. The first is joint attention. If your baby is sitting in a high chair and they drop their spoon before they have object permanence they don’t know the object still exists. That is typical. However, most babies will look at mom when she says “Oh oh” and she looks down at the object most babies will look where mom is looking (joint attention) this is how babies get important information about the world. Children with Autism do not know to look where others are looking so they miss important information. The second is point following. When dad says, “There’s a puppy. “. And points does the child look where dad is pointing? Children with Autism often do not follow a point. I love the video you made and I love how you love and accept all of your children for who they are!
You are so kind!❤️❤️ Thank you!💜💜
This is a pretty offensive comment. A blanket insult sprinkled with feined empathy at the end. Autistic people are in fact known for their attention to detail. Your perception of our experience sounds extremely dismissive and ableist. Just because you don’t know how to communicate with an autistic child doesn’t mean they are missing important information. Perhaps that is a challenge that you are facing instead.
@@Jaytee1765 the comment is about how autistic children often do not look where someone is pointing or where someone is looking. This is a common observation that has nothing to do with the child's attention to detail. They are just less likely than a neurotypical child to use that method to gain relevant information, particularly at early ages.
While neurotypical babies fixate their gaze on people's faces, especially eyes and mouth, autistic babies often look everywhere equally. Therefore a neurotypical baby will gain more information from someone's face, and an autistic baby will gain more information from everywhere else. A neurotypical baby will usually start following people's gazes to see what they are looking at way earlier than an autistic baby, and some people with autism don't follow gazes even as adults. Both babies can miss out on important info that the other notices or gain the same info in different ways.
@Jaytee1765 depends on the tone you read it in, as well as the mood you may be projecting onto the comment.
I read the comment and thought, "wow, more signs to look for!"
I then read your comment and thought, "did I miss something?"
So I read the comment again, and I stay solid on my opinion. You are in a mood to perceive things in a negative light.
I know what a real insult is like, as one who has received and given them it, and to call this comment offensive feels like you're reaching. No offense.
@@Jaytee1765 Autistic people are not known for their attention to details pertaining to facial expressions, body language and voice inflections. Whether you want to allow it or not, parents do have important information to communicate and teach to their offspring that they specifically communicate through facial expressions, verbal tone and body language. It is in a parent's job description and part of the reason children have parents in the first place, i.e to love and protect them first and foremost, but also to teach them and introduce them and get them ready for the world. Thankfully we have all kinds of therapies now to aid parents in doing their job in imparting information to their autistic children. Still one of my best friends growing up had an autistic child (non-verbal till he was 9) who grew up without all those therapies and he became a successful engineer anyway. However he had more to overcome than this generation of children who are growing up with more therapy options, and more community support as well. With growing numbers means a growing voice and even more important than that a sense of belonging. It has never been a better time to be autistic or to love someone more than life who is autistic.
Also education isn't a race. There is no finish line. The "important information" the child may be missing that day, he or she will learn another day.
I think a common sign of autism in babies is severe reflux/spitting up/GERD and digestive issues/constipation. My son (almost 7 now) excessively spit up for a solid 7 months. He also had ongoing, sometimes severe constipation. MANY years after the spitting up stopped and we finally found the perfect blend of things to keep his bowels moving, I took a free webinar on feeding challenges with kids on the spectrum. The doctor explained that kids on the spectrum can have low smooth muscle tone (stomach and bowel included!!) and frequently have GI issues! I was like 🤯 woah!!
Thank you for sharing. That was true for Ezra. And both Simon and Ezra don’t do well with Gluten, so they are gluten free.
Interesting. Might be, but not necessarilly, sometimes reflux goes away without any other comorbidity. All my children have had severe reflux and even longer than 1 year 🙄🥺
God Bless you! My neighbor has two sons that are autistic. The younger son is severe (non-verbal) and not allowed out on his own-their house is like Fort Knox! The older son, is not that bad-his Mother thinks he’s seeking attention with his actions. Over the years, I have volunteered for the couple to go out for dinner and I would sit with the boys, they always turn me down. They will tell me when they go away because their older son doesn’t want to go.
That is very kind of you to be willing to help out
Soo many adults are autistic to varying degrees, without knowing it. Your video and everyone's comments are very helpful. It pains me to think how being so unaware of the autistic person's experiences have led us as a society to define neurotypical as normal for so long, forcing so many to mask their nature and suffer in silence... Just recognizing the fact that we may not know which adults may be autistic and what they may be going through, it behoves us all to be much more tolerant, empathic and forgiving of what we consider "rude", "awkward", "temperamental" or "indifferent" behavior in others. Perhaps we could bring to mind people who have come across as such, and make an extra effort to be kind to them. We have to be the change we want to see... Thanks again for a very enlightening video and comments.
Thank you for this insightful and thoughtful comment! We appreciate your thoughts. And I agree with everything you said. I couldn’t have said it better.
This is an amazing video. I now have grandchildren and autism has always been a background fear. This video took a lot of the fear away. Thank you ❤
Thank you so much for sharing. ❤️
Socially awkward is not a negative its intellectual caution …a protective instinct in highly intuitive/ intelligent people
Thank you for commenting!❤️❤️❤️
Not always responding when someone tried to get my attention was (I have been told) the reason why my hearing was tested by a specialist when I was about nine or ten years old (third or fourth grade). Apparently in class my teacher or teacher’s aide would call my name or try to get my attention and I wouldn’t always notice it.
When my hearing was tested it was actually found to be better than average. Because my parents were not told that my reason for not responding was autism-related (even though I was first diagnosed shortly after my two-year checkup) they thought (and told me) that I was trying to make them worry (and that it was “not very nice to do that”) and that this was obviously just my way of trying to be the center of attention.
In actuality I was not trying to be the center of attention at all and (despite what some people in my family alleged) it was not “a sibling rivalry thing”.
I could go into more detail but this probably conveys the basic idea.
Yes! Thank you for sharing
It is so good for people to hear your side of the story, most people just really don’t get it or understand.
My baby wouldn’t giggle. She never giggled. She would smile, but it wouldn’t come out. She also would starve if I didn’t feed her. She wouldn’t cry or ask for food. I feel bad now knowing she has autism. So many things I didn’t know till she was 3 and diagnosed. My poor munchkin❤
Thank you for sharing with us!❤❤
You are a strong mother. Thank you for sharing the knowledge. God bless you & your kids
You are so welcome!💜💜💜
My daughter passed from a disease that took all of our attention . It has only b been since her passing that I realized she may have been mildly autistic, as well. She was one as an infant who only really cried if she needed something and was content on her own in the playpen or whatever. She couldn’t handle, though, even as a very young baby, sleeping anywhere other than her own crib. My mom had planned to babysit at her home at times, but she could never sleep over there, so Mom came to our house. She didn’t really ever even sleep in a stroller or car seat like most will. She was also very fearful of new faces and cried if a friend or other unfamiliar face came near. Then, when she was 6, she was diagnosed with Selective Mutism. She was bright, but obsessed about getting her school work perfect and also obsessed about a few other things as well as having a lot of anxiety. So I just don’t know, but your video makes me feel like she could have been, and I have heard SM can occur in autism.
Thank you for sharing your story. ❤️. Sorry to hear about your loss. Yes, it does sound like she may have had autism possibly. Thanks for watching and commenting. ❤️ keep in touch and let us know if there’s anything we can do to help out.
5:19 5:19 @@7Aheadfamily
First, I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine going through that. Second, I think you are probably correct. Neuro-divergent girls often go undiagnosed because things like autism and ADHD look different in girls. Your daughter sounds like she had a lot of the traits associated with autism. My friend's daughter has selective mutism and was diagnosed with autism closer to 10 years old. She also has cystic fibrosis, so I think that was always the bigger focus.
My older son (autism level 1 diagnosis) focused intently on my mouth instead of my eyes. He was always watching my mouth when I spoke. When he was three months old, he said “hello.” He had no clue what he was doing, of course, but he was mimicking what we constantly said to him, same inflection and everything. At 16 months, I have him on camera saying a full sentence. He said, “Daddy’s changing my diaper.” And his dad really was changing his diaper. So, precocious language development can even be a sign, especially if your baby’s first intense special interest happens to be the spoken word.
Thank you for sharing💕💕
I wish my autistic son didn’t cry. He cried non stop the first 2 years of his life and barely slept. He needed to be held constantly and would scream immediately if we put him down. We finally decided to cosleep with him which allowed us to get our sanity back. He finally slept (not great, but better), because he felt comforted touching one of us at night.
Kids without fully conversational communication often cry because they don't have the ability to tell you exactly what the problem is. They might even be talking at that point, but they can't tell you what the problem is with their words. Hope this helps❤️
@@7AheadfamilyI agree. We realized that when he started crawling, walking and talking he cried less because he felt he could express himself. He hated going to sleep because it seemed that he didn’t want to miss out on anything. He hated the stroller and the car because they made him sleepy. Thankfully he’s a teenager now and finally enjoys sleeping! 💤
God bless you and your love, patience and understanding.
One of my kids is on the spectrum and he would scream and cry for hours, every single day until he was about 4. If we talked to him, touched him, looked at him, anything, it made the screaming worse. He hated to be hugged or cuddled. Now that he's 9, he likes massages (especially his hands or back) and hugs/cuddles, but on his terms.
Just curious, any difference in deliveries with your neurotypical and autistic kids? I have an autistic son and his delivery was rough so I’m just curious
My son is autistic and he is a very smart young man today.
I gave him autism when i was pregnant with him and did not know it until years down the road. I will always blame myself for his autism.
How did you give him Autism?
I was married to a man with undiagnosed autism. He absolutely did not want to be touched, except for a few minutes during sex. “Don’t touch me.” In our first weeks of marriage, he hit me if I touched him when he wasn’t expecting it. It is important to get an early diagnosis and some intervention! Maybe he could have had a happier life if he’d had a diagnosis early.
Thank you for watching and commenting
@@7Aheadfamily --- I think most of autism is a scam; big money and people like the woman here whose entire life is autism. I also notice most of these autism victems are white and live in really nice homes. Study these vids for facts and don't just except
He sounded like an abuser 😡
Excellent information. I have 2 grandchildren on the autism spectrum and can identify with these signs of autism. Thank you so much for your videos.
We are so glad they were helpful!💕💕
I have to share the relatable feeling that I had when you mentioned minimum-holding. My youngest is 18 months, and she was nursed until 9 months. I had to prop her in blankets and pillows with minimum contact. It was like a Nursing Shrine 😂.
As an Autistic mom with Autistic children, it has been challenging, but always exciting and happy.
I find their social quirks so unique and beautiful.
Thank you for sharing this. Unique is beautiful
My concern is a 73 year old autistic spouse. I realised 7 years ago. Life is so hard.
Sorry to hear about your struggles. There are many challenges that come with autism, but the more we learn the more we can help. Let us know anything we can do to help you. ❤️
@@7Aheadfamily I should buy the book.
@@7Aheadfamily the biggest challenge is that he does not realise how hurtful his comments are. 😢 he has no idea why I am so angry
Have you tried to talk to him about it?
@@7Aheadfamily yes. It caused a major word fight
I have autism and my life as a kid was shy kind of unsocializing but I learned how to cope better in my thirties than any younger.
Thank you for sharing!💕
Your autistic kids are in good company!
They are lucky to have you as a mama! And just in case you don't hear it enough you're doing a great job and your an amazing mom! They look so well taking care of.
Very interesting, so many signs I wish I had been aware of and looking back some were there. My son was my first child, he's now 29 and only last year he discovered that he's autistic with a cross over of ADHD. In hindsight this now makes sense and as his mother I feel bad for not realising this sooner, always thought he was a little different. He's done very well career wise, but it's entwined with his passion and longest fixation of transport, planes, buses and boats and I couldn't be more proud! 😊
That is so awesome that your son has been able to progress so well!❤️❤️❤️
Thanks for sharing your family's story and this very valuable information with the world! 🤝
Thank you so much for sharing. ❤️
I feel a cold chill to my core watching this video! I was a late diagnose in my late 50s (not ADOS; but RITVO). & yet I relate to so much in this video! I wonder if I’m actually on the ADOS scale; but didn’t present because I’ve learned to mask. wow!
Thanks for sharing!❤️❤️
😒😒🙄
Yall are seriously ridiculous
I came across a wonderful doctor for my son. Simply detoxing him very gently over a year significantly helped preety much all his issues.
Can you explain the detoxing process? Does it have to do with diet and metals in food?
I don't have autism and don't know anyone who has autism in my environment, but I think your video is very valuable to people who have to deal with it ❤ (either they are autistic themselve or have someone who is autistic).
That's the hope that people will be able to learn and grow with our videos❤️
It's around 5% of the population, so many people have learnt to mask
That was quite a dangerous mountain walk! Thank God you are all safe
that too with 5 kids !!! what to say and 2 with autism
Looking back at my daughter's earlier development, she would scream and cry in the back seat and was completely inconsolable until about 7 or 8 months old. Even if I would be talking to her or reaching back to hold her hand. Until she was face to face with you she was crying. And she isn't startled at all by loud noises and doesn't respond if I'm calling her name or trying to get her attention. She constantly meeded to be held or feel someones warmth, but hatedls blankets. What really caught my attention was lack of gesturing and pointing. She only learned to raise her hands to be picked up because it was something she was taught early on. I'm thankful we have received her diagnosis and are now able to start the journey to seeing how we can support her with any of her needs. She's 2 years old now and we just received the diagnosis a few weeks ago
Thank you for sharing ❤️. We’re here for you! Sounds like you are getting the help you need and will be a great advocate for your daughter.
Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help out!
As a speech-language pathologist, I saw this disorder increase exponentially over the decades. So I wondered why? Then I took a job in healthcare PR, and that began my path towards learning why. But I'd rather hear what others think.
Great question. Thanks for opening up for some interesting and helpful conversation.
Both my kids were different, but my son was perfectly normal until after a round of vaccines as a toddler. He cried as an infant, smiled, etc. As a toddler my mother who was a school nurse at that time noted the loss of words soon after a round of vaccines and also stated he was having absence seizures. I couldn't accept what she was saying for quite a while. Eye contact became difficult in school. Now he is very social and can make eye contact as a 32 yr old and has/wants more friends. Daughter had a serious infection as an infant, didn't cry as much, but both kids loved hugs and smiled. She doesn't have friends and I have to ask for hugs now. Son always hugs. Both were considered as having ADD/ADHD and later got the "Asperger" diagnosis. Nothing was evident when they were infants. My mother spent some of her time in special ed and never noticed anything either until my son lost a lot of speech.
Good video! Seeing her children can help a parent see what's typical and what is not.
I appreciate your kind words! It means a lot.
My 7 yr old grandaughter was finally diagnosed with autism, we've been trying to get her diagnosed for a long time. Another couple of signs you didn't mention are: walking on tippy toes constantly and being hyper focused on things to the point of looking like OCD.
Yeah, thank you so much for sharing. ❤❤❤
449 months, and I still haven't learned to social-smile. 😂
😂😂
Right. 😊
669 months can't Social smile, hate eye contact, hate being touched!
I have realised the possibilities of autos! Sloop where do I get help?
Know that you’re in good company and we are here for you. ❤️ I would start by getting him checked out by a professional. Are you in The United States?
Here are some videos about what to expect in the diagnosis process…
Demystifying Autism Evaluation: What to Expect
ua-cam.com/video/Ki3c1nUJw6g/v-deo.html
Unlocking the Mystery | How Early Can You Diagnose Autism?
ua-cam.com/video/24qOsvhJl4s/v-deo.html
Crucial Reasons to Diagnose Autism at an Early Age
ua-cam.com/video/kzDrYlokPHQ/v-deo.html
Does my child have Autism Quiz (Explained)
ua-cam.com/video/lTEhhw_Yl9w/v-deo.html
My Child has Autism. Now What?
ua-cam.com/video/ka7dVqGs-cI/v-deo.html
This actually helped me a lot! I've always wondered what neurotypicals are expecting and this is a like a cheat sheet video! Thanks for bridging these gaps in such a pleasant way!
So glad our videos have been helpful to you!😊😊
Great video which I’m sure will help many parents. The sooner you know, the better opportunities for maximizing every child’s potential. My 38 year old son had all these signs, but as a firstborn, it was not easy to pick up on differences. But now I know the signs were there from the few weeks of birth. It was so tough that even pediatricians at that time had no clue what the signs are or how to diagnose autism.
Thank you for watching and commenting💜😊💜
Thank you very much, this video will be of an enormous help for families, God bless darling!
You are so welcome!
The first thing I thought about my grand daughter is how amazingly easy she was. I am finding out she is autistic....starting off with speech delay.
Thank you for sharing ❤️. Yes, that was definitely Ezra in the beginning.
My son was like that, too. He hardly ever cried, when he did cry it was because he wanted to be held. But I could have forgotten to feed him and he wouldn’t cry. He didn’t cry when he was born either. I was so worried. He is my only child, and we used fertility treatments to have him so my family said that he was fine just spoiled…. He is 13 now and the BEST kid I could have ever dreamed for! Middle school is kind of rough for him, though. 🤪
My son and daughter both have autism and had a lot of the signs you shared when they were babies. Another one I would add as a sign is excessive crying.
My youngest son at first did the dada and mama, then he completely stopped talking or even making noises. At the age of3 one day he said vegetables. He now works for Google.
@@cindyhoomalu1566middle school is rough on every kid! You’re doing a great job!
Hey there.Thank you for this video. I do not have an autistic child myself, however my sons are in their early 20's so they're approaching the age of becoming parents themselves within a few years. Your video came across my feed and I fig this would be great to raise my awareness to notice any possible signs in my future grand babies.
Also, with so many diagnosis of the spectrum I've been interested in learning more about autism just so that I'll understand the proper interactions and what they're comfortable with and uncomfortable with that way if I happen to be chatting with someone that's on the spectrum when Im out and about around our community I'll understand how to make sure they feel at ease during our interaction.
I really found your video to be very informative and you are just lovely. You have a kindness that radiates from you. Much respect for your position as a mother raising 5 children just in itself.Lol you're a rockstar! But also having 2 of them with autism I can imagine that you are a very busy Mama. God Bless You. It's very heartwarming to see someone really enjoying motherhood. Our babies are the most precious treasure we'll ever be blessed with. I subbed to your channel and look forward to watching your videos. You have a beautiful family, I appreciate you sharing your insight.
You are so kind! Thank you so much for taking the time to write our such a heartfelt comment!❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thankyou for this video. I had a very hard time with my second baby. He failed his hearing test when he was born. I had to take him back the second time and they said he was ripping the patches off of his head screaming! ( at 2 days old!!) He passed. He was angry from the second he was born. I was never able to set him down for two seconds. I would have him on the kitchen counter in one of those little lean back boucny chairs as i was cleaning or cooking. My whole family would be there and it would just be a normal loud italian houshold with people walking about, but he would round his fists angrily like babies do and scan my every move making grunting noises and crying until I picked him up. This was constant and then when I would try to give him back or tummy time he was even angrier. He hated every single toy and he would look frustrated and squeeze it and cry. Forget if it made a song or a noise because that was even worse! When he could finally sit up, He hated toys even worse because if he had to fit a shape into a hole and he couldnt do it immidiatley? It was curtains for him!! I will add more to this later if anyone is interested but I have to pick up a family member. Much more to say
Wow! That is difficult as a mother to have such an angry baby. Is there anything he likes, or that calms him down?
Wow, that’s so fascinating. I learned something today and both my sons are 34 and 21 with severe autism.
So glad to have you here!
Thanks for watching and commenting! I am sure we could learn a lot from you!
My son is 33. He NEVER slept like a typical baby or child.
I could hold him but he never wrapped his legs or arms around me.
He is still the center of my life. He cannot be independent. He used to run & bolt. I was terrified he would get hit by a car if I couldn’t catch him.
While he was in school, I would go into the forest preserves & run 5-8 miles just to maintain cardio fitness so I could run after him. Very Scary!
He stopped running around 17-18. Thank God…
He still loves caves & culvert systems so we still need to be careful.
We have been financial over achievers because we worry what will happen when we are no longer here.
Plus We have an older daughter, and though she loves him, i cannot ever expect her to sacrifice her life to care for him. So of course, I still stress about it. I try not to but it’s a stress regular people will NEVER understand
I used to do the thing with spinning the wheel of a toy car that you describe. It was only by about age nine or ten (a little older than Ezra’s current age) that I started playing with toy cars in a more conventional manner (and even then my parents had to teach me how to do this).
Thank you for sharing ❤️. Yeah we’re still trying to help Ezra play with cars in a more traditional way. 😊
My son loved playing with wheels and watching them. Now he is 23 and is obsessed with cars. He used to take them to bed.
He never liked being handled as a baby, which saddened his daddy very much. I deliberately handled him even he cried. A great day came when aged 8 he gave his granny a hug for the first time.
That is sweet.🤗
Thanks for sharing ❤️
@@7Aheadfamily y u tryin to help him wit tht
Sounds like my son as a baby. Hated breast feeding, hated being held but did want you there in the room. I thought him pointing at things meant he didn't have autism but he never looked at me then pointed then looked back which I now know is a sign.
My son was never interested into other babies or toddlers.
He talked early and had a complex vocabulary with an amazing memory, again now I know they can be early signs.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share!❤️🩷
Glad someone mentioned pointing. Not pointing at things is a big sign!
When I was younger (e.g. three and under) I would cry if I was hungry or needed to be changed or if I was in extreme pain (for example if I had a severe ear infection), but that was about it (based both on what I remember and what family members have told me).
Yeah, that sounds very similar to Ezra.
Wow..a lots of things you said are so true..my son is 21 years old who, has Austin didn't walk or talk until 8 years and he still look anyone in the eyes or dont like hug and kisses...I worked very hard with him and so proud to say he in 2nd year of college at the moment 😂
Thank you for sharing!🩷🩷 We appreciate you!🩵🩵
Thank you for blessing us with information and your loving leadership.
You are so kind, thank you!🩷😊🩷
Thank you. Diagnosed late late F age 58 😩 Makes so much sense if purposely look back and somehow note the “particulars”
Thank you for watching and commenting!💕💕
Hey 7ahead. Thank you for posting this information. It really helps the community. We really want ppl to understand us and youre really helping us accomplish that. Thanks guys.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
We appreciate it, and are glad that it’s helpful. 😊
The Autism "levels" you mention in the video, are new to me. My son is 25 and during all these years I had never heard of it.
Thank you for sharing❤
Would you like to know more about them?💕
Oh my! My son is 2, and i already raised my concerns with the pediatrician, so we starting the process! I would add the head banging on the pillow, tight swaddle as a baby. As a toddler my son is expressing with vocals. Like aaaahahaa( when is happy), iiiiiiii!(when is upset)and so on. Spinning ( and not even getting dizzy). My sun love to jump and roll over. He also at only 2 years can stay on his head with straight legs up on the wall. My son is also good with balancing ( balancing in my hands like acrobatic style). He loves the bright colourful lights and hates to touch the fur of our dogs. He plays with them, but not touching them. 8s not interested in toddler songs or lullaby. He doesn't wear anything on his head and has interrupted sleep ( due to lack of melatonin, I guess).
My son bubbled at around 1 year old, said mama and dada soon after and then stopped. I, now I think that mama and dada was bubble sounds as they were not directed at us.
He doesn't play pretent or imitates gestures. Not waving goodbye or clapping.
Thank you for the educational and supportive video.
Thank you for sharing!❤❤
Oh my gosh! This is awesome! I only wish you'd been around when my kids were babies. I have two boys, twenty-one and twenty-two, both diagnosed with autism, the first lower functioning that the second, so in comparison, I didn't think my younger son could be on the spectrum. I wish both boys could have been diagnosed earlier. Before I had a nervous breakdown. Very few practitioners recognized autism back then, and I was seriously looking for guidance.
I think what you're doing is so important, and I hope that your work makes it to an even larger audience!
Thank you so much for sharing!❤️ You're so sweet.
❤❤ I do honestly love you guys to pieces ....you are such a lovely mum and it does really make me smile when I hear that you don't force Ezra to behave any differently than he wants to or to do anything socially expected of him that he dosent feel comfortable with...that you respect his autonomy to play how he wants....*tears up* 😢 honestly touched I wish so badly I had a mum like you when I was younger. ❤ Thank you so much for being my virtual family even though you don't know that I have adopted you 😅 watching you guys always induces happy rocking stims 😊
Also interesting that I was told it wasn't so obvious when I was little apart from the refusal to talk but literally every single point you make in this I can basically remember, even very very young I have a weirdly visually structured memory of things that children don't normally remember
Thank you so much for sharing that. ❤️ We’re happy to adopt you as well. ❤️ Thanks for watching and commenting ❤️.
@@7Aheadfamily *tears up* you have no idea how much that sentence meant to me.
Anytime! So, glad to have you on our journey together.
My upside down family; several (6 out of 15 adults have been recently diagnosed with varying degrees of autism. Two more are awaiting testing) . The youngest at 7 is brilliant and reading at a college level; he has not been evaluated yet. We are still waiting on his referral. I'm not complaining. We are a crazy fun group.
Thank you so much for sharing. ❤️
I’m well into my 40s and I still need to consciously remember to make eye contact.
Thank you for sharing ❤️
Yeah, I’ve heard that that is not an easy thing for many to learn.
That could be a trauma response as well.
@@sarahdunn9498 It can be for some people, but if you mean emotional and/or psychological trauma that’s already been ruled out in my case as a cause of this after seeing a psychologist and having psychological testing performed when I was in High School.
However, in my case a different type of trauma is at play in addition to being on the spectrum. I was born prematurely and had a stroke on the right side of my brain when I was born. This often produces autism-like symptoms.
The effects of this were still visible on two separate trans-cranial ultrasounds between twenty-five and thirty years after I was born.
❤️❤️❤️
As an educator, I thank you for this video. Many parents think some behaviors are cute or they simply do not know there is an issue. Others feel there might be an issue and are afraid to have their fear confirmed. I believe that knowledge and early intervention is so important. As an infant, my nephew did not track with his eyes and did not react to anyone's voice. His milestone for walking was delayed and he never crawled like most children. He did a bear walk and never touched his knees to the floor. He demonstrated obsessive-compulsive behaviors such as repeatedly opening and closing kitchen cabinets. Then he began crying spells when in unfamiliar places. He does not respond when spoken to but will repeat a simple word or phrase constantly.
Thank you for watching and sharing!❤️❤️❤️
My grand baby didn't show much emotion and lack of eye contact and response She slept all through the night. But was behind in walking , talking and other skills. She only wanted books learned to read very early and have us label everything. . She sang nursery rhymes before she could actually communicate. She also had fear of unusual things . She started a tick movement in the neck about 10 months by 18 months. She did several stims. When she did learn how to walk. ..She turned her body for hugs and started having problems with certain sounds.
Thank you for sharing ❤️. Yes, many of those things sound very familiar ❤️
I didn't have an autistic child but, I have followed channels of people who have autistic children for years. I recognize signs of autism in children I meet or see in public.
Thank you for sharing❤️
Great information! Thanks so much for sharing all the things you’ve learned with your children!
Our pleasure!😊😊😊
Thank you for the information you are helping a lot of people with information. One possibility of a sign might be When a baby is fixated on a moving ceiling fan, staring for long periods of time not paying attention to anything else…just something I’ve noticed
Great idea!🩵🩵🩵
Such a wonderful and helpful video, super helpful to have visuals as you were explaining…
Of course!💜💜 Thank you for watching!❤️❤️
My autistic son is now 49. The one thing not mentioned is the meltdowns. From age 2 any frustration would often lead to a meltdown. As an infant he didn’t like to be held. Many of the other signs mentioned could apply to my son as well. Very good information.
Thank you so much for sharing😊
@@7AheadfamilyYes I Know it is 2024 Now But May i ask u Something What? How Can u tell if someone Suffer From Actual Syndrome Not Autism? Because I Am Having Issues With Telling due to my conditions And also how Come the name “Mark” Is Usally For Kids with No Autism I Don’t get it Why is everybody naming autistic kids simon , Raymond and If a parent is having a future Baby They need to make sure if there having an autistic child They have to d make sure it comes out autistic right? like if A baby was gonna be autistic but failed test?
Wow this is spot on. I hope you can keep updating on how your kids develop.
We release new videos almost every week!😊😊
I found myself nodding my head through all of these. My son, who is now 20, exhibited most of these signs. He was diagnosed with Asperger's a few weeks before he turned 4 (which I understand, they don't call it Asperger's anymore). He was my first child, so I had no real comparison at the time. He was a colicky baby, and I was forever trying to soothe him. One day, when I was at my wit's end and exhausted, I decided just to lay him in his crib and go take a break. Within minutes he was silent, so I panicked and ran into his room, which startled him. I began to realize he DIDN'T want to be held. I was annoying him when I was trying to soothe him. He also didn't seem to react to my voice or seeing me. He was very content to do his own thing. When I called his name or made a noise, if he wasn't looking at me, he wouldn't turn to me. He wouldn't react to things you would expect a reaction from. When he was about a year old, I gave him a slice of lemon to get that classic sour face photo: nothing. He made no face and continued to eat the lemon. He always rubbed his face with a blanket. His cheeks would get so chapped! I don't remember him babbling either. He did talk on time, but seemed to have skipped the babbling (other than kind of humming to himself when he was going to sleep). Also, he never had the "stranger danger" phase that most babies go through. He'd go to anybody and never checked or seemed to care if I was still there. He didn't look for me nor was he excited to see me when I returned (if I left him with a sitter). I think this is a sign you missed in your video, or maybe this isn't all kids with autism.
Yeah not all autistic kids are like that.
Oh I loved lining up my toys .
Thank you for sharing!😊😊😊
It takes lot of courage to share a journey like this ,it is quite benificial for me as a wellness coach to understand.
Thank you!😊❤
I haven’t watched one of these videos in a long while. In my daughters infancy I watched them constantly. On any channel I could find. She is 3 now and I’m not sure why I watched this one, but I decided to pop on the comments here to add my experience with what I thought was autism- but wasn’t.
So many of the signs/occurrences/or tells, that I see talked about in these videos lined up with what my baby did. And that is lack of bonding. Slow bonding, or lack of attachment.
I could write a whole novel here about my experience, for I have much passion regarding the topic, but I’ll try to leave it short. My baby and I didn’t fully connect until she was around 11 months old. Many of the things I saw in her that worried me looked like autism, but all stemmed from a lack of proper attachment, or attachment on a typical timeline.
Just in case there’s another mother out there struggling with this, I wanted to shed hope that with time, you and your baby may be as lucky as me and mine were and become one. Connected, in love, and stronger than ever.
That is fantastic that you and your daughter are so close!❤️😊❤️
Curious about other inputs. Breast fed babies? What were their vaccine schedules? Diet of you (mother) during pregnancy and then diet during breast feeding?
In photos of me as a baby and toddler, I never look directly at the camera, you couldn't get me to look at the camera, I seem to be somewhere off in my own world as you point out in the video with Ezra. Looking directly at the camera was something I had to learn to do that neurotypicals just seem to do naturally. Once I learned to "Smile for the camera!" I followed that "rule" but it took until I was in my teens for my smile to be natural 🤣Sometimes it just takes longer for us to hit certain milestones and some we might never hit, but to anyone with an autistic child, even though they may seem far behind their peers now, we do catch up eventually in a lot of areas with the right kind of support!
I’m well into my 40s and I’m still not good at this.
Thank you so much for sharing that Victor . Appreciate your comments and support ❤️.
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My son Jason is now 24 years old and has level 3 autism. Looking back, we saw so many of these signs when he was a baby. Some additional things seen: He would push away from us when held, had unexplained "shivers", played in isolation, visual perception and balance issues such as having trouble not running into door frames, lots of spinning, and was fascinated with opening and closing kitchen cabinet doors. He also played with toys in unusual ways like you mentioned. Even though he could read letters off shirts at 15 months, language use for communication is still a struggle as he is limited verbal to this day. The hand flapping was the most noticeable sign to me of autism, which wasn't until he was a little older. That's when we knew for sure.
Thank you for sharing with us!❤❤
Omg the quiet baby thing I didn't know this was a thing, I very rarely cried even when I was hurt or wanted something 😅 I had no idea this was linked
Yeah, it definitely can be. That was for sure Ezra .
@@Ash-gj2lf yeah sounds exactly like me I once hit my head so hard on something it was bleeding and needed stitches falling down stairs , the doctors thought I had concussion because I didn't cry or seem to care in the slightest 😅 only lost my mind when I touched my head and put my fingers in blood
My kids just bounced off things and rarely cried about anything, youngest still doesn't
My son was late to speak, wide awake constantly as a newborn, and never really cried.. he stared at his cars for hours.. he was kind of an angel.
My daughter cried a lot, I thought she had colic at first, hated being held, and she's still kind of aggressive, and socially very quirky. She didn't smile at me for a long time. She gets fixed and obsessed with one or two things for a long time. Right now it's axolotls and unicorns and rainbows.. but everything has to be that.. or she'll get upset.
My 18yr old son is high functioning on the spectrum. You will never get a smile, socially or otherwise😂 I don’t push socialization because I actually don’t like socializing. I fake it but I can’t stand people🤦🏽♀️😂😂😂
We appreciate you taking the time to share and comment!🩵🩵
My daughter was called a "classic" one, when I showed her to a Neurologist 8 years ago. She is 9 now and is able to go to a "normal" school, but the older she gets the more dominant it is to see how she still struggles in social situations. She either whispers when she is speaking ( to us) or she has a very loud voice when she plays with friends. She also gets easily mad when she doesn't understand rules of a game they have just "invented" for example. A correction to unwanted behavior of her through words can ends up in her walking away with stomping feet. Every time.She doesnt seem to get it when she did something wrong and she doesnt seem to really understand what dangerous is - even though she can point the finger at unwanted behavior of others. She knows exactly what is wrong or wright, yet when it comes to herself it seems not to fit their autistic "bubble". She never liked to be touched really, it never got better so far. I can speak to her and she doesn't even hear me until I ask her direct if she could pay attention to what I say. She cried so much as a baby, couldnt be happy with a pacifier, couldnt be happy with a finger to suck on also. I find it very hard to accept, and maybe I still do, that Autism makes the ones I love the most so "untouchable" and hard to communicate or even play with. I find it hard to watch her being content with herself alone and her "electronic devices". I find it hard that I can not cuddle her. I know too much then to be content with this. A child needs to feel the touch and love of their parents. It is painful to not be able to do so. Not for me, but I think SHE NEEDS TO FEEL A LOVING TOUCH. Everybody does.
Thank you for sharing your story!❤❤ We appreciate you!💕💕
And again... Forgot this. I'm sorry I wrote so much. My child was the easiest baby ever. She never cried over anything. Only if hungry. Didn't cry over dirty diapers or anything else. Didn't like being held. But at age 3 she started horrible tantrums. She would easily cry for hours. Also would get upset over normal easy things other kids wouldn't think about. She's not diagnosed but I've always wondered. She does have adhd so could just be from that.
She quit napping by age maybe 15 months?? Likely the adhd
Yeah, that sounds fairly similar to Ezra.
Yeah, that sounds right
Ok joining in.
Son was dx at 12 1/2. No family would hear of autism nor could they see in the same lens as me.
But- yes temper tantrums (meltdowns) began at three and lasted through five.
I’m only going to share this one story-
He was 5. I told him to pick up his soda can and take it to the kitchen . He fell apart like you would not believe. Banging his head on the stairs- shrieking… crying. I bring this up because he had a school diagnosis at at age 15 1/2. Level 2 needing supports. But his comprehension for verbal commands was tested at age 4 years/ 8 months.
He was 15, verbal command recognition was Age 4.
I flashed back to the soda can day and realized I was essentially giving commands to an infant.
If an urgent care doctor had not seen him for an illness at age 12, when it all went south- he might have never been dx.
He is now 24- lives at home. Has fibromyalgia amongst a host of other dx.
He quit all naps at 2.
My son had following signs (actually same as yours).
-no response on ur voice
-always had 1 favorite toy.
-never eye contact
-staring a lot (to the ceiling ot something like that).
-2 and half years still didnt had his first words spoken.
-always want same tv program, and get really mad if cant watch tv.
Thank you for sharing💕
Thank you for the subtle differences between level 1 and level 3
So glad that it was helpful!🥳🩷
Autism is a spectrum there aren't "levels"
The levels indicate how much support a person needs and those levels can change through out a person’s life.