New apartment, early signs of autism; stimming and toe walking

[scroses1]

Well, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Your son seems to be doing well, has he been progressing since 21/2?

[TheRealVenna]

@scroses1 Of course he has progressed. Autism is developmental delay, not stasis. even without therapy he would eventually progress on his own, though he may be behind in many things for life without the therapy. Even though this video was posted in February this year, it was taken a couple of years earlier. In the video he was a year and a half. He is four and a half now. Do I know what causes autism? No and neither does anyone else. anyone who says otherwise is being silly.

[scroses1]

So you believe in a largely genetic basis for the increase in autism in developing countries. Or maybe just for your son? I misunderstood your posts about what you considered his "normal" behavior as a baby to "early autistic behavior" around 18 months. I believe in a largely environmental/medical basis for ASD, so I like to ask mothers what their observations have been especially concernning onset of symptoms and regression since obviously they have the most insight.

[TheRealVenna]

@scroses1 Since I had five children (three of them boys) prior to Viktor, I was quite aware of what is 'normal' behavior and what is abnormal. He was always more challenging then any of my other children as babies, sleeping difficulties, seemed to be irritated or sensitive to the very air around him, and he did have some regression which started about 14 months and continued until about 2.5 before his 'symptoms' became undeniable. I don't believe there is anything 'medical' that causes autism.

[scroses1]

Did you notice sleep disturbances before or after the autism symptoms?

[TheRealVenna]

@scroses1 He's had sleep issues since birth and that doesn't really mean it was before or after autism symptoms since he has had many of them since birth also. Obviously there are some autism symptoms that don't manifest until a child should begin developing language and social skills, and he did have some regression in his skills also. The sleep issues were just part of the whole bundle.

[scroses1]

Does your child grind his teeth at night? Have you noticed any abnormal sleep patterns or signs of sleep disturbance? PLEASE RESPOND.

[TheRealVenna]

@scroses1 Sorry it took so long to respond. Someone flagged this as spam and I didn't see it until now. I've not noticed that he grinds his teeth in his sleep. If I'm in the room with him, he doesn't sleep. But yes, he has sleep disturbances, and always has. He's a VERY light sleeper so when he's asleep, we have to be ninjas. When I put him down to bed at night, it's usually at least 30 minutes before I don't hear him playing and I know he's verging on sleep.

[scroses1]

@TheRealVenna, Most sleep disturbances are caused by respiratory disturbances. Has he had a sleep study? Sleep is EXTREMELY important in children his age for learning and development. I asked about the grinding because I'm a dentist and a higher than average number of children with developmental disorders grind their teeth. Grinding is a CNS mediated reflex to open the airway and is preceded by a respiratory disturbance.

[TheRealVenna]

@scroses1 The only time I've ever heard him grind his teeth was when he was first getting them 4 - 5 months of age. I can't tell you if he does when he's sleeping because I can't be in the same room with him when he sleeps as he won't sleep. He hasn't ever had a sleep study done, he's only 4 years old. Since sleep issues are common in children with autism, it has been suggested by his developmental pediatrician to try small amounts of melatonin prior to bed.