Early Signs of autism- stacking blocks, no eye contact

Here is Jade stacking blocks at 20 mos, 3 weeks before we discover she is autistic.

Note the absence of eye contact, and lack of sharing her achievement with me, although I am very vocal, and seated right next to Jade. These are critical early signs of autism. Jade never lined things up, as some children with autism do, she enjoys stacking objects. Notice how Jade must continue to build, even while upset that her tower falls. At the end, she plays a song on a toy, the same song she would play each time she had successfully completed her tower. Each time, she would stand back, and stare at it, while the song played, (this is adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals, another early sign of autism) but not once, did Jade ever "show" me her tower.

At the time, I had thought she simply inherited her daddy's superior engineering skills (which she has).

Interestingly, in many studies by Simon Baron Cohen, researcher at Cambridge University, is was found that both fathers and grand-fathers of children with autism were found more than twice as often in the field of engineering, compared with fathers and grandfathers of other children. This link between autism and engineering may throw light not only on autism itself, but ultimately on the genetic basis of two essential human abilities: folk psychology and folk physics.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• autism
• Early
• Sign
• symptom
• engineering
• stacking
• blocks

[JimmyFatz]

I'm wondering about some things that I would do with this kid, and what her reactions would be.

1)Help out more with the building.

-I'd get just as into building the tower as the kid is. What if you lifted her up to make stacking easier? Built your own tower next to hers?

2)Dance to the music with the kid.

-Just for fun :)

3)Less Verbal Patronizing.

-Seems to make the whole process more frustrating.

[aware4autism]

@JimmyFatz You are spot on with what to do to reach an autistic child! Much of her early intensive play based therapy sounds like what you just described. I didn't know she was autistic when I filmed this, I was simply amazed with her building skills! Btw, her reaction to this play therapy was her becoming engaged in our world!!

[spezpsiholog]

Мы знаем, как работать с аутизмом. СПб. Психологический Центр "Седьмое измерение".

[midwife2thesoul]

Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and videos - I bet it helps people from not feeling they are the only ones dealing with trying to provide the best for their loved ones with autism, and through your comments and videos, they have access to extra knowledge, experiences and comparissons... Hug for everyone!

[drevyl]

Hey I know you've posted this 5 years back. But have you checked out the body ecology diet? Some autistic kids have improved vastly on it.

[2ndSamuel710]

Hush little baby don't you cry, doc's gona shoot U with formaldehyde... If that formaldehyde don't make U forever sick, doc'll come up with another trick.. Last month Pakistan reported 136 recent cases of polio,107 of them had had polio shots. Simple test.- Let's compare health of vaccinated to Un-vaccinated.. Do Amish have autism?. Why yes- in those adopted from overseas vaccinated upon entry & those taken away by the state & vaccinated

[jennylee274]

THIS BABY IS SMART, Usually people with Autism and Aspergers are very intelligent, This video proves where people lack it Socially forced structures people with Autism are in other areas "Out side the Box" VERY Advanced. When people take them seriously they have MUCH to offer the world...

[littlelily613]

@RUSSKAYAG I am placing judgement because you posted it for all to see. When you do that, you leave yourself open to judgement. That isn't fact, it is speculation. If it was fact, then it would be something that is actually talked about more frequently. You are free to post what you think, and I am free to respond from personal experience and current acceptable scientific data what I know is not true.