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Ariana 01:42 PM 10-07-2015
I have a DCB who turned 2 in July. He started talking in July as well. Before he would just point and say "whats that" over and over and over. Now he brings me objects over and over and over and tells me what they are. Red car, blue car, yellow bus, elephant etc. It is a bit annoying but he is a cute little kid and I think he may be on the spectrum for autism. He plays but with the same objects over and over. So for example he will pick up a car and then just push it while looking at the wheels. He babbles when he plays and it sounds like imaginative play but it's really not. He will just be saying things like "blue car, baby car" things like that. He will suddenly start laughing at nothing and say things like "an airplane" just because we are outside. There is very little context to things he says. He never wants to tell me anything, like a typical child would. He would never say "come look at this" type of thing. I had my neighbor over this weekend and she has a boy the same age as him and although I cannot understand a word he says he is communicating with me and pulling me here and there to see stuff. I am sure you know what I mean.

He makes great eye contact but cannot ask for help, has issues following direction and seems scared of other kids. He is definitely in his own little world all the time. Today while we were walking my daughter fell down and started bawling and he just said "ooops" over and over and then just kept on walking. The best way to describe him is like Dustin Hoffmans character in Rain Man. He knows all of his numbers and letters and colors and is very advanced in this area. He is just a very "strange" little boy. I have worked with children with ASD and have worked with tons of kids his age so I think I know the signs but it's one of those things where I am second guessing myself. His mom is an ECE and she is majorly in denial that there is anything different about him. He barely talks to me when he is here yet the mom tells me he is always talking about me at home and how much he loves me and my daughter. It's just so different from how he is here. He has never ever given me a hug.

Any thoughts? I don't think it's something I would bring up with mom but at the same time I hate wondering if this is what is going on. Since I don't have colleagues to discuss it with I am turning to you guys and gals!
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SilverSabre25 01:46 PM 10-07-2015
He could be spectrumy---either Asperger's or PDD-NOS, or he could be a total praise junky, or just a variation on normal 2.

Meet him where he's at and see how things go. Revisit the question in a few months. Chances are good that if there are issues, they will become more clear with time.
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Ariana 01:50 PM 10-07-2015
Originally Posted by SilverSabre25:
He could be spectrumy---either Asperger's or PDD-NOS, or he could be a total praise junky, or just a variation on normal 2.

Meet him where he's at and see how things go. Revisit the question in a few months. Chances are good that if there are issues, they will become more clear with time.
I have thought something is up with him since he started in January honestly so it just keeps getting clearer and clearer for me I think. I thought he was just neglected and tired before and now I am thinking ASD....will definitely wait and see.

What is PDD-NOS?
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SilverSabre25 02:03 PM 10-07-2015
Persistant Developmental Delay--Not Otherwise Specified.

Code for "Yep there are issues and Nope we don't know exactly why"

Do you know his history at all? He could have had a traumatic birth, been oxygen deprived during birth, been a preemie and have some as-yet undiscovered issues stemming from that...lots of possibilities that don't fit and ASD mold. But if he makes great eye contact but things still feel off, then Asperger's is a good bet
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Ariana 02:08 PM 10-07-2015
Originally Posted by SilverSabre25:
Persistant Developmental Delay--Not Otherwise Specified.

Code for "Yep there are issues and Nope we don't know exactly why"

Do you know his history at all? He could have had a traumatic birth, been oxygen deprived during birth, been a preemie and have some as-yet undiscovered issues stemming from that...lots of possibilities that don't fit and ASD mold. But if he makes great eye contact but things still feel off, then Asperger's is a good bet
Thank you so much! It's good to talk it out. The only thing I can tell from his history is that mom did have an emergency c-secton but I don't know the details. He also spent a good 6 months before coming to me with his dad taking care of him. His dad works night shifts so I can't imagine too much stimulation was happening during the day at home. He was also very sleep deprived and still is to a certain degree. He will sometimes sleep here for 6 hours a day.

I am not sure about PDD-NOS because he is not really delayed. He talks in sentences, walks normally and is hitting all of the milestones. He just seems off "socially". Do you know of any real concrete ways of knowing like a checklist? I get conflicting info from the internet, I am assuming because every child with ASD is different.
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Snowmom 05:20 PM 10-07-2015
I have one exactly the same.
My dck is also 2 (August) and was a preemie.
I've had him for 9 months now. It took 6 months for him to really feel comfortable enough with me to ALLOW me to communicate with him.

He used to completely clam up with me, not a word was spoken at all until 3 months ago. He would communicate with limited words and hand gestures with the kids, but not me. Although, total talker at home. Mom would show me videos of him and I couldn't believe it was the same kid.

How long have you had him?
Has he shown any progress with communicating skills over the course of a few months?
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Ariana 09:28 AM 10-08-2015
He has been with me since January. Is still VERY shy with me and cannot answer a question to save his life. Even the 20 month old will say "yes" if I ask her if lunch is good. He just looks at me blankly.

I don't see any improvement in gestures or communication at all. He speaks but it is only to name objects. There is no social connecting speech if that makes sense. He cannot ask for help, more, cannot follow one step directions, cannot answer basic questions. He is very robotic in his mannerisms. With other children he just seems terrified of them. He stares blankly at them like he doesn't know what to make of them.

Just yesterday we went to the park. There were about 15 kids in a giant sandbox, most of whom were 2-3 years old. Everyone was shoveling, scooping and playing with the sand like "normal". But my DCB just kept bringing me objects and naming them. A few times he would lie on his belly in the sand and push his hands around in it, then get up and throw sand on his own head. No scooping, using a pail or shovel...nothing. My 2.5 year old plays with the 20 month old and the little girl is always trying to connect with her but with my DCB he has never ever played with my daughter.
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