Autism

[livingwith]

My child will be 2years on november and still does not talk . He does hear and loves to dance to music. He does point to things when he wants them.He likes to hug,kiss, and bite. The problem is he still does not say mom or dad. He knows Shrek when he sees him. He is kind of sensitive to light sometimes. Someone help.
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[carey01]

It just dawned on me last night while I was at a seminar and speaker spoke of a boy who has autism. My wife was sitting next to me and I told her that possibly our son has that. My story is the same as yours. My son will be 2 tomorrow and the only words he can say are "hi" and "bye".Otherwise he is fine, I can tell him to get something, and he'll know exactly where and what it is. He dances, he's friendly,he plays with his other siblings but he is a little aggresive. Please post your findings and hope that someone is on our side on this.

[nandlsmum]

I have a 9yo with Asperger's and a 6 yo with Autism. As parents I think that the most important thing we need to do is follow our gut. If you think there might be something to investigate do it. I spent the first 5 years of my eldest child's life justifying all his behaviours. I didn't know any better as he was my first. When others would comment on certain behaviours I would respond with "Oh that's just him". Once he was diagnosed I paid more attention to what others were saying to me and when they started observing behaviours my youngest child exhibited I paid attention and looked into it sooner.

Does your child have Autism? I can't answer that but early diagnosis is so important as they are then able to get early intervention which is so beneficial to children with Autism. My advice would be to look into the diagnosis procedure and research professionals who are experienced in child development/Autism. It is traumatic, devasting etc to be told your child has Autism but if you can find a professional who is knowledgable and caring it will make the procedure less so. You do not want to be given the run around and have to fight through the whole process it just makes it harder and you need to conserve your energy for what will come (if you do get Autism as a diagnosis). My last bit of advice is never go to any meeting/appointment by yourself. Have your partner, a family member or friend go with you. Let them know what you want to address in the meeting and if you forget anything they can contribute or they can just take notes. Trust me it is so overwhelming that you will leave and forget something. Finally, write down all your concerns and your child's behaviours. You will be asked so many questions and having a notebook to refer to will help. I can't tell you how many meetings I've left and thought "Why didn't I tell him this, how could I have forgotten to mention that"etc. I hope you've found this useful and I haven't gone off track too much.
Good Luck
T