Is 2 too early for my child to be diagnised with autism?

Amy - posted on 04/04/2011

definately not my son Jake was diagnosed before the age of two. Most of my friends children where diagnosed before two as well.

Melissa - posted on 04/04/2011

I agree with your psychologist. It'd be different if you were turned down for all services, but it sounds like your child will be getting OT and speech. Get on the waiting list now and do what you can in the mean time. Your child will still have autism, whether he's labeled at 2 or 3. You can also start researching therapies to do on your own while you're waiting for a formal diagnosis.

Sharlene - posted on 04/04/2011

My daughter was just diagnosed at 2 1/2. As much as I hate that she was diagnosed so early, it's allowed her to go up to over 10 hours/week of services, and she's responding! For us, Birth-3 was the way, they held our hands.

Lisa - posted on 04/03/2011

Hi Rocio, I have 2 boys that have autism. My oldest son was diagnosed right when he turned 3 and my youngest was diagnose when he was 2 1/2. I have been told that you can recieve a diagnosis even younger than 2. Hope that helps.

Amanda - posted on 04/03/2011

nope. my son was 2 years 4 months when he got diagnosed. from 2 months on he started having seizures, refused to make eye contact from brith...

Kendra - posted on 04/02/2011

I need to talk with other moms... I'm not sure if my son is or not.. He's 28 months old and has seen the speech therapist. At 2 yrs old (Nov 2010) he was saying maybe 9-10 words mama dada ju for juice, peas for please

dan chu for thank you, ball, eat eat, bye bye, and called his baby brother "ga ga" they are 16 months apart.

My 2 yr old got a sinus infection Mid December at his 2 yr old check up and they put him on a Strong dose of Amoxicillin which made him very irritable... crying a lot and very clingy just to be so after Christmas we took him off. I took him to the Dr's before New years and he said yes take him off.

So in Jan 2011 we started our 5th babysitter since mid July 2010 and he stopped talking and signing "more" and "please" which had learned at a day care we had the boys in up till July 2010.

So we started with an evaluation and seeing an Audiologist and now have started speech therapy,

twice they have said he might have Autism. He does not flap his hands like one said he did.. I've watched him run. He is VERY loving..cuddling....kissing with me, his dad and grandparents. He will look u in the eye.. not all the time but he will and I think his hearing is selective....if he's focused on something like a movie or tv he won't respond if you call his name. but he does hear when I say give me your foot or a kiss or Im gonna get your nose... He is not around a ton of other kids .... but he's been known to play with kids.. might be great at sharing but seriously what 2 yr old is?? What 2 yr old doesn't throw tantrusm? My nephew was the same way.. he chewed on his colars.... like my son is doing and he also did not talk as early on as his older brother and he also had tubes like my son does... we got tubes April 2010. Any suggestions would be great.

We do have an eval coming up with Psychologist and OT. and are still doing speech therapy once a week.

Since... He has signed "please" a few times... and was very clear on saying "Dada" tonight.

His eating is so so... picky.... but so is his dad.

He's very happy.. hops around everywhere and laughs a lot... We have also started this week with Gluten Free foods when we can. Hope to hear from u soon.

Carrie - posted on 04/17/2010

No its not to early,maybe it depends on the severity ,i dont know ,but my son was diagnosed at 26 months with sever autism ,but they dont want to diagnose his twin yet because she isnt as severe they just want to keep watchin and evaluating her. but it dosent mean you cant start some kind of therapy.

Dina - posted on 04/15/2010

2 years old is not to early to have your child tested. For your peace of mind and your child's well being please get her tested.

Tina - posted on 04/15/2010

I know this post was about a week ago and there have been several GREAT answers, I just had to say...DON'T GIVE UP! A mom just knows when something isn't right. I was sort of oblivious when my son was 2. He did some things that were awesome, so the things that were lacking, for example, his speech was delayed, he like being home more than out any where. He seemed to get so overwhelmed so easily. He had already shown OCD tendencies, too.

To keep this short, no, it isn't too early. We have a "Birth to Three" program in our area. Try to look this up in Huntington WV. Also, if you haven't tried, check with a pediatric neurologist. Never give up on Psychologists. But, it is a great idea to go ahead with the therapies your daughter is needing now.

Good luck and I hope you get your answer soon!

Tina

Katrina - posted on 04/15/2010

my 13 yr old son was 13 months old when the doctors said that he had ODD/OCD but then we found out May 09 that he didn't have this he has HFA (High Functioning Autism)
that was the blow for me but they can start testing with eye and hand cordnation skills and go from there

Letty - posted on 04/15/2010

Occupation therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Sensory integration therapy is more for sensory problems, applying presser, touch, vibrations, sounds each meeting different sensors in the body; Visions, hearing, sensitivity to touch.
Please get all the therapy you can if your DR dx your child with autism.

Donna - posted on 04/15/2010

I don't agree, 2 years old is not too old for a diagnosis. However, there's nothing wrong with doing speech and occupational therapy. These two things can only help your child. If she is truly autistic, these will help to confirn the diagnosis.

Marie - posted on 04/15/2010

Be careful when you hear Sensory Integration Disorder. It's a fancy tems OT's have adopted. It sounds really medicaql, but if your senses were not INTEGRATED, youcould not even get out of bed. It's actually sensory processing disorder, which is the way in which our children's senses are affected as opposed to ours. These terms drive me crazy. Just sayin'. :o)

Mandee - posted on 04/15/2010

2 is not technically too early, but a lot of specialist hesitate to make the diagnosis until the child is 4 or 5 and other therapies have been tried. I am attaching a link to the DSM-IV-TR criteria for autism, which is what the psychologist has to adhere to in order to make a diagnosis of autism. Medical doctors will use ICD criteria which is slightly different. Take a look, and if you are convinced that your child meets the minimum criteria, consider locating a different specialist for a second opinion. Keep in mind though that many children have similar symptoms but may have another disorder, like many sensory issues are actually sensory integration disorder, not autism, just as an example. OT therapy helps greatly with both so continue the therapy until you are able to determine for sure what it is.

http://www.sheknows.com/articles/804624/...

Marie - posted on 04/15/2010

First off was he tested? Have you seen a neurologist? I would. You, as a mom, know your child better than anyone. My son was diagnosed with Asperger's at 2 1/2, he was textbook. I figured out the diagnosis myself prior to going to the neurologist. I took him there and had the testing completed, sure enough, I was right. Of course, I didn't want to be, nobody wants this life for their child. I DO say, however, get the speech and occupational therapy, absolutely. I've seen children do a 360, with these therapies alone. The last thing you want to do is label your child if it's not real. Do you have older children? Lots of times the younger ones are delayed due to the older siblings doing the talking and things for them. That is a possibility. Best of luck to you. Marie.

Pattie - posted on 04/14/2010

Hi Rocio - my daughter was also showing signs early and the regional center told me the same thing. one reason they try to get you to wait is b/c once the child turns 3, it's the schools responsibility to take over services, although if you're in California, they will have to provide some services.

My daughter was given the diagnosis of autism at 20 months and it took 4 months to get services in place. I would not wait. Like Renee said, the earlier the intervention is in place, the better. You can go to a pediatric neurologist, a pediatric psychologist, a pediatric neuropsychologist, and a pediatric developmental pediatrician to get a diagnosis. Once you have a diganosis, the regional center should provide you with intensive 1:1 ABA. Have whoever gave you the diagnosis their recommendation for hours. Hopefully they won't recommend anything less than 30hrs/week. My daughter received 25hrs/week for a while and we just got her bumped up to more. It wasn't until she received more hours that we started to see real gains.

Just be ready to fight and don't ever give up. You might not have to fight, but it's better to be prepared. Good luck and you're doing the right thing!

Sarah - posted on 04/14/2010

I am fighting a similar battle to yours. I KNOW that my son is ASD and his therapists agree, but the psychologist is reluctant to diagnose him. He had his first eval in Oct 2009 and they wanted to do intense therapy and re-eval in 6 months. We are scheduled for the re-eval in June and NEED the diagnosis for therapy to continue or he will be cut off! I have been able to get him 10 hours per week of therapy without the diagnosis and it is helping. His speech is worlds better now! I totally understand why you don't want to wait, but if that is what they insist on, make sure they help you get INTENSE therapy for the 6 months. It is not too early for a diagnosis!!

Marisol - posted on 04/14/2010

No it is not. Have your child evaluated through an Early Intervention program so she can receive services as soon as possible. Early intervention worked wonders with my 4 year old quintuplets and they are now in pre-school and doing great.

Randi - posted on 04/13/2010

I didn't read all of the replies, but no, 2 is not too young to be diagnosed! My son was diagnosed at 26 months, and I have heard of (and met) other children who were diagnosed much younger. We actually had someone tell us not to get him evaluated at such an early age and basically just to wait it out because once he's diagnosed he'd be stuck with that label. We went against that advice obviously, and I couldn't be happier with that decision. My son has been in ABA for about 6 months now and has made tremendous progress in that time. I was just recently thinking about what a difference it has made and wonder where he would be if we hadn't brought up our original concern (that seemed fairly innocent at the time to us) with the doctor, leading him to be evaluated for speech and ultimately diagnosed. The diagnosis has actually been confirmed by 3 different specialists, so you might try taking your little one elsewhere to be evaluated. (My son was first diagnosed by a psychologist, and it was confirmed by the regional center and later a developmental pediatrician, not that we had doubts).

Oh, one last thing, as I mentioned we had people question our decision, and when I brought this up with the psychologist, she agreed with my original idea that it was better to have him evaluated and possibly diagnosed now so he can get the treatments if it turned out he needed them. If we later questioned it when he got older, we could always have him re evaluated (which the school, regional center and so on do anyway).

I hope this made sense, my little man has been crazy today and mommy's too tired to think! I wish you the best of luck!!

Jane - posted on 04/13/2010

I would ask for at least a PDD-NOS diagnosis. Something that makes them treatable. Explain that to your doctor, and you may get further. Also, the school district for evaluation may be a good starting point.



Are you in Canada?

Lori - posted on 04/13/2010

Check with your local public school system. They have programs that are free to parents if developmental issues are arising. One such program in Texas is Keep Pace. For children under the age of three years old followed by Early Childhood Development at age four.

Im - posted on 04/12/2010

Yes mind say the same thing. They wont confirm it untill he is 4yrs. You need to find another doctor and keep pushing for it even though its provisional diagnosis. It took me 2yrs just to get the provisional.

Peta - posted on 04/12/2010

my son was diagnosed just before he turned 3, there are so many signs, they don't interact with kids, not much eye contact, doesnt actually play with toys, just pulls em out, has massive meltdowns if i say no, very rearly sleep, never sit for to long,when he was a baby he never sat up until he was 10 months old,didn't crawl until he was 19 months old, walked at 20 months and been on the go ever since..he stiil doesnt talk, makes a lot of sounds though, bites himself all the time, hurts me on a daily basis, he now has medication to help him go to sleep at night because his body hardly releases any melatonin, that is what makes us tired and go to sleep, anything he does is repeditive, on the other hand he is very inteligent when it comes to computers, the foxtel box and anything else he can get in reach of, he can do thing that even i think how did you do that, very clicked on in the mind..doctors have said he is very smart but the autism may hold him back from learning all that he can because he can never sit long enough to learn the full extent of something, he goes to school 2 days a week and has done so since he was 2, now he just turned 3 he moves to an autism unit cause he's been diagnosed, next term he will go to school 4 hours 2 days a week, he can understand visuals very well..he wont except the visuals at home he will just throw them at me...lol...i luv him sooo much and i wouldnt change a thing...i have learned so much...

has anybody seen that commercial on tv...it's a child and it has a voice over sayin
i am not deaf but i can not hear you
i am not blind but i can not see you
and so on...at the end he says i have autism.
it really puts it into simple terms for those who dont understand,
sorta makes ya go wow i didn't understand but now i do...
lots of people just think they are naughty kids, thats not the case
they get frustrated because we don't understand what they want,

Emily - posted on 04/12/2010

Ricio my son is 2 on saturday and i have the same feeling about my son, i am in the process of getting a referal too see if i can get a diagonses, he is also going to be starting speech therapy shortly. Your his mum and you spend every day with him so you should know if somthing is not right, so dont let them say nothing is wrong

Michele - posted on 04/12/2010

No it is not to early. My doctor did the same thing. Told me I was reading to much when I mentioned something to him when my daughter was 15months. She was diagnosed at 2 and a half. Start the theraphy as soon as possible even without the diagnosis. It wont hurt.

Jenn - posted on 04/12/2010

Our son was 2 when he was diagnosed with autism. The earlier; the better. I'm not sure if your county has one or not but our diagnosis started with a visit to our doctor whom referred us to a program called Early On. Their team came in, evaulated our son and confirmed what the doctor had thought. One great thing about Early On was that they came to our house and did some therapy with him (speech and OT) and then referred him to a special education school where he gets speech and OT and is in an autism preschool class. We also have outside speech that the doctor referred him too but that help from Early On was a livesaver :o) Hope that helps :o) Good Luck!

Deb - posted on 04/12/2010

no. its not. if its autism you need a full team including special education, speech, ot and if needed Pt. look into using behavioral interventions integrated into naturalistic teaching. Get a developmental pediatrition. It is way better to do more now. wait and see is wrong. if its autism you may also be eligiable for additional support and resources. a developmental pediatrition specializes in developmental disorders. there is a process and it takes time. please call today. tell your general physician you want to see one and he or she should refer you. Call your school district and ask how to enroll intiated "early intervention" begin reading IDEA- the law that governs special education services and is your best friend. Good luck

Marissa - posted on 04/11/2010

I would look into a developmental pediatrician as well. Most placed do have a 6 months to a year waiting list but you can call and ask to be put on a list of calls of an appoitment is cancelled. It took us 6 weeks instead of 6 months! My son didn't get diagnosed until recenlty however we've ben going to the developmental ped for a bit over a year now. He has PDD_NOS and we weren't sure if it was this or something else however because he has a genetic syndrome as well it helped to diagnos him correctly. I would also look into a genecist.

I would also want the correct dx because you can get more therapies and help once the diagnosis is done. My son is now getting ABA therapy as a result.

Rocio - posted on 04/11/2010

Thank you Renee but she has been evaluated by the regional center. An occupational therapist evaluated her and said she will be getting lots of occupational therapy and then she was evaluated by a pshycologist and he said she had characteristics of autism but roughly didn t give her the official diagnosis, they said they want to start her on therapy first and then check her again in about 6 months. My fear is though that I absolutly think she is autistic just like you said so, and I want her to get the official diagnosis now because only that way will she be able to get all the help she needs, because I'm afraid that if the therapy does help a little the regional center is going to say that she is not autistic. I think that is going to do a big harm in her improvment but they keep saying she is too young that's why I want advice from other moms with autistic children.

Renee - posted on 04/11/2010

Rocio - please have your daughter evaluated those are all classic signs of the autism. Start now, please don't wait it can take months to get an appointment with a qualified developmental pediatrician. Also you can contact your school district in the meantime to get a free evaluation from the schools' psychologist. Good luck to you.

Rocio - posted on 04/11/2010

I think my 2 year old is autistic because she flaps her hands, goes around is circles, has a lot of tantrums, doesnt follow directions, doesnt talk yet, not even mom, or milk or water anything and doent interact with other children her age.

Renee - posted on 04/11/2010

No it isn't too early - it's never too early to get the diagnosis and get therapy -- As intensely as possible. The sooner the therapy starts, the better. Find another doctor who will properly diagnose your child.

Shaunna - posted on 04/11/2010

No it isn't. My son was 8 months when he started to have siezers. When finally got his siezers under control we were able to have a diagnosis at age 22 months. He is autistic, and has cerebral palsy.

Marissa - posted on 04/10/2010

Is he "newly" 2? My 2 year old was 2 in September so he's 2.5. He got the diagnosis about a month ago. What makes you think he's autistic?