Can a child have late autism?

Otillua - posted on 05/03/2011

my son does all of those things alone with hes about 95% below his age level has speech issues he saids somethings fine but other things you have to ask him several times what did you say ive got after about 3 times i just ok because he get angry when you keep asking him what you said but my son has spd the dr has mentioned autism but nother ever came out of this my sons 5

Kathy - posted on 04/30/2011

It is entirely possible for him to have been exhibiting mild signs that were easily passed off as no big deal, and then as he ages things become more pronounced. My son had some signs but everyone thought that what they were seeing was from his chromosome disorder/ dev. delays. As he aged there were some moments and they contributed them to growing older. When he hit puberty and the school mad a big push for him to be Mr. Independent that he really declared himself. Long story short, he was finally diagnosed as severely autistic.( boy did they have egg on their faces!!!) this was at age 14. He was always in cross cat classes, and was being taught in ways that help most kids ( visual schedules, manipulatives, etc. ) I would ask your pediatrician for their input, and there are online identifying test that the parent fills out. chewing on clothes, anxiety at seperation, melt downs, etc are classic signs. My son bites his hands when he is frustrated, and can't express what he's feeling/ wanting to say etc.

Ilene - posted on 04/30/2011

Thanks for the responses. He was always a little quirky. For a long time, we couldn't leave him with a babysitter without him going into a tantrum over us leaving him. He had a hard time with potty training as well. As a toddler he chewed on his shirts...but I didn't think anything of it other than he would grow out of it.



He does have a bad vision issue (Amblyopia) and can barely see out of one eye...but can see fine out of the other. He had ear tubes last year when we realized he couldn't hear and the doctor said he needed them. I really wasn't expecting any of his current behavior this year though....the inability to deal with changes in schedules, the putting his hands in his mouth repeatedly and the grunting noise he makes.

Nikki - posted on 04/28/2011

He could have a sensory disorder. We just now found out my son has it, n I was like him when I was his age n its all making sense to me now. Hope things start lookin better soon.

Ilene - posted on 04/28/2011

I talked with his doctor today and based on the symptoms he did say that he thought my son might have Asperger's Syndrome or Tourette's syndrome based on the noise that my son makes. He gave me some paperwork to fill out and return and we will go from there. Thanks everyone! I'll update when I have a more definite diagnosis.

Marissa - posted on 04/27/2011

Of course, I agree with others that only a neurologist can give you a diagnosis and it wouldn't hurt even for peace of mind to call your pediatrician and tell them what's going on and ask for a referral. They might even be able to get to the bottom of it themselves.

Marissa - posted on 04/27/2011

The main issues our kids with autism have in common (b/c it's a spectrum disorder) are social/communication based. If you don't or haven't seen any issues there, it's likely not autism. There are a lot of other things that go along with autism, like sensory issues, which can happen with or without autism. It's sounds possibly like what you are describing to me and regular kids have have issues regulating their sensory systems and their are a lot of ways to help them with this as their nervous systems mature. I would do a lot of observing and see what is happening before during and after the behavior to try to get to the root of it. Consider the environment, your form of discipline, your consistency, how emotional you are when trying to get him to do these things. Consider rewards or in general how he's going to best respond. Are there any situations in which you feel he does better and what makes it different. Lots of luck. It's not easy!

Ilene - posted on 04/27/2011

Thanks for the advice everyone. I do know he is seriously tired, so I'm hoping that with a little rest, he won't have these symptoms again. He returned to school today after a spring break trip and the teacher did say that he was making the Hmm noise alot in class today but didn't mention anything else.

Meg - posted on 04/27/2011

Keep an eye on it.You say the behavior increases when you comment on it. What happens when you say and do nothing. Write it down.

Ilene - posted on 04/27/2011

We were on vacation last week and he did have lack of sleep. The week before the vacation school was pretty hectic. I know he has always been a bit behind on learning things as well as a bit over reactive but never really felt anything about it until recetntly when he started chewing on his hands. He seems to think it's funny whenever I tell him to stop. Then he does it again...Same with putting his hands in his pants. He seems to get a kick out of us being upset with him. The family situation is fairly easy going, two parent household so no issues there.

Melissa - posted on 04/27/2011

I do not think it is autism, but I think something has happened to him recently that is disturbing him emotionally. Write down everything you notice that is different, no matter how small it seems, especially things that signal a loss of relating to others around him (not wanting to be around other kids or certain people, family dynamics), changes in self-esteem, or forms of regression (like wetting the bed or sucking his thumb). The attitude change is enough to signal that something is wrong, and the chewing and hands things could just be anxiety or something much more involved. I would take him in to see a psychologist right away.

Meg - posted on 04/27/2011

If the behaviors are starting now, it might not be autism. Get a referral from your peditrician. Also, start a log to track the behaviors. Note the time it occurs, activity or demand he was involved in, duration of behavior and consequences (what happened afterwards). This will give you and a specialist a better picture of what is happening. Also, ask his teacher if this is going on at school and how they are handling it. The more info you can collect, the easier and more accurate a diagnosis you will get.

Jessica - posted on 04/27/2011

My son was diagnosed at 7 with Pervasive Develepmental Disorder which is an Autism Spectrum Disorder. It's kinda like Autiosm but not ALL the signs are there. He's always been developmentally delayed but instead of getting better with help, it got worse. I will suggest you get him a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and a neurologist. He will need a neuropsych evaluation which will take time to get(3 months for us) but it will be your best friend when it comes to leqring about your child. Your pediatrician should help you find all these things. If you ever want to talk further please feel free to contact me, its nice to have someone who understands

Lauren - posted on 04/26/2011

Again other parents and school officials can make suggestioins but only a board certified neurologist can truly diagnose ask your pediatrician to set up a consult if you are that concerned your pediatrician should point you in the right direction

Chasity - posted on 04/26/2011

It sounds more like there is something going on at home, school or elsewhere. My daughter was diagnosed at 2 and had always showed symptoms since she was a couple of months old.

Lauren - posted on 04/26/2011

Yes but sometimes other problems present the same way putting any child into a category or giving diagnoses is not proper without the proper education or accreditation(ie.an MD) does not help the child at all

Renee - posted on 04/26/2011

Any ASD as a diagnostic critereon must have the onset at BEFORE age 3!

Lauren - posted on 04/26/2011

My daughter was not diagnosed with high functioning autistic spectrum disorder until she was 8 the signs were there but masked by her seizures so it took a medication change and ot and pt to discover the more subtle signs and symptoms

Shelly - posted on 04/26/2011

It would be extremely rare for any child to develop Autism this late. To be honest with you it sounds as if he has had a head injury of some kind or he is dealing with some type of break down due to an external source. Has he had a death in the family recently or an injury or could there possible be a slight chance that someone has touched him inappropriately like a kid at school or something. All these things can trigger the type pf behavior that you are describing, please hear me when i say i am not accusing you of doing anything to your child but unfortunately as we all know there are sick people out there. Teachers that your child as well as yourself trust or possible a friend of his. Please just be aware it's a possibility. That's all i am saying I wish you good luck and God Bless I hope he is ok.

Autumn - posted on 04/26/2011

I don't think so. The reason I say that, is that this seems like a change. If he was autistic, these things would have been present all along. I'd seek some medical advice, and perhaps some psychological ones too.

Tricia - posted on 04/26/2011

If he was typically developing before and these issues are just starting, it probably isn't autism. If he has always had delays or been off socially, then it could be. I would talk to your pediatrician and get a referral to a specialist. Most kids who are diagnosed later have always had the symptoms, but were not diagnosed because they were high functioning and it wasn't as noticeable. He may have a sensory processing disorder. Also, if they JUST started, I would have him evaluated as soon as possible for other neurological problems. It seems strange to me that he just randomly started exhibiting behaviors at 7 years of age.

Jeanette - posted on 04/26/2011

My eight year old son was just recently diagnosed with Asperger's disorder. I feel that if you think there is something wrong, talk with your doctor about it. We have a really good pediatrician and because of things that were going on at home and his lack of proper social skills, we decided to have him tested for autism. Also, I watched a show called "Parenthood" and my son acts just like the character named "Max" who had Aspberger's disorder. So I KNEW that something was going on with my son. I came to the decision that I needed help to help my son. Bottom line....I needed help with my son before it got out of hand.

Philippa - posted on 04/26/2011

I think there may be other reasons for his behaviour. How is his language? Can he understand and use language effectively? Does he still socialise and have age-appropriate peer relationships? Have his interests changed? These are questions that you would need to answer before any other diagnosis is made.

Julie - posted on 04/25/2011

Yes you can some children arn't diagnosed until 10 years and after so seek some medical advise.