Do You Look For Signs of Autism in Your Child?

April 20, 2009

Each generation has its own worries, and these days a lot of moms and pops of tots carefully observe their children for signs of autism. The developmental disorder is such an issue that President Obama has made it a priority in his agenda on disabilities. Do you worry about your youngster?

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14 Comments

theavalanches 4 years

jenny mccarthey people!

MartiniLush 4 years

mhg, I have a good friend with an autistic son. It was her pediatrician who noticed the signs, not her or her husband.

MartiniLush 4 years

I was worried about this for a short while when I first had my son. My pediatrician was great and talked to me a lot about signs, and pointed out that my son had none. After that, I stopped worrying about it.

kikidawn 4 years

OH and yes when I have kids I will make sure to be aware of signs and symptoms.

kikidawn 4 years

"No I don't worry about I think about but if it happens it's not to much you can do about it but provide the best care for your child." I understand that there are things that you can not change, but by looking for signs you can identify the situation earlier which leads to better treatment and intervention plan.

mhg 4 years

waiting until they are 2 is not a good plan. generally, you can spot it way earlier...my oldest is on the autism spectrum and i knew very early on there was something wrong. he was diagnosed at like, 19 months i think. and you want to know something interesting? i have yet to meet parents of autistic children whose pediatricians were worried. i can't think of one. it was the parents who were suspicious and who pressed it. so, don't drive yourself crazy, but pay attention to that little mommy voice! it's there for a reason.

katedavis 4 years

I don't think "looking for signs" is equatable to "stressing." I think it's a responsible parent's job to be aware of milestones your child has reached and to be conscience of how they interact with other people. It's not like you walk around with a magnifying glass around your neck all the time, you are probably aware of these things anyway, but if your child does need some sort of therapeutic intervention, the earlier the better. Crispymix- I think you and your doctors are right that you shouldn't stress about your child getting autism because that is pointless, but there are things you can do and therapies you can arrange for a child with autism, and I think part of the "finding out" process requires input from the parent, it's not like you just get a blood test.

mstrauss 4 years

I don't really like the 2 voting options because I don't look for signs ever, but of course it is something I worry about. I'm sure all mothers worry about diseases for their children, Autism included, but it doesn't mean that I think about it every day or look for signs. I think that when we look for signs, we find what we want or expect to see.

4 years

I don't worry about it too much because a lot of times doctors tell you not to stress (because it's too hard to tell) until they are over two years old, plus, it's not like you can do anything to change it if they do have it. The best thing you can do is get a good intervention plan in place after you find out, and not give yourself a worry-migraine before then.

lickety split 4 years

yes, and to be honest i can usually spot a kid with autism w/i a couple of minutes of being in the same room with them. the signs are pretty clear once you know them. my oldest has autism, so i was hyper aware of what to look for. lucky for me child #3 was very social, a very early talker and liked to pretend.

kty 4 years

i do look for signs that's what mothers do

meandtheo 4 years

i look for signs of any disability-not just autism...like anna said, it is natural for a mother to worry about the way your child is developing.

LuvLeoDiCaprio 4 years

No I don't worry about I think about but if it happens it's not to much you can do about it but provide the best care for your child. I think I worry more about all the sick pedophiles in the world and hwo I am going to have to keep a serious eye on my lil guy when he gets here.

Anna Rowley 4 years

I'm a mother and I think it's natural to worry about things like autism.

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