According to the latest findings from the CDC, 1 in 50 children are now diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. My friend Jen (mamapink) has a super sharp 3-year-old daughter Ayla (pronounced eye-lah) who was diagnosed with PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified) on the autism spectrum last year, so I asked her to share how she recognized the signs, pursued early intervention services, and how far Ayla has come today. She said it felt really good to write it all out and provided such in-depth answers to the interview, we’ve turned it into a 5-part series that takes you through what it’s like for her to raise a child with autism.
. . . . .
Can you tell us a little bit about when you first thought your daughter may be neuro-atypical?
I think I’ve always had a feeling that Ayla might have been different since she was born. She was hypersensitive to almost every type of stimulus you can think of when she was a newborn. She was labeled “the cryer” from the nurses at the hospital. At first it didn’t make sense to me (I thought “don’t all newborns cry?”) but now it makes perfect sense. My husband and I always felt and still do feel now like we’re “walking on eggshells” around her, constantly trying not to set her off. As a newborn she was very sensitive to noise, unlike other newborns that would sleep through loud TV, vacuums, airplanes, etc. We would literally tippy-toe our way while holding our breaths in order to not disturb her sleep. But on the other hand, she was soothed by very loud white noises such as the hair dryer on the highest setting placed right by her ear or the white noise app on my phone on the highest volume, again, placed right by her ear. At first we thought it was colic. Then we found out she had GERD (acid reflux) so we attributed her sensitivity and crankiness to that. But then even after 3 months went by and 6 months went by and nothing had changed while she was under medication for her GERD, I started to revisit my thoughts that perhaps she had autism.
I’ve always had a feeling she was very different, but she didn’t show the classic signs of autism early on so I always sort of brushed it off. She had good eye contact with me, she had an extreme attachment towards me (still does), she didn’t flap or rock, etc and these signs were going against everything that I’d read about autism. However when I look back, I can see that there were subtle signs along the way. She had difficulty sitting up (wobbly and weak core), she absolutely hated tummy time with a passion, she was extremely fixated with her right hand when she had finally discovered it, she would twist and twirl an object whenever she got it in her hands, she never jumped at an age when babies love using the jumperoo, and she rotated her feet/ankles all the time for a long phase. Granted all of those were phases, but those are things that pointed to autism in subtle ways. As she reached one, I noticed she couldn’t grab finger food or objects with her two fingers as well as a one year old should, she couldn’t/wouldn’t point to things, and instead of trying to speak she always grunted. I already knew she was delayed in several areas, but my attitude was always “wait and see.”
At around 15-18 months she stopped saying “mom” in Korean, a word she had already known for a few months, which was a sign of regression. That’s when I decided to seek Early Intervention at around 16-17 months and services actually started when she was 18 months. We tried it for a total of 8 sessions (one calendar month), but I decided to end it because I felt it was doing more harm than good. My daughter cried hysterically for the entire session each of those 8 sessions, and I noticed she had “side effects” from each visit. She got sick (ear infections) more often and ended up becoming much more clingy and sensitive for the consecutive days after each visit. That was a decision I now regret terribly.
Did she have any other specific behaviors that you were concerned with, or fail to reach certain age-appropriate milestones?
As mentioned above, besides the little quirks and phases that she went through, her behaviors weren’t too alarming. Her sensory processing issues were there, but I didn’t recognize them as part of characteristics related to autism at the time. It did raise a little red flag in my head, but it wasn’t enough for me to conclude that she had autism. She was delayed in most major milestones, but none of the delays were a cause for concern according to our pediatrician.
I think some of the major behavior differences that we had with her compared to other kids her age were: she was swaddled until she was 9 months old and she used the swing until she was 9 months old. We thought the swing was going to break! She was so big and heavy by then that the swing barely swung! But we had to get our sleep! All of us! She also didn’t roll over back and forth until she was 9 months old. She almost entirely skipped crawling. I think she only crawled for a couple of weeks before she started cruising at around 11 months. I had to carry her everywhere, all day long, even while inside the house and it was extremely draining. She was also so clingy that she wouldn’t play on her own at all.
Other signs that were/are there include:
S P E E C H
– Speech regression – Her speech regressed a bit at one point. She was speaking a few words, such as “mom” in Korean but stopped saying it completely along with other words that she already knew.
– Repetitive Speech – Ayla’s repetitive speech was present ever since she started speaking words and phrases. For example, when she learned the word “dog” and she happened to see a dog outside, she would incessantly repeat the word “dog” over and over and over again. While at home we are often able to redirect Ayla’s repetitive speech, however when we’re outside it is more of a challenge. We get a lot of weird looks and laughs about her repetitive speech in public. I am appalled at how many adults are insensitive enough to laugh at a small child with a speech impediment.
– Mixing Pronouns – A lot of people with autism mix pronouns. She uses the third person pronoun (you & yours) instead of the first person pronoun (I, me, mine, my). She says, “You open the door” when she means “I want to open the door,” or “you like the candy?” in a question format when she wants to say “I like the candy.”
– Rote learning – She mastered the alphabet, colors, shapes, names of animals, and numbers earlier than most kids her age. Although she had quite a vocabulary, she was able to neither string them together nor use them effectively to communicate.
– Lack of Conversational Skills – There was a lack of back and forth conversations by the time she was able to speak. Ayla would either repeat the questions that were asked (echolalic) and not answer them or just state things on her own (“that’s a dog”).
– Repetitive Scripted scenarios/phrases/sentences – Ayla often behaves in scripted ways. There is a lack of improvisation. When asked “how old are you?” she knows how to answer “I am 3 years old,” but when asked “how old were you last year?” she wouldn’t be able to answer “2.” She often recites sentences or phrases from a movie or a book, just out of the blue, sometimes in her sleep in the middle of the night. For example, one of her favorite movies is Disney’s Up. She’s watched it numerous times already and always recites a particular scene over and over again where Carl’s wife Ellie sneaks into his room when they were still young and they’re talking to each other underneath a makeshift tent in his room with a flashlight on. Ellie says “I am about to let you see something I have never shown to another human being. Ever! In my life! You will have to swear you will not tell anyone! Cross your heart. Do it!” Obviously she cannot pronounce every single word, but she mimics those sentences and emphasizes the words just how Ellie did in the movie, so it was easy for us to pick up the fact that she was reciting lines from the movie. For example, she would mumble the first sentence and emphasize “Ever! In my life!” then mumble again and say “…not tell anyone! Cross your heart. Do it!”
P H Y S I C A L
– Flapping – She did have a very short phase where she flapped her arms a little bit, but it went away and it never came back. Flapping (or stimming) is a common characteristic of many children with autism. But she did have a long phase where she was constantly rolling/rotating her feet and curling her toes.
– Shaking her head – I’m not sure if this is a sign of autism or if it’s just a part of sensory processing disorder, but she often shook her head side to side, especially when she was tired.
– Sitting crooked – I also read somewhere online, in one of my numerous researches about autism, that if your baby constantly sits crooked (leaning on one side of her hip or tilted) while on a highchair that it was a sign of autism. Ayla used to often sit crooked while on the highchair.
– Low Muscle Tone – She sits in a W where her legs form the shape of the letter W when she’s sitting on the floor. This is a sign of low muscle tone. A lot of people with autism are born with low muscle tone and by sitting in a W, it helps them balance their core with less effort on their bodies compared to criss-crossing your legs where your back muscles need to support you more. She also did not do much tummy time so her back and core muscles did not get a chance to develop much.
B E H A V I O R A L / S O C I A L
– Hyperactive – Ayla was and still is extremely hyperactive and is always on the move. She is a “runner.” Once she mastered walking and running, she’s had a tendency to take off running when we’re outside of the house. She has a tendency to always run, even indoors, and there’s a lack of slow paced normal walking in general. Due to this, going anywhere is hard. If we have to go to a store, then my husband usually follows Ayla around while I do the shopping and vice versa. She will hardly ever follow you while you shop or sit still inside the child seat on a shopping cart, so I almost never get to run errands while I’m with Ayla alone.
– Easily Startled – Ayla would get startled and scared at loud noises very easily and would scream and cry when she was a baby. She still screams and cries at the vacuum or the blender if they are turned on without her being prepped about it.
– Transitions – Any type of transition was/is a challenge. She used to have a very poor adaptability to any new stimulus. Things have gotten much better since she’s turned 3, but it is still a work in progress.
– Sensory Overload Processing – Ayla hated being in any enclosed space with a lot of people, so the stores inside the malls, church, restaurants, other people’s houses, parties, gatherings were/is extremely difficult for all of us.
– Neediness/clinginess and mommy obsession – If I could describe Ayla in one word, that word would be “intense.” Everything is intense for her and with her. She was always very tensed and anxious as a baby, always clenching her fists. Her tantrums, cries, and stubbornness were/are always very intense. Mentally, emotionally, and physically I feel like I am always running on fumes, and she is so clingy and needy that she will not let me out of her sight for even a second before she starts crying and screaming. I cannot be in a different room than her at any moment or else it’s the end of the world for her. She will tantrum for hours if I let her. This is still something we need to work on, but it’s been the number one challenge since she was born.
– Difficulty Socializing – She was never interested in reaching out to anyone other than mommy and daddy. Sometimes even going to daddy was a struggle and still is to an extent. Whenever someone other than mommy and daddy came home, such as EI therapists and even family members, she would scream and cry until they left. She was never interested in other babies her age or even older.
O T H E R S I G N S
– Gastrointestinal Problems – A lot of people with autism have GI problems. Ayla has GERD and she is extremely picky with food, having a strong affinity to carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, pizza, etc. She also is very specific to textures of food preferring crunchy over mushy. Ayla is also lactose intolerant.
– OCD tendencies – Ayla lines up objects a certain way, not necessarily in any pattern, but she obsesses over their placement. She also has to wear a certain set of clothes, always the same way, or a certain jacket everyday, a certain type of shoes, etc. She’s set on certain patterns of behaviors or routines in the extreme level. She also used to get fascinated and obsessed with certain objects and constantly stared at them while rotating it in her hand when she was a baby.
– Sleep problems – Ayla always had sleep problems ever since she was born. She not only had problems staying asleep (light sleeper), but falling asleep has always been a major problem and still is right now. No matter how exhausted she is, she’s always had a hard time calming herself down. We think it’s a sensory processing issue, but at this time we do not know how to solve it. Whether we had a routine or not didn’t matter. She literally does laps around the bed, in the dark, on her own, to the point of sweating and exhaustion, but she refuses to lay down to sleep. She can do it for hours. No matter how much we try to and sometimes even force her to lay down to sleep, it rarely works. When she was a baby (from 6 months on) she rarely slept outside of her own bed (aka the family bed) even while in a carseat! Most babies fall asleep so easily in a moving car, but even now it is very hard for us to get her to sleep while in the carseat.
– Looking at things that spin – Ayla loved looking at things that spun and still does now, like the ceiling fan and garden pinwheels. The first time she saw a ceiling fan she was absolutely mesmerized.
– Trains – She has a particular affinity to trains and it is probably enhanced by the fact that we live near the train tracks. We adults are so used to them passing by that we don’t realize them, but she is so very keen to the sound of the trains passing by that she always takes notice. People with autism are said to have an affinity to trains.
. . . . .
After my daughter turned 2, a certain phrase kept ringing in my head over and over again. I used to know someone whose sister had severe autism and I would often ask her how they knew or how her mother found out. She told me that her mother used to say that her sister “hit a wall” after she turned 2 and stopped developing normally after that. And that was true for Ayla as well. I didn’t see much progress in her development after she turned 2, almost as if she hit a wall and couldn’t get past it.
. . . . .
In the next installment, Jen shares her experience with getting the PDD-NOS diagnosis from her developmental pediatrician. You can follow her story on her blog and her instagram @yjk76.
Guest Series: Raising a Child with Autism part 1 of 5
1. Raising a Child With Autism Part 1 - The Signs by parenting2. Raising a Child with Autism Part 2 - Getting a Diagnosis by parenting
3. Raising a Child with Austism Part 3 - Early Intervention Services by parenting
4. Raising a Child with Autism Part 4 - Challenges and Breakthroughs by parenting
5. Raising A Child With Autism Part 5 - Advice for Parents by parenting
PDD-NOS part 1 of 4
1. Raising a Child With Autism Part 1 - The Signs by parenting2. What You Talkin' Bout? by Mrs. Hide and Seek
3. The Road Bends by Mrs. Hide and Seek
4. The Next Step by Mrs. Hide and Seek
pomegranate / 3401 posts
This is a really good start to the series. I am looking forward to the next installments. Ayla is so cute. I’ve always been curious about autism and how it’s diagnosed.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
wow this is really intriguing. Thanks for sharing!!
btw I have to say it’s totally adorable how she quotes UP!! so cute!
grapefruit / 4903 posts
My brother has PDD as well (among other things), and he absolutely loves trains! Now that I’m a parent myself, I have so much respect for my own parents and the way that they have loved him. I know the current thought is that there is some genetic component to autism, and I have cousins with it as well, so I have to try not to actively look for signs with my own LO. I want to be aware, but not looking for problems where they might not even exist. Thanks for sharing your journey, and I look forward to reading more about sweet little Ayla!
guest
I’m so excited about this series! One note, however … could the author edit it to use people first language? I work in the autism community and one major goal is to change people’s language from saying terms like “autistic child” and “autistics” to “child with autism”/ “people with autism”. The intention of “people first” language is to encourage a more understanding, whole person view of people with developmental disabilities, rather than labeling them first with their disability. Sorry to get on my soap box! Otherwise, great post
honeydew / 7687 posts
Very interesting to read, I have family members who have been diagnosed on the spectrum and it has heightened my awareness of it! Just an aside, I’ve worked with inclusion in the workplace before so it’s always on my mind… http://www.inclusionproject.org/nip_userfiles/file/People%20First%20Chart.pdf Something to consider when writing blog post titles/intros! I know a lot of people roll their eyes at “PC” language but.. hey, words have power right? I appreciate how inclusive HB tries to be of parenting styles and kids!
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@scg00387: @andrea – thank you for sharing! we do think it is important and have made the changes!
GOLD / olive / 58 posts
@scg00387 @andrea: Thank you for that! I am still learning and that was very helpful!
persimmon / 1116 posts
Thank you so much for sharing about this!! Really insightful.
grapefruit / 4671 posts
Wow, that was incredibly insightful and really interesting.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
Loved this post! It was really informative. I always wondered how people suspected something was amiss from an early age too. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
honeydew / 7687 posts
@Mrs. Bee: oops sorry Andrea must’ve posted that while I was typing, I wouldn’t have said anything if I’d realized someone else had!@mamapink: yay! I heard kids with disabilities talking about how the difference made them feel when they heard it and it was really moving. It’s such an easy change!
pear / 1563 posts
Very interesting post. While it is scary to think about one month away from delivering my first, more information is a good thing. I look forward to the rest of the series.
An interesting piece that jumped out at me this is that I know plenty of kids, that are either still kids or now teenagers/young adults who exhibited one or two of these behaviors and have not been diagnosed as being on the spectrum (like the ceiling fan or trains for example). Is it the collage or number of factors that comes together for a diagnosis, or the intensity of the interest?
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
Thanks for the informative post!! A is so lucky to have you as a mom.
Looking forward to reading more!
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
Very interesting article looking forward to more
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
Very, very interesting post. Thank you for sharing and I look forward to the following installments!
honeydew / 7916 posts
Thank you for the wonderful article!
@scg00387: @Mrs. Bee: About the wording (autistic vs person with autism) – personally I’m just glad autism is being talked about. But you might be interested in knowing that many adult autistics prefer to be referred to as just that – autistics, and not people with autism, because being autistic is actually a very meaningful part of their identity. In the end, which wording is “right” seems to depend on who you’re asking.
coffee bean / 29 posts
Great article! I always find it interesting to read these stories about autism and how parents first realized something was amiss. I look forward to reading more.
However, as with @Revel above, I wonder about some of the telltale “signs” of autism. I’ve seen many young children emit many of the signs above, but are not on the spectrum. It can be enough to make a first time parent be overly concerned if a child so much as doesn’t sit straight in a high chair or is very active. I also wonder about the rates at which spectrum disorders are diagnosed and makes me think, “Is it really that many or is it being overdiagnosed” (a la ADHD in the late 90’s)? Definitely interesting and I look forward to hearing more from other parents – especially those with a child on the autism spectrum.
blogger / nectarine / 2608 posts
My daughter Ellie was recently diagnosed with PDD-NOS. I would just like to add that her experience, and what she “looks like” behavior and emotion-wise is quite different. Ultimately I think parents and other caregivers have great instincts (I, too, have known that Ellie had something different about her from infancy) and should trust ourselves when we feel compelled to look for medical advice or intervention. Thanks for sharing your story!
apricot / 275 posts
As a relatively new mom, articles like this cause me a lot of stress. Knowing that about myself, I shouldn’t have even read it. As a couple of others have mentioned, listed are things that I assume all babies/kids do – cry, not a great sleeper, likes white noise, stares at spinning things (isn’t that the purpose of a mobile?), likes trains (don’t most kids like trains?), mommy phase/separation anxiety, etc. My daughter has a number of these traits and now I’m left with a feeling of anxiety.

Should also add that I know early intervention is best when it comes to autism, so knowing potential indicators can be a good thing, if stressful.
pomegranate / 3768 posts
Thank you for sharing your journey! Such an interesting post and I look forward to reading more.
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
@bienlivingdesign: I feel the same way if it helps. My son is almost 3 and I and his Drs have never expressed any indication of autism in our son. I read this entry out of interest only to be startled at how many traits my son displays but I do think other commenters are right in pointing out that some of these traits are common and broad ( my son was and still is an awful sleeper, rote memorizes many things and repeats them, likes to line things up, and is a runner when outside to name a few) but the big things that help me feel better is that many of these things are normal childhood behaviors but parents of children with these disorders know there is still something more than just typical childhood struggles. I never felt and still don’t feel my son displays atypical behavior even if he does do many of the above. I do plan on asking my Dr again at his 3 year appointment but I am taking to heart the idea that parents do have a sense for these things like another poster said about her child and hoping that has a strong presedence as well and not just a list of possible signs.
honeydew / 7916 posts
@bienlivingdesign: I think the difference between autism and things that many kids do is that with autism, the behaviors significantly interfere with their functioning.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@bienlivingdesign: since autism is so common and early intervention is crucial, i think it’s important to build awareness through posts like these. even if we’re able to help just a couple of kids, i hope it’s worth it?
also if you look at this list, it is extremely comprehensive and all of them are exhibited by one child. if a child exhibits some of these signs, especially ones that are common to neurotypical kids such as bad sleeper, likes trains, separation anxiety, etc. it does not mean that they are on the spectrum. all these signs together are looked at collectively, and some things are more significant than others such as word loss and regression. from the parents i’ve spoken with who have children on the spectrum, they’ve all said that they always knew something was wrong. it was much bigger than a couple of signs. hope that helps allay some peoples’ anxiety.
i really want to thank jen for taking the time to share her story. the rest of the series is just as open and detailed as this one, and i think it will really help spread more awareness about autism.
blogger / nectarine / 2687 posts
thank you so much for sharing your story. i so appreciate your openness and honesty and i am looking forward to reading more.
blogger / apricot / 424 posts
@bienlivingdesign: I was thinking the same thing…I am a little stressed after reading this, as my daughter also has many of these traits. However we must remind ourselves that traits must significantly interfere with their functioning to be of a greater concern. I think we as Mothers naturally worry about our little ones and I am glad you shared your feelings of anxiety. You are surely not the only one.
That being said, I do think that this is an excellently written post and I am grateful that we are able to have a first hand account from a parent of a child with Autism. You are clearly an amazing Mom and Woman, thank you so much for sharing your story!
blogger / nectarine / 2608 posts
@Mrs. Tea; @Mrs. Chocolate; @BienLivingDesign; My daughter Ellie has autism. She looks and acts very differently from the girl who appears in this post. But she, too, has PDD-NOS. Please don’t feel anxious. I truly believe if you had reason to be anxious you would know. I felt early on with Ellie that there was something going on and was brushed off by several doctors. I dropped it, but her starting school brought some of her differences into relief and it became clear that in order to be successful in that environment we needed the school and teachers to be aware of her needs and differences, otherwise the assumption (and treatment of her) was just that she was a “bad” or “difficult” kid.
guest
Ayla is an amazing and loving child. Best of Luck! I can’t wait to hear about the second time in EI ; )
GOLD / olive / 58 posts
@spaniellove (cc: @scg00387 @mrs.bee): I totally agree with you SpanielLove regarding the correct way of referring to the person. I personally prefer just autistic versus a child with autism, as a parent and as a person who might be potentially an Aspie myself. I also heard and read that the majority of adults with autism prefer being referred to as just autistics vs people with autism. So sometimes PC might not always be PC depending on who you speak with! =)
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
@mamapink: Have you tried a weighted vest? I’ve seen patients respond really well to it, especially in response to self-stimulatory behavior, like her running around the bed prior to sleep. Here’s an abstract that might help. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12959227
Of course, before trying anything talk to your developmental pediatrician to discuss the risks and benefits
GOLD / olive / 58 posts
@Mrs. Twine: I mentioned that in the other installments of the interview, how every kid on the Spectrum is different. This is only my account of my own daughter but the best judge is really the mom or the caretaker of the child. They know the best. And if they suspect something then they should definitely seek professional advice. =)
Now I’m totally intrigued about your daughter! Perhaps a blog or an interview might be in order so that parents and expected parents might have a broader range of information on autism!
And I apologize if you have already blogged about it. I haven’t had much time to browse online much lately!
GOLD / olive / 58 posts
@Mrs. Jacks: I have considered getting the weighted vests but I never got it wondering if Ayla would even wear it, especially at night before going to sleep. I have tried the sensory brushes and there were a few times when they helped and recently I purchased a mini trampoline so that she can expend her energy jumping so that she’ll be too exhausted to fight sleep but she seems to have endless stored up energy because even after jumping for almost an hour she was still fighting to go to sleep!
blogger / nectarine / 2608 posts
@MamaPink; You did a great job with your interview. I just wanted to iterate for the readers who expressed some anxiety that just because your child has some commonalities with someone with autism doesn’t mean that you need to worry. And I agree that I need to write about Ellie’s experience. I had considered following the format you used exactly, so that the differences would appear more clearly (you know, if people can go point-by-point down a list and see, okay, this is different, this is the same, etc.). Obviously it’s just one more account among many, but maybe it would be useful. I also didn’t want to step on your toes. We have had some success with a weighted blanket at night and are going to try a vest at some point.
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
@mamapink: Thank you so much for this series! I’m so looking forward to reading more. The glimpses I get of your life with Ayla on instagram leave me so curious (since my boy is a 3 year old like Ayla, and my 9 month old is a girl like Ayla!) and I loved reading about your experiences with her so in-depth. Can’t wait for the rest.
I also wanted to just chime in and say that reading this did raise all kinds of alarms and red flags in my mind. My kids BOTH exhibited MULTIPLE symptoms that Ayla had and did not have. This got me a little nervous and stressed in the beginning, especially thinking about pregnant and first time moms, but in the end I have to agree with @Mrs. Bee that it’s best to have awareness around it all so that if kids out there can be diagnosed early, the earlier the intervention starts the better for the child. Of course anything “wrong” with your baby (or baby-to-be) is so scary, but being aware of the signs and bringing up these issues with your pediatrician is so important. I like to err on the side of caution, so I always bring these concerns to my pediatrician and he weighs them with what he observes in my kids at the appointment. I try my best to gather the information I want to convey to the doctor and not stress until he gives me a real, medical, diagnosed reason to stress.
FYI, the symptoms my kids (one or both) have exhibited so far are: constant foot twirling/rotating, late sitting up (wobbly and weak core) and sitting crooked, late rolling and gross motor milestones in general, repetitive speech, mixing pronouns, shaking head, easily startled, transitions, looking at things that spin.
Wagon Jr. has outgrown almost all of the symptoms he exhibited (the only ones that remain at almost 3.5 years old are mixing pronouns and easily startled) and LMW is already starting to outgrow the ones she has. At every doctor’s visit where I brought up concerns, the doctor weighed the concerns with the non-issues (for instance, LMW wasn’t sitting up or crawling yet at 9 months, but she made great eye contact and was very verbal and babbling excitedly at him) and told me he had no real concerns about autism yet.
honeydew / 7687 posts
@mamapink: @spaniellove: that’s a great point, I’ve never heard that before but have only worked with youth. Thanks for pointing it out!
honeydew / 7687 posts
@Mrs. Jacks: @mamapink anecdotally, one of my younger family members really benefitted from a weighted blanket that my mom made following similar concepts. I think it was filled with rice… She loved it for a very long time!
guest
Thank you so much for sharing this article! It’s very informative and I really learned a lot from it. I really learned a lot from your story and you are really helping a lot of moms out there. Looking forward to reading more of your articles.
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
@mamapink: I don’t know how expensive they are but would there be one available to you from PT/OT or somewhere else that you could try?
GOLD / olive / 58 posts
@Mrs. Twine: Not at all! Please do blog about it. The more information people have the better! And the more awareness it will bring. Will look forward to it! I am fascinated by all the differences in children with autism!
GOLD / olive / 58 posts
@scg00387: @Mrs. Jacks: I think you can get a weighted vest from Amazon for a little over $50. I should give it a try!
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
Thank you so much for sharing. I know the odds of having a child on the spectrum are quite high and are increasing; it scares me that experts can’t explain why. I hope that by sharing your story you help another mom get help for her child early. I have to admit that I got anxious reading the post too, but I think that’s probably normal. I hope!
squash / 13199 posts
Thanks for sharing this.. It is so informational
GOLD / olive / 58 posts
@Ginabean3: @Mrs. Pen: @citymouse: @plantains: @Mrs. High Heels: @chopsuey119: @akr1984: @Mrs. Chen: @Mrs. Cowgirl: @Mrs. Tea: @mrs. wagon: @JANET DUBAC: @Mrs. Stroller:
I know this is late but I really wanted to thank each and everyone of you for reading and leaving comments!
GOLD / olive / 58 posts
@Mrsbells: thank you for reading! =)
GOLD / olive / 58 posts
@Mrs. Stroller (CC @Mrs. Bee): I have attended a presentation done about Autism by geneticists at the University of Pennsylvania shortly after Ayla received her diagnosis and I learned that although there have been tons of research done on Autism over the past decade and millions of dollars spent on those research there hasn’t been much breakthroughs in terms of finding the why’s but there has been an increased in discovery in that there is just too many variables (both genetically as well as environmentally) when it comes to Autism that it is close to impossible to pinpoint the reason. Genetic is definitely a big factor but environmental factors cannot be dismissed. There is no one factor that causes Autism and that’s certain. We have a long road ahead of us in terms of research in Autism so more support and awareness is pivotal. Thank you for your interest!