My son SEEMS to be a little slow in learning to talk. He is very social and loving. He makes good eye contact, and is quick with hugs and kisses. He is an intelligent boy, he has figured out things on his own that I really didn't want him to learn. He did walk late, but that is probably due to him having a larger head than average. I don't think he shows signs of Autism, but the slow talking raised a red flag for my mom and she voiced her concern. My son is 21 months and understands most everything we say. He just doesn't have much of a vocabulary.Is Autism genetic? Do I need to be concerned for my son because my brother is Autistic?
Autism is hereditary, in that children with autistic people in their family are more likely than other children to be autistic. Researchers are well on the way to finding genes that relate to autism -- but the jury is still out regarding exactly how such genes might function to create autistic symptoms. Sophia Colamarino, Science Program Director at Cure Autism Now, explains,"We鈥檙e talking about genes because they allow us to understand the biological origins of the problem."
http://autism.about.com/od/causesofautis鈥?/a>
Some early signs 鈥?usually seen in the first two years 鈥?are listed below. Some children will have many of these early warning signs, whereas others might have only a few. Also, any loss of social or language skills during this period is cause for concern.
Social The child:
doesn鈥檛 consistently respond to her name
doesn鈥檛 smile at caregivers
doesn鈥檛 use gestures independently 鈥?for example, she doesn鈥檛 wave bye-bye without being told to, or without copying someone else who is waving
doesn鈥檛 show interest in other children
doesn鈥檛 enjoy or engage in games such as peekaboo or patty cake.
Communication The child:
doesn鈥檛 use gestures 鈥?for example, he doesn鈥檛 raise his arms when he wants to be picked up, or reach out to something he wants
doesn鈥檛 use eye contact to get someone鈥檚 attention or communicate 鈥?for example, he doesn鈥檛 look at a parent then look at a snack to indicate that he wants the snack
doesn鈥檛 point to show people things, to share an experience or to request or indicate that he wants something 鈥?for example, when he鈥檚 being read to, he doesn鈥檛 point to pictures in books and look back to show the reader
doesn鈥檛 engage in pretend play 鈥?for example, he doesn鈥檛 play with stuffed toys
doesn鈥檛 sound like he鈥檚 having a conversation with you when he babbles
doesn鈥檛 understand simple one-step instructions 鈥?for example, 鈥楪ive the block to me鈥?or 鈥楽how me the dog鈥?
Behaviour The child:
has an intense interest in certain objects and becomes 鈥榮tuck鈥?on particular toys or objects
focuses narrowly on objects and activities, such as turning the wheels of a toy car or lining up objects
is easily upset by change and must follow routines 鈥?for example, sleeping, feeding or leaving the house must be done in the same way every time
repeats body movements or has unusual body movements, such as back-arching, hand-flapping and walking on her toes.
Sensory The child:
is extremely sensitive to sensory experiences 鈥?for example, he鈥檚 easily upset by certain sounds, or will only eat foods with a certain texture
seeks sensory stimulation 鈥?for example, he likes deep pressure, seeks vibrating objects like the washing machine, or flutters his fingers to the side of his eyes to watch the light flicker
http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/a鈥?/a>Is Autism genetic? Do I need to be concerned for my son because my brother is Autistic?
Reserach indicates that autism has a strong genetic basis and tends to run in families. This doesn't necessarily mean your son is on the autism spectrum, though. Some children just develop more slowly than others. His development may not even be that different from average - compare his speech to the list of milestones here: http://www.comeunity.com/disability/spee鈥?/a>Is Autism genetic? Do I need to be concerned for my son because my brother is Autistic?
Don't worry about it. Some kids are just slower at talking than others.
I haven't heard anything to prove that autism is genetic. (It's not caused by vaccines either, btw.)
Yes, Autism does run in families.
My son has High Functioning Autism and wasn't talking much at all at age 2. I didn't notice it, until my friend suggested I get his hearing tested. One thing led to another and he ended up qualifying for the early intervention program. (Children have to be certain levels behind developmentally in order to get into the program). Of course, I was devastated because he seemed so smart to me and he was funny and loving. But sure enough, he had Autism. I am so glad he got treatment as early as he did. It helped him so much. He started talking and he got lots of help all through elementary school and he is a very smart, sociable, fun senior in high school now.
Your son sounds like mine was.
No comments:
Post a Comment