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Not sure if I am in the right place?
| Thu, 04-19-2007 - 10:25pm |
I have a 4 m.o. DD that has "issues" that I am not sure what they are. We have contacted Early Intervention and are waiting for our eval, but it would be nice to hear from others who have dealt with the same things. When Shawna was 2 weeks old, we had to cover her to take her to the grocery store as she freaked out with the bright lights. She has since outgrown that. Since about 2 months she has had issues with textures. For the longest time ( 1 month to just a few weeks ago) she had to have a "fuzzy" blanket with her at all times. For a while it even had to be a different one in each hand. Thank Goodness for the 2/$1 fuzzy blankets at the Christmas Tree shops. I am really fussy about throwing them in the laundry when anything gets on them because for awhile she got sick very easily so she owns like 20 of them. Also since about 2 months she has had texture issues with her food. At one point she was always so hungry she drank tons of formula( a couple times a full 64oz in one day!!), so we had to start her on foods. First cereal, which she will not take off of a spoon. I thought typical baby, needed to learn how to swallow food, but she often gagged. We tried to progress to other foods, fruit, veggies, but same thing. After several days of non-stop formula, we had to try something so against our wishes we had to give her first cereal and then food in a bottle. She is VERY fussy and will not eat many foods at all. She often gags even on her bottle. She will refuse to eat if it is not something she wants at that time. She is not as "fuzzy" addicted as she once was except at bedtime when she has to have her favorite blanky(or one of a choice few substitutes) and her favorite soft toy(again or one of a very few choice substitutes). She also had a couple of rough nights until we changed the batteries in her baby einstein mobile, as that is part of her nightly routine.
As an aside, we have had her hearing tested(just the immediate ear function as they didn't tell me she needed to be asleep for the rest of the test and I let her nap on the way there) and is delayed in her milestones. She does not usually turn her head to sounds, she does not usually play with toys, and does not put things in her mouth yet. She was in the NICU for 6 days after birth due to meconium aspiration and thrombocitopenia. At that time they drew chareotypes and checked for chromosomal abnormalities, which all came back normal.
As an aside, we have had her hearing tested(just the immediate ear function as they didn't tell me she needed to be asleep for the rest of the test and I let her nap on the way there) and is delayed in her milestones. She does not usually turn her head to sounds, she does not usually play with toys, and does not put things in her mouth yet. She was in the NICU for 6 days after birth due to meconium aspiration and thrombocitopenia. At that time they drew chareotypes and checked for chromosomal abnormalities, which all came back normal.


Hi thee,
Well I know you will hear this again and again but 4 months is soooo young still. I have a 7 yr old with autism, a 3 year old who is at risk for Aspergers and my youngest is 4 months like your DD. I can tell you she also loves her fuzzy taggie blanket and really could care less about her toys. Does your dd smile at you, hold eye contact? She will turn her head to sounds though. The food issues sound similar to my oldest ds (high functioning autism) and I do thnk food is still a big issue today, like ceryain foods, but lots of it. We had him eating solids before 4 months due to his insatiable appetite for formula. Now I think it was more a sucking need rather than a food need, kwim?!
Calling E.I is defintely the right move; any milestones they feel she'll need to meet will be addressed by them. Babies love and thrive on routine so you may be dealing wih a spirited baby or yes, there may well be issues that need addressing. I would honestly say keep up wih the early intervention and trust your gut. Some tghings may shake out fine in the end and what worries are warranted well, youy are a fabulous Mom to have gotten her whatever help/interventions she needs. Well Done!!!
Dee
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Amy and Shawna 4 mo
Hi~
Like Dee said...4 mos. old is really, really young to be considering any Autism Spectrum Disorders, especially since she was in the NICU for a bit. All of us here wish we could've known that early, but science just isn't there yet. I know that wondering and waiting are really hard, but I would hate to see you worry so much about it that you miss all of the most precious moments of your daughter's early months. I'm not sure if this is your first child, but if it is, I can tell you that 4 months is when they really start to shine! It is absolutely my favorite ages for babies because they're just starting to notice the world around them, and it is amazing to witness.
To be perfectly honest, as the mother of three, it was our neurotypical child (our only non-spectrum kiddo) who did the things you described. She was fussy, she hated bright lights, and was extremely attached to certain textures. Of all of my children, she was the worst eater between 6 and 12 months. She hated baby food and actually gagged quite often. On the contrary, both of our spectrum kids would slept through the night almost immediately, they'd stare at bright light forever, and while they both loved their blankies, they were fine without them. It wasn't until much later in life that the texture issues became a problem.
It sounds like Early Intervention is prepared to step in, which is great. You must have wonderful services in your area.
Good Luck~
Amy
Welcome!
It may be some time before you trule know where the "right place" is for you and your DD, but you are absolutelywelcome to hang out here with us and ask questions/join in the conversation for as long as you want or need to.
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
I have to echo what the others are saying.
I agree, there could be nothing wrong with you daughter, but I also know what you were describing sounds alot like Sensory Processing Disorder.
- Christina mom to-
Chloe (10) Aiden(8)