Starting to have concerns about 2 yr old
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| Wed, 10-26-2005 - 8:53pm |
I'm not sure if it's just me being paranoid or if I really have reason to be concerned. My middle DS age 7 was just diagnosed 5 months ago with Asperger Syndrome. We were never concerned about his behavior until he was around 6 years old. Now that we have the diagnosis there are many, many, many things that we look back on and think...."so that's why he did that.....".
I'm now starting to be a bit concerned about our youngest DS who turned 2 in June. Since our 7 year old was diagnosed much older than age 2 I really don't know what I should be looking for at this age. He seems to be startled by loud noises very easily. If we are walking through a parking lot and someone starts their car he panics and even though he is holding my hand will quickly grab my leg like he was startled. If I yell upstairs for my Dh or one of my other DS's or even the dog. He will get very startled and run over to me very quickly. He just came running to me just now because his toy jet was making a beeping noise.
He also gets upset about "scary" things on TV very easily. The first time it happened my older two DS's were watching Jumangi...which is sort of creepy. 2 yr. old DS was in the room and got extremely upset when they boy got sucked into the game. He started crying and you could tell he was very scared and upset. That is an upsetting movie so I didn't think that that was so out of the ordinary. But today he was watching Sesame street and got upset about Oscar blowing a big fan and it blew mail and Maria and Gordon. I just thought most kids would have laughed about it but he started crying and got all upset so I quickly turned it off. He got upset again tonight when my 7 yr old (AS) was watching Herbie Fully Loaded. In the beginning when the girl is scared because Herbie is driving really fast etc. He didn't cry but said he didn't want to watch it and seemed a little disturbed.
He also has a huge vocabulary for a 2 year old. He speaks in sentences and says just about anything you can imagine. So many people have commented that they have never heard a 2 year old who speaks so well.
Then are so many things that I can think of that we had to deal with when our 7 yr old (AS) was younger that I don't notice at all with our 2 yr old. But I guess because of our 7 yr olds diagnosis I'm more worried about our 2 yr. old.
I have a friend who has a daughter who is diagnosed PDD. She thinks no matter what we should have 2 yr. old evaluated because the chances are greater that he could be on the spectrum too. She says it's better to know early because of early intervention. Am I just being paranoid or do you think these things are something to worry about? Should I wait to see if I notice anything else or should he be evaluated soon?
I think my heart would break if I found out he was on the spectrum too...
I know all kids on the spectrum can be so different, but what should I be looking for in a 2 year old?
Julie
DS 10, DS 7(AS), DS 2

I don't think you have anything to worry about. My sisters daughter who is NT was very easily startled by sound at the same age.I'm a bit of a nervous nelly so I still jump when I hear a sudden noise and I can remember doing that as a kid.If there are no other signs then I wouldn't worry. I have the tendency to do the same thing with my daughter who is 16 months ever since my son was diagnosed.My son at 2 also spoke in complete sentences but had strange ways of arranging them e.g, "Carry me up" was when he wanted me to lift him. He also had some echolic speech and repeated himself over and over.He constantly asks questions and his play is very repeatitive. He is social and will go up and start a conversation by introducing himself but has a hard time holding a conversation beyond the introduction.Your son maybe a little sensitive to sound but if that's your only concern, I wouldn't worry.
Teresa
HI,
I have a very nornaml 4 y/o who at the age of 2 was scared of ANY loud noises - horns, loud voices - forget about the vacumm or hairdryer - anything scary on TV would send her into a tizzy (even Barney) - she spoke very clerly from 18 months on..had I known all this spectrum stuff back then - I would have dx'd her myself - LOL.
She was even afraid of ALL adults and some kids - it was awful.
Today ( it is her 4th b-day btw : ) she is very normal - very social and not afraid of anythig ( except 'mean witches' - lol
too much knowledge can be a very bad thing - lol
he sounds normal to me
ITA with the others, although if you're going to drive yourself crazy, you can always raise the issues with your ped, just for your peace of mind.
But regarding the anxiety over certain TV shoes, I have to say that it's totally understandable that a child that young would be disturbed by some of the images on TV. My DD is nearly 4 years old, and I still haven't shown her a Disney movie yet -- they're too scary, IMO!!! I know I'm a totally overprotective mom, but if she's happy watching Blues Clues for now, I'm not going to rush her into anything else, LOL!
Jennifer :)
Julie,
It hard to say from your post. Lots of littles ones get frightened about movies and people and other things as well. Are there any social interactions that you find questionable with your ds? Lots of kids on the spectrum do ok at home. But does he have any difficulties with other people? Like eye contact, give and take, appropriate responses, stimming, obsessions, repetitive behavior, etc.
I'd have to agree with your friend though. If it would put your mind to ease, I would have an eval done. All kids on the spectrum display different types of tendencies too, so having a professional evaluate him would also be helpful. Children on the spectrum can have unexplained fears, but this wouldn't be the only thing that they would exhibit.
hth,
michelle