I have been so worried that dd1 may have AS that i hav'nt noticed dd2 may be showing signs of Autism

[Marne]

Dd1 is in the prossess of being diognosed with AS, she shows alot of AS traits and i always thought there was something wrong.

I have spent so much time with dd1, getting her ready for school in september, helping her learn to read and helping her to mix with others (which she finds hard) that i hav'nt realy picked up on dd2's problems.

Dd2 has always been realy layed back (not like dd1) and seems to play well by herself, she never cry's or makes any fuss.

Dd2 is 2.2 and does'nt talk, she rarely responds when i call her, she flaps her arms alot when excited, she is good on her feet but does'nt like to walk outside. She does'nt point but will grab my finger and make me point.She holds her ears when i take her outside or in the bath. She's a very happy little girl and i love her to bits, i am so worried that she may have Autism or AS.

Dd1 has been realy hard work, i know if dd2 does have Autism that we will cope, i just worry about how she will cope as she gets older.

[SixSpotBurnet]

Hi Marne,

I've got two with ASD dx's, although DS1 (nearly 9 now) is very very high-functioning and to all intents and purposes passes for nt, at least at the moment (although I worry like mad about secondary school).

DS3 is much more severely affected - as far as we can tell at present anyway - he is pretty much non-verbal at the age of nearly 4.

The only thing I would say is that if you think there is a problem, then don't delay, ask for a referral for DD2 now. We asked for a referral for DS3 when he was exactly the same age as your Dd2 is now. I am jolly glad we did because he was dx'd very quickly and he has had a lot of help and intervention since then and he really has come on a lot in terms of being generally engaged and sociable and not just shutting himself off from all the family and the rest of the world.

I do completely understand your feelings and fears though .

[Marne]

Hi, thanks for your post SixSpot,

I have spoken to the health visitor when dd2 had her check up, i was worried as she was'nt talking and holding her ears alot.

She said she will review her in June to see if she is talking, she thinks she does'nt talk because dd1 talks all the time. She tried to tell me that dd2 was teathing and thats why she was holding her ears, dd2 has been holding her ears for over a year, we have taken her to the gp who checked for ear infections and could'nt find anything.

Dd1 has her final assesment at the end of July, she is doing great, she is 4.3 years old and learning to read and write at nursery.

I thought after July it would all be sorted but now it looks like we will have to go through it again with dd2

[TotalChaos]

Find out if your local SALT department accepts referrals directly from parents. I agree with SixSpot about looking for referrals as soon as - as there may well be months on the waiting list. If things improve massively you can always cancel the appointment. If she imitates OK it may be worth trying signing with her (sing and sign DVD or something special program on cbeebies). Also I think worth getting lots of photos together of people/places she regularly sees to help her understand when you talk to her about what she will be doing. In terms of holding her ears - possibly she has oversensitive hearing, so when she's outside some sort of ear muffs/ear defenders might help her be more comfortable.

(DS, 4, has very delayed speech and understanding, allegedly prob not ASD but don't think we will know for a few years yet one way or another).