What Were the First Signs of Autism You Noticed?

What signs did you notice first and when?

Looking back as a baby our son had extreme colic and was just a very difficult to pacify baby. But no real signs until he was two or three and started nursery. They said that whilst very bright, he didn't engage in the group listening to story activities as he just wanted to be individually playing with toys round the edge of the room. Also around this age he would play lining up his toy cars rather than anything imaginative.

As time went on, was there a progression of symptoms that became more obvious?

Struggled socially but this was masked by an outward confidence. Seemed to find it hard to make friends and to lose the friends he did have. When he lost friends they would appear to really hate him or be really frustrated with him. When in the primary classroom he was looking everywhere but at the teacher or board, seeming disinterested, but still understanding. He would blurt out answers or keep on making silly noises in the classroom and not seem able to stop.

How did your pediatrician and health team come to a diagnosis?

When he was seven I raised it with the school but was told he was doing too well academically to have autism. A year and a half later I raised it again with the head teacher. The early intervention service observed him and said straight away they thought it was autism or similar. They noticed he was hand flapping which we had never noticed. We then saw an educational psychologist and a report was done referring him to CAMHS. He has never seen a pediatrician. The diagnosis was made by CAMHS. But this was never picked up by school and would never have happened if I hadn't pushed for it.

What advice would you give parents trying to recognize the signs?

I would have pushed for him to be assessed much younger, when he was struggling socially in nursery or in reception. Don't expect that if there is a problem the school will raise it. With high functioning autism, unless the child is very disruptive of the class, much of their difficulties goes unnoticed. Look to see if there are several issues which together might be suggestive. In our case it was social disinterest and difficulty, lining up of cars, lack of imaginative play, and sensory issues. And don't bury your head in the sand because you dread what you might find out. The realisation is incredibly painful as a parent.