Is it possible to diagnose a 13 mth old baby with aspergers?

amother

Sun, Jun 24 2012, 10:18 pm

My baby is extremely fussy and is very stubborn, he will only eat certain foods, not all that interactive though he can be at times, doesnt enjoy playing with toys or when he does its only for a minimal period. He doesnt like attention or to be looked at and if we do - then he rushes to our arms!! Im confused .... their is some imbalance (I have other children ontop b"h)
I am familiar with aspergers though I am not sure if my baby can be diagnosed at this age yet.

amother

Sun, Jun 24 2012, 10:36 pm

Hi.
Sorry you are going through this. I am currently doing in depth research for post graduate college studies on this topic.
Aspergers is a higher level form of autism. The main difference bet AS and high functioning autism (HFA) is that in AS, language is acquired at the typical age whereas is HFA it may be delayed. Since your child is pre linguistic , he cannot receive an AS diagnosis.

There are some tests for autism that can be done as early as 18 months. One is called the CHAT. But, before jumping to that, there may just be underlying sensory issues contributing to his behavior. I would see a developmental pediatrician and ask if occupational therapy is warranted.

Lastly, Early intervention is crucial. See if you can get help for free or at a reduced cost from a state agency
provider. My favorite approach to dealing with Autistic tenancies is Floortime by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and Serena Weider. . Look it up online and try to take out the book, "Engaging Autism." It will explain their approach and much of it involved parents being the child's therapist. Also, keep taking videos of your childs positive and negative behaviors over time as they can aid tremendously in diagnosis in the future.

Try not to panic. He is very young and there can be other explanations for his behavior. Hatzlacha!

amother

Mon, Jun 25 2012, 1:01 am

As an EI teacher, I can tell you that I dont think I've ever heard of the diagnosis being given to such a young child. He may very well be eligible for services based on the symptoms you are seeing which are making you think Asperger's but I don't think he'll be diaqgnosed at this age.

Good luck!

Chana Miriam S

Mon, Jun 25 2012, 9:56 am

My former pediatrician, lonnie zwaigenbaum, has been a part of an infant sibling study (sibs of kids already diagnosed.). He has caught autism in various forms since some babies were six months old.

If you can get some form of early intervention to watch your kid it will make you feel better....good luck!

amother

Mon, Jun 25 2012, 10:22 am

Thanks all and to ChanaMiram that was extremely helpful...
I wish I lived closer to Canada -but I will try and do research asap. Reading the article confirmed my suspicions. Its really hard to please a child when they are in '' in their own world'' . I kill to please my child with food, toys, love and attention and it hurts when their is minimal reciprocation.