From the beginning...

A clever friend of mine recently suggested I start a blog about our amazingly gorgeous little boy, River, who is currently undergoing assessments for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder.) He is only 20 months & was only 15 months when we first had our suspicions, so I'd had to be quite pushy to get heard, but I'm convinced he is on the spectrum & won't stop pushing until every possible assessment has been done.

I have written a sort-of diary elsewhere so I'll import these into this blog soon, but for now, here is why we believe River is on the spectrum:

·         Cannot point

·         Cannot wave

·         Cannot clap

·         No words or animal noises

·         Cannot follow a point

·         No interest in other children or people

·         No imaginary play ie pretending to use a phone, pouring a cup of tea

·         Doesn’t smile when smiled at

·         Doesn’t answer to his name- but hears when you whisper ‘milk’ or ‘banana’

·         Obsessed with spinning toys, wheels, phones, blocks- everything

·         Doesn’t play with toys for intended purpose- just spins & flicks them

·         Doesn’t bring/show me toys to include me in his world

·         Has never kissed me or really cuddled me

·         Grinds/humps against muslins in his cot for prolonged periods with deadpan expression & glazed eyes

·         Hates noisy, unfamiliar places ie toddler groups, family parties

·         Doesn’t understand basics ie “Bring me a nappy,” or “Where’s your drink?”

·         Very sensitive to routine

·         Runs up & down living room all day whilst opening & closing fist (stimming)

·         Flaps his arms

·         Like to spin in circles

·         Likes to shake head

·         Walks on tip toes when excited

·         Stares into space & giggles a lot

·         Wanders around the house aimlessly

·         Likes to look at things upside down or side-on

·         Loves the washing machine, especially spin cycle

·         Doesn’t communicate his needs

·         Pokes & prods his eyes

·         Likes to face the corner of the room

·         Stares at lights out of the corner of his eye

·         Likes the CD spinning in the CD player

·         Spins things on the floor then leans right into them to gain visual stimulation

·         Likes to bite/lick the tv remote, freezer door, wooden stairgate- hard things in general

·         Finds visual communication easier- won’t attempt to point at tv or indicate vocally when he wants it on, but would rather climb up, get the remote & drop it next to me

·         Cannot make marks on paper with a pen or felt tip

·         Will not look at books

·         Buries his head in corner of the couch a lot (compression?)

·         Has to test how food & objects react against different surfaces ie will put raisins on the living room floor, flick them, then pick up & put on kitchen floor, then on the stairs, then on the armchair

·         Will not feed himself with a spoon, & will not let us feed him- has finger fed himself from 9 months

·         Doesn’t get any comfort if we cuddle him in the night if he wakes- it’s as if we’re a stranger

·         Likes to have lots of musical toys on at the same time

·         Likes to shout

·         All bowls & containers have to be emptied

·         Likes to run/crash into furniture

·         Struggles to transition from one thing to another-ie having a bath