2 1/2 yr old with possible spd???

by Rebecca
(Michigan)

I am a mother of one 2 1/2 yr old boy. When my son was about 1 1/2 he had some of the red flag signs of Autism so we got him evaluated & they said there was no concerns. Now that he is older I cant help bt feel concerned with a lot behaviors he is having.




Here are some examples.... He is & always has been OBSESSED with cars trucks anything with wheels. Lately that is all he plays with everyday all day long. He not only "plays" w/ them but if you watch him he is just staring at the wheels going around. He is always rubbing the wheels on his face by his cheeck & mouth- he does this with other things too. We went to the park yesterday & he does not want to play on anything like he use to but rather wath all the trucks & cars go by. I cannot even get him a haircut anymore because he cannot handle the hair falling on him. He has had (kicking & screaming & crying) about 10 haircuts & with each time it just gets worse & worse. The poor hairdresser could not even finish this time around. He could swing & spin around in the swing for hours on end if we let him. When we take walks he doesnt walk but runs. Everything has to be faster & faster.

He has also been doing this thing where he runs by stuff real fast & look out the corner of his eyes. He will do this to anything he runs by. I tried this & it makes me dizzy & off balance. He still chokes on some foods because he will shove so much in his mouth & not chew all the way. I dont know what to do because I feel like something is just not right about these behaviors, but then again I have never been a mom before so I dont know if this is all "normal" behavior or something I should be concerned about. My son does speak very well, he is very smart, he has empathy towards others & does look you in the eye. Any suggestions & comments would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you. Rebecca



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Sep 09, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		IM NOT CRAZY
by: ANGIE

WOW...JUST READING ALL THIS MAKES ME FEEL SO MUCH BETTER TO KNOW IM NOT CRAZY! MY SON LOVES ANYTHING WITH WHEELS. HE USED TO JUST PUSH, PULL OR DRAG HIS RIDE ON TOYS, BUT HE HAS ONE HE RIDES NOW. HE IS TWO AND A HALF AND IS ONLY USING SINGLE WORDS. WE ORIGINALLY GOT HIM INTO THERAPY FOR SPEECH DELAY, BUT THE OT NOTICED SOME OTHER THINGS THAT I JUST THOUGHT WERE QUIRKS! HE DOESNT LIKE PEOPLE TOUCHING HIM OR TELLING HIM TO SAY SOMETHING. HE HATES TO SWING EVEN AS AN INFANT HE HATED IT. HE HATES ELEVATORS BUT LOVES ESCALATORS. HE LOVES TO GO REALLY FAST AND HAS THIS CRAZY THING HE DOES , SLINGING HIS HEAD AROUND REALLY FAST WHILE RUNNING IF HE GETS OVERSTIMULATED . OF COURSE THIS IS EVERY TIME HE PLAYS WITH DADDY AND IT ENDS WITH MOMMY CALMING , SOOTHING OR FUSSING! I CAN SEE IT COMING, BUT DADDY LOVES PLAYING WITH HIM . HE WILL ACTUALLY HAVE HIS EVAL TOMORROW FOR SPD...AND I AM AWAITING USEFUL TIPS. I HATE THE COMMENTS FROM OTHERS THAt he IS JUST SPOILT AND SHOULD BE DISCIPLINED, BECAUSE HE IS VERY DISCIPLINED. HE IS VERY EMPATHETIC TOWARDS ANYONE ELSE GETTING SCOLDED AND IS VERY OBSERVANT OF VOICE TONES. THERE ARE SO MANY QUIRKS, I COULD NEVER LIST THEM ALL.
Sep 03, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		2 1/2 yr old son
by: Debbie

The Early Steps Program is great and you can check out nichy.com to find a local agency to get an evaluation, which is done in your home. My son is in this program and it is for children age 0 - 3 years old. Occupational therapy would be a great benefit I believe. However, Early Steps will help guide you in the right direction.
Sep 01, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		So similar
by: Anonymous

My 8 year old does the thing with the eyes too. He also likes to take a car and drive it around the house. He likes to pretend he is driving on roads. He doesn't always do it but i noticed he'll do it more if we've had a long, busy day.It is almost like he needs to decompress or something and that seems to calm him down. He will do it outside too. He is a wanderer and will walk around the perimeter of yards or fields.
Aug 19, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Comment to Adrienne
by: Rebecca

Thank you Adrienne for your comments & suggestions. I actually found someone to come out & evaluate my little guy.Hopefully it will be in the next 2 weeks. It's nice to hear someone else knows what I am talking about w/ the eye thing because no one else seems to think its a big deal or they keep telling me nothing is wrong & that he is just doing what little boys do- which may be, but as a parent I feel it is my responsibility to educate myself so I can try & make a better & more peaceful world for my son. My son thankfully does speak very well, but he also could dump & dump out over & over again as you mentioned that your son does.
Best of wishes for you & your little guy!
Aug 18, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		You're not alone
by: Adrienne

You're not alone. A lot of the same things you are describing my son also does. I have a 2 yr old boy who has SPD & actually is seeing an Occupational Therapist for his issues. The "eye thing" that you talked about is exactly what my son does, too. I would explain it to his doctor & anyone else who would listen & they had never heard of anything like it before. He also loves loves loves balls. They can be any size & he just goes nuts for them. Unlike your little boy, mine is terrified of swings, elevators, slides & actually any playground equipment. He would rather walk around the playground than play on it. He loves to walk! Does your son have any speech delay at all? Mine only says 3 words. I also have an 8 mth old girl that developmentally is right on track. She has been a real help with the speech issue. He mimics her all the time.

I live in Texas & our state has the non-profit group called Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) They came out, asked me questions, observed him & got us started with an Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist & Social Worker. SPD & Autisim has a lot of the same stuff that goes on so the Social Worker is working with him & I both about seeing if he needs to be tested for that or not. As of right now my husband & I are waiting to see if in a couple more months he gets better before we go down the autism road. The good news is that just in the 6 mths of him being in the ECI program, he has actually progressed some. He still does the "eye thing" but not near as much. In the beginning he would do it all the time!! I'm still working with him about even simple things like playing. He would rather dump toys out, put them back in a bucket & do it all over again. He's babbling more & more each day, too. I have no clue what he is saying but I'm just thrilled to be able to hear him say something.There has got to be some kind of program in Michigan who can help you get started on finding out his sensory issues. I was fortunate enough to have a friend who's daughter has down syndrom & had her in the ECI program so she was able to point me in the right direction.

I hope I've been able to assist in some way with your questions & concerns. Everyday's a challenge & some days are better than others. At the end of day, though, I would do all the things that I'm doing now to make his life as comfortable as possible over & over again. Whatever my baby needs to try to live a somewhat normal life I have to do. He can't help what's going on so it's my job to do what I can.

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