Autism or SPD in 2.5 year old?

by Kelly
(Rhode Island)

I'm a mother of a 2.5 year old who was recently seen to be diagnosed with autism. The therapist that he saw was on the fence about his symptoms because he does suffer from the repetition problems and severe language delay.

However, she was confused with his decent social skills that accompany autism. After doing some research myself, I was wondering if he was suffering from SPD rather than autism.

At this time, his biggest problem is speech. He doesn't say any real words except for "uh-oh", although he does make approximations now of others words. He understands very little spoken language to him, such as his name, "more", "please", and some other simple phrases.

He is extremely hyper. He constantly jumps, climbs, and "flaps" his hands by making fists and opening and closing them. He is obsessed with fluorescent lights, fans, music. He had trouble concentrating with them around, so usually the lights will have to go off for better focus from him.

He has unusual sleeping habits where it takes awhile to fall asleep, and he has trouble staying asleep. He is also the worst eater. He was using a bottle until a couple weeks ago. His diet is restricted to mostly snack food, waffles, cereal, and chicken nuggets. For a long time also, he was very resistant to different texture such as grass, sand, furry items, etc.

His biggest problem is having his head touched. He wont let his hair be cut/brushed or wear a hat. He also wont let his teeth be brushed. He throws many tantrums due to frustration or if you take something that is overstimulating away from him.

With this being said, his social skills are quite decent. He has attachments to certain people, although he isn't too shy around strangers. He used to have much worse eye contact, but he has improved and will usually make eye contact unless something distracts/excites him. He initiates to be picked up, hugged, and kissed. He also hates playing alone, and will always take a person by the hand to make them join in his playtime. He is fascinated by other children, although he isn't too sure how to share yet. Usually he just smiles or tries to hug.

I was just wondering if anyone has a similar situation or any input because SPD is a new topic to me. Does it sound like he is on the autism spectrum, or could the doctor be overlooking something and it could be SPD that is affecting his speech delay?

Thanks for reading! :)