He has bee dx'd with a over 50% speech delay, we found out he had fluid in his ears and he got tubes put in his ears. But that was 12/1/08 and we STILL arent seeing a real big difference in him and thats WITH speech therapy. He isnt really responding to his name much and his ST is REALLY worried there might be something else going on but didnt tell me what, but HIGHLY recommended me get him an appt with Care Connections a neurologist and have him FULLY tested for EVERYTHING they test children for. And i did some research and found out that Autism is a brain disorder and makes since for him to get a full work up at the Neurologist.

Ok so also what got me wondering about Autism is that hes been having HORRIBLE temper tantrums, and since he cant talk much yet he cant explain what he wants which makes it even WORSE and then he throws things and kicks things and pushes things in frustration. Its really hard for me to stay patient with him with him acting that way and screaming and crying at the same time as well. It seems all i do is tell him to stop acting that way here lately which DOESNT work of course. I know toddlers have "terrible twos" but this is more like "HORRIBLE twos".

He does do some of the things that yall have listed in the red flags list.
He is in the EI program here as well. At first we didnt think it was Autism but i think thats changing now as he is.
Is it normal for them to change to like a different child like this?
Maybe im worrying for nothing and this is norma idk. Hes even having these horrible tantrums at daycare and hes never been that way at daycare especially. I was soooooooooooo EMBARRASED today and yesterday at how he acted there. I tried timeout and that made it WORSE so i gave up on that idea for the sake of everyones sanity LOL.

TIA
Teresa

Autism is a HUGE spectrum! You may ready about it and think well that is nothing like my child or wow thats sounds just like my child. My son and daughter met 98% of all the stages before age 18mon on time. Both are ASD. My son made a complete change! Its always good to get and eval done. Just to be on the safe side. Here are a few things they really look for....
Does he make eye contact? How does he do in social situations. Does he play with other children? Does he have any sensory issues?

Welcome and keep us up to date on things!

whats sensory issues?

Resa

Hi Resa, welcome to the board. I'm Crissy - my little boy Angus has autism. he was diagnosed at 2½ and will be 5 next week! Angus didn't change drastically, he was always quirky, but it wasn't until autism was suggested and I looked into it that a lot of things I had downplayed really started to jump out at me. And some things have worsened or become more apparent over time - at 2 a lot of his behaviour could have been excused in a toddler - but stand out a lot now.

Sensory issues are when a child reacts atypically to sensory input - sound, touch, taste, texture, lights, etc. Some kids crave sensory input, some shy away from it. My son is hyper sensitive to certain sounds, like the hum of motors, fans, machinery - he covers his ears and gets all worked up, and is drawn to wherever the sound is coming from. He prefers heavy touches - light touches he doesn't notice or they bother him - so hard squeezes, heavy blankets etc are what he likes. Hanging over the couch so his head is on the ground gives him a deep pressure feeling that he craves. Some kids have issues with texture of food, temperature too. It varies.

From our Autism 101 Glossary:
Sensory Issues - Those having difficulty with sensory information are often described as having "sensory issues". See SPD below.
Sensory-defensive – An individual who is over-sensitive to sensory input
Sensory-seeking – An individual who craves and seeks out a variety of sensory sensation.
SPD or SID - Sensory Processing Disorder / Sensory Integration Disorder or Dysfunction - Sensory Processing Disorder is a complex disorder of the brain that affects developing children. These children misinterpret everyday sensory information, such as touch, sound, and movement. Some feel bombarded by sensory information; others seek out intense sensory experiences or have other problems. This can lead to behavioral problems, difficulties with coordination, and other issues. Children with SPD are often misunderstood and labeled as aggressive or clumsy. They often are socially isolated and have trouble in school. Effective treatment is available, but far too many children with SPD are misdiagnosed and not properly treated.

Here is a website with more info: http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/