Hayden's Autism

Many of our friends and family have told us, “I just don’t see it.  He doesn’t seem to be autistic.”  I have believed this at times myself, but when I write out the list of all the little things, it amounts to something more than just normal 3-year-old behavior.  While we are still learning and will probably always be learning about Hayden’s autism, these are some of the signs Hayden shows.

• Doesn’t always respond to his name
• Doesn’t understand 2 step directions
  
• Is attached to cars, trucks, trains, etc. (transportation items)
  
• Stimming-Spins and fixates on wheels (eye tracking)
  
• Lines up cars excessively
  
• Vibration seeking
  
• Repeats phrases (out of the blue)
  
• Socially immature
  
• Very little pretend play
  
• Enjoys playing alone, little to no interest in peers
  
• Sensory issues
  
• Gravitational insecurities (this has already improved dramatically)
  
• Depth perception/visual system difficulties (throws great, but can’t catch)
  
• Language delay (receptive and expressive)
  
• Babbling/own language
  
• Makes a lot of sounds with mouth, hums
  
• Repeats a word or phrase until I repeat EXACTLY what he said
  
• Screams “Bye, bye, bye!” when doesn’t like something
  
• Out of control tantrums
  
• Sensory seeker (acts like a bull running into us or the dog)
  
• Wraps things tightly around his neck (this is very scary)
  
• Feels the need to close doors and turn on lights
  
• Resists change (has trouble when routine gets changed)
  
• Does not transition well
• Overactivity (can go, go, go... and has trouble winding down)
  
• Has trouble falling and staying asleep
  
• Eats VERY limited foods (even before the diet change)
  
• Gastrointestinal issues (bloating, constipation, etc.)
  
• Is affectionate, but not a huge cuddler
  
• Loves sports and music (can sit and watch or listen for a long period of time)
  
• Has ability to pick up tunes quickly (can sing a song he just heard… may change some of the words but can carry the exact tune)
  
• Can hear an airplane or fire truck before anyone else
  

A lot of these signs are already getting better.  I think that his diet change, supplements, preschool, ST and OT are all having an impact on him and he is improving. 

It is easy to see now why his pediatrician felt that he had Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) or Sensory Integration.  Before Hayden’s autism diagnosis, we believed him to have SPD and have difficulties with his vestibular, tactile, proprioceptive, and auditory senses.

The vestibular sense controls many things including coordination, gravitational fear (fear of feet leaving the ground), sense of direction, eye control, attention, and language development. 

The tactile sense is our sense of touch.  Some of the difficulties seen with this are being a picky eater, being overresponsive to tags on clothes, feeling the need to be in tight spaces.

The proprioceptive sense deals with motor control and motor planning.  Some of the difficulties seen with this are falling, crashing, or running into things purposefully and grinding teeth or biting or chewing on objects.

The auditory sense deals with our hearing and how we process it.  Some challenges include being over or under sensitive to loud noises, being inattentive when spoken to, needing things repeated often, inability to pay attention when there is background noise, misunderstanding or confusing words that sound similar, and having a slow response during conversation.

I recently read that more than 90% of children with autism have sensory processing difficulties.  I think it was easy for us to believe that he had SPD since most of his signs fell under that category.  He does have SPD, but he is also autistic.  I still believe that he is “high functioning” or on the mild side of the spectrum.  The more that I learn about autism and SPD, the more I feel that all of us experience some sort of sensory “issues.”  I know that Dill and I have really dissected ourselves and uncovered many of our own sensory “issues.”

We will be seeing a neurologist and behavioral psychologist soon.  The neurologist will be able to look for anything unusual in Hayden’s brain and tell us if he is having seizures.  Sometimes people can have seizures, but don’t show visible signs.  The behavioral psychologist will be able to help us deal with his “negative” behaviors.  I am really looking forward to this visit.  It is so difficult to discern between 3-year-old behaviors and autistic behaviors.  It is hard to know how and when to discipline.  We do not want to be the type of parents who use his autism as a crutch and let him get away with everything.  We also do not want to be the type of parents who discipline too harshly.  Up to this point, Hayden has received many time outs for “undesirable behavior”, but I have also let some things slide in order to survive.  The meltdowns in public are the hardest things for me to deal with. 

 Another breakthrough!  

When Hayden was playing with his cars and trucks last night, he actively engaged Dill to play with him.  In the past, Hayden would let us play alongside him, but not directly with him.  He and Dill were taking turns “scooping the dirt” to put in the dump truck.  When Dill stopped for a moment, Hayden said, “Come on Daddy.”  Hayden wanted his attention back and for him to continue playing with him.  This is a big step!

While this is still so new and overwhelming to me, I am thankful for all that we have learned.  God has placed the right people in our path and has been faithful.  I know that He will continue to reveal Hayden’s sweet spirit to us and will teach us what we need to know to guide him.

 

*Most of the information I get comes from my two favorite books, The Autism Sourcebook by Karen Siff Exkorn and The Sensory Processing Disorder ANSWER BOOK by Tara Delaney, MS,OTR/L.  Some of the information on the senses, I took directly from The Sensory Processing Disorder ANSWER BOOK.  Both books have been very helpful to me.