Very early signs of autism

Anyways, normal toddlers do all these things, but here are some things my oldest does that caught my attention:

• Hand flapping. Lots of it. Whenever she's angry, excited, frustrated or otherwise overly emotional. Little sister does it too, but it's like 10 times a day vs 3 times a week.

• Toe walking. Again, a normal way for kids to explore their bodies and muscles. Older daughter just does it more often, but not to a dramatic degree

• Tooth grinding/Lip licking/tongue clicking.

• Upset by changes in routine.

• Does what I tell her most of the time (so I know she hears) but rarely looks at me when I talk to her. This is probably one of the best indicators. She doe this a lot more than her sister. But again, all toddlers do this. One of the questions the evaluator asked was "Have you ever wondered if your child is deaf?" That should give you a sense of the degree of this.

• Repeats things. Sometimes hours later she'll start reciting a YouTube video.

• Zero interest in playing with other kids. Other children might as well be furniture as far as she cares.

• Occasional extreme tantrums.

There's other things I'm forgetting, I'm sure. She always stared at ceiling fans when she was under 2. She had a precocious ability to recognize letters and numbers. By 18 months or so she could recognize any letters she saw and would sometimes spell words she saw. She doesn't really read yet (not quite 3) but she does recognize several words now too. If she sees the word "Zoo" she'll let us know. Now she obsessed with animals and has a prodigious memory for them (seriously I think she can recognize lots of animals most adults have never heard of). And yet, overall, her younger sister has basically caught up to her verbal skills (presumably because she pays attention to mom and dad when they are talking and big sister does not). Her sentences are very basic (caveman talk without pronouns and such).

NAS77528 said:

Zero interest in playing with other kids. Other children might as well be furniture as far as she cares.

I'm assuming this is meant to be funny! :)

We are much more in-tune / intuitive with our surroundings & environment. Walking on ones toes would be initiation to hunting. women with 4 cones would easily tell the difference between nutritional Red Berries and poisonous ones. The nuances in symbols such as bird markings or animal droppings, the subtle difference between the geometry of poisonous leaves and safe ones... We were medicine doctors for the tribe. Every element of the autistic brain is wired to survive in pre-technological society and will be advantageous in post-apocalyptic society. 

Recognising that repetition is a grounding mechanism for humans and animals alike. Neurotypical humans utilise social echo-chambers in the same way we use dance, sound, and more tangible rhythms.   

NAS77528 said:

Zero interest in playing with other kids. Other children might as well be furniture as far as she cares.

I'm assuming this is meant to be funny! :)

We are much more in-tune / intuitive with our surroundings & environment. Walking on ones toes would be initiation to hunting. women with 4 cones would easily tell the difference between nutritional Red Berries and poisonous ones. The nuances in symbols such as bird markings or animal droppings, the subtle difference between the geometry of poisonous leaves and safe ones... We were medicine doctors for the tribe. Every element of the autistic brain is wired to survive in pre-technological society and will be advantageous in post-apocalyptic society. 

Recognising that repetition is a grounding mechanism for humans and animals alike. Neurotypical humans utilise social echo-chambers in the same way we use dance, sound, and more tangible rhythms.