Hello, my three year old is currently in the MAAT process with a probable diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder. He says only three words, has never said 'mummy' or 'daddy' but everything is a 'clock' or a 'car' at the moment! His obsessions. Makes good eye contact and responds to name. Very sociable with adults but no interest in other children and can get very stressed if he sees any playing with cars or vehicles. Loves cuddles and kisses but all on his terms. Although I'll usually get one if I ask maybe 2 or 3 times! Extremely picky eater. Will only eat Raisins, bananas, crackers, yoghurts and Cheerios for breakfast and lunch. His evening 'meal' will be a baby jar. And even then it's usually only 2 flavours.
Has several meltdowns a day usually when we have to leave a certain place ie the park or when we get out of the car. Or just when we can't make him understand something in general. Hates having his hair cut, nails trimmed and teeth brushed but will eventuallu comply if we turn it into a game, or if he's asleep ha! Public outings and trips can be difficult and often result in us returning home early after a meltdown. Lots of parks and wide open spaces are good for him as he loves to explore. Hates being restricted to one area so this makes going out for a meal nigh on impossible. still have to use his buggy as he will either run off in the wrong direction or will just stubbornly stay put on the ground til I carry him.
Really hard to reason with him with the lack of speech and understanding. He's a happy boy in general though. Laughs and interacts with me and his dad all day, especially at home. have to limit his time playing with cars or watching television as he will become transfixed. My main worries are for his nutrition as he is so picky and some days won't hardly eat at all and for his speech and language. He mainly babbles and uses his few words within the babbling. Do all autistic children speak eventually and eat better? Also going to have issues potty training him. HV has advised not to start yet as he wont understand it but I think he'll need to start soon and want him out of nappies
Doc concluded that he is very high up on the spectrum at the moment but could move down when the speech comes. Was that the case for any of you parents with older children? Sorry if this post is too long! Still coming to terms with it all. Im glad things are moving in the right direction though and can now start preparing for the future, even if it's a different future to the one id envisioned. Just want to stay positive and be the best mummy I can be to my little man. Any answers to these questions or advice would be highly appreciated, thankhs for reading :)
