Charlotte Moore on when autism appears
The fact that autistic behavior becomes apparent during the second and third years, that the child regresses, loses or abandons skills, cuts himself off, becomes uncontrollable, may be the result of him coming up against a set of expectations that he is not equipped to fulfill. (p. 63)
So Charlotte Moore speculates in George and Sam, Two Boys, One Family, and Autism about how—why—-autism was not identifiable in her two autistic sons, George and Sam, until they were well beyond their toddler years. Both boys, she writes, were (she thinks) always autistic. It is only when greater social demands such as we ask of children as they get older are placed on a child that their difference becomes apparent, and not because of an external agent such as a vaccine or mercury poisoning.
I have been again reviewing Charlie’s babyhood as I read…..
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Autism Lit, Books, Diagnosis, Family, Parenting
7 opinions for Charlotte Moore on when autism appears
Lisa/Jedi
Dec 15, 2006 at 12:01 pm
I agree wholeheartedly with this perception. Brendan never “regressed”- he hit the obvious early milestones at the usual time, but his development was always much more intense than what I’ve observed in other babies. He needed to be held almost constantly as an infant & once he hit toddlerhood needed one of us in the room with him all the time & rarely engaged in independant play. We also noticed that his development was very one-sided, that he seemd to put all of his energy into learning one particular skill to the exclusion fo other things. For example, he was a fluent & expressive baby-signer (the method of using sign-language to facilitate the communication of pre-verbal babies) beginning at about 10 months of age but stopped communicating almost entirely when he was learning to walk (13-16 months), & then began speaking quite clearly to us as soon as he had mastered walking. He still exhibits the one-sidedness in his learning, which makes school interesting…
I began to think that he might be autistic when he was 18 months old, due to behaviour issues more than physical developmental ones, but he seemed to keep up with his peers until he was about 4 1/2, when his preschool teachers requested that we have him tested for developmental delays. I have definitely seen Brendan become less & less able to cope with the complexity of the world as he’s grown older & I think it’s at the root of his OCD anxiety. We spend a lot of time in discussion with him about what’s going on around him, the whys, & how he he might respond (to be socially appropriate). It’s really reminded me of just how complicated things are…
Kristina Chew, PhD
Dec 15, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Charlie was behind on every single gross motor milestone. (Except, he had no problems nursing and with the sucking reflex.) No language and behavior problems —I have started to think he might be a candidate for a very early diagnosis now. And I have definitely seent he increased OCD anxiety as he gets older. I think things just “passed over” him when he was younger and now he notices so much—makes him worry.
mcewen
Dec 15, 2006 at 2:52 pm
This was published in Britain a couple of years ago which is why I am very familiar with it. It is a gusty no nonsense version of what many of us experience. Advice [unsolicited admittedly] read alone. Best wishes
Kristina Chew, PhD
Dec 15, 2006 at 4:15 pm
It’s a great read—-gutsy is the word—
Daisy
Dec 15, 2006 at 7:27 pm
And Aspergers can be diagnosed even later. The school student services team used to resist when I’d bring an autism referral for a twelve-year-old. Now, after two suggested referrals in two years that turned out right, they no longer doubt my instincts.
Leila
Dec 15, 2006 at 10:35 pm
My son wanted to be held at all times as a baby, and was very hyper from day one. He reached all the baby milestones except pointing at 12 months old. Then we noticed he was taking forever to speak in sentences; he lined up toys; at 18 months he became obsessed about things like colors, numbers, letters, The Wiggles. I didn’t see a regression, but rather an unexpected development in his toddler years.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Dec 16, 2006 at 2:36 am
That’s a good way to put it—the language in which autism is talked about seems to be evolving, along with our understanding.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: