Baby Play to lead to Autism Clues?
By CraftyCorner
@CraftyCorner (5600)
United States
November 8, 2008 6:26pm CST
How very young children play with toys may lead to the ability to diagnose and treat autism very early, putting tots on the road to wellness. (Autistics like myself can lead full 'normal' lives with early quality intervention.) Autistic children play with toys in unusual ways, such as spinning and rotating them. It was with my unusual play and other behaviors such as not talking that discovered my autism at age five in 1973.
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After the diagnoses, I was placed in a special school that helped me learn what I needed to become part of the outside world. Every 'autos' is different, but all are treatable to one degree or other, and all lovable.
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Unusual play in my opinion, unlike this story's author's, does not 'lead' to autism, but to autism diagnosis.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1083785/Babies-play-toys-unusual-ways-likely-develop-autism.html
3 people like this
3 responses
@Foxxee (3650)
• United States
10 Nov 08
I think it takes way more to diagnose someone as Autistic, although I do agree that the way a child plays can help with a diagnoses.
I think one of the signs I noticed more with my child was the fact how he almost seemed as if he was deaf & how he never played with non of his toys, except his legos & sometimes cars, but he didn't play with the cars like you would think a child would play with a car. My son would spin the wheels on his cars all day, & have so much fun doing it.
My son also likes hitting bottons on his toys & hearing what they have to say, but before they finish he hits it again & again. So all I hear is sounds being restarted over & over all day.
So I kinda know what your talking about.... play is different with Autistics & is noticable.
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (169449)
• United States
4 Jan 09
Foxxee, the adult young man I worked with did this with VCR and audio tapes, because there is something there that he focuses on that he hears, and we do not. Over and over again.
1 person likes this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
27 Mar 09
As an autistic myself, I am sensitive to certain sounds. High pitched sounds can send me right up the wall and give me the headache from Hades. Sadly, children provide many of those sounds, thus I must avoid them for the most part or I will suffer migraines for days.
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
10 Nov 08
My mother told me I used to spin wheels on anything and 'flick' things. (Brushing my fingernails back and forth over surfaces.)
2 people like this
@lilaclady (28206)
• Australia
9 Nov 08
That is very interesting, I have known a couple of people in my life that have been affected by this, it is a very confusing thing and it would be good if they can get to the core of it and help so many people.
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (169449)
• United States
9 Nov 08
When I was in Jr. Hi. a million years ago, autism was believed to be infant or childhood schizophrenia, and the so called experts had the guts to blame it on poor bonding with the mother, or a mother that was not involved or interested in their child. What an unbelievably hurtful and untrue statement, but such was science more than forty five years ago.
2 people like this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
9 Nov 08
Yes, many beliefs abounded back then. When I was growing up no one out side a small number in the medical community even knew what autism was. It was always being confused with artistic.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169449)
• United States
9 Nov 08
I would agree with you that autism is not caused by unusual play, but can be suspected, and diagnosed by unusual play and communication pattern. I have worked with many autistic children, and I support adult autistic people among others in a residential setting. I have one little girl that really stands out in my memory from when I worked in a preschool. We did lots of documentation with photos, and I was the first person to ever get her to make eye contact in a photo. It was also interesting to watch her begin having social interactions by playing with another child in reflection in the mirror. Their reflections played together.
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
9 Nov 08
Yes, autistic people often use a proxy of some sort during play.
1 person likes this
