Autism,my 2 year old has it, what does the future hold? He communicates by holding your hand and pointing?

My 2 year old son has been diagnosed with autism,he cannot speak at the moment,his signs of autism are good, he's very loving.He loves to kiss and cuddle up and to hold hands and walk everywhere, he hates using the car to travel. When he walks he likes to walk the same way, and signs on the pavement he stops to look at, they fasinate him.Luke can hold a spoon and fork and feed himself, and he is going to hospital in september to find what form of autism he has, t's like a playcentre in the oxford jr hospital and the staff monitor his play and behavour. But he loves to laugh and smile and go on the trampoline with his brothers and jump up and down with them.Tv i notice is bad for him, he's like in a coma with it, in a trance state,he loves dora.But im wondering if he will ever speak or be able to run,as he can only walk.Has anyone a guess what sort of autism he might have or what the future might hold.Luke goes to hospital next week and gets accessed what autism he has in there playroom

My 4 year old is autistic and he is also very loving and affectionate. He does not have good eye contact and did not speak until he was 3 yrs. He then began saying his alphabet, numbers, etc. when he wanted to do so. He then became echolalic where he repeated words, songs and phrases off of videos. He can watch a movie once and repeat it word for word.

He has slowed down now doing this and begun to repeat words that we say, so it has been a gradual progress. He is throwing tantrums some now but I believe it is out of frustration. We have him in a program similar to ABA for about 30 hrs / week. This is helping. Program or not just interact with your child as much as possible.

You might read the following: Son-Rise by Barry Kaufman, Facing Autism by Lynn Hamilton, The Me Book, by Ivan Lovaas and Floortime by Stanley Greenspan.

Supplements to try: Glutathione, Super Nu Thera and Omega 3's, B12 and Magnesium. Extra Magnesium can come by Epsom Salt baths.

KEEP HIM ACTIVE WITH SPORTS, ATHELETICS, MUSIC, READING, ACADEMICS AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. DONT LOCK HIM IN A ROOM WITH A COMPUTER AMND AN IPOD AND A tv, DOM THE OPOOIISTE AND HAVE HIOM INTERCAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, FIND PROGRAMS, SUMMER CAMPS, ETC, KEEP AT IT, FIND AN ADVOCATE LIKE A VOLUNTEER OR A TEACHER WHO CARES

do not despair ... my brother has it... what type is it? there are many kinds ... it sounds like a mild form .... talk to the doctor about it and they can give you info on the condition .....

he certainly sounds like he is high functioning, and with training and patience, he will probably learn to communicate and run and everything else like a fairly normal child.

My 13 year old cousin has autism. She learned how to use sign language and also has a speech board (there is a picture of the toilet and when it's pressed, her speech therapist's voice says "I have to go to the restroom). When she was younger, she was mesmerized by the tv also, but not so much now. Within the last couple of years, she has learned to feed herself (big accomplishment!) and if I remember correctly, she started walking at a late age. The doctors still aren't sure what form of autism she has. Best wishes!

There is no doubt that he is going to live an abnormal life. He might have to go to a special school, or have to take special classes to help him. But what is good, is that there are being many advances in this disease. Your son has a chance in life. People are going to say that he doesn't and you are probably going to have people teasing him, but there is hope. I know I sound harsh, but when you get through reading this, the good will outweigh the bad. The first thing I would like to address is the way that he will act. He will find interest in one thing. And he will be better then everyone at it. It could be math. It could be astronomy. It could be the piano. The best thing that you can do in this stage is so expose him to different things. This is how you should do it. One day out of the week, you should expose him to something. Anything. Maybe one day you could do science. Maybe another week you could do drawing. Do this until you see him go for one thing. Encourage him to keep being interested in it. You have a choice. He can be interested in nothing, or in one thing. With autism, it is almost impossible to get him evenly cultured. But this is something you should discuss with a specialist. University of California Davis,has one of the best programs for autism and retardation. Now, I don't know where you live, but go onto their website. I don't know the name, but you can always Google it. But make sure not to use information you find on Google unless it is from a KNOWN TRUSTED SOURCE! And TV is bad for children with autism. But you can turn this interest into good. There are tapes or DVDs that you can buy made for autistic children. Put this on, and remember to watch it with him. TV is not a babysitter! You should watch it first. Create some activities to do along with the tape. Some tapes even come with special activities. Like I said, go to the UC Davis website. Then find a children's hospital, and a certified specialist. With hard work, you child can live a fairly normal life. Remember, there is hope.

He could also have an autism spectrum disorder (includes Asperger's syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder or PDD) as he appears to be high-functioning and socializing, which is critical.

Make absolutely certain that other causes of delayed speech development (e.g. hearing impairment, too much TV/Little Einstein DVD's, etc. have been excluded). Look into consultation with the most reputable experts you can find, irrespective of the cost. Early interventions at this young age are likely to have more impact than later on. Do not hesitate to pay out of pocket as waiting for approvals and social services/insurances to act may potentially cause several month delays, and the sooner the necessary interventions are initiated, the better the results.

There are many books on the subject and start reading about them at your local library right away. If true, this is a life-long diagnosis for your child, and you yourself need to become an expert and start forming your own opinions about potentially differing expert and layperson advice that you might receive.

Many people swear by the casein-free/gluten-free diet, and you should also look into this.

All the best!

I have autism. It seems he has high functioning if he likes to be physically touched. I have moderate.

He has a bright future. Any child with autism can have a bright future if you give them the right therapy. Autistics need to have every experience normal children have. Experiences make any human being learn. Autistics are no different.

When I was his age I screamed, kicked, bit, build things with Legos obsessively, didn't speak, and avoided eye contact.

After a lot of speech, social, and behavior therapy, I am thriving now. I see autism as my most powerful ally since it has many advantages:
-incredible memory
-skills in logic
-I can see mathematical patterns in music, physics, and buildings
-easier to tell the truth
-can see answers to questions other people seem to have difficulty with

All these things I didn't have when I took medication. Please don't medicate your child. It sometimes makes it worse.

There are disadvantages too. I am observant with numbers but not my appearance. However, I am getting a lot better. I often forget the every day things too. I am getting better with that as well.

I hope Luke holds a wonderful childhood and you enjoy raising him.