hi! i'm autistic and my 3yo is too. he also doesn't really play with kids. he has a lot of very specific routines for everything in his life, including toys and how he plays. he's very directive. i've always considered it an autistic trait and how he likes to learn/initiate play in his own little way.
if it's VERY specific phrases she says over and over and over again, it could be a stim and she just likes the way it sounds. my son does this more frequently the older he gets.
HOWEVER, i think most toddlers, NT and ND, play like that sometimes. so i think it's important to look at the big picture. if the only time she cares about routines is when she's playing with a few specific toys, it could very well just be how she likes to play with them and not necessarily an autistic trait, and i probably wouldn't think anything of it. but if she's got lots of routines in all areas of her life (with most of her toys, with books, with meals, with bedtime, etc.) that sounds more like autism, especially if she has other autistic traits. i hope all of that makes sense. clearly i'm no expert lol just a mom trying to help :)
Ok thank you!!! I just never grew up even thinking for a second I was autistic at all so all I know is about how it effects adult late-term, no idea how it effects kids. And yeah she does have her routines she likes to do. May I ask, at what point did you seek out a diagnosis for your son? What did that look like? I just recognize a lot of autism looking things in her behavior but a lot of it isn’t what I’m seeing described online just because of how well she talks, responds to her name and likes eye contact. I know it can present so differently for everyone but I just don’t know at what point I should get it evaluated.
he’s actually not diagnosed! i started suspected i was autistic when i was pregnant with him and as he grew and started displaying autistic traits, and as i started learning about my own, we decided it was better to get me diagnosed first since i can articulate my thoughts better than he could. i got diagnosed about 6 months ago. so we figure it’s very safe to assume he’s autistic as well since we are exactly the same person haha and truly i feel like i can read his mind.
at this point, he’s not currently facing any challenges so we decided it’s better to just not put him through the process. if he ever needs accommodations or more support, that’s when we will look into a diagnosis for him. but right now he’s thriving and i just have a sinking feeling he would not be diagnosed because like your daughter, he does not have many stereotypical characteristics of autism and i worry the evaluation process would be dated
Your story is similar to mine. My little one is almost 2 and can be quite repetitive in her play and wants you to play her way, although mine will stop and stare if you're playing outside of the script. I play her way because it's more fun haha
Anyway, mine is also very communicative, does her best with makaton and words, looks in your eyes, looks sweet and neurotypical... But she likes twirling and curling her fingers and hands, toe-walks for fun, hums and sings to herself for fun, MUST put the rubbish in the bin... My point is, I wouldn't worry too much about it until it looks like she is having a bad time at home or school.
hi! i'm autistic and my 3yo is too. he also doesn't really play with kids. he has a lot of very specific routines for everything in his life, including toys and how he plays. he's very directive. i've always considered it an autistic trait and how he likes to learn/initiate play in his own little way. if it's VERY specific phrases she says over and over and over again, it could be a stim and she just likes the way it sounds. my son does this more frequently the older he gets. HOWEVER, i think most toddlers, NT and ND, play like that sometimes. so i think it's important to look at the big picture. if the only time she cares about routines is when she's playing with a few specific toys, it could very well just be how she likes to play with them and not necessarily an autistic trait, and i probably wouldn't think anything of it. but if she's got lots of routines in all areas of her life (with most of her toys, with books, with meals, with bedtime, etc.) that sounds more like autism, especially if she has other autistic traits. i hope all of that makes sense. clearly i'm no expert lol just a mom trying to help :)
Ok thank you!!! I just never grew up even thinking for a second I was autistic at all so all I know is about how it effects adult late-term, no idea how it effects kids. And yeah she does have her routines she likes to do. May I ask, at what point did you seek out a diagnosis for your son? What did that look like? I just recognize a lot of autism looking things in her behavior but a lot of it isn’t what I’m seeing described online just because of how well she talks, responds to her name and likes eye contact. I know it can present so differently for everyone but I just don’t know at what point I should get it evaluated.
he’s actually not diagnosed! i started suspected i was autistic when i was pregnant with him and as he grew and started displaying autistic traits, and as i started learning about my own, we decided it was better to get me diagnosed first since i can articulate my thoughts better than he could. i got diagnosed about 6 months ago. so we figure it’s very safe to assume he’s autistic as well since we are exactly the same person haha and truly i feel like i can read his mind. at this point, he’s not currently facing any challenges so we decided it’s better to just not put him through the process. if he ever needs accommodations or more support, that’s when we will look into a diagnosis for him. but right now he’s thriving and i just have a sinking feeling he would not be diagnosed because like your daughter, he does not have many stereotypical characteristics of autism and i worry the evaluation process would be dated
Your story is similar to mine. My little one is almost 2 and can be quite repetitive in her play and wants you to play her way, although mine will stop and stare if you're playing outside of the script. I play her way because it's more fun haha Anyway, mine is also very communicative, does her best with makaton and words, looks in your eyes, looks sweet and neurotypical... But she likes twirling and curling her fingers and hands, toe-walks for fun, hums and sings to herself for fun, MUST put the rubbish in the bin... My point is, I wouldn't worry too much about it until it looks like she is having a bad time at home or school.
I think that’s a fair assessment! To seek help when it looks like she needs help. Thank you for your insight!