A long time ago, I read that Autistic babies were often referred to as Angel Babies because of their sweet, calm nature. My 16 yr old daughter, who is a volatile ball of rage now, was the perfect example. She was the best baby in the world. Little did we know what was in store for us!

She was the easiest baby, happy to just lay on her blanket or in the playpen and keep herself occuppied w toys etc. I was always able to get things done without her crying to be picked up. She wasn't fussy at all and didn't demand a lot of attention. My friends and family were amazed and thought I was so lucky, they thought she was the "perfect baby".

Thinking back, the only strange thing about her behavior in the first few months was that she didn't like to be held close for very long. She was not a good nurser, got agitated and "bobbed" her head around on my breast. I blamed it on mixing bottle feeding w breast feeding cuz I was working full time. Thought she was mad cuz it was harder to get the milk out of me than from the bottle. Strange and frustrating.

Then, the next thing we noticed was she'd get fussy if over stimulated w noise and commotion. But I guess many "normal" babies get stressed out like that too.

Anyway, I've never asked any parents this question. How were your babies' temperaments for the first year or so? My daughter started throwing tantrums and being physically aggressive (hitting, pinching, biting) at about a yr old. She was also devel delayed on all of the physical and verbal milestones.

Since we were first time parents and our pediatrician told us "don't worry, she'll catch up", we didn't realize anything was really wrong until she was between 3 & 4 yrs old. Also, Autism wasn't in the spotlight back then like it is now. With my son, we had testing and services for him starting at about 6 mos old (since we were better informed and had a better Dr the second time around).

So, 16 yrs later, our Angel Baby is diagnosed w Mild Autism, BiPolar, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Intermittent Explosive Disorder and Developmentally Disabled (~4-7 yrs old mentally. Quite a drastic change from the little sweetie that I was so in love with as a little baby. Hard to believe it's the same human being!

My nephew has autism. When he was a baby he had a very easy going temperament - still does. My brother's first baby cried a lot -very colicky, so he was a nice relief!
I remember him sitting in his baby seat in front of the TV actually watching Jungle Book at 5 months! He would actually change facial expressions when different things happened that he recognized. I was amazed - at such an early age.
He and I have a very deep and strong connection. I don't see him often now - once a year because of distance, but he gives me the strongest biggest hugs ever and boy is that kid smart!! He can read a manual to something and figure out how to make it work. He speaks small sentences - He is almost 17 now. I absolutely ADORE him.
I know you have had such a difficult time with your daughter. I also know that she suffers from so many different disorders. I'm sure as a mother you have been through so much - as you said, having no idea what was in store for you. My heart truly goes out to you.

I love my sweet baby boy very much but he has always been high maintnance!

He is 6 now and has dx of Asperger Syndrome, Sensory processing disorder and hypotonia (low muscle tone).

He was usually very happy and content or absolutely fussy and screaming. He always let you know how he felt about things!

Looking back I had all these medical people treat me disrespectfully because breastfeeding wasn't working well. I bf for almost 3 mos and pumped with a hospital grade pump. Now I believe his low muscle tone really affected his ability to bf. He would had a very light suck and would tire out so quick. I hardly had any milk to give.

His sensory issues were obvious from early on. He would scream at any loud sounds. So we used the blender, coffee grinder out in the garage. i would vacuum when he and my dh were out. If I brought him in with me in the shower ( sitting in his infant seat) he would scream the entire time. I took the quickest showers of my life back then!

He had reflux and spit up or projectile vomited quite a bit. Once I tried to introduce solids at 6 mos old I knew something was wrong. Once the texture of pureed fruit or vege touched his mouth he would gag and wretch and vomit up his entire bottle. We finally got him into Occupational Therapy at 10 mos to learn to eat solids.

I'm glad all that happened though, because it set off warning bells in me. I got my son evaluated at 17 months with the early start program and he started receiving services. OT, PT, home visits then moved into the schools at age 3 for services and still has an IEP. Even though the Asperger's dx didn't come til age 4 1/2 the developmental delays got him early services and for that I am grateful.

My dh and I used to joke to each other and call him "crazy baby". He will do great things one day though. One thing we have always enjoyed about him is his great sense of humor. He is so smart too. He is reading the fifth Harry Potter book. In 1st grade!!!! Uh hard to keep ahead of someone I know is way smarter than I am (lol).

Molly

[This Message was Edited on 02/24/2009]

Many people think that Autism just appears around the time children start to talk. In all actuality, there are many signs present as an infant but they are difficult to analyze. Even by professionals.

I worked as a case manager in a birth to three program and one of the things I did was screen babies. Some were found to have subtle signs and and their progress was monitored

At that age it is difficult to say exactly what the diagnosis is other than developmental delay however some of these children came out inconclusive on the screening but were still monitored. If a child did not pass the screening then he/she was referred to an educational psychologist, PT, OT and Speech and Language Therapist. Some children started with a diagnosis of developmental delay which eventually became a different diagnosis. Some of the children who tested inconclusive, "caught up", some did not.

This program really helped infants who might have fallen through the cracks if not for the tests. Unfortunately, it was discontinued in my state because of lack of funding. This was in 1994 and the economy was not as bad as it is now.

But that is another subject.

Take care.

gap

gap

My little sister wasn't a sweet baby at all. She hardly ate and always cried it wasn't until she was about 2 or 3 that she would begin to smile and laugh and be just a complete angel. I guess it was when she started walking (at the age of 2) and later she started throwing more and more tantrums. Now she is 13 and when she throws a tantrum it's harder than ever because her, my mom, and me are all the same size so trying to calm her down is very hard, and my dad is hardly there when she starts a temper tantrum.