Question 1

any significance of head circumference 19 percentile at birth and 89 percentile at 8 years? child does have level 1 autism diagnosis.

Accepted Answer

Related: Early excessive head growth is seen in may children with autism spectrum disorders.

Question 2

my autistic son covers his ears when he gets overstimulated. how can i help him cope better?

Accepted Answer

Systematic Desensiti: Systematic desensitization.

From an early age start to expose him to sounds in playful situations. Bring him closer to the offending sounds gradually (from a distance, from a closed door to the same room etc.) also reward him and reassure him for tolerating target sounds. 

Try to avoid any of the headphones, calming music, or other techniques that will increase his isolation from the real world.

Question 3

when my autistic son gets overly excited he constantly covers his ears, it has nothing to do with loud noises. how can i get him to overcome this?

Accepted Answer

Stimming and safe: This might be stimming or self stimulation behavior. It is safe and does not need special training to remove.  A wonderful resource is the thinking person's guide to autism http://www.Thinkingautismguide.Com/ this website has great information about autistic children and adults as well as support for care givers.

Question 4

why does my autistic son cover his ears?  it has nothing to do with  loud sounds.   he usually does it while watching tv even if the sound is low.

Accepted Answer

Over stimulated: As kids have sensory guarding.  Their perception of the verbal/auditory world is different and heightened.   Mannerisms of coping often deteriorate into self stimulation activity.   This happens with taste and touch as well (licking, smelling, tasting all manner of things).   But does not usually happen in the visual realm, which is their strength.

Question 5

could my 2 year olds ear problems cause autism like symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Yes: A child whose hearing is impaired obviously may not respond normally to verbal social cues and may also simply misunderstand what is said to her. These difficulties are sometimes confused with autism.

Question 6

can chronic ear infections be the cause of seizures that started on sept. 2012 and once each month every time w ear infection?- 3 y.o. son with autism

Accepted Answer

Not Directly...: The answer is more complicated though...A child with developmental or neurologic problems often has a higher risk of having epilepsy.  Ilness/infection/fever lower the threshold for triggering a seizure in someone with a seizure disorder.  This would seem to need evaluation by a pediatric neurologist as well as an ent.

Question 7

my 2 years old daugther showing some signs of having autism. she spins in curcles; sometimes pluginnig her ears; do unusual gestures with her arms; has delay at speach;prettending that she is counting and putting in order her markers or spoons and forks;d

Accepted Answer

Without : Without examining her and watching her interact, it is difficult to make such a complicated diagnosis.  If you have concerns about her behavior, you should discuss them with her doctor and have her examined.  Since she already has some speech delay, you should consider consulting with a developmental pediatric specialist.  A developmental specialist is an expert in diagnosing children with abnormal behavior and delay and can help her get the care and services she needs.  Good luck!

Question 8

what makes my son keep fluid and pressure in his ears? he is 9 years old and autistic.  he has had 2 sets of tubes in his ears and the last ones have been out around a month and has already had 2 ear infections.  the first time it actually wasn't infected

Accepted Answer

Chronic : Chronic ear fluid is a common problem for a lot of kids and some adults. It is due to eustachian tube dysfunction (when the tube that connects the ear to the throat is not draining properly).

Since there are no medications shown to alleviate the pressure or drain the fluid from behind the ear drum, it has to be done by a surgeon with a suction and/or placement of ear tubes.  There are various types of ear tubes - some less likely to fall out than others.  You should talk to your child's ENT doctor about what tubes might be best for him since the last 2 sets have fallen out and he is still having eustachian tube dysfunction.  Of course, some of the more permanent tubes can have more serious complications, so the pros and cons need to be weighed for each child before proceeding.  His is why it is a good idea to discuss this with the ENT doctor caring for your child.

Question 9

my 4.5 month old has started to move his head side to side like saying "no" very often. someone told me is a sign of autism.  is this true?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily: Early signs of Autistic Spectrum Disorder are usually deficits in pre-linguistic social communication &amp; gradually diminishing eye-to- face gaze. A typical 4-month-old smiles, laughs, goos &amp; coos reciprocally, matching open-vowel sounds that you make while looking &amp; smiling at him. See first signs.org &amp; healthychildren.org  for screening tests. Video the movements to show his pediatrician.

Question 10

can children with autism have a bigger shaped head?

Accepted Answer

No: Unless there is an underlying case of macrocephaly from hydrocephalus the "standard" autistic child has a smiler size head to anyone else.

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Doctor answers about:

Autistic child holding ears and humming how to help

A member asked:

Any significance of head circumference 19 percentile at birth and 89 percentile at 8 years? child does have level 1 autism diagnosis.

A member asked:

My autistic son covers his ears when he gets overstimulated. how can i help him cope better?

A member asked:

When my autistic son gets overly excited he constantly covers his ears, it has nothing to do with loud noises. how can i get him to overcome this?

A member asked:

Why does my autistic son cover his ears? it has nothing to do with loud sounds. he usually does it while watching tv even if the sound is low.

A member asked:

Could my 2 year olds ear problems cause autism like symptoms?

A member asked:

Can chronic ear infections be the cause of seizures that started on sept. 2012 and once each month every time w ear infection?- 3 y.o. son with autism

A member asked:

My 2 years old daugther showing some signs of having autism. she spins in curcles; sometimes pluginnig her ears; do unusual gestures with her arms; has delay at speach;prettending that she is counting and putting in order her markers or spoons and forks;d

A member asked:

What makes my son keep fluid and pressure in his ears? he is 9 years old and autistic. he has had 2 sets of tubes in his ears and the last ones have been out around a month and has already had 2 ear infections. the first time it actually wasn't infected

A member asked:

My 4.5 month old has started to move his head side to side like saying "no" very often. someone told me is a sign of autism. is this true?

A member asked:

Can children with autism have a bigger shaped head?

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