Parents raising children with autism who have younger siblings i need advice. I have a 7month old son and live with someone who has an autistic child. They have been around each other for about 6 months now and play together. My son has started exhibiting signs that concern me, intense rocking, hand clapping, blank staring, and not responding to his name. What are the chances my son is just mimicking their son? Is this something should be concerned about or am I just overthinking it?
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I have 3 children. 2 with autismā¦ our daughter who doesnt have autism was mimicking our son with autism but the way her teachers and myself were able to decipher it was with her behaviors, ect. She would flap, basically exhibiting stimming behavior but none of the social signs, non responsive, lack of eye contact ect. What she was exhibiting was learned behavior. She was also evaluated and she is perfectly fineā¦ just picking up some stimming behavior from her brother. Since your son is not responding to his name and also goes into blank stares I would certainly keep an eye on it make a trip to your pediatrician as those could be signs of autism.
Sounds more like you need to take him in and have someone look at him. My oldest displayed signs right at 8 months old. His younger brother never copied him but has started showing his own signs. This type of stuff is usually best asked with a doctor not a bunch of people online, as you will get snowballed with negative crap. And even us motherās of autism are not doctors ourselves we do not have the means to make a diagnosis and it will leave you frustrated beyond all words. Seeks professional advice not social media advice.
7 months is way to early to worry. You cant even begin to diagnose until at least 2 years old and even then its early. They said my son had aspergers at age 2 and by age 5 they made a mistake he was totally fine not even on the spectrum
Autism in some cases, is hard to detect at an early age. Keep a diary of repeated actions & how often it happens. It helps a doctor with proper diagnosis.
Umm usually they wonāt diagnose a child with autism till after they turn five. Heās a baby being a baby hun.
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Itās hard to tell when your son is just 7months. All I can say is my nephew only developed those sign later on, but me and mum already felt he is abit different at 1month+, he already having fits, tantrum in smallest inconvenience. He very slow to react, and somehow doesnāt response at all when we ābabytalkā to him, itās like he didnāt hear us all. He was diagnosed before 1year old. Now my 2nd younger nephew mimic him, because he think by meltdowns he can get whatever wants, which he got away with it all the time.
My oldest is autistic. He wasnāt hitting milestones. Unless you speak with a professional, you wonāt know for sure. I had my son diagnosed before five through a program here in Montana that specialize in these cases. I have three children younger then him and Iāve had them tested and each child has a different disability. Regardless of my oldest being autistic. Now, their is a big chance that your child could be mimicking. But, keeping log, talking with your doctor, watching milestones and getting your child tested to see where his mind is sitting at. It never hurts to find out. And donāt worry to much because even if your child turned out to be autistic, theyāre no different then any other child but learn differently. And they are such a blessing.
My nephew is very autistic. Many issues.
His little brother copied him for a long time, however while he still copies some behaviors.
Itās very different for him to be mimicking his brother than to have an actual issue.
A fit for his brother can last hours
And for him itās normal and resolved quickly.
I wouldnāt worry too much.
As they get older they will learn the difference
Babies rock and babies dont always respond and they do actions like clapping or making sounds repetitively when they are new or they are learning how all parts of their bodies work and YES babies mimic behavior and sounds and actions and words etc , that is how they learn so many things . Your baby is just being a baby , try to relax more and and enjoy your wonderful baby time 
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Heās 7 months old, thatās all pretty normal at that age
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Hes 7 monthsā¦
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Sounds normal for that age. Start a journal
I would consult his Dr.
Very likely heās copying the other child. Symptoms usually dont show for a few more months. But Heās reaching his milestones, making eye contact, touch, more than likely heās not
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If you are worried you need to speak to his pediatrician.
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Give it a year or two.
It could be learned behavior, children donāt normally exhibit the signs of autism until they are closer to the age of 2. If you are truly concerned, contact your pediatrician. Best wishes to you!
Autism is a diagnosis that I feel like is way over diagnosed. Itās not a disease and you canāt catch it by being around someone that has it. Leave him alone and let him be a baby.
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You couldnāt really tell at 7months cause all babies do that sorta thing
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Sounds normal to me but if you are concerned Iād make an appt with your pediatrician
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Highly likely! Iām a mom of severe Autistic 13, and a baby thats 20 months old. My son was hospitalized on and off most of my babyās life. Now, that hes home. My baby imitates his rocking routine. If he screams, baby screams. So, Iām positive heās mimicing. Just a suggestion, make sure your baby has exposure to typically developing children too.
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Im actually shocked by some of the comments, shes asking for help but half the people on here are judging her ! Either help a mom in need or just fuck off and keep your asshole comments to yourselves. As for the mama its highly likely he could be mimicking but if your really concerned then see his doc 
If youāre really concerned, just consult his pediatrician. However, he sounds like a typical 7 month old baby
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That is a baby, and if heās that active and being a little Copycat at 7 months. I would be proud. He may take time on responding to his Name. Go to a Medical professional if no changes in a Year or 2. 
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Why are yāall being so mean? Sheās just a concerned mama, it is never a bad thing to ask for advice. 7months is alittle too early to tell, not to mention it is right around the age they start mimicking alot of actions. If you are still having these issues in about 5 months Iād start to worry. Until then itās alot of monkey see monkey do, good luck mama.
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As far as I know they donāt screen for autism until 3 so I would just watch him. As he develops more let the doctor know what concerns you and go from there. Babies tend to mimic other babies so I personally wouldnāt worry too much at his age now.
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Yeah. Youāre definitely overthinking this.
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My son (17 now) has moderate ASD. He exhibited signs as far back as a couple months old. So, age isnāt something to go by or brush off bc of it.
I have 2 younger kids. There was mimicking of the physical signs but not the staring off, not responding, eye contact. Please, get your baby referred to a SPECIALIST to be evaluated. The sooner you get a diagnosis (if there is one) the better. Therapies can begin. And if baby IS mimicking you can start distracting and making him respond.
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Heās only 7months oldā¦ Like you seriously have to be joking right now with this question
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I would mention this to his doc but I do believe 7mos is quite young to diagnose them. He may just need more one on one with you. Look up activities that can engage him more.
Oh dear fucking god. 
He is 7 months. He mimicks EVERYTHING. He is an infant. Too young to diagnose autism. Calm down.
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Talk to your dr if you have any concernsā¦ The early the better! Most likely baby is just doing what he sees!
Good luck!
My daughter is autistic and I was able to notice certain behavior patterns before the age of one. She too, didnāt respond to her name (I thought she was deaf and had two hearing tests done) hand flapping, toe walking, blank stares, etc. Her hearing tests were perfect but the doctor said she had what was called autotorual processing delay. I asked if that was common with autistic people and she said yes. From there I set up a neurologist appointment and had her tested and it was confirmed. She started early development programs at the age of 13 months. The neurologist should be your first step if this is a concern for you. The earlier the intervention the better.
~ Someone up there said they donāt show signs until around twoā¦ that is Not accurate.
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Crazy how many comment on posts just to be nastyā¦ What happened to if you donāt have anything nice to say donāt say anything at all!
People come here for support or to hear others opinions, not to be dumped on and made to feel worse than when they postedā¦ 
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Yeah. My sister is living with us and her daughter is special needs with lots of specific behaviors. Its only been three weeks and my son who is 4 is already copying her and making similar noises. Also more aggressive like her and ignoring our words like she does.
My son did they same thing with my nephew who has autism,it did concern me at first until he was hitting his millstones.
Children copy what they see thatās probably all it is I wouldnāt worry to much about it he will probably out grow it or stop when he gets older and other things occupy him but if you are worried talk to his dr. Good luck
You should be able to tell if itās something to be concerned about
heās 7 months old. What heās doing is 100% normal.
7 months old is definitely too young to consider autism. As long as the child is hitting milestones, making eye contact etc, I donāt think you have anything to worry about as of yet. Now, when age 2 rolls around and you still concerned, it does not hurt to get the child evaluated for peace of mind.
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Too young to tell at 7monthsā¦itās most likely a non-issue. Try to relax ā¦and just enjoy your child.
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Most likely mimicking. Does he respond to sounds/noises? If no, it could be a hearing issue. As for the autism. Sometimes kids can be on the spectrum, but no doctor will diagnose officially at that age.
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You wont know til about 1 or 2
Take your child to be evaluated or to a developmental pediatrician. Blank staring if they do not respond is an absence seizure if u wave your hand in front of his face and he doesnāt blink it is a seizure .
If child is 7 months old still watch for seizures but the other things are normal baby stuff
If heās meeting his milestones itās probably nothing to be too concerned about - yet. I would get him in to a baby class or take him around ātypicalā children too to see if that makes a difference. However I would still speak with his pediatrician and voice your concerns now that way it can be monitored as he grows.
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I have an autistic 8 yr old and her little sisters (3 & 1)do pick up on things like her squealing, jumping and hand flapping. I would be concerned about him not responding to his name although he is still young and may not have developed this awareness, he didnt learn it from the other child. Does he make eye contact, scan faces, recognize familiar people? As far as the rocking, I know some autistic kids do it but my neurotypical 13 month old does it and my 8 year old never did.
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Lots of people saying heās too young to tell, I would like to say my son is 6 and autistic and I noticed traits in him when he was born, and became even more clearer as he got older. It is possible he can be mimicking what he sees, so just keep an eye on him.
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Hes 7 months old lol I swear people jump too fast to Autism or ADHD when their baby is just acting like a baby.
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My son is 4 and my daughter is 2 nonverbal autistic. He copies her all the time, reason why Iām having so much trouble with him in preschool. If youāre that worried, have her tested to put your mind at ease. š¤·
All children with autism are different. My daughter hit every milestone pretty advanced, but age 2, it stopped. Speech was a large factor for our diagnoses. Shes 11 now. But I knew day she came home from the hospital she was different. Itās one of those things where you know especially if you have multiple children or have been around multiple children. I use to copy my uncle who was mentally handicapped (he would rock back and forth, and had a chain he would twirl over and over, and I would copy some of his language)
Every child will be different Iād see his pediatrician if your concerned ya know. & every parent has their reasons or speculations so Iād go off your gut & see his doc.
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They might just be copying. I had a rough time with my children with this same problem.my oldest is definitely autistic, so i had had some issues where I was made to have my two younger sons tested as well, they insisted they were autistic as well, but it turned out that they were just behind because of my oldest leading example, sucking up all my time and attention. When my oldest went to school and my other two got time away from him, they picked up to beyond where they should be with my extra attention. Plus all children with issues present differently. But donāt jump to labeling, kids are complicated, they just might be copying.
My nephew was 18 months when we found out he had no eye contact did not play with other kids at all he was sitting on the floor Xmas opening presents would not play with one thing a and now he is 24still in diapers he is a junior rainman types 90 words a min donāt look at the keyboard nonverbal but anyway he is my life I keep him every weekend because my sister is a single mom I love him to pieces but. 7 months old almost to young to mimmick keep him aside few hours say his name see if he looks at u
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Sounds very normal. Stop panicking mamma, just relax.
Your an idiot is all I got from this.
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Way too young at 7 months to be concerned. Even as a toddler he could mimic the other childs behavior. Its very likely now heās doing it
If you are concerned, mention it to the pediatrician. Yes there are definitely signs early on. I use to take care of a child with Autism, and I self diagnosed him before his parents and pediatrician did. I saw signs from day one, which the parents kinda just missed.
Itās never to early to get therapy if he does have Autism.
Is the behavior from the other child constant enough a 7 month old would mimic? Are there other concerns that donāt mimic your babies friend? If you are seeing a decline in your childs already met milestones I would be concerned. At least enough to check. Watch behaviors changing particularly after vaccines and absolutely video document everythingā¦starting now.
Heās 7 months old. Heās probably mimicking what heās seeing. Heās a baby. Itās normal.
My son rocks still to this day and hes 5. He used to bang his head when he was a baby to fall asleep and then it turned to rocking. He doesnt have autisim.
I guess the best thing for you too do is bring little man to the Dr. And hav3 them check him out. Would be mimicking or he could have autism bring him in and have a professional tell you. all kids show different signs of autism best bet donāt stress about it n go to his Dr. Best of luck to you. Your doing a great job
Either is possible, the baby is real young at this point but there are ways to tell. Take the baby to a specialist, and explain the situation. The specialist will be able to tell if it is mimicking or autism. They may tell you that you have to wait till the baby is a bit older as well, as no 8 month old will be verbal.
Itās probably just mimicking.
Sounds like heās being a normal baby 
Rocking is normal, clapping and flapping is very normal in babies.
Not responding also normal they get distracted
Even without their son around your kid would still do these things
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Talk to a doctor. They can do a questionnaire.
LĆØha Tasker thoughts?
does he walk on tip toes? bec thats a major signā¦
Questions like these should be taken straight to the doctor. Youāre not gonna get the correct answer from Facebook
Probably just overthinking it
They can start screening at some places at 18-24 months. But, other than that, itās too early for anyone to say if your child is autistic. Just watch him and make notes of things that worry you. Then get the pediatrician to note them in the file. And keep an eye out for developmental milestones. And also social cues are very important.
Take notes on his milestones. And try not to worry too much. I went through the same thoughts but time and my doctorās notes reassured me.