Winter 2016-2017
for in children between 1 and 2 years old
include:
• Not looking at parent’s face or shared
smiles
• No response when name is called
• No response to the word “no”
• Limited use of gestures such as
reaching, giving, sharing, waving and
pointing
• No response or enjoyment of nursery
songs or games like peek-a-boo
“Children this age enjoy socializing with
their parents, and toddlers should look
at their caregivers often, smile and show
excitement,” said Papke. “At 16 months
old, a toddler should be pointing at
objects and looking to their parents to
name them. By age 2, he or she should be
able to combine at least two words when
interacting with peers and caregivers.”
Parenting is one of the toughest jobs
there is, but the job comes with instinct
that usually leads you in the right
direction. So if you have concerns with
your child’s language and/or social
development, you can request a referral
from your child’s primary care physician
for an evaluation by a speech-language
pathologist.
“We work with both the child and
parent to develop a plan that focuses
on improving developmental skills such
as functional communications, play and
social interactions,” said Papke.
Some children with ASD also have sensory
processing disorder – a disconnect
between the nervous system and the way
it processes taste, smell, sight, sound and
touch – but it can also occur in children
who don’t. Courtney Peterson, MS, OTR/L,
an occupational therapist with Wolfson
Children’s Rehabilitation, said this is not
always easy to notice because oftentimes,
parents chalk up a child’s sensory
preferences or aversions to it just being
part of their personality.
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Things to look for include: a child
who often removes or refuses to wear
clothing; pushes other children too
hard by accident; climbs too high with
little caution for safety; avoids touching
certain objects such as sand or Play-DohTM
or even food; and does not have a typical
reaction to pain.
How can a pediatric occupational
therapist help? “We use a parent
questionnaire and clinical observation to
determine where children are experiencing
challenges in their daily routine due
to sensory processing difficulties, then
provide recommendations to help children
overcome them and function at their best
potential,” said Peterson.
In the end, the odds are that everything
is fine. But if you’re truly concerned, it
never hurts to bring it up your concerns
with your child’s primary care provider.
Wolfson Children’s Rehabilitation
offers an Early Autism Intervention
Program. For more information, call
904.346.0394.