5 yr old girl autistic?

[Kate]

Hi,
I had posted on general discussion, but a member in my introduction thread suggested I visit here, so I'm posting here as well. Hope that's ok.

My daughter has been stimming since she was 6months old. She puts her hands up to her face and contorts them, and makes strange faces. She will often hold a toy up to her face, sometimes right to her eye and tell a story, all while stimming, contorting...her voice will actually change and sometimes you can't actually understand what she is saying. She only stims when she is happy, telling a story, or opening a gift. When I'm reading a story out loud she will stim. If I call her, she will stop and look at me, then after we are done talking, she goes right back to it. I have never asked her about it or told her to stop. We all just let her do her thing. I def do not want her self conscious about it or embarrassed. She is homeschooled so I am not worried about other children teasing her.

She is very social, pretend plays 24/7, makes eye contact and is very smart. BUT, she crosses her eyes regularly, is very emotional about small things not going her way, toe walks, and is uncoordinated. For example she can't ride a bike yet.

Anyone else's child have something similar going on? I have not asked our dr because I have not seen this hold her back in any way, it am just curious as to what it might be.
Thanks,
Kate

 

[Sander]

The way you describe it, she is stimming when she is feeling comfortable.
All kids pretend play, when they're together or alone. An example is Mommy and Daddy.

her voice will actually change and sometimes you can't actually understand what she is saying.

How do you mean change? In what way?

It's said that Aspies don't like eye contact, well, I don't mind, most of the time I like it when a person is looking me in the eyes, because than I know that person is listening to me, or at least paying attention.

BUT, she crosses her eyes regularly, is very emotional about small things not going her way, toe walks, and is uncoordinated. For example she can't ride a bike yet.

being overemotional doesn't mean she is 'different' neither, what does is the crossing eyes, being uncoordinated.
If I remember correctly, I learnt to walk in the community swimming pool, and I couldn't ride a bike before I was four, how hard people tried.
But how's her words knowledge?
I learnt very quickly to talk. And the weirdest thing was, the first two words I ever said where Mark Webber (former F1 driver from Australia).

I'd say it's very possible that your little lovely girl is autistic.

 

[Kate]

Thank you Sander for your reply!
By her voice changing, I mean..it actually sounds different. It gets higher and she talks faster. You can tell she is talking and having her own little conversation with her toys or telling the story, but its hard to make out what words she is saying sometimes.
She talked VERY early, she has always been ahead in that area and academically. My son didn't start talking until he was almost 3. Even now, my daughter will use words you wouldn't expect a 9-10 yr old to know-and she will use them correctly in her sentences.

She also learned to walk VERY early (9-10 months, I myself was walking at 9 months). She just can't ride that bike, doesn't have good climbing skills like her 3 yr old brother. She takes ballet and they had a recital recently where she was the oldest in her little class (the others were 3 yrs old). There were just certain moves that they did that I noticed she just couldn't get down. For example, one move was to "look" like you were searching..the hand would go over your eyes and you would look to the left, then the right. She always would do it with her hand actually upside down, palm up.

She actually loves eye contact. It was so funny because at her recital she went out and MADE SURE to make eye contact with every single parent there watching and was just loving it. Everyone was laughing at how outgoing she was.

Things like that about her just make it seem like she's not, but then the stimming confuses me and makes me wonder. Reading about autism has actually made me think I could be autistic. Of course my mother disagrees completely and just keeps saying " Why do we have to label ourselves?"