ADHD, ADD, Autism...what?

My cousin's baby is almost 2 years old, does not sleep, keeps herself awake, does not seem to listen to you, repeats one word ("help") over and over, finds interest in tiny objects instead of toys, does not imitate people, does not have a vocabulary, doesn't want to learn things, doesn't seem to be heard when called by name, and her doctor doesnt seem to say anything is wrong. None of the children in the family have ever acted such as this when they were 2 years of age. Other babies are talking, communicating, and learning. She is not. If you could help or have any comments please, if you can, help me out.

A first step would be a ENT. The child may not be hearing correctly.
If at 2 years the child has no vocabulary and can hear she needs to be evaluated by a developmental pediatrician and a child psychologist.
Waiting is foolish as early intervention is crucial.
Perhaps everything is ok-perhaps not. I would urge your cousin to act now.

Sounds like a form of autism called Aspergers.

The only thing it seems like is mild autism. Often kids outgrow that by the time they are five years old. In that and a few other respects, it's similar to ADHD. Few doctors diagnose autism before age three because the symptoms are so universal among small children.

Just to be on the safe side, she should check out Floortime therapy. You can buy a DVD and a book to learn how to do it without paying an arm and a leg. As for early intervention, great care must be taken with that. Hippocrates' famous instruction to physicians was this: "First do no harm." Since the so-called experts don't even know what causes autism, and forthrightly declare "there is no known cure for autism," it would seem on the face of it that intervention has to be minimal, to say the least.

If the doctor isn't looking into this it would be in your cousin's best interest to either find another doctor or at the very least ask for a referral to a speech and language therapist and/or developmental pediatrician.

The worst action that could be taken would be no action, to give it time. No matter what the diagnosis might be early intervention does matter.

ADHD, ADD and/or Autism can all co-exist. And there are other conditions such as angelman, rett or fragile X syndrome that could have the same symptoms.

Take her to a first step or ealy intervention center and ask for an evaluation. Or contact your local public school and call the special ed dept. and ask for Child find. They will evaluate her and cover the cost for all the test and will test for hearing as well. I have two kids with autism. One is three the other is eight. My older child did not get the much needed early intervention because the dr.'s told us the same thing. She is much worse off because we did not reach her as a toddler. My three year old I pushed and switched dr until i found one to refer me to a clinic. Try to find a pediatric devlopmental dr or a ped neuropsychologist. Lebonheur children's in Memphis TN has a great one. There is also a book The Everything a parent needs to know about autism also one one aspergers. Aspergers kids usually have no language delay, is the big difference. I know some dr are concerned about toddlers getting diagnosed but those are most likely dr who have little experience with autism spectrum. Most all kids who recieve diagnosis are before age three and yes it sounds like this child could have autism. Therapy is essential and makes a huge difference, act now, trust your motherly instincts, and record all the behaviors down so that you have a history to provide when you see dr. Do not settle for this child will out grow this. Adhd , autism ect, is not a disorder you outgrow or mature into. It is a life long diability that with proper care can be manageable.

Asbergers. I have ADD. That is NOT it.

I agree that finding a physician that listens to mom's concerns is paramount! I do not agree with those who've already dx'd her as having Aspergers. Aspergers is a mild form of autism with the major difference being in the use of language, not in the acqusition of words. (ie, their conversations are rather one sided, but they've usually got HUGE vocabularies!)

I would also caution you in saying that she's not learning. Unless she has a form of mental retardation, her brain is still processing all of her experiences. Unfortunately, the only way we can evaluate that is by what she communicates to us....which seems to be a huge problem for her. Knowing something & being able to tell someone else that they know it are two different things.

Her sleep issues could be sensory in nature...she may need more light to relax or less light, more or less sound--either music or white noises. Since she's so young and doesn't communicate, it would be very h ard to figure this one out.

The criteria for an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) fall into 3 categories: Sensory Integration, Social Interaction, and Communication.

Sensory Integration differences include aversion to or cravings for certain textures, tastes, smells, a preference for darkend rooms, or bright rooms lit by only incadescent bulbs or natural light-almost universally, flourescent bulbs irritate people with autism, they can both see the flickering and hear the buzzing the bulbs make. A person with autism may rock back & forth incessantly, or hate to swing. They may hate any type of tight clothing or elastic bands or prefer wearing tight knits. They may need white noises to help concentrate or need perfect silence.

Social Interaction problems may manifest themselves as a preference for being alone, making too much or too little eye contact, needing more "space" than most people or ignoring personal boundaries.

Communication differences that are more subtle is difficulty with abstract language & understanding hints. The person with autism may dominate a conversation, or may be reluctant to speak at all.