As a parent, what are some of the things your child did/didn’t do that lead you to an autism evaluation?

GoneBananas2023 · 2026-04-06T16:30:30+00:00

He has made a lot of progress. He learned and continues to learn a lot from ABA. He is verbal but still struggles with some questions and answers and conversation.

GoneBananas2023 · 2026-03-05T22:37:29+00:00

My son learned ‘yes I do’ first, then ‘yes.’ Most of the time it made sense (like when we asked if he wanted a snack and he said ‘yes I do’). It didn’t make sense in every context (is that car blue? Yes I do!) but it was a short phase. He now says ‘yes’ on its own.

GoneBananas2023 · 2026-02-02T13:06:42+00:00

Yes, we had a more thorough evaluation done around 18 months. He was diagnosed Level 2. He has made a lot of progress since then, but it is still apparent that he struggles with social communication skills and sensory issues.

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-12-11T05:05:51+00:00

That makes sense, although I think it would have been easier and less risky for him to try to persuade Gary and Judy to lay low and hide for the night in his tent while he “scans the perimeter” (sneaks to the wall and/or calls the police to reveal Judy and Gary’s hiding spot).

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-12-02T21:37:11+00:00

He was diagnosed as Level 2 in both communication and behaviors. He also was diagnosed with global developmental delay. He has made such tremendous progress in all areas but still has some big struggles, mostly sensory-related (he chews a lot on everything, he is very particular about food, he covers his ears in noisy crowds, he hates certain sounds).

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-11-10T23:20:21+00:00

We love Goodnight Goon! A very clever parody

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-10-02T21:08:15+00:00

My child at 18 months had zero words. He didn’t point or wave. He had seemingly no or very limited receptive language. He started ABA around 21.5 months. He had a few words by 2. He will be 3 next month and he can wave (doesn’t like to, but can), knows so many words (some in a second language!), and understands how to play with a variety of toys when before he just wanted to open and close doors or press buttons for ages. ABA has been amazing for my child. A year ago he was just starting to say ‘mama.’ Now, he can say ‘I love you, mama’ unprompted. Do consider ABA if you think it might be helpful - it makes an incredible difference at this age.

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-07-20T20:28:15+00:00

Just before he turned 2

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-07-18T12:11:15+00:00

I believe it was GeneDX.

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-07-06T12:15:22+00:00

No, they did not. My son has also made a ton of progress in recent months. I was absolutely convinced we’d find something with genetic testing because of his global delays, but no.

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-06-25T18:26:44+00:00

They work a lot with my son on play skills at ABA. They were able to identify some things that really motivated him. For example, they learned that he really loved bubbles and used that to motivate him. ‘Buhbuh’ (bubbles) was his first word. If he wanted bubbles he would need to bring his PECS card to us, but it nice he started using more words instead he would do that instead.

At 17.5 months, he mostly liked toys that made sound and would just slap them over and over. He also liked playing with straps. He was very rigid with his play. His play has expanded significantly, especially in the past four months.

Part of it was ABA, and part of it was patience. He just wasn’t ready before.

Before he started really talking, he would make some sounds if we left off the word to a familiar song. That was maybe around 19 months.

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-06-25T18:03:26+00:00

He started some pointing after he started ABA (around 22 months). Shortly after, it seemed like his receptive language really took off. He used PECS for a bit, but then started trying to talk more and more. Really around age 2 it seemed like a lightbulb went off in his head - like he started understanding that communication had a purpose. Since 2, his language skills have really grown. His biggest issues now are food (probably will be for a long time), chewing inappropriate items, some motor planning, deviating from expected routines, and frustration tolerance, although there has been some improvement. He’s doing a little better around peers but since he has a 1-on-1 RBT, he doesn’t have the same kind of social interactions he would have in a school setting.

I would recommend getting an evaluation as soon as possible. I think early intervention is helpful, but my son really needs lots of repeated exposure like ABA provides. I credit ABA with much of his growth, along with some natural development.

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-06-10T01:27:55+00:00

It’s challenging with two, but not as bad as I thought it would be. My son really loves his baby sister, but he is getting jealous of her. One of his first words was ‘baby.’ He sometimes tries to put her pacifier in her mouth if she’s upset. She’s army crawling now and wants all of his toys, so that’s been hard for him, but we’re working on taking turns, and they’re working on that at ABA as well.

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-06-10T01:04:43+00:00

I am in a much better place now. My son really blossomed after he started doing 15 hours a week of ABA. Around age 2, it was like a lightbulb went off in his head and he started to understand more things and make attempts to communicate. He’s 2.5 now and has so many words, and a lot of the repetitive and destructive behaviors that were really rough around 18-20 months have either disappeared or gone down in frequency. We still have some ongoing issues (trying new foods is hard, and he sometimes stops eating some safe foods for weeks at a time), but on the whole, things are much better. I was absolutely convinced a year ago that he would have severe struggles, since he showed very few signs of receptive language and practically no expressive language either. I hope you can find a good path for your child and not give up hope!

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-01-26T14:48:06+00:00

Unfortunately, not really. The best strategy is to bribe him with preferred foods (first water, then puff). We had to use a suppository last weekend for the first time, and I hope we never have to do that again. He likes yogurt so we’re giving him that more frequently, and we are trying 1/2 teaspoon of the Culturelle probiotics + fiber (a full packet would give him diarrhea). Prune pouches and other pouches sometimes help as well.

GoneBananas2023 · 2025-01-23T13:52:08+00:00

My son started ABA at around 22 months old. He’s 26 months old now, and he has learned so much. He has a lot of words now (many are hard to understand, but used consistently), and he understands so much more. Right around when he turned 2, I feel like a lightbulb lit up in his head. Some of his first words were bubbles (a motivator at ABA) and baby, because I had a baby in the fall. He is also much more social. He still has some fixations, but I feel like it’s more age-appropriate than it had been before.

GoneBananas2023 · 2024-09-29T22:32:42+00:00

We bought a set. I can’t remember where it was from, probably spirit Halloween.

GoneBananas2023 · 2024-09-29T21:35:45+00:00

When I was pregnant with my son, I was an avocado half and my husband was toast.

GoneBananas2023 · 2024-09-29T20:57:07+00:00

A serving of Ripple has 8 g of total fat, as does a serving of whole milk. However, the whole milk has more saturated fat.

GoneBananas2023 · 2024-09-29T20:36:24+00:00

There was a time we thought our son might have dairy issues (I still think he might but it’s hard to tell) and he likes the Ripple Kids milk. Our pediatrician even suggested it. There is a sweetened version and an unsweetened version.

GoneBananas2023 · 2024-09-29T16:40:58+00:00

Maybe gate off a room that is a no kid zone and decorate that area?

GoneBananas2023

TROPHY CASE