Our oldest is almost 3 with autism, how will he deal w/a newborn?

Question

I am due 2 weeks after he starts preschool..... does anyone have an older child with Autism? How did they react to the baby? Whats the likelyhood the new one will be autistic too?

Answer 1

I can't speak towards how YOUR child will react to your baby because each child is very different from the next. I can't even tell you exactly how my niece acted around his baby brother because they hadn't moved hear until the Dominic was 3.



But my neice does have difficulty understanding how to be gentle. She isn't violent or anything, but she can give you a black eye loving on you! How does your son act around pets? My neice picks the cat up by the tails (just wanting to get them so she can hug them) and bites their ears (her version of a kiss.)



- As for your second question?



The latest odds place the odds for the common person to be around 1 out of 150 (less than 1%) But since you have a child with autsim, your odds go up a bit. Maybe 4 or 6 % of you baby being somewhere on the spectrum. But keep in mind, that includes high-functioning, like many think Bill Gates is.



Another factor in figuring odds is the age of the father. If a father is between 30 & 40, his odds are close to double that of a father in his twenties of having a child with autism. If he is over 40, the odds of him having an autistic child are 4 times more likely than when he was in his 20s.



My brother had four kids, two with autism. The autistic daughter was born when he as 36 & the autistc son was born when he was 40.

Answer 2

Does your autistic child have sound sensitivities:? My now 10 y/o son with autism is very sensitive to sound and the sound of a baby crying that cannot be controlled causes meltdowns. I chose not to have any more children when he was younger due to these issues, and then was diagnosed with cancer and had a hyst, so now I cannot, but my best frind had a baby a year ago and he won't go to her house anymore. If there is a baby crying in the store or a restaurant we have to go home as it is physically painfull to him. We have tried Autitory Integration training to make the sounds less painful with no sucess.



Every child with autism is different and unique. I hope your child doesn;t have an adverse reaction to the new addition to your family.

Answer 3

I have three kids a six year old and a three year old (who is autistic) and a 5 month old...My daughter is on the lower end of the spectrum but she seems ok with the baby i can't leave her alone at all with her but she likes to give her things and likes to act like the baby at times and does climb into the crib and swing and stuff so i just have to be very carefull she is never really violent or anything she just wants the same attention if not more then the baby but my six year old son is sorta the same just not as demanding. as for running in the family some say yes some say no but who really knows autism is still a very new study for alot of people...but i only have 1 out of the three.

Answer 4

You should do occupational therapy and speach therapy as much as possible. Outside the school through independent providers becuase you are going to need at least 3 hours a week on speach therapy. You should use picture schedules to map out the day events and upcomming changes. You should use picture boards or I-tablet programs such as proloquo to help her communicate. You should also be extremly consistent. If she becomes aggressive consider using a basket hold. Any changes in environment, such as moves, is going to throw her off. Experiment with the autism diet, sometimes it helps sometimes it does not. I'm glad your giving her affection even though she does not want it. You must keep overstimulation, loud noises, and movement down to a minimum. Most important you must have good structure. Dont let the doctors overmedicate her, as so many do. This advice should not be considered profession. For a good resourse for establishing a structured environment, I added a source. Good luck! you can do this!

Answer 5

My sister works with autistic kids - and she says (over and over again) - that there a different types of autism - and different levels as well. Autistic kids need to be treated as individuals. My guess would be that there is no way for us on Answers to know how your child will react to a newborn.



Also - I don't know the statistics of more than one autistic child being born to the same parents - but I know it does happens sometimes.



Sorry - if that's not too helpful.

Answer 6

Hi Congratulations! I have an older son with autism - he was 4 when my daughter was born. He is a loving brother - is not physically violent or aggressive. What I notice is that he is not very communicative with her or doesnt yet engage in playful activities with her. Also she now calls for attention - her eyes ONLY follow her brother ALL the time - but he doesnt necessarily reciprocate. Another big problem is me and my husband playing/cuddling with her in front of him. He then pushes her away and he wants to be held and cuddled. Also he shares some of his toys but simply snatches some off her hands leaving her screaming and crying.



Overall its great having them both but a difficult road. Not trying to scare you, but that's what my experience has been.



The likelihood is high in siblings - have to watch out for signs early on. Dont worry - just relax and have a safe delivery. Good Luck!

Answer 7

It really depends on his therapy have you tried to introduce him to baby videos or things that will deal with the new baby. My godchild has issues with certain sounds of things. They will put weights on him, either on his ankles or in a backpack to get him to deal with a new sound or issue. This releases a chemical in his brain and he is more focused on the plan. I am sure you know about the resources. The chances of having another child with Autism is unknown. It will be a challenge at 1st.. but he will get use to it. Good luck.

Answer 8

My friend has a four year old with autism and she had a baby right after he turned four. He ignores the baby. But she always makes sure that she knows what he's doing around her. She doesn't want to take any chances.

Answer 9

when my brother was 11, we took him to visit his nephew for the summer, his nephew was 5 months at the time, now, the 11 year old being autistic was very curious and wanted to be helpful, but we had to watch him. He would laugh really hard anytime the baby cried, and he really wanted to "baby" the baby...