October 2022 Birth Club
Hi ladies My 9 month old is often opening and closing his hands. He does it in the high chair, in the car seat, sometimes just randomly. It's making me a little uneasy because I feel like the repetitive motion and this form of self soothing could be an indicator of autism Does anyone else have experience with this? Is it normal? Have you had babies who have outgrown it? Thank you!!
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6 comments
My daughter went through a phase where she also did that. It could just be exploring hands, excitement, trying to wave, open shut them- if you watch ms Rachel. There are so many age appropriate behaviors at this age that could be confused with autism that I wouldn’t give it too much thought it right now.
This is not a sign of autism in a 9 month old.
Totally normal for his age. And even as a toddler it can just mean they're sensory seeking. My oldest is not on the spectrum but does have sensory processing disorder (SPD) and would flap his arms when he would get anxious/shy and even now at 9yo will screech(ear peircing!) When he's upset or anxious. ETA: this would be a great time to offer touch sensory toys, whip cream on their high chair tray, in the tub, edible play dough, etc.
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Lol this is not a sign of autism. In fact 9m is too young to even diagnose autism. It's a form of self soothing or possibly trying to learn to wave hi or bye. My daughter does this too and she's learning to wave.
There have been a loooooooot of posts about this lately .. you would think that those mamas concerned would see it in their emails and realize that this is totally normal behavior .. my baby does this too and started shaking his head no, sometimes it’s just discovering sometimes it’s excitement .. as long as your baby is hitting milestones, I wouldn’t be concerned about the A word
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