flapping hands

My 4yr9mo son often flaps his hands when he is excited. Although
flapping hands is a symptom of autism, we don't think he is autistic,
since he does not exhibit other symptoms. We would like the reduce the
frequency of his hand flapping over time. Any suggestions?

On Mon, 7 Apr 2008 08:45:00 -0700 (PDT), Beliavsky
wrote:

My 4yr9mo son often flaps his hands when he is excited. Although
flapping hands is a symptom of autism, we don't think he is autistic,
since he does not exhibit other symptoms. We would like the reduce the
frequency of his hand flapping over time. Any suggestions?

Uhm.... why?

Nan

Beliavsky wrote in

oups.com:

My 4yr9mo son often flaps his hands when he is excited.
Although flapping hands is a symptom of autism, we don't
think he is autistic, since he does not exhibit other
symptoms. We would like the reduce the frequency of his
hand flapping over time. Any suggestions?

why do you want him to stop? does it embarrass you?
in a NT child, hand flapping will disappear on it's own, as
long as you don't call attention to it.
be happy yours just flaps his hands. mine spins & runs in
circles.
lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

Beliavsky wrote:
My 4yr9mo son often flaps his hands when he is excited. Although
flapping hands is a symptom of autism, we don't think he is autistic,
since he does not exhibit other symptoms. We would like the reduce the
frequency of his hand flapping over time. Any suggestions?

Is hand-flapping unusual in non-autistic kids? Little kids, that is -
I've seen a few do it, and they clearly aren't autistic. Maybe if I saw
a high-schooler do it I'd think it odd.

Clisby

"Beliavsky" wrote in message
...
My 4yr9mo son often flaps his hands when he is excited. Although
flapping hands is a symptom of autism, we don't think he is autistic,
since he does not exhibit other symptoms. We would like the reduce the
frequency of his hand flapping over time. Any suggestions?

As bright as you've said he is, my guess is that he's just demonstrating
some of the "Overexcitabilities" common in highly gifted individuals.
Psychomotor OEs can cause this sort of thing.

http://www.stephanietolan.com/dabrowskis.htm
for a summary.

It really doesn't seem to be uncommon among intelligent, high energy kids in
general, and seems to largely get outgrown as the kids age, either because
they become aware that other people aren't doing it, that they don't need
it, or (as I believe is the case for my 3 yr old) that often they're
carrying something around in their hands and therefore CAN'T move them as
much.

If someone is suggesting that this is a possible sign of autism (and almost
every parent I know of a highly gifted young child eventually hears that
label suggested by someone), or if you want reassurance, I suggest "The
Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children and Adults". Our
developmental pediatrician suggested it after the "A word" was tossed around
by my daughter's MDO director. The developmental Ped could see NO signs of
autism-but a lot of signs of giftedness, and prescribed finding a new child
care arrangement .

"Beliavsky" wrote in message
...
My 4yr9mo son often flaps his hands when he is excited. Although
flapping hands is a symptom of autism, we don't think he is autistic,
since he does not exhibit other symptoms. We would like the reduce the
frequency of his hand flapping over time. Any suggestions?


Why?
--
Sue (mom to three girls)

Beliavsky wrote:
My 4yr9mo son often flaps his hands when he is excited. Although
flapping hands is a symptom of autism, we don't think he is autistic,
since he does not exhibit other symptoms. We would like the reduce the
frequency of his hand flapping over time. Any suggestions?


Let him flap his hands! Why do you want him not to flap his hands? I flap,
my daughter flap, my neice flaps, my other neice flaps. None of us are
autistic. What is the worry?

On Apr 7, 12:04*pm, enigma wrote:
Beliavsky wrote
oups.com:

My 4yr9mo son often flaps his hands when he is excited.
Although flapping hands is a symptom of autism, we don't
think he is autistic, since he does not exhibit other
symptoms. We would like the reduce the frequency of his
hand flapping over time. Any suggestions?

why do you want him to stop? does it embarrass you?
*in a NT child, hand flapping will disappear on it's own, as
long as you don't call attention to it.
*be happy yours just flaps his hands. mine spins & runs in
circles.
lee

At his school, a preschool teacher who observed him flapping his hands
suggested to his kindergarten teacher that she tell his mother to get
him tested for Asperger's, based on that one symptom. That sure ruined
his mother's day. Partly we want to reassure ourselves. We also don't
want teachers to think he's autistic if he is not.

"Beliavsky" wrote in message
...
On Apr 7, 12:04 pm, enigma wrote:
Beliavsky wrote

oups.com:

My 4yr9mo son often flaps his hands when he is excited.
Although flapping hands is a symptom of autism, we don't
think he is autistic, since he does not exhibit other
symptoms. We would like the reduce the frequency of his
hand flapping over time. Any suggestions?

why do you want him to stop? does it embarrass you?
in a NT child, hand flapping will disappear on it's own, as
long as you don't call attention to it.
be happy yours just flaps his hands. mine spins & runs in
circles.
lee

At his school, a preschool teacher who observed him flapping his hands
suggested to his kindergarten teacher that she tell his mother to get
him tested for Asperger's, based on that one symptom. That sure ruined
his mother's day. Partly we want to reassure ourselves. We also don't
want teachers to think he's autistic if he is not.

---

Mentioned this above, but this seems to be "gifted child syndrome"-that if a
child is gifted, there MUST be something wrong, and given that autism and
aspergers has been in the news so frequently, invariably it's suggested.
Trust me, based on GT boards, if it hadn't been hand flapping, it would have
been something else (for us, it was that my 2 yr old could care less about
what was going on with the other kids and adults in her infant/toddler
daycare class. At the time, she was seriously working on teaching herself to
read and other kindergarten skills, and we'd pretty much given in and put
away all the baby/toddler toys at home because she wasn't interested in
anything that didn't come with an "over age 3" label).\ The teacher had
gone so far as to do a checklist of symptoms on my daughter-which, if you
read the book it came from, was not recommended for use in children below
the age of 4-5 years old, because most of the symptoms listed were NORMAL
toddler behavior! What was even more humorous was that due to DD's
prematurity and that she'd been late on motor skills, she was being followed
by a developmental pediatrician-someone qualified to DIAGNOSE autism (the
pediatrician's comment was that DD's only real problem was that she was "too
smart for her own good" and suggested that we look for a different child
care arrangement, one more willing to adapt to the individual child).

So, I well know that this sort of statement can rock your world as a
parent-and not in a good way, and that you'd want reassurance and also want
your child seen for his abilities, not scrutinized for signs of a possible
disability. I truly believe that the reason this comes up so often is that a
gifted young child scares many adults, and that by labeling it "Aspergers"
or "High functioning autism" they can feel less threatened.

A book which was very helpful to me is "The Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis
of Gifted Children and Adults". Among other things, it goes through the
standard checklists of symptoms and lists where things can exist due to
giftedness, and suggests at what point a problem might be indicated vs just
"gifted child syndrome".

"Donna Metler" wrote in message
As bright as you've said he is, my guess is that he's just demonstrating
some of the "Overexcitabilities" common in highly gifted individuals.
Psychomotor OEs can cause this sort of thing.

http://www.stephanietolan.com/dabrowskis.htm
for a summary.

Hmm, according to this site, DD3 is a gifted child. Not so sure about that,
but it is weird that they list the things she does.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)