Is this FASD?
I work with children, and one of them is a 4yo boy. My coworkers think he's autistic, but my gut just tells me it's something else. Here are some of the behaviors he exhibits:
- At meal times, he will take an entire carton of milk and just dump it. I started giving him a small cup with a tiny bit of milk and refilling it as needed, but he still just dumps it onto the tray. No matter what you tell him or how you reinforce the positive behaviors, it's like he can't not dump it. He likes to drink it out of the tray, mix it with other liquids, and dip food into it to play around. It's not defiance, either. It feels like a total lack of impulse control, and that's a theme throughout his behavior.
- In the bathroom, he will stick his arms and legs completely into the toilet. Then he gets upset that his clothes and hands/feet are wet. But again, it's like he has no control. And he does this time and time again.
- He screams ALL the time. When he's happy, when he's sad, when he's angry, when you give him a direction.
- He never sits down for carpet time. He just goes from toy to toy to toy, spending only about 10 seconds on each. And he never cleans up.
- It's like there's a wall when communicating with him. He's intelligent and on track with his peers in terms of knowledge of alphabet, numbers, etc., but it's like he doesn't respond to any discipline.
- He sees food on his peers' plates and if he wants it, he grabs it. Again, it doesn't matter what you say or reinforce. And it still isn't defiance, it feels like total lack of impulse control.
Do these seem like FASD to you? I have a background in psychology and can see how others might see it as autism, but I just don't think it's that. And I know there are physical traits of FASD. Personally, I think I notice a wide nose, smooth upper lip area, and very thin upper lip. But others disagree with me.
Any thoughts? And better yet, any advice???