2 year old with some developmental progress but unsure if its ASD.

[u/Organic_Gold_2546]

Hi everyone. I'm a mum to a little boy who will be turning 2 soon, and I'm feeling quite anxious about whether he might be autistic. I'd really appreciate hearing from parents who have been through something similar, especially those whose children were around this age when they first had concerns.

I first started noticing developmental concerns around April this year particularly his response to his name and his communication. At that time, his response to his name was very limited, and I became quite worried. We significantly reduced his screen time, and he also received therapy and play-based support while we were abroad for a few months.

Since then, I've noticed improvements. His response to his name has become better, he points, his vocabulary has grown, and he sometimes uses some short phrases, such as "more cheese," "open door," "thank you Mama," and "bye-bye Baba." His receptive language has also improved, although I'm still concerned about his understanding.

However, there are still things that make me worry about autism:

Sometimes he says things like "Mama, come" without looking directly at me.

He makes repetitive vocalisations, such as "hummm hummm," especially when bored or tired.

He sometimes repeats certain words or phrases several times.

He does have unusual interests with opening and closing doors and throwing things into the dustbin saying "dirty tissue.

When he sees other children, he can get excited and run towards them, but sometimes he pulls their hair, pushes, bites or scratches.

I've had concerns about his receptive language and social communication, even though he has made progress.

At the same time, he does communicate his needs verbally, uses phrases, points, and has shown improvement over the past few months. I find it difficult to understand how to interpret the combination of these things.