When my son was born I was very happy like any new parent. I daydreamed experiencing all his firsts and teaching him new things but then I started to notice.. he wasn’t meeting certain milestones. That’s when it hit me that something might not be right. It seemed like every well checkup the pediatrician would ask me if he’s doing certain things and I would always answer no. First it was that his neck muscles weren’t strong like they should be by 4-5 months, then it was him not being able to really sit at 6 months. At the 9 month appointment I think is when I really started to know something was not right. She asked me if he was crawling and of course I said no. She urged us to start physical therapy. It was 10 months when we started physical therapy. During that time I had family/friends all tell me, he’s fine, he doesn’t need that, he will do things when he wants to. As time went on with therapy, his physical therapist asked if he could say any words yet, of course the answer was no. She urged us to get him evaluated by a speech therapist. So at his 12 month checkup we asked the doctor for a referral for speech and we started that right away. Now by 14 months he finally learned to crawl and by 15 months he started walking! I was so happy we were making improvements! At his 15 month appointment I brought up to his pediatrician about autism. I always knew about autism because my brother had and always had in the back of my mind that there was a possibility that my kids could have it since it’s genetics. His pediatrician said no he doesn’t have autism because he is engaged with the world and looks at you in the eye, he’s just a late bloomer. As time went on again, he started banging his head in his high chair, then pulling his hair. At his 18 month appointment I got asked if he’s saying any words yet. The answer was still no. I brought up autism agin because of the family history and his pediatrician still said no, and she thinks it might be a sensory issue. So here we are going to be starting occupation therapy soon. I feel like my son is having all the red flags but his pediatrician is still saying he’s fine. He’s 18 months old, bangs his head, can’t talk, can’t sleep through the night, arches his back every time he’s upset, can’t stand certain noises, doesn’t know his name, won’t even try new food. I don’t feel like this is normal but I am at a loss. I’m trying to get him all the help he needs now so it’s not as hard when he gets older. Any other parents who have a child with autism help me out?