I HAVE A YOUNG CHILD AND THE DOCS THINK HE HAS AUTISM BUT I WONDER IF IT IS HD.  ARE THERE ANY PARENTS WHO HAVE HAD VERY YOUNG CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH HD  ? WHAT WERE THE SYMPTONS,   WHAT TESTING DID YOU HAVE DONE ? MY HUSBAND DOES NOT HAVE HD ( NOT TESTED) BUT HALF HIS FAMILY DOES  AND SOMETIMES I WONDER ABOUT HIM, IS HE JUST OVER TIRED OR ARE THE SIGNS STARTING. I CAN'T TALK TO HIM ABOUT THIS AND AM GLAD HE WON'T BE WITH ME AT THE NEXT DOC. APPT. THIS WAY I CAN ASK QUESTIONS. I'M PROBALLY JUST WORRING FOR NOTHING  BUT WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE SIGNS IN YOUNG KIDS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN HELP.TO HIS FAMILY IF YOU FIGURED THIS OUT PLEASE DON'T TELL HIM I DON'T WANT HIM TO WORRY.

I have young children who are at risk (through my positive diagnosis as having the gene).  Early onset HD is very rare, but I asked my doctor about it anyway.  He said that the typical first signs would be clumsiness, and then possibly regression in learning abilities.  But none of it would be "overnight"...over time, becoming more and more clumsy, and in parallel, declining abilities to demonstrate what they have learned.

I would think Autism would be quite different from HD as far as a diagnosis goes.  I have had experience with both HD and Autism.  In the kids that I know who are Autistic, they all have similar symptoms:

1) almost never looked in parents or others eyes
2) plugged ears with fingers when noise was overstimulating

These two things alone don't diagnose Autism, but from experience...I know 5 Autistic kids, and they all share these same symptoms.

HD, on the othe hand, wouldn't have these symptoms.  HD kids would typically "have the communication skills" early in life, and then lose them over time.  Autistic kids tend to not have that benefit...from early on, they do not have the communication skills.

Statistically, a child is wayyyyy more likely to have Autism than HD (just looking at the numbers, not the symptoms).  But the symptoms are what need to be diagnosed. 

What symptoms is your child experiencing?

Charlie