Concerned

My son turned 2 years old in Oct. He is still not talking, he is slurring different sounds but not saying anything. I'm concerned that he may have autism. For the past month he has started to show a little more eye contact, he lines his toys up, and gets mad if you knock thinkgs over. He does have sensory issues. He has seen a speech terapist for a year now and just started seeing a OT. Some people have told me that it could be ADHD, Asburgers, or mild form of autism. He loves to play with cars, and he has always observed Everything, even when he was just a couple months old. He's a very picky eater but i wouldn't say that he is picky towards a certain texture. He simply does not want to learn how to talk. Am I being over concerned? or what could I do to help him start talking?

[William L. Holcomb, Ph.D., BCBA-D]

Since you mention that your son has already been seeing a speech therapist and an OT, I am going to assume that you are receiving these services through your local Early Intervention Program (EIP).  Has your son’s pediatrician or anyone at the EIP recommended any additional assessment and treatment?  Whether or not they have, if you feel that your son may have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), I recommend that you try to find a clinic that specializes in children with ASDs for further assessment.  (Talking to your son’s pediatrician or the local EIP may help with this.)  

Certainly some of the behaviors that you describe may or may not be indicative of the early signs of an ASD (remember that, particularly at a very young age, there is quite a bit of variability in growth and development).  Based on what you describe, however, I would not say that you are being “over concerned.”  Below are several websites with information about ASD.  You may find it helpful to review these sites to see if you think you need to take your son in for further assessment.

About.com Pediatrics
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/weeklyquestion/a/04_signs_autism.htm
American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/Autism.cfm
First Signs
http://www.firstsigns.org/

Regarding the delay in speech, recently I posted a reply to a somewhat similar question (i.e., a big part of the question they had was about delayed speech) and I found a website (below) at the National Institutes of Health that has a section on typical speech and language development.  It includes checklists that help you determine if your child is “on track” with communication development as well as definitions and some explanations of potential speech and language developmental problems and what to do about them.  You should also ask your son’s speech therapist for advice on what to do on an ongoing basis to promote communication by your son.  

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/speechandlanguage.html#mychild

[jmasterson0013]

Thank you for answering my question, and yes I have been talking to his pediatrician and I have set up an appt at the local Weiskoph Evaluation Center. They feel like if he is not talking by 3 (which is by the time we will get into the evaluation center) that he may have 'something'. She said that they may diagnose him with PDD?