Does my son have a speech delay or an ASD, PDD?

I have a son who will be 5 in December, 2009.  He is currently receiving occupational therapy for a feeding problem since he completely resists to trying new foods.

Aside from this he exhibits the following potential signs:

- When he is by himself he will frequently run in circles while mumbling.  However when called upon, he stops and responds normally.
- He has a speech delay which my wife and I had attributed to ours being a bilingual home. We speak Spanish among ourselves and tried speaking Spanish to him until age 3 1/2, at which point we decided to speak only english to him and his speech started improving considerably although it is still far below other kids his age.

- It is very difficult to interview him. i.e.  Ask him a question, wait for his response then follow up with another question stemming off of the previous one. etc.  The main reason for this seems to be he either gets distracted easily or he'd rather talk about something he is interested in (i.e.,  his toys, his favorite kid movies or tv shows, etc.).  Questions like, why do you run around in circles are impossible to get an answer to.  He either changes the topic or responds:  "Because Yes".

- It took him a long time to begin make eye contact but that is no longer the case.

The following are examples of his behavior that tell me he is not autistic, although I can't say for sure:

- He is extremely social, i.e., with the neighbors and their kids and even with strangers.  He loves to go up to new kids and introduce himself and tries to play with them.  He loves to to talk to new adults and show them and talk about his toys, ask them their name, tell them his name, etc.  However when they start to ask him questions,  he ususally only answers the basic ones and then goes on to lead the conversation topic or to ask questions himself.

I would like to have him tested for PDD but we are financially unsecure and my insurance is not willing to aprove it.

Thanks in advance.

[Jason C Bourret, Ph.D., BCBA-D]

Communication delays and repetitive patterns of behavior are part of the diagnostic criteria for autism. The fact that he enjoys social interaction is a great sign but I would still recommend seeking a formal assessment for him and, even if he does not meet the criteria for an autism diagnosis, I would recommend seeking help for his language delay. Intervening as early as possible is very important whether he is officially diagnosed or not. People are in tough financial situations all over but get on the phone, talk to your pediatrician and your school district about options for having your son assessed and getting intervention for his language delay. If your son has a disability, the school district must ensure that he is getting the services that he needs. This is often an uphill battle for parents but it’s a fight that needs to be had to make sure that your son receives the interventions that he needs.

[Blessie]

My son will 4yrs old on January but until now he cant answer easy question...

[Jason C Bourret, Ph.D., BCBA-D]

If you could start a new thread and give us some more information, we might be able to help.  Thanks!