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Worried

I have a 21 month old son, who started talking when he was about 11 months old. Once he started walking around 14 months old he just quit talking, he doesn't say anything anymore. He has a speech therapist and an occupational therapist but no one seems to have any answers as to why is speech has stopped. We just moved from Illinois to Kentucky and the doctor in Illinois didn't seemed to concerned that he wasn't talking anymore but the doctor's here in Kentucky are very worried about it. He is a very smart child and is very aware of things going on around him it's just like he chooses to ignore you but he isn't like that all of the time. They say he has some sensory issues. I just wish someone had an answer. What might be wrong with my child???
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He just had some blood test done and it seems he has high levels of protein in his urine, so they think he might have some type of metabolic disorder. I have some done some research and they only one I can find that sounds just like him is PKU but he was screened for that at birth and it was fine. Do you happen to know any other metabolic disorder that might give him the symptoms??
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340636 tn?1321629051
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I know that you must be very concerned and frustrated with not being able to find a definitive answer to your son’s behavior.  Here are few questions to ask yourself and some suggestions I hope you will find helpful.  Other parents have told me they have found it helpful to do their best to stay focused on getting their child what he or she needs now and trying not to worry about the future.  Since you have already taken your son to the pediatrician where you now live and they have expressed concern, have they referred you to a local Early Intervention Program (EIP) for further assessment and treatment?  You mentioned that your son is already being seen by a speech therapist and an occupational therapist.  Are they part of the EIP team?  Note: If you have not been referred to an EIP, contact your son’s doctor at once.  This should certainly take place independent of any additional assessments you might pursue.  When parents have concerns that their child may have an autism spectrum disorder, I recommend that they try to find a clinic that specializes in children with ASDs for further assessment.  Talking to your son’s doctor or the local EIP may help with this.  

Recently I posted a reply to a somewhat similar question (i.e., 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.  

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

Some of the other other behaviors that would be indicative of the early signs of an ASD that you mentioned include the “ignoring” and “sensory issues.”  It may turn out that your child has a specific kind of speech delay; on the other hand, I believe it is important to monitor any child who appears delayed in achieving any developmental milestone.  I strongly encourage you to follow up first with your son’s pediatrician.  Below are several websites with information about autism spectrum disorders.  You may find it helpful to review these sites to see if you think you need to take your son in for further assessment for an ASD.

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/
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