autism

Hi,

My 2.5 year old son doesnt talk much...he just started saying 10-12 words like tea,flower,choclate,dad....not even mom. Most of the times he does not seem to understand basic instructions like come here,where is mom or dad, but will understand things like lets go out and do u want choclate.Hez very stubborn and bangs his head when does not get what he wants.
But otherwise he is a happy child who laughs a lot,plays pretend games,plays nicely with the kids though some times hits them,point out to things he want and need to know their names,hold our hand to get the things he want.
I`m very worried about his not talking yet as i have seen that kids of his age talk a lot and seems to understand all of their parents instructions....plzz help me to find out whether hez having some problems like autism or its just my worry??

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

Here is a question I ask almost every time I hear about a child like your son: Have you have already taken your son to the pediatrician, and what does he or she think?  Did your son’s pediatrician think something was different enough to refer you to a local Early Intervention Program (EIP) for further assessment and treatment?  If you and the doctor feel that you 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 doctor or the local EIP may help with this.  

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.  

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

Some of the other behaviors that you mentioned may or may not be indicative of the early signs of an ASD.  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/