Can delayed development in speech be autism?

My son is almost 4 yrs old but when he talks, it sounds like a two yr old.  He can talk but the words do not come out completely clear and his connecting words such as the, and, or..are garbled.  He tends to just mumbles thru them and pronounces the key words.  He was a little less than 4 pounds when he was born and was 4 weeks premature.  There was a problem with his umbilical cord and he was not getting any nutrients for the last 7 to 10 day in utero which is why he was so small.  But still he was only 17 1/2 inches long which seems a bit short as well.  The doctors assured me that he was getting all the blood flow and oxygen he needed it was only the nutrients he was lacking.  As he has developed he has lagged behind some but not so much as his speech has.  He is still short but his weight and his height are equal to each.  He is about the size of a 2.5 - 3 yr old.  I was really concerned about autism because he did not like to look people directly in the eyes up close but he has now gotten better with it and interact with people and other children.    He does play alone well but he craves interaction with other children.  When he is taken out of his home element he gets really excited and wants to go  but he shows out and gets very tempermental when we are out and about.  Is there anything here that sounds like there is a possiblity that he may have some form of autism?  Oh and when I was pregnant we did have genetic counseling and an amniocentisis (not sure if I spelled that correctly) was performed.  He is fine there with no abnormalities or extra chromosones.

[tdub321]

Speaking very generally, three issues would be present to consider Autism:

-Delayed communication/language.  May have speech but not communicative... may repeat others or label things but doesn't use language to request, protest, comment, answer questions, share ideas,  etc.  

- Impaired social communication (interaction, shared attention, turn-taking, eye gaze, etc)

- Repetitive behaviors and/or restricted patterns of interest - can involve  constant, repetitive behaviors like flapping hands, spinning objects, etc;  using toys in non-functional ways like only spinning the wheels of cars or lining things up;  fixation on a subject or object (for instance, trains -- learns everything about the history of trains, types of trains, memorizes the local train schedule, only talks about trains);  strict adherence to routines or rituals with strong negative response when routine is broken; difficulty handling new situations or transitions

Also common are unusual sensory issues (like being bothered by bright lights, loud sounds, touch, texture etc more than an "average" child) and motor development delays.

If speech is the only issue, I would not be concerned about Autism.  However, if he is four years old and a stranger can't easily understand his speech, or his overall language isn't as developed as you'd expect, I would consider having his speech/language evaluated.  Language skills are central to success in academics, so if he really is behind it is best to get him in a good intervention program before school age.  

In the US, you can talk to your local public school district for assessment and treatment options.  

Good luck!

[chelbeay]

Yes a stranger might make out a couple of key words but wouldnt completely understand what he would be trying to communicate.  He has always shown a annoyance to loud speach and loud music or singing.  A friend of mine was remarking that I may want to ask his doctor about autism because of these things.  Thank you so much for replying back to me on this question.