Son just turned 3 language delay,need some insight!

[shanshan555]

My son turned 3 on Januray 28. He is very happy and has great motor skills. His language is delayed but it seems like he is progressing. He had tubes in his ears at 13 months and a year later he had a second set because the first set got lodged with fluid behind them and we are not sure how long they are were like that. He just started preschool and plays with the kids very well, but he doesn't really want to take part in the learning he would rather be up playing. This is the first time he has been away from home really without me since he was born. I stayed at home with him until he started preschool which was about 1 month ago. He is very affectionate, has good eye contact, says many words, puts some 2 word phrases together, sings songs of movies, and when someone is crying he ask if they are ok. He is very spoiled but gets frustrated easy. He sometimes makes weird handmovements in front of his face but not that often. He is hyper most of the time but he is funny. We have been worrying about his language delay for so long, does anyone have any suggestions, like should I have him evaluated for autism?

[Rozy321]

Has he ever been evaluated for his language delay?  If not, I would definitely start there, by contacting a speech-language pathologist (the local school district is a great place to start, they provide services as early as age 3).  They will definitely want to start with a hearing screening, and then evaluate his speech, language, and social skills.  

It could simply be a speech/language issue.  If his delay is significant, early intervention is vital for him to catch up to peers by the time he needs to start learning to read and write.  He may be avoiding participating in "learning" activities at school because the language is too advanced for his current language abilities, and participating in those activities is a struggle.  

If the speech-language pathologist has concerns about autism, she will refer you (or advise you to contact) to a developmental pediatrician, a child psychologist, or a pediatric neurologist.  These are the only professionals who can diagnose autism.  

[shanshan555]

Thanks for your input. I guess I will talk to his teacher and go from there. He is getting speech right now in school. I forgot to mention he is potty trained, but sometimes he ask for a diaper to poop. I just want to conversate with him. He repeats a lot of things he hears so maybe it will come soon.
Thanks again