Wondering about my two year old....

My two year old will be three in October is still not talking...I mean she can say a few words but not enough to hardly communicate with us. She is the youngest of four. At first I thought maybe we were babying her too much but her doctor wants me to have her tested for Autism. I am worried. I then started noticeing other "signs" from a booklet my dr gave me. She is really attached to her blanket...won't hardly let it out of her sight. It took her almost a year and a half to warm up to my mom whom she sees at least 4 times a week. She won't kiss anyone but me (her mom), daddy, and my mom and only then 6 months ago. She is having a hard time learning the potty training thing...I tend to think it is because she can't tell me she needs to go. I end up taking her every hour to be sure. All my other kids talked before they were a year old...and walked just as early. My youngest tends to be by herself playing. She went to daycare but I took her out to stay at home with her...she didn't play with the other children or the teachers. She stayed in a corner with her blanket and a toy playing by herself. Does this sound like Autism? I am worried.....

[DIANA_RIVERA]

THOSE ARE SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTISM BUT U HAVENT MENTIONED ANYOTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTISM SO IT MAY NOT BE AUTISM..  MY SON SHOWS THOSE CHARACTERISTICS AND A FEW MORE OTHER CHARACTERISTICS BUT NOT ALL TO BE DIAGNOSED AS AUTISTIC.. HE WAS DIAGNOSED AS PDD-NOS.. BUT NOT AUTISM.. I THINK YOU SHOULD DEFINITLY GET A REFERAL TO SEE A DEVELOPMENTAL PEDIATRICIAN   THEY WILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU BETTER IF SHE HAS ANY CONDITION OR MAY HAVE NO CONDITION AT ALL... I KNOW IT IS HARD AS A MOTHER TO EVEN THINK ABOUT OUR CHILDREN HAVING ANY KIND OF CONDITION BUT IT THINK ITS BETTERTO BE SAFE THAN SORRY,, SHE MAY NOT HAVE ANY CONDITION BUT MAY NEED SEVICES SUCH AS SPEECH OR OTHER SERVICES JUST TO HAVE HER  CATCH UP TO THOSE HER AGE AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR HER WHEN SHE GOES TO SCHOOL,,, AND IF SHE DOES HAVE A CONDITION THEN YOU AS MOMMY WILL BE STRONG AND GET HER THE SERVICES SHE NEEDS...AND BELIEVE ME... WETHER SHE HAS A CONDITION OR NOT THE SEVICES SHE CAN TO HELP HER WILL DO WONDERS..  GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME IF YOU WANT.  

[888mom]

Do you live in the U.S.?  Call your pediatrician and ask for a referral to your state's Birth to 3 program.  There is free speech therapy and other therapies available.  The evaluation is free and any therapy fee is based on your income -- most people are free.  I think my copay was $6 per hour therapy session.  Doesn't matter if it's autism or something else... sounds like your daughter would benefit from speech therapy definitely and also possibly from a therapist who can address your questions of social communication (her ability to communicate with others, even nonverbally).  

Also getting referred to a developmental pediatrician is a benefit.  Oh, and the birth to 3 program will usually refer your child to have a hearing assessment which is usually covered by the state instead of through your health insurance (we had to sedate our daughter for the hearing test since she refused to cooperate, and the sedation was not covered by the state, but was covered by our health insurance minus the deductible which we had already met).  

After age 3, if you are in the U.S., there is therapy provided free of charge through the public school system, either on a one-on-one basis with a therapist or some states or counties offer a developmental preschool with therapists in the classroom.  In addition to speech therapists, there are also occupational therapists.  They tend to work with sensory processing problems and also with things like your child making good eye contact with others.  The teachers will usually stress the children interacting with each other in play.  My daughter went to developmental preschool this past year and will be going to a regular private preschool this fall.  She has made tremendous advances between the Birth to 3 program and then the developmental preschool through the public school system this past school year.  She will be 4 this fall.  She still needs speech therapy as she is still over a year behind in her language, which we will get through the public school system as a one-on-one therapy with a speech/language pathologist, free of charge.

The children in the developmental preschool were all ranges of abilities and diagnosis.  Most school districts try to add some regular kids in to the classroom as well, to encourage the others to speak or try to interact.

Hate to break bad news about the potty training thing... but having language farther developed is one of the signs for potty training readiness.  Also some kids who have developmental delays may not be able to tell when they have to go until they are older than typically developing children.  My 3 1/2 year old still wakes up with a wet diaper and does not know when she has to go.  Her speech is about the development of a girl who is 2 1/2 years but she has problems understanding things that are abstract and don't refer to what is immediately in front of her.  We are having a lot of potty training issues still.  At least with developmental preschool, they did  not require potty training.  And none of the kids in the class were potty trained and back in the fall my daughter was one of the younger ones in her particular class.  We are at a better stage with the potty training though.  We can at least have a discussion about the potty and she can respond with a yes or no.  That is way ahead of where we were even last Christmas.  But my mom told me not to stress.  My brother didn't potty train until he was 4 1/2, and he was not developmentally delayed at all. He was just stubborn.  My mom had the rest of us potty trained by age 2 so it wasn't like she was a bad mom and couldn't figure it out.  Sometimes kids are just harder in certain areas than others.  With developmental delays, there are a lot more problem areas. But our kids will learn in time!  We just have to be patient and try some unconventional methods.  

Uh, and to answer your question on autism... not sure.  There is also something called global developmental delay.  I think it's abbreviated GDD.  Anyways, that goes away with age, generally.  Therapy helps so immensely.  Getting a good speech therapist.  Watching what techniques they use so you can do it at home with your children -- they will get there quicker with a good therapist.