Is this typical for a 2 year old?

[suzysmart]

My 2 year old grandson is speech delayed but we are concerned about autism. He tries to say @ 50 words, but not clearly.

Recently, he has started to point at things of interest  and will point when asked at certain pictures in books.  He smiles at others.  He understands and obeys simple commands.  He sometimes, but not always responds to his name .  He bites and head bangs occasionally.  He shows interest in other kids, makes good eye contact with his mother but not so much with others.  

Occasionally he will flap his hands while running toward something exciting, but doesn't spin or have unusual finger movement.  He tried preschool for a couple of weeks, but he would cry for 45 minutes and watch the door until she came back each time.  Apparently, he could not be comforted.  His teacher found this behavior unusual.  When I babysit, he may cry for a few minutes.

He is mesmerized by Sesame Street but nothing else captivates his attention for long.  He doesn't warm up to most people right away, but will interact after he becomes comfortable with a new person.  He does have some imaginative play like pretending to pour milk in a cup or cut up food items with toy utensils.  He regularly helps his Mom with gardening, watering plants, etc.

Occasionally, he would hand lead. He will go to the refrigerator when he wants something to eat.  He can kick a ball and ride a tricycle.  He doesn't demonstrate any odd play, no lining up objects or spinning wheels.  He will push a shopping cart around a lot and likes peekaboo and hide and seek.

He shows interest in toilet training.  He sometimes has temper tantrums but they don't last for unusually long periods of time.

He is scheduled to receive speech therapy and and a developmental evaluation.  In the meantime, we are worried, so I'd like to know if these behaviors are typical for his age.  The problem, in our minds, is that he does have some flags, but none of the things he does seem overly unusual to us. Thanks

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

I would not worry about the separation anxiety. He's very young, and with a longer time to adjust he may have done fine. I think the teacher is overly concerned about that behavior. The delay in language is a cause for concern, but not an alarming development. And again, nothing suggests any major PDD-spectrum condition.

[suzysmart]

Thank you for your answer; it does alleviate some of the worrying.  I know you can't give me a definitive answer, but is it possible that his developmental delays are attributable to the language delay or do you see other things in his behaviors?  Of particular concern were his teacher's comments regarding his focus on watching the door for his mother's return.  Don't other two year olds sometimes suffer from this type of separation anxiety? He will actually reach his second birthday in a couple of weeks.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

I did mean not typical. That is, the profile is not that of the average two-year-old, but this does not mean that the difficulties described are signs of an emerging serious problem.

[fred633]

Just a lurker on this board, who often reads to learn a little more about my own child. But I was wondering if you mistyped, Mr. Kennedy. Did your first sentence really mean 'not typical' or did you mean 'not atypical'? Especially in contrast with your last sentence, which says you believe these to be perhaps just general developmental lags.

Thanks for your answers though. There are plenty of us out here reading.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

The overall profile you describe is not typical of two-year-olds. Had you asked in what drection you should turn, I would have suggested Speech/Language evaluation and Developmental evaluation. Both of those interventions are already in the works, so he is on the right course. Nothing you describe indicates any serious condition along the Pervasive Developmental Disorder spectrum. Rather, he appears to show some general developmenatl lags, all of which can likely show progress.