3.5 year old just babbles in words like mama/baba...

[daddymummy]

My daughter was underweight when born and is undergoing treatment for hyperthyroidism for keeping their levels normal. As of today (Sep 2009) my daughter is 3.5 year old. She is very energetic plays with her toys and other kids too. But doesn't communicate with us using speech!!

She explains everything by holding our hands - pulling us into room/kitchen and pointing at a specific area. Then we pick up every object in that area and show her-if she needs it.

She speak everything in 2words Baba and mama. She sings poems like Baba Black sheep, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and many more BUT only in 2 words is baba and mama. Thus to sing Baba Black Sheep she will say  in rhyme baa ba – baa ba –babbaba...

Her hearing is tested and is fine. Any Suggestions

[Synique_Jailen]

Hy, daddymummy.. my daughter is also 3, she will soon be for in Decemnber.. she is the same way as your daughter, she was born very small. she does not speak well and her behavior is qite different from other 3 yr olds. she humms just like your daughter. She is now being evaluated for autism ans sdd. Please get your daughter evaluated asap.. That will lift a load off, and they may even put her in the school that she needs.

[daddymummy]

Hello there thanks for replying. My daughter was born on 5-April-2006 (in the 2nd week of
9th month) she was underweight i.e. 1.7 kg. Thus she was kept in the incubator for few days to gain some weight, after that she was discharged. See attached "Discharge Summary" reports.

One month after discharged, she had urine infection and she was hospitalized for 15 days and treated for it. Later it was discovered that her Thyroid Levels were high thus the doctors told to start tablets for her - to keep her Thyroid Levels normal.

The doctors are still not sure if she has Autism! She was referred (9 months back) to Development Department but the doctors there just watched her for 10 min and told us to visit them after a years time i.e. on Jan 2010!!!  Because they said my daughter is just 2+ years and still too young for any kind of tests. Therefore they will only test her at 3.5+ years. [Now I am worried: Is it safe to wait that long till Jan 2010? Am I on right track? And could you please tell me what kind of doctors or department see Autistic Kids!]

One month back we insisted the pediatric doctor to refer us to Speech therapist. But the speech therapist told us to test her hearing first thus we were referred to an ear doctor.
On testing it is discovered that she can here 90% but the ear doctor want it to be 100% then only he can refer us to Speech therapist! Thus he gave cough syrup and another syrup (may be it was Zyetec), which will completely clear her hearing, and then retake her hearing test (i.e. on 11-oct-2009)!

Any other advice-something you want us to try

[HaileyBugsMommy]

Contact your local school district to have her evaluated for a developmental/language delay - if she qualifies (and it sounds like she will) she can be enrolled in an early childhood speacial education program thru the public school system for free.  They work with lots of kids with disabilities and/or delays starting around age 3.  My daughter started about six weeks before she turned 3 and showed some progress within the first week (we celbrate all victories with her, no matter how small they are).