4 year old son going for evaluation b/c speech delays

[amdflorida]

Hello, I am new here and would just like some input.  My son just turned 4 years old and since he as been about 2, we noticed his speech was limited but thought it would improve.  And it has improved, he speaks alot of words but even I cannot understand him sometimes.  He also talks in a very low voice which makes it even harder to understand.  He knows some colors, numbers, letters etc, when you can get him to say them. The pediatrician said I should take him for an evaluation, even neurocognitive testing.  The pediatricians exact words were "Well, autism is showing up in kids all the time now and days."  That was the first time I ever thought about him having any kind of autism!
My son has always stayed home with me - no daycares but loves to play with kids and interacts with me and his dad all the time.  He is very affectionate too.  The only thing I could find that related him to autism was that his speech is delayed and he likes to play with his toy cars and he does line them up.  I feel like I have been paranoid since the doctor told us to get him evaluated.
Oh, and he is not potty trained yet - we have been working on that for awhile. He will poop in the potty just because I know his bowel movements and I make him sit on the potty but he won't tell me if he has to go to the bathroom.  He is whiny alot too but he also has a 10 month old brother that he likes to imitate (cries like him, crawls on the floor, etc.)
Do anyone think I have reason for concern for autism?  We have him scheduled for an evaluation in 2 weeks but I just wanted to get my head straight before I took him.
Sorry its so long - I am sure any concerned mommy would understand!
Thanks in advance!

[SL345]

Speech problems and toileting problems alone are not likely to be indicators of autism if other areas are intact. Does he make eye contact? Is he willing to greet others or allow them to greet him? Can he use imaginary play? Is he interested in people and animals over things? Does he have any unusual rituals besides lining cars up? Although there is a spectrum or range of difficulties that some consider autistic. Signs and symptoms of autism include: repeated failure to respond to his or her name, poor eye contact, resists cuddling and holding, unaware of others' feelings, prefers playing alone — retreats into his or her "own world," greater interest in inanimate things than living things, such as people and animals, speaks with an abnormal tone or rhythm — may use a singsong voice or robot-like speech, performs repetitive movements, such as rocking, spinning or hand-flapping, dvelops rigid routines or rituals and becomes disturbed at the slightest change in routines or rituals, fascination by parts of an object, such as the spinning wheels of a toy car, unusual sensitivity to light, sound and touch. An evaluation is generally a good idea.If he needs speech therapy, he could make a lot of progress in a short amount of time and these other areas of concern (bathroom) may decrease or be elminated. Good luck.

[mfolsom]

I have a son that just turned 5 yrs.  When he was three a Kindergaten teacher thought he might have autism because his
speech was delayed and he liked to play by himself and he too like
to"line up" cars and other toys.  I was concerned too.  We later found
out his adnoids were enlarged which caused the speech delay.  We had the adnoids removed.  He is now in speech and occupational
therapy and is doing fine.  Sometimes boys are just lazy when it comes to potty training.  Our son likes to play by himself and he still
lines up his toys but he doesn't have autism.  As long as your son
show affection, gives eye contact and will communicate with you
it sounds like he'll be fine.  There are also different levels of autism as well.  Education is your best resource.  I found that now that my son
is 5 yrs his habits have also changed.  He likes to play with other
kids at pre-school, he can spell his own name on the computer, and
his speech has improved greatly.  Sometimes kids need to be with
other kids to develope social skils.  You might put him in preschool
2 times a week to help prepare him for kindergarten
good luck!!

[amdflorida]

Hi
Thanks for all the input.  My son did go to an audiologist at an ear nose and throat doctor to have his hearing checked and that all turned out normal.  Would they have checked his adnoids?

[mfolsom]

Yes, When they check the nose would be the time they would of
checked the adenoids.  Is your son showing signs of asking questions?  Learning to want to do things on his own? Capable of
following instructions if you ask him to do a two part task?  Does
he hug people and capable of feeling sad and happy?  Can he sit
down and watch a complete movie or 1/2 hour program on TV.
Does he like you to read to him?  Does he point to things when he
wants something?  Is he trying to communicate his needs to you?
Can he wait his turn when in line?
These are all normal things he should be doing or should start to be
doing at this age. If you have said no to most of these quesitions
then he may need some guidance and seeking professional help
to see what is wrong is a good idea.
Mfolsom

[amdflorida]

All he had done was his hearing checked by the audiologist.  I will ask about adenoids when he goes back again.  And the answer to all those questions is YES, he does all those things.  That is why I am so surprised his pediatrician wants him evaluated just because of speech delays and potty training issues.  I was just so confused.  Well, his evaluation is with a speech pathologist next week.  I wasn't sure to make an appt. with a psychologist or a speech pathologist.  But the place I got him into the soonest was a children's speech pathologist.  I could not get him an appt. with a psychologist until end of May.  Do you know the difference in what they will do in testing?

[SL345]

Speech pathologists evaluate a child's hearing, speech and language abilities. Problems with muscle strength and tone in the mouth and face area (oral-motor), ability to pronounce words correctly (articulation), hearing & listening skills (auditory processing), and number of words in vocabulary are some of the things they check. Psychologists observe play skills, and administer tests to determine overall level of development, such as intellectual abilities, motor skills, self help skills (e,g, feeding, dressing, etc), readiness skills, as well as language development, interpersonal relatedness and other areas. Both evaluations may be important for your child, but speech is a good place to start. Good luck. Let us know what you learn.

[jeena_r]

hai ,
I AM A MOTHER OF A 4 YEAR OLD BOY TOO, PRETTY MUCH WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS AS YOU SAID.HIS SPEECH IS ALSO DELAYED.HE CAN READ  ABC ,SAY FROM 1 TO 10 ,NAME VEGGIES FRUITS CARS ETC ,STONG LOVE FOR VIDEO GAMES CAN SIT ON IT FOR WHOLE DAY ,SAYS WHT HE WANTS ETC..BUT HE HAS NOT STARTED NARRATING ANY INCIDENTS IN THE DAY ,,SCHOOL OR AT DAYCARE ,AND POTTY ...DOES NOT POOP IN THE TOILET BUT ASKS ME TO PUT HIM THE PAMPERS ON WHEN HE WANTS TO POOP...
JUST CONCERNES COZ ONE OF THE DOCTORSI HAD MET ASKED ME TO CONSIDER NERUOEVALUATION...AND YES HE TOO LINES UP CARS ,SLEEPS WITH THEM ETC...
IDONT THINK HE HAS ANY KIND OF RETARDATION BUT STILL VERY CONCERNED .WHAT DO YOU THINK

JEENA

[kweizer]

I have a 4 year old son who lines up cars, he did not say too much and was frustrated and threw tantrums when he was 18 months old.  My pediatrician told me to have him evaluated for Early Intervention.  He was classified as developmentally delayed.  He rcvd speech, OT and PT.  He made alot of progress  and when he was 2 1/2 he was also repeating the last few things we said.  He had little eye contact, would shy away from everyone excepy me, his dad, his older brother and g-ma, but was very affectionate, loved to snuggle.  He had asthma and fevers when he was young.  He was re-evaluated at 2-1/2 and saw a psychologist who said he had PDD, NOS (pervasive developmental disorder, not other specified).  PDD is on the autism spectrum.  I was devastated.  I continued to get him services Speech, OT, PT and Spec Education.  He is now 4 years old and is great.  If I do not tell anyone about his problems, people would not know.  He talks very well now and is asking and answering questions, potty trained at 3 years 3 months old.  He has been going to a regular pre-school for the 1 1/2 years and is totally great.  He had severe texture issues and now they are very few, he makes eye contact and he does lines up cars but not very much anymore (they called it self stimming).  You are your childs voice in this world and if your child does have a problem, embrace it and you both will prevail as did my don.  Early detection is the best medicine.  My son gets services through the school district and I get him additional services.  Everyday he amazes me as it seems doors keep opening up  in his head. If you have any questions please let me know.
Kristine