3 yr. old : Seepch Delay vs. autism !!!!

[Lalloo75]

My son is turning 3 in May. He is not talking yet. He says a few words (Dad, Ma, go, bye, hello, juice, mam, cake). He makes all the animal sounds. But he will not talk. He responds to his name in 90% of the time. Grabs you by the hand to get him what he wants or he will do it himself. His pediatrician said he was fine, just a late talker. Still, I went ahead and had his hearing test. It checked out fine, but they could not tell me how much he can hear, because he would not let them put earphones in his ears. Had him tested at a regional center and they said he does show delay in speech (duh!!!) and he was put into a great early intervention program. I am also getting him a one on one speech once a week, which will start next week. He plays great with kids (he has an older brother 7 yrs old), he has eye contact, no repetitive behavior or sensory sensitivity associated with autism. I forgot to mention that i took him to a pediatric neurologist and she said most probably it is just a speech delay, but she will like to see him again in 4 months. I have read numerous books and articles on autism, and the only similarities I see between my son and the diagnosis of autism has to do with his delay in expressive and sometimes receptive language. Am I in denial and it could be high functioning autism??? I am driving myself insane... Has anybody been thru this????

[Lalloo75]

Yes, he does point occaisonally to items he wants . He usually grabs me by the hand and points to it .

[Lnisi]

Hi there
Also, please have your child evaluated by an occupational therapist.  Although he may not seem to have signs of sensitivity, there may be some things there that you are not aware of.  Also, with gross and fine motor planning.  It is a complicated and fascinating area, and there is MUCH MORE than meets the eye.
Another area to notice is the concept of "joint attention".  Does your child ever point to something to show you?  And, if you point to something, will he look at what you're interested in?  This is another marker of possible autism spectrum disorder.  If your child fits the criteria, the sooner you can get him appropriate services, the more successful he will be.  Best of luck.

[fiona1983]

my son did have autism. high functioning autism. he is now 6.
each child who has autism is different. no 2 children are alike. although their obsession can be (trains, fire extinguishers)
you son does seem to be slow in talking but i bet he is very advanced in other areas. give him time, read books and get down to his level,talk about what he is doing instead of asking questions eg: oh look you are moving mr pig onto the roof instead of pigs go on the ground!
imagination is also a large part and you did not mention if he uses his imagination.
keep percerveering (SP) its better to have spent time trying to fix a problem than to let it get ignored and possibly worsen.
take care
fi

[D99G03]

I have been through this EXACT thing.  I do not have a lot of time to write right now, but felt compelled to respond.  There are differences ... My son said NOTHING upon his 3rd b-day. Just jargoning.  Also, my son exhibited several Autistic-like behaviors.  Did not understand when I spoke, even simple comands and was often in his own world.  He is going to be 8 in April and is NOT Autistic.  His only real diagnosis has been severely ADHD and Language Based LD's.  He is EXTREMELY smart, justhas processing issues and often times, even now, can't find the words to getout what he is thinking. It continues to be an uphill struggle but he is doing well, and we had wonderful EI as well as a fabulous Early Childhoon Program for 3+ ... this was so critical for him.  Please feel free to email me for anything, even just support ... at ***@**** and put this forum in the subject so I do not delete.  You are not going insane at all!  Also, do not listen to the pedi. (as I did for almost a year) GO WITH YOR GUT, evals cannot hurt ... only help!  Take Care.

[tomel]

Yes defintley keep him in private. The preschool is usually not enough and is not always one on one or even more than 1/2 hr. At least that is how it is at my sons preschool. Make sure to do alot of one on one with him yourself. Flash cards are great. There are some great speech videos you can put on the computer. Super Duper Inc. is on of the cheapest for materials. But there are other places as well. When you speak to him speak slowly, clap your hands for each word/syllable. Things like that all help. Find out ig they think he is low tone. If he is he may need Ot. It he is low tone in the face there are things that can be done for that as well.


Good Luck.

[Lalloo75]

Thank u sooo much for your reply. When he turns 3 in May, he will transfer from early intervention into the school district where they have a specialized integrated preschools and they will also provide speech 2 times a week. I will also keep him enrolled in private speech therapy twice a week.

[tomel]

I apologize I misread when you said his age. So he isnt 3 yet.

He is still behind.
Here is from the CDC website for milestones in a 3 yr. old

Language
Follows a two- or three-part command
Recognizes and identifies almost all common objects and pictures
Understands most sentences
Understands placement in space ("on," "in," "under")
Uses 4- to 5-word sentences
Can say name, age, and sex
Uses pronouns (I, you, me, we, they) and some plurals (cars, dogs, cats)
Strangers can understand most of her words


heres the websit
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/ActEarly/milestones_3years.html

[tomel]

Your son is what almost 4?Yes, he has a serious delay and I would be very concerned. He needs alot of help now The longer you wait the worse it could be. This wait and see attitude the doctor has is not good AT ALL.
By this age he should be saying alot and asking questions.
I have been thru this. My son startedpeech therapy at 19 months old. He was given a diagnosis of "at risk for autism". When he turned 3 I was told he no longer fit this category. But dont stop with the therapy.
He is now 4yrs. 4 months. and speaks in full sentences and asks tons of questions, including "why".
He is still somewhat immature socially, but this is progressing.
Get your son as much help as you can now. There is a great book called The Late Talker, this may help.
Start giving him Omegas. But I only recommend Nordic Naturals because they are totally purified. The omegas will help ALOT. I can promise you that for sure. We saw a HUGE jump in our sons speech when we started giving him these. This we also started before he turned 2.
Good Luck.
I know about denial. But remember denial wont help your son.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Your worry is understandable, but you are placing too much emphasis on a single symptom. It is obvious that your son's development of speech and language skills is delayed, but he is communicating with you. You are doing the correct thing by arranging the various evaluations and having him engaged in early intervention. When he is too old for early intervention, be sure to continue his pre-school experience. Othe than the speech/language issue, it does not appear that your son displays other symptoms associated with autistic spectrum disorders.