is she autistic?

Question

my 23 months old daughter is less attentive.having a speech delay.she says only 4 or 5 words.sometimes she is in her own world.i doubt she is having autism symptoms. but every thing is sometimes. sometimes she is attentive .she is responds to her name sometimes not. she is having a great attachment with me and her father .she used to kiss and hug us whenever i ask. she is interested in listening tv and music.sometimes she likes to play alone and sometimes she play with other kids.some times she hugs them.i am teaching her eyes ,nose,teeth etc by touching them ,she is interested in that.but dont use to express the same when i ask.she needs me to say and show all those things.she is imitating me as if she is in kitchen and doing some cooking.she pretends that she is helping me while i do cloth washig .she is aware of the surrounding.whatever happends she knows every thing yes every thing.she is having some attachment with some of our relatives.her major problem is she is less respond to her name.whenever i am with her,she enjoys playing with me.
we are staying alone far away from hometown.and relatives .she is having less social bonding.what made her such a character was her surroundings.but now we r in home town with all relatives for past two months.now i am watching some improvements in her behaviour.she is looking and smiling at others. but sometimes not responds.is she autistic? what do u think?

This discussion is related to Symptoms of Autism in a two year old.

skepticalpeach · Answer

She doesn't sound autistic to me. My daughter has verbal apraxia and has a speech delay. She is four and half and made up her own language. I thought she had a speech delay because she wasn't around children enough, but I think there's more to it than that. Although it's a really good idea to socialize her as much as possible. Have you thought about using picture cards to help her communicate? We've had a lot of success with that.

margypops · Answer

She doesn't sound autistic.. it is possible that she is taking longer because she has  a solitary environment, you also say she has speech delay , her behavior sounds normal .She could use some more children and people in her life ,when you go shopping is it possible to take her to a cafe or place where children and moms will be available to chat.How about parks, and places to walk , .As you say she is not 2 year old yet things may change before she gets older.Good luck

riza01 · Answer

i have a doubt .she is trying to drive her little cycle and car .can an autistic kid drive cycle and car?.
she is very care full while stepping down the steps.she knows what  the dangerous things are.

riza01 · Answer

thanks to all for your prompt replies.actually what happened was she was exposed to tv all the time.i thought that it will make her more communicative.but the result was exact opposit. when i realized this. it was too late. i consulted a speech therapist.she said her speech delay is due to less stimulation.but  i am not satisfied with her. i had to be some more detailed.i cant find the answer for atleast any of the questions of 'autism testing and evaluation checklist' since it is so complicated. sometimes she is attentive and sometimes she is not.
for past 3 days i am also doing the same thing as mimo said(calling her name around 1000 times).its working.now she listens to her name.whatever i say she is looking at my face .she is having a good eye contact with me.i am not sure whether she is grasping all the things i say to her,since she is not expressive. whenever i ask her to show her eyes ,nose,teeth etc.,she is not showing. at that time she smiles at me and she is holding my hands up to show the same things by me. she laughs whenever i recite action songs and poems.
she is my only kid .she is being brought up alone.so she used to play alone.we have not any other neigbouring kids .so how can i find the answer to the question 'does she like to play alone'  at childrens park how she will play with other kids since they seems unfamiliar to her.
another question in the checklist is 'does she make repititve movements' yes sometimes she makes.but i beleive some repititive movements are usual in all kids .what do u think?

another question is 'does she chatter alone and always'. yes she chatters alone.is this a serious issue? my sisters kid was also used to chatter alone .but now he is not having any issues.he is physically mentally a healthy boy now.i beleive this chattering is also usual in all kids.

sometimes she is thinking alone. is this also a normal phenomenon?
the checklist is totally confusing.  a paediac or therapist can never conclude that whether my daughter is autistic or not .it depends on how i give them details about her behavior. yes it depend on my point of view.
she likes play with me but not with other kids( because they are un familiar to her)
she likes to play with all the toys she has.
she is having eye contact with us and all others.
she smiles at everyone.
she is interactig with some of my neighbours and relatives.
she can understand my facial expressions.
she points at pictures and photos.
whenever me and my husband r sitting nearby.she  immediately used to come in between us and act as a separation between us.
she never used to sit alone.wherever i am she will be there. even if it is kitchen or bathroom.she needs my presence always.
she says 5 or 6 words.the only word meaning fully she says is 'bye'.  and all other words she says are without knowing their meanings.she is just uttering those words.
whenever we go for shopping ,if she sees any kids there ,she will go to them smile at them and touch them and then she will come back to us.
now my most troubling problem is how to find out whether she is understanding whatever i say.
i beleive she is  such a careless character type.since she is not obeying my commands.but while we r playing.she obeys  the commands such as go, come and take the ball etc. but at the time she is sitting and doing nothing then if i ask her to come go and take that etc ,she wont obey. is she careless or something else?

whatever ,first of all i have to realize that she is only 23 months old. but i am tensed while i see my relative kids who are below in age of my daughter are more smart and talkative ..
please help me to findout a solution.i am burning day by day.

mimo31 · Answer

Hello, my toddler is now 22 month old, 2 months ago we were concerned about his behavior, he didn't respond to his name at all, played alone all the time, liked to watch TV all the time, had speech and walking delay. We took him to a specialist, she said he needed a special care. What we did first was talking to him in the 3rd person to let him be familiar to his name and called his name about a 1000 times per day. between 7 and 10 days he began to respond every time we called his name. We reduced the watching TV time to half an hour per day to let him discover his environment. We shared more time with him playing with toys, reading stories, encouraging him to walk.... Now he's doing great, he's started to walk  but still needed a starting and arrival points, He says 3 to 4 new words per day, likes to play with other children... 
Hope this will help you with your daughter..

margypops · Answer

I agree with zazou a doctor will hbe able to tell you that answer, as you are seeing improvements it may be good to see how she progresses, do you give her plenty of feedback, reading books and talking to her ,you say 'when you are with her' who else looks after her ?

zazou · Answer

I would talk to your paediatrician about it. We can't tell you if she is or not. My husbands nephew barely spoke at 2 and started at 2 years and 8months. He had his own language and now is 4.5 and talks well but has some minor issues. Talk to the paediatrian about your worries so they can assess her. All the Best!