15 months and speech intervention

La - posted on 04/22/2010

My daughter is 15 months old and receives OT twice a week because she doesn't communicate in any way. She never had a period of time where she spoke or made any kind of gestures but her Dad and I have suspected something was different with her since she was a couple months old. She only grunts and makes one or two letter sounds, doesn't answer to her name, doesn't point, doesn't wave, doesn't imitate sounds or gestures, has inconsistent eye contact, needs constant sensory stimulation, cannot understand or follow any simple directions, won't eat foods that are certain textures and will only eat while standing, etc. If you suspect your child is delayed in some areas Early Intervention services will be good for your child even if they end up never being diagnosed. I know that a child can't be formally diagnosed until after the age of 3, but as a mom if you suspect something is wrong don't hesitate to follow up on it. I've had a bunch of parents tell me that in retrospect they saw some early red flags for autism spectrum disorders but would write it off as something else...it finally all clicked one day once the child was older. I'm not speculating on whether or not your child is affected, I'm just saying that as a parent you shouldn't be afraid to follow what your gut tells you. You know your child best so it can't hurt to have it looked in to.

MONA - posted on 04/21/2010

HI TIFFANEY,
I HAVE A 6 YR OLD WITH AUTISM. SPEECH INTERVENTION IS GREAT. MY SON STARTED IT WHEN HE WAS 15 MONTHS OLD. HE WOULD ONLY MAKE SOUNDS. THEY TAUGHT HIM THE BASIC SIGN LAUNGUAGE THAT HE NEEDED AND BELEIVE ME IT HELPED. HE IS NOW 6 AND HIS SPEECH IS COMING ALONG. I THOUGHT HE WOULD NEVER TALK BUT NOW SOMETIMES I CANT GET HIM TO BE QUITE. HAHAH.. GOOD LUCK AND DO THE SPEECH INTER.

Robbin - posted on 04/19/2010

I started the journey with my son when he was 18 months old and they have a great many things that they do its amazing!!! Whoever knew that even chewing gum was great for them cause it strengthens the monuth. I tried everything they offered and now that my son is 15 I am so pleased. You take it day by day, thank God for who she is and what she is going to be, and never stop talking to her like she doesnt understand!! Stay vocal with her even asking her questions about what she needs or wants. There is so many different things out try them all if you can. Its only to benefit, I only found out from testing that my son was listed as gobal delays, non of his chromo was affected that showed autism but he use to act as so, but I stayed on him made him work hard and tried whatever was out. We still do speech.... Do gene testing and it can tell you what is effected and what causes the problems. I pray for your strength and wish you the best!! Remember day by day and she is so your baby and she is who she is!!!!

Rychele - posted on 04/18/2010

Hello Tiffaney- My name is Rychele. I'm the mother of a 4 yo. ASD, PDD son, Jeran. Your story sounds exactly like my son. He was verbal and interacted like a typical child. He also said words like....mom, dad, ut-oh, hi, would wave bye bye...and many more. Well, around 14 months old..my son started loosing his words. I noticed, but, I knew he could speak, so I thought he just didn't choose to. He also started staring out windows, and playing with his fingers. He no longer would look when we called his name, didn't want to play with his toys. The son that we knew, was lost. That was 2 yrs. ago that our son was dx.
Now, take a breath, I'm not saying this is "your" daughter...but I would definitely look into it. Good luck, and God bless you and your family. If you have any questions, or just want to talk.....I am here.
Rychele...proud mom to a child with Autism

Dawn - posted on 04/17/2010

I always believe the moms "know" their child better than anyone. When my now 7 yr old was around 18 months old I begged the pediatrician to listen to me...I knew that my son was struggling developmentally after he had "lost" language as well. 1 yr later I finally convinced a Dr. that I was not just an older/over-protective mother... I knew what I was talking about! Thankfully i offered him early intervention before I had a formal diagnosis including speech therapy. That along with some bio-medical treatments & a lot of prayer have brought our son to the high functioning status. He is now 7 & last summer he had surgery (tonsilectomy) & then we moved home from VA to TX & the stress of it all combined caused him to have a regression in language and positive behaviors. We have been patient with him & now 10 months later he is back to the level of normal he had achieved. I know this is long, sorry but what I 'm trying to say is that i agree with you, that possibly the surgery has really added extra stressors. I'm a firm believer that speech therapy has added great things to our life because not only did he learn speech, but it's also a great place to learn social skills, so hopefully your child will benefit from speech therapy.

Melanie - posted on 04/17/2010

Our son had a handful of words then as soon as he learnt a new word he would forget any he already knew. He has a problem in his throat that causes him to have difficulty with words add that too a brain that's not wired properly. I share your concern and think you are right to want intervention. Hve you tried baby sign language. We started when our son was 18 months slowly introducing simple signs for things like food and drink etc. Speech intervention is better if you can catch a problem early enough. Have your paediatrician look at her again esp since she has episodes of losing speech xx

Tiffaney - posted on 04/16/2010

Thank you everyone for your comments. She had surgery for an imperferated anus.. she had a mild case but the doctor needed to move her hole to the muscle so that she would have control over her bowels. Infants and toddlers came yesterday to get all the medical and her behavior down on paper and they recommended a hearing test as well. We have her full evaluation on May 4th and her hearing test on May 5th.

She knows everything you are saying to her and follows simple directions most days. She tends to ignore us a lot also but that could just be a normal stage for her, she's very independent and stubborn and has been since birth. She's a very intelligent child but prefers to work everything out on her own, she gets mad if somebody else tries to show her something.

Thankfully they are brings a speech pathologist and a special education instructor. Everything will be done in our house, which is so much better for my daughter. She hates doing out into offices, probably because of being in the hospital and doctors so much. I took her on a walk yesterday to the elementary school when the kids were getting out and she loved it until all the kids were let out and then she freaked out.

Becky - posted on 04/15/2010

There are many things it "might" be, such as a hearing disorder that causes her hearing to fade in and out, Autism Spectrum disorder (such as Asperger's), or even something psychological like jealousy of a new baby in the home, but whatever the cause, you should try speech therapy and consistency with your own efforts as well. Unfortunately, she is rather young to be effectively tested for autism spectrum disorders, but you can still work with specialists and possibly even try Early Head Start to help give new ideas for working with her.

Mandee - posted on 04/15/2010

Speech loss, or any loss in any area of development could be a result of a number of things. A difficult life, or trauma, (keep in mind that trauma for a child is VERY different than for an adult), a neurological issue, a change in environments, a development disorder, are just a few of the possibilities. Speech therapy for young children is a lot of mimicking, and often resembles play to most parents, but there is a purpose behind it. It can also include looking at how a child chews, eats, drinks, etc. This can tell a Speech Pathologist a lot about the development of a child's mouth and how they use it.

The issue with fears, may be sensory related, but an Occupational Therapy evaluation may be helpful here. The repetitive behaviors and hitting may be of concern, but it might also be a sign of self soothing or frustration. Children often "vocalize" their emotions in nonverbal ways during preverbal stages of development.

Could it be ASD/PDD, possibly, but overall, trust yourself. If you feel something more is going on and you aren't getting answers, you may need to take the initiative to seek out more answers. However, keep in mind that many specialist will be hesitant to make such a diagnosis until these evaluations and therapies are considered first, particularly since the child is so young. Some may diagnose by 18-24 months, but many wait until the age of 4 or 5 to formally make the diagnosis.

Melissa - posted on 04/15/2010

The language loss would make me think something is going on with her, though if could be a number of things. I would try speech therapy and see how she does with it. Sometimes it takes a long time to see results, but it's definitely worth it.



They will do a preliminary test to see where she's at so that they can map her progress once she's been working at it for a while. There will usually be several people at the first few meetings, possibly a case worker, a speech and language pathologist, and a psychiatrist. They will play with your daughter to see how she responds. They will probably show her some special books and ask things like, "Can you point to the duck?" They will test her receptive and expressive language and decide how much therapy they think she would benefit from. The speech therapist will work through play and give you games and activities to do with your daughter between sessions. Sometimes they come to your house and others, they want you to go to an office.



As far as autism goes, I think she's still pretty young to be diagnosed. When my son went into speech he was put on a watch list and was diagnosed later. He still received services, but they wanted to be absolutely sure before he had a life-long label attached to him.



Here are some additional questions to ask yourself and discuss with the doctor. Does she communicate at all, such as pointing, looking at you, showing you something, etc? Does she seem to understand when you tell her something? Does she ever respond to her name, and if so, how many times do you generally have to call her before she seems to hear you? Has her hearing ever been tested? Does she have sensitivities involving her other senses?

Sheila - posted on 04/15/2010

Hi Tiffaney,



Any time a child loses previously mastered skills, you need to be concerned (regardless of circumstances).



The most important thing to do is follow your instinct. Pursue help because early intervention is one of the most important thing you can have on your side.



You don't say what has been hard, so it would be hard to comment on what could be leading to her loss of speech (surgery for...?). I know children who have been identified with ASD at 18 months, so 15 months is not that big of a stretch (especially if there are other signs.)



Speech intervention might include a lot of mirroring activities, mouthing exercises, sound mimicry, being asked to follow prompts.....and a whole lot more.



I would also recommend an OT assessment to deal with her sensory issues (from what you've listed, she seems to have an auditory sensitivity and anxiety issues with toys).



Good luck to you and your family.



Sheila