Delays in Child.

Grace - posted on 11/07/2010

Hi Amber!
I am so happy that you have gotten the ball rolling. I'm a former pre-school teacher and have a 20 month old son going through the same thing, and if there is anything that research has shown, its that early intervention works wonders.
My son was speaking a few words until the age of 14 months when he stopped speaking all of a sudden. His babbling never comprised of different sounds, just "duh, duh, duh." We were concerned, but our pediatrician wasn't. When he hit 18 months, he diagnosed him with speech delay and recommended that he be seen by our local regional center to check him for autism. Two weeks ago we took him in, and luckily, they found him to be a little too social and too receptive to be considered at risk or even near the spectrum. And like your daughter, he too did the same things; flapped his hands when he got upset or excited, his tantrums were beginning to get rather physical, could never point using his fingers and often it would take us about 8 times to call his name before he responded. However once we took him in for his evaluation, he did just fine with all his developments (of course he answered to his name each and every time just fine, participated in all sorts of imaginary play and had great eye contact.)
What they did find though was that he was extremely communication delayed. Story short, they think that he may have something called Childhood Apraxia of Speech- condition where the child understands language, but his physical motor skills (mouth, tongue & teeth) can not bring him to actually properly form the sounds and words.
One month ago my husband and I were convinced that my son was showing the early signs of autism, turns out that a lot of his behavior was stemming from frustration of not being understood. He's already slowly starting to communicate with us, and the in home treatment that they've been giving us with their therapists has already worked wonders... and its only been a few weeks!!
Again, I know that no matter what your outcome, nothing but something positive will come from seeking treatment early and your daughter can soon begin to close that developmental gap. Good luck and all the best to you and your little girl!

Kristina - posted on 10/31/2010

Hello Amber,
I have went through the same things with my son. He was developing great until right before he turned two. At that point he stopped speaking, we lost eye contact, and he would have weird fits. He has been diagnosed with having Aspergers. He is on the very high functioning end of the spectrum. I take him twice a week to therapy, (which is helping a lot!) I also got him into an early learning program. We have made great strides but still have those days where you can't even picture there being a light at the end of the tunnel. Keep your head high, have lots of patience, and always to remember to have down time for YOU to step back and relax! :) I know its easier said than done.

Lexie - posted on 10/29/2010

Applied behavior analysis is an excellent way to change/modify behaviors and increase learning. When applied early, it can be beneficial. Look it up and see if it works for your family. Most insurance companies will pay for 10 hours per week of ABA, usually with the therapist coming to your home.

Lakisha - posted on 10/29/2010

Hi Amber,

My 3 year old daughter has Autism. She presented a little differently than the symptoms you have listed. She had language and gradually lost it when she was 14-18 months. She did not rock but she did flap her hands occasionally. She never pointed to say what she needed or to draw our attention to anything. My advice to you is to get her diagnosed by a developmental pediatrician and/or a neurologist. You may have to wait for an appoinment but you don't need an official diagnosis to begin therapy or get the services she needs. If she is Autistic, please know that Autism is not the end of the world. She's still the same wonderful child she has always been. There may be challenges ahead (we're fighting the school district right now) but many Autistic children grow and develop into very high functioning adults. The most important thing is to take advantage of these critical, early years. Please contact me if you need someone to talk to or an email buddy. I'd love to share my experience and knowledge with you.

Karina - posted on 10/28/2010

Good for you and getting the proper testing you need to. Every state has a Birth to 3 program (the name changes in every location) contact infoline to get information about them. Their team are speech pathologist , occupational therapists, special education teaches, social workers , physical therapists and more they have a home based program to help you understand and to guide you so you and your family can help your child. Remember that the first 5 years of a childs life are the most important to learn about the world and bond with parents specially in a child in the spectrum. There are a few easy reading material that could help you understand your child better.

Stacey - posted on 10/27/2010

remember that there is a wide spectrum as far as autism goes...you can have a high functioning child that is still autistic. i was a school nurse and had a 7th grader that was autistic. she was in regular classes....so, if your child 'just doesn't seem right' ask questions and get a second opinion.
our oldest son is foster to adopt - his caseworker has been ignoring us for 3 years. finally a neurologist referred us for further testing - questioning austism.

Amber - posted on 10/27/2010

If your son is understanding, pointing at things, interacting with you, then you have nothing to worry about. He just may be a little behind like you think. Our daughter just doesnt understand the whole point, wave, or clap thing. It just doesn't click with her. Just hoping the help comes quickly so we can intervene :)

Julie - posted on 10/26/2010

It's good that you've sought out the help that your daughter requires. I pray that she'll respond well to the treatment that you and your doctor comes up with.

I've just recently wondered if there is something going on with my son... he does seem to interact with us but he also has a lot of time where he'll "stare" into space. He also doesn't have a lot of words although he babbles often and understands what we say for the most part. He's quite far behind the point that his sister was at the same age.

His pediatrician hasn't seemed overly concerned at this point, I was kind of waiting to see if perhaps he's just a little bit behind.

Amber - posted on 10/26/2010

Thank you so much for that encouragement!

Avvy - posted on 10/25/2010

Good for you,you have started the ball rolling by seeking professional help! Please stay positive and know your little can get the help she needs.Autism is a field in which advances are coming everyday.If in fact your daughter does have autism after an evaluation do research , read books, join parents groups,and immerse yourself in educating yourself in all areas of autism, there is light at the end of the tunnel .!