How can I tell if our 2 year old has autism?

Marie - posted on 06/19/2009

Quoting Nichole:

Just wondering if he has had many ear infections? My son has some hearing loss because of ruptured ear drums/ ear infections, and his speech is just starting to come better now. He is 3 and half years old... People are still wondering what he is saying a lot of the time...

I have that problem with my daughter.  Her kindergarden teacher noticed she was watching her mouth.  I had her tested she has a mild hearing loss.  She was in speech classes in school for three years she just graduated this year and she will be going into 3rd grade.  She just needs what they call an fm system in her class to amplify the teacher so se can keep up with the class.

Courtney - posted on 06/11/2009

Quoting Erin:

I work with children with special needsand many of them are autistic. If your son is not talking very much at 2 and other then that is a normal 2 year old, then I would say he's not autistic. It very hard to determine if a child is autistic at 2, most don't get diagnosed until 4 or 5 and sometimes older. I would talk to your son's doctor and tell him about your concerns and ask about starting him in Speech therapy.
hope! this helps

Erin,I wanted to ask you about my son,he is 4, didn't  talk until almost 3. I am told he has adhd and also has alot of sensory needs and alot of behavior problems,. He communicates oddly,he uses "actions" and prefers actions to speaking and cannot hold a conversation for long at all. He play imitates very well,as it is the best way he communicates. He says a few phrases but is very reluctant to speak. Having a hard time getting thru his "tasks" in Habilitation too. He says his wants and needs with words now and has some trouble with eye-contact but not always. He also is affectionate but his behavior and frusteration seem to dominate everything. He is in a ton of therapy and I definitely know my son has a speech-disorder and a communication disorder. I am having him tested using the ADOS soon. I was just told that adhd is a form of high-functioning autism too. I am spinning in disorders and diagnoses. Any idea if this sounds like Autism?

Courtney - posted on 06/11/2009

Quoting Erin:

I work with children with special needsand many of them are autistic. If your son is not talking very much at 2 and other then that is a normal 2 year old, then I would say he's not autistic. It very hard to determine if a child is autistic at 2, most don't get diagnosed until 4 or 5 and sometimes older. I would talk to your son's doctor and tell him about your concerns and ask about starting him in Speech therapy.
hope! this helps

Erin,I wanted to ask you about my son,he is 4, didn't  talk until almost 3. I am told he has adhd and also has alot of sensory needs and alot of behavior problems,. He communicates oddly,he uses "actions" and prefers actions to speaking and cannot hold a conversation for long at all. He play imitates very well,as it is the best way he communicates. He says a few phrases but is very reluctant to speak. Having a hard time getting thru his "tasks" in Habilitation too. He says his wants and needs with words now and has some trouble with eye-contact but not always. He also is affectionate but his behavior and frusteration seem to dominate everything. He is in a ton of therapy and I definitely know my son has a speech-disorder and a communication disorder. I am having him tested using the ADOS soon. I was just told that adhd is a form of high-functioning autism too. I am spinning in disorders and diagnoses. Any idea if this sounds like Autism?

Erin - posted on 04/23/2009

I work with children with special needsand many of them are autistic. If your son is not talking very much at 2 and other then that is a normal 2 year old, then I would say he's not autistic. It very hard to determine if a child is autistic at 2, most don't get diagnosed until 4 or 5 and sometimes older. I would talk to your son's doctor and tell him about your concerns and ask about starting him in Speech therapy.

hope! this helps

Luanne - posted on 04/22/2009

My daughter was 1 year and 9 months when we noticed that she's not speaking yet. She used to say few words already like mama and papa and then she stopped saying them. She also used to do some tricks, but that too stopped. She's social and is a very happy and energetic child. We never thought that there was something wrong, until we brought her to a Developmental Pediatrician. She had a 2 hour evaluation and after that she was said to be in the Autism Spectrum Disorder. I advise you to consult a Developmental Pediatrician as your first step. Do it asap. Early intervention is very important. There are many other delay disorders, and you can be enlightened by the doctor. Good luck. Hope everything's just fine.

Alison - posted on 04/21/2009

I would check out the book the Out of Sync Child, if there are other issues that haven't fully surfaced yet, but you might see it on the horizon, this book will be a huge help. Also, Jenny McCarthy's book is a must read if you do discover autism is present.. Good Luck

Amy - posted on 04/21/2009

My son has austisum and cerbral palsy(flacid kind). When he was two he was not the most social, he rocked, screamed and was not interested in playing with toys at all. My other sons have had speech delays and did a few odd things also but they had my son as someone to look up to. None of my sons wanted to start talking till they were 2 so it sounds like it will come. My girls all talked by 1 Good luck

Lora - posted on 04/21/2009

Quoting Lora:

How can I tell if our 2 year old has autism?

He hasn't really begun speaking yet, he says a few words. Very few and not often. I'm not sure what the signs are so I don't know what to be looking for. He is very social and energitic, he just doesn't speak.

Just an update.... He has an apppointment with his pediatrican for an off-post referral. It's not that I don't trust this hospital, it's just that the pediatricans are spread sooo thin with this deployment, that I feel we aren't being taken seriously. I know they are busy and David isn't coughing up lungs or blood. But I know he needs more than a SpongeBob sticker and pat on the head from his doctor.

Bev - posted on 04/19/2009

Hi Lora,

Your first port of call needs to be your Docter/Health visitor, express your concerns clearly and go for there. Please dont assume Autism is the problem, there could be numerous reasons. My son was diagnosed with Autism at 3 yrs after 8 months of tests. My grandson who is 3 yrs is in the middle of a course of speech therapy as he was only saying the odd word, working closely with him via play has brought his speech on tremendously. He does'nt realise he is being taught by me, simply because its fun. Talk to him about anything and everything, if you want some tips on fun games leave me a message and i'll give you some idea's, wishing you luck Lora, best wishes, Bev :)

Nichole - posted on 03/29/2009

Just wondering if he has had many ear infections? My son has some hearing loss because of ruptured ear drums/ ear infections, and his speech is just starting to come better now. He is 3 and half years old... People are still wondering what he is saying a lot of the time...

Sandy - posted on 03/28/2009

My twins have Autism spectrum disorder.  Feel free to ask me anything.

Annelore - posted on 03/28/2009

Slow development in all areas can sometimes be looked at as autism behavior, but most cases it is not.
I have a similar case to you with my 27 month old daughter. Until she catchs up on her development (speech, walking ect) they can not be sure if it is plain frustration or hypo mood swings; Or autism. I think in most part it is frustration they get not being able to do what others are doing at there age. Hope that helps

Kay - posted on 03/27/2009

i knew there was somthing wrong,when my boy started to rock his head biting his finger,he knew i was there,but in his world,i wasn't,he made noises,and couldn't talk.as he got older,we had a understanding of action's,this is very hard for me to talk about this subject,so i wish you and your husband all the best,,

Lora - posted on 03/27/2009

Those were very helpful answers. That test scored David with a 108. I'll see if we can get a referral from the ENT doctor.  He does do some of the things "they " tell you to look for, like running in circles, banging things, doing stuff with his hands,doing things several times in a row but he makes eye contact and laughs. Thank you both very much for your help.

Nicole - posted on 03/26/2009

I would not worry about if he interacts well with others and seeks out interactions.  Also if he makes good eyecontact,  He may have a speech delay though so you will want to talk to your doctor about.  Also boys sometimes just start talking later than girls

Shauna - posted on 03/26/2009

Try this site and fill out the questionairre

http://childbrain.com/pddassess.html  s

Speech development has a large range of what is normal - ask your pediatrician.  Kids with autism have trouble with social situations - lack of eye contact, aversion to affection in some, repetitive behavior - interested in odd things like the wheels of a toy car or a door hinge.  Just because he isn't talking yet doesn't mean he has it.  You can get him evaluated by a speech therapist - probably at no cost to you.  Your pediatrician should be able to put you in contact with someone who will do an evaluation which is not pleasant (for you - fine for him) and scary but then you'll know.  Good Luck