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Special Needs
Speech Delay
My two year old (turned 2 in July) was recently diagnosed with a speech delay and has started attending therapy three times a week.
He also has a fear of other children...once he warms up he is ok but doesnt really "interact" with them. Is it possible that he is autistic? His peditrician when I voiced the concern earlier in his development was not concerned at the time. He interacts with family well, makes good eye contact, points at things and pretend plays (makes food in the kitchen, likes to pretend to feed stuffed animals, "talks" on play phones, etc)
I guess my question is it possible for a child to have both a speech delay and "afraid" of other children without being autistic? Just two separate unrealted issues? I want to make sure I am getting all the help he needs.
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Re: Speech Delay
A speech delay and shyness can be two separately driven things, absolutely.
With a child that young who knows what might be going on, but shyness is not an issue, it is a personality trait. And it is totally ok for a kid (or an adult for that matter) to be shy. I think we forget that in our current culture. We think every kid should want to be the center of attention, that every kid wants to sing the loudest. People come in all shapes and sizes and personalities, and shy is just fine.
Good luck with the speech therapy. It has been a wonderful tool for my boys who have both attended. It takes time, no shortcuts!
I'm not sure- I know I asked myself that a lot when DS wasn't talking at 18 months. His pedi had no concerns re: autism at his 18 month checkup. I filled out the form with all the usual stuff (eye contact: check; pointing: check; etc). It was at the urging of our DCP that we got a second opinion. She noted specifically that DS would not interact with the other kids and would cry if any of them got near him or took a toy from him. It disturbed her that he didn't play with toys like the other kids did. She thought he was just generally unhappy being around the other kids. This coupled with his speech delay prompted me to get a second opinion. The second pedi referred me for an EI evaluation through the school district. His official "diagnosis" (for school purposes- not medical) was "autism spectrum" or sometimes it was written "at risk for autism spectrum" because with a child so young it is possible to be not sure what's going on.
So we started with ST, OT, and a group social class through EI right away at 20 months. I was really skeptical at first, thinking he didn't really have autism and clinging to the above-mentioned "at risk for ASD". For us, he didn't grow out of it, and ASD has stuck.
Sorry, I've strayed from your original question. Getting a second opinion is always an option if you're concerned. You didn't mention what type of evaluation you had- in our case we went through a pretty rigorous several day testing process that looked at everything he could possibly be at risk for, including, eventually, genetic testing and the like. We first evaluated with EI and then later with a developmental pedi team. Good luck!
He doesnt always react the same with other children. In his music class if a child is near him he may just stand still or come closer to me. If they take an instrument from him he doesnt cry. At other times he seems startled by them ane will cry. He seems more "afraid" of children who are loud or rowdy. Because he is at home with me and only "interacts" with children at his music class I always thought it was because he wasnt around other children as much. I only questioned the behavior when he was evaluated by a speech therapist with a speech delay.
The early intervention services is doing their own evalutation on Oct 10. I am hoping to get more answers then and if necessary seek additional testing/resources. I admit to starting to question everything when I seeked additional information online. Its hard as a parent to determine what is truly something that they will outgrow or something that needs attention...especially something that may not seem alarming. I appreciate the feedback from other parents who have been through the same things.
There are a million different causes of speech delays in toddlers--not just autism.
If your LO interacts with people he knows, makes lots of eye contacts, points and pretend plays, I would not be concerned about autism. Of course, there are kids who are diagnosed with autism that are social so it's not impossible, but very improbable. I wouldn't concern myself with that if I were you.
Thanks! It is comforting to know it is possible that they could be separate issues. Everything I have read and heard is all over the place with regards to the issue. I will feel better after his evaluation on Oct 10. That evaluation will not just look at his speech but observe his other behaviors as well.
I just want to start any therapy early to give him the best chances possible.
Any other opinions are appreciated.
Question re: the bolded part of your post. You said once he warms up, he is OK but doesn't "interact". That doesn't seem like a fear of other children, it seems like unfamiliarity and shyness.
My son is not Autistic and had a speech delay. But a year ago I did have concerns re: Autism due to behavioral issues. He started daycare around the same time services with EI began and initially he just observed the other children and didn't even parallel play. As his language improved, his interaction with the other children also did. He has "friends" (as much as a 3 year old can) now and is primarily a typical preschooler?with some lingering sensory issues, primarily auditory.
I think you should follow up on this but I don't think it automatically means Autism.
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