Speech delay, possible Autism

gkay119 · March 2015

Hi Parents! I'm new here and was wondering if anyone is going through the same thing. I have identical twin girls who just turned 17 months today. They were 8 weeks early so they are 15 months adjusted. Lake, (twin A) developed NEC which caused her to have 3 surgeries and a 4 month NICU stay plus a numerous amount of hospital stays. She is now short gut and still has bowel issues. Anyway, her DR told me she would probably be a little behind because just of how sick she was. Well up until a few months ago she was completely on track. The last couple months I have noticed a lot of issues with her, At first I blew it off but a few weeks decided it was time to ask her pedi about it. Her pedi is considered with some of her symptoms. Early intervention is coming on Friday to get the process of getting her evaluated. I am also getting her hearing tested to make sure she can hear clearly. Some of her signs are... she doesn't gesture, point, wave etc. She doesn't make eye contact or answer to her name. She only says on word and doesn't even try to babble. She also is regressing..she used to wave, give kisses, and say a couple more words but doesn't anymore. She also has issues with loud noises. She hits her self every time she hears loud noises, for example when the dog barks. She has rocking episodes as well. If anyone dealt with some of the same issues what was the outcome? Thanks!

smerka · March 2015

My son has autism, but he didn't really have any of those symptoms at that age. I just wanted to say that the earlier you start intervention, the better the results. Take things one step at a time and always remember that a diagnosis does not change who your kid is or how much you love them. Stay strong!

greyt00 · March 2015

My son had some of those symptoms at that age -- he didn't answer to his name or babble very much. He did not wave or point (and we tried for months to teach him). He only made a little bit of eye contact. He finally started saying a few words at 18M, which relieved me at the time, but it turns out he has autism. He did not go through any regression. Instead, I think the signs were there all along but we did not recognize them.

FWIW after 1 year in full-time ABA therapy DS1 is doing so much better. He was just under 3 when he started. EI is a good place to start because they can identify delays in development so you have a better idea of how big the delays are, if any, and how widespread they are . The medical history complicates things a little (i.e. how far behind is too behind?) but I would definitely grab any resources I could get at this stage. Wishing you the best.

inlove5 · March 2015

My son had some but not all of those symptoms. I'm sure you know that there are several red flags on your list. In DS's case he was diagnosed with pdd-nos and we received EI- which is so, so, important. I definitely agree with the person who said to grab whatever services you can get- they won't hurt. Fast forward and our son is 6 yrs old, has freinds, is charming, speaks at or above grade level (though I think he still has some issues expressing himself when frustrated). He reads books meant for 1-3 graders and recently started the next level of reading primers, finished the academic component of kindy before Halloween and was helping teach the other kids math so he started first grade math and according to his teacher has been doing some pre algebra and geometry (I know we play what is x as a game at home and he rocks it). So he is very bright and high functioning but still has issues with impulse control and sensory issues- I think he also might get a touch hypoglycemic and that could be a trigger for him. It is tough to meet his needs sometimes but he is a wonderful kid with a bright future ahead of him- I guess what I am trying to say is that getting an autism diagnosis isn't the end of the world and whatever delays are there now might not be there a few years from now. DS was barely speaking at two- he had over 100 signs (we started with ASL when he was 3 months) but rarely spoke, didn't respond to his name, didn't wave bye bye, was so mellow and never fought back when kids took his toy etc (at the time I thought he was just easy gong and but now I see that he was just behind developmentally- it was tough when he hit the stage of biting and fighting back for toys but everyone else had grown out of it already). I digress- my point is that I wondered if he would ever speak but now he has what was most recently described as an "extravagant vocabulary" so these things change ad we have new challenges but our kids do move forward- just at a different pace. I hope that regardless of the which way the diagnosis goes you guys get whatever services are most helpful to you.I think the poster above who recommended seeing a developmental pedi is giving great advice. You have so many medical issues that could be affecting her that perhaps will aid some of the concerning behaviors.

mont5702 · July 2015

Hello. My 3 yr old son was recently diagnosed with ASD (mild to moderate). His signs were different than original posting questioner. He had/has great eye contact, loved clapping/gesturing, singing, & interacting (No rocking, hitting self , etc.) Unfortunately his speech was/is significantly behind, only saying a few words by about 20 months. We got EI (Speech, OT, DI) in place by his 2nd birthday. His vocabulary did improve tremendously along with expressing needs better but he starting showing others signs of ASD like echolalia & scripting. Nevertheless he was diagnosed just a few weeks ago (a after he turned 3). Like others on this thread-contacting EI is a great start along with looking into contacting a developmental pediatrician. Beginning services early is key regardless of diagnosis. Best of luck-your daughter sounds like she's has a wonderful mother.

RissKay · August 2015

DS had almost all of those symptoms, and was diagnosed at age 2.

Google "early childhood intervention" in your area and make an appointment with someone to have her evaluated. She'll definitely quality for services, and they'll work with you on therapy for her. Then, after that is all started, search for a Developmental Pediatrician in your area and set up an appointment to get a medical diagnosis if you feel it necessary.

It's all a lot less scary than it sounds, I promise. Good luck, mama.

Speech delay, possible Autism

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