Could this be Autism? | Autism PDD

My son has been attending speech therapy for 4 weeks now. He is 2 years old with a vocabulary of 4 words (mama, no, good, whoa).

When I took him in for the assessment, the ST said she thought it was a result of months of low hearing due to ear infections. Tubes went in on Dec. 12, 2006. He started walking 2 days later (he was 14 months), due to being in a state of vertigo due to uneven ear fluid.

Well, Jack has NOT warmed up to the ST at all. It takes him a while with new people and he has separation anxiety with only me. As a result, the last 4 visits have been mostly him crying for me as I sit in the hall (where she asked that I sit during sessions). I really feel she is not getting an accurate picture of him at all.

Last visit she noticed him playing with me hair (it's his lovey, has been since 10 months old). She brought up a possible 'sensory issue'.

OK, I know sensory issue is related to autism, so I asked if she was thinking in that direction. She said she didn't really 'think' so due to his high socialization skills, but it was something to keep as eye on.

Now I am completely in a tailspin. Reading everything on autism, etc. If that is it, I want to do what I can early.

So for those with experience, or with any advice, do you think he has enough red flags to keep looking down this avenue? Here are the basics:

-4 word vocabulary at 2 years with no apparent physical issues mouth wise

-Very social with adults once he gets to know them

-Very social with children above / below his age level (attends daycare 4 days a week and I am told he plays well with the other children)

-Good eye contact

-Motor skills on par with 36 month old

-Does like to play independently about 30%-40% of the time at home ('reading' books, playing with cars and Little People, etc.)

-Likes to show what he wants (brings cup when thirsty, points to fridge when wants snack, waits by door to go outside)

-VERY loving, especially with Mommy & Daddy, loves to kiss and lay with us on the couch in the evenings

-Uses my hair as a lovey

-Thumb-sucker (started at 7 months with first tooth, sucked left thumb from 7-16 months, right thumb from 16 months to present)

-Babbles incessantly, nearly all the consonant sounds, most vowel sounds

-Points

-Sometimes gets frustrated when he tries to say a word and can't (after we ask him to say something)

-Will parallel play (roll ball or car back and forth to someone)

-Mimics DH and I-->'Talks' on the phone (uses my and DH's cell phone), uses the broom to try and sweep the kitchen, etc

-I have no idea if this is important: DS is a moderate asthmatic, uses an inhaler twice a day, has been asthmatic since 4 months old

Thanks so much everyone!!

I wouldsay ... given his month of hearing loss, it could very well be that his SID/SPD symptoms could be due purely to that! Particularly if his loss was causign vestibular symptoms to the point of delaying walking.

Or, it could be autism. I would not worry at this point, a LOT of kids with sensory issues are NOT autistic! People with vision and hearing issues, as well as ADHD as well as nothing else, might also have SIDs. You might want to seek some OT for him for the SID ... and see how it helps.

I would aggree that speech delay could be related to the amount of ear infections he has had. It doesn't sound like there are a lot of red flags, but I haven't seen him. I'm not sure if I agree with the speech Path. I always sat in the session when my son was 2, he sat on my lap twirling my hair, but then got comfortable with her. 2 year olds are so young and that is a new situation for him. I think he might do better if you were in the room or if you tried a new ST. I also think it is important for the parent to be in the room to see what they are working on so that you can apply it at home.

i see almost no red flags apart from the speech delay

his playing with other kids is a very clear contraindication to ASD as many ASD kids have problems in this area

no he does not have autism

was apraxia mentioned at all

this is a language table

Age of Child	Language Development
6 Months	Vocalization with intonation Responds to his name Responds to human voices without visual cues by turning his head and eyes Responds appropriately to friendly and angry tones
12 Months	Uses one or more words with meaning (this may be a fragment of a word) Understands simple instructions, especially if vocal or physical cues are given Practices inflection Is aware of the social value of speech
18 Months	Has vocabulary of approximately 5-20 words Vocabulary made up chiefly of nouns Some echolalia (repeating a word or phrase over and over) Much jargon with emotional content Is able to follow simple commands
24 Months	Can name a number of objects common to his surroundings Is able to use at least two prepositions, usually chosen from the following: in, on, under Combines words into a short sentence-largely noun-verb combinations (mean) length of sentences is given as 1.2 words Approximately 2/3 of what child says should be intelligible Vocabulary of approximately 150-300 words Rhythm and fluency often poor Volume and pitch of voice not yet well-controlled Can use two pronouns correctly: I, me, you, although me and I are often confused My and mine are beginning to emerge Responds to such commands as "show me your eyes (nose, mouth, hair)"
36 Months	Use pronouns I, you, me correctly Is using some plurals and past tenses Knows at least three prepositions, usually in, on, under Knows chief parts of body and should be able to indicate these if not name Handles three word sentences easily Has in the neighborhood of 900-1000 words About 90% of what child says should be intelligible Verbs begin to predominate Understands most simple questions dealing with his environment and activities Relates his experiences so that they can be followed with reason Able to reason out such questions as "what must you do when you are sleepy, hungry, cool, or thirsty?" Should be able to give his sex, name, age Should not be expected to answer all questions even though he understands what is expected
48 Months	Knows names of familiar animals Can use at least four prepositions or can demonstrate his understanding of their meaning when given commands Names common objects in picture books or magazines Knows one or more colors Can repeat 4 digits when they are given slowly Can usually repeat words of four syllables Demonstrates understanding of over and under Has most vowels and diphthongs and the consonants p, b, m, w, n well established Often indulges in make-believe Extensive verbalization as he carries out activities Understands such concepts as longer, larger, when a contrast is presented Readily follows simple commands even thought the stimulus objects are not in sight Much repetition of words, phrases, syllables, and even sounds
60 Months	Can use many descriptive words spontaneously-both adjectives and adverbs Knows common opposites: big-little, hard-soft, heave-light, etc Has number concepts of 4 or more Can count to ten Speech should be completely intelligible, in spite of articulation problems Should have all vowels and the consonants, m,p,b,h,w,k,g,t,d,n,ng,y (yellow) Should be able to repeat sentences as long as nine words Should be able to define common objects in terms of use (hat, shoe, chair) Should be able to follow three commands given without interruptions Should know his age Should have simple time concepts: morning, afternoon, night, day, later, after, while Tomorrow, yesterday, today Should be using fairly long sentences and should use some compound and some complex sentences Speech on the whole should be grammatically correct
6 Years	In addition to the above consonants these should be mastered: f, v, sh, zh, th,1 He should have concepts of 7 Speech should be completely intelligible and socially useful Should be able to tell one a rather connected story about a picture, seeing relationships Between objects and happenings
7 Years	Should have mastered the consonants s-z, r, voiceless th, ch, wh, and the soft g as in George Should handle opposite analogies easily: girl-boy, man-woman, flies-swims, blunt-sharp short-long, sweet-sour, etc Understands such terms as: alike, different, beginning, end, etc Should be able to tell time to quarter hour Should be able to do simple reading and to write or print many words
8 Years	Can relate rather involved accounts of events, many of which occurred at some time in the past Complex and compound sentences should be used easily Should be few lapses in grammatical constrictions-tense, pronouns, plurals All speech sounds, including consonant blends should be established Should be reading with considerable ease and now writing simple compositions Social amenities should be present in his speech in appropriate situations Control of rate, pitch, and volume are generally well and appropriately established Can carry on conversation at rather adult level Follows fairly complex directions with little repetition Has well developed time and number concepts

Characteristics of Apraxia:

** Child comprehends instructions and language, yet is unable to verbally express these back.

** Child substitutes gestures and pointing for oral communication.

** Child's IQ is usually normal or higher than normal levels for his/her age group.

** Child has difficulty imitating words or phrases.

** Mispronounces vowels in words

** The longer the words or sentences the more mistakes the child makes.

** Inconsistently uses words (ex. Says a words only not to be able to say it again)

** Often will use one word for more than one meaning, such as "dada" for juice, milk, dog, ball, etc.

I agree with Elle, do not worry about the dx but get the therapy now.

I made MYSELF sit in the hall, because I was a distraction. We would crack the door and I would "Eavesdrop!" so while some might worry about the SLP, I suspect that she was doing her best to provide a good environment for therapy!

I agree with all the previous posters that it does not sound like Autism. But something really bothers me about his speech teacher. There is no reason you should be made to sit outside. If she thinks having you in the room would be distracting to him, point out that him screaming for mommy is keeping him from making progress. As his parent, you have the right to be in the room. She knows that. Tell her (in a nice way) dont ask, that you will be sitting in on your sons therapy. If she is against that, find another therapist. I think with a good therapist she will be interested in what will help you little boy to progress rapidly, and that should start with him being comfy and relaxed in a learning environment. I bet your son will rogress rapidly! I have 3 sisters, all have sons. Of my 4 nephews, 1 has Autism, the other
possibly has Aspergers, the third has some sensory & speech issues. Yes,
we're quite a crew...lol! Anyway, your son, based on what you describe,
sounds most like the latter. He has issues in his speech & sensory, is VERY
active AND social...doesn't have the red flags of autism. He in kindergarten
now, in ST only.

If you pursue the therapy for sensory integration (OT), and continue w/
speech, you'll essentially be doing what you'd be doing if he had the autism
label. A diagnosis doesn't mean much in this area...it's more about what
you are doing & what the child needs. -Especially at your son's age (unless,
of course, there were MAJOR red flags). Best of luck.Just re-read, about the ST asking you to sit in hall. HUH? I've sat in dd's
sessions from 8 mos of age. Her last 2 PT sessions (she's graduated again!
WOOHOO!) & most OT I'm not involved in...basically her choice. But, with ST
& feeding, she does SO much better if dh or I are in the room. She is not a
fan of oral motor exercises or eating...she gets very upset during feeding
time, and a lot of times, ST incorporates me into the therapy ("give mommy
a cracker" etc.) this has helped dd. I think in some ways, I'm a safety net for
her, so she's not quite as anxious. Without either of us, I imagine she'd
scream the whole session...

...as opposed to 1/2 the session.

Sounds a whole lot like my son. Misdiagosed at 7.Real diagnosis came last yr. Geneticist proved SMS,Smith-Magenis Syndrome. Acts just like PDD-NOS,ASD etc.. If youd like to look at the most helpful website look at www.prisms.org. Way too many kids arent being diagnosed correctly. Write anytime......with all the problems that he had with his hearing, it doesn't make sense to me to worry about possible autism. i think you should just focus on getting him his speech therapy and see how it goes. just playing with hair isn't enough to get all worried about it... everything else on your list looked good (i.e. no problem)I would like to say he sound alot like my son at that age...My son has something called "Smith -Magenis Syndrome" It is so much like Autism its scary.. You can have a geneticist take a blood test called a n"FSH test" This shows a deletion on the 17th chromosome. If the deletion ism there you have an SMS child. Go to WWW.PRISMS.ORG If you dont find help you may help someone else in your life someday with an SMS child. Good luck mand I hope you read this!!

I don't see anything too striking on your list there. Every kid is sensory-seeking -- that's how they learn, and that's how they relax. If you want to see if this sensory-seeking is really a sensory "issue", you can do this checklist designed for infants and toddlers:

http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/SPD-symptom-check list-for-infants-and-toddlers.html

I also recommend closely monitoring your child's development using the CDC's developmental milestones at www.cdc.gov/actearly. Milestones are much more than first words and first steps, and the CDC's list is both comprehensive and easy to use.

I think perhaps the real issue here is that the speech therapist and/or her current methods are not the right match for your son, for whatever reason. If progress isn't being made, the therapist should be open to discussing a change of direction. Alternatively, you could try another therapist.

Good luck with everything.

I would switch speech therpists asap...she is not reinforcing to him at all and he needs someone that can motivate him:) I see only speech delays as well..no autism red flags at all. IMHO

Good luck!