A Girl Called Barney: Loving an autistic child is so easy... and so hard

A GIRL CALLED BARNEY LOVING AN AUTISTIC CHILD IS SO EASY AND SO HARD -. In this site isn`t the same as a solution manual you buy in a book.
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He has said TONS of words — at least Majority of the day he uses his own language which I somewhat understand because of the physical motions and pointing. A lot of his speech is just noises for excitement or anger — a lot of high pitched whining. I scheduled an appointment for a tympanogram with our local ENT next week — in hopes that they could rule any ear issues out. His eating habits are also extremely difficult. His meals consist of any kind of fruit really, bologna, peanut butter, chips, ground sirloin, and ravioli. He wont touch anything new or veggies. He recently weened him off his bottle and he refuses to drink milk out a cup.

We tried the milk juice boxes and he wont do it. We have been having to give him a bottle with water because we worried about his hydration. Does this sound like normal picky behavior or something to be worried about? He is extremely affectionate to some people and wont even look at others. He does walk on his tip toes daily but not for extended periods of time — just for like 5 second intervals. I talked to his pediatrician regularly about these things and he always says lets see where he is at in 3 months. I have been since he was born.

My husband works 12 hours a day, days a week… I truly feel for these other parents experiencing even more extreme behaviors. I try to engage with him inside, outside, with his cars, with books — you name it… and everything seems to end with a tantrum or timeout. I am all ears for any advice or support groups!!! Elizabeth — Although Chase does have lots of good skills to build on, he is exhibiting some red flag behaviors that I too would be concerned about. Per your report, he is displaying some sensory processing issues need for constant movement, food aversions, low frustration tolerance, lack of social interaction at times, restricted play interests and speech-language delays lack of phrases despite an adequate single word vocabulary and not using his words to communicate in an understandable way when he needs to ask for something.

Any of these issues alone are not a huge concern, but put them all together, and it does seem to suggest the possibility of what could potentially turn into a very real developmental issue. Just so you know, moms are usually the first person to be worried about a kid, often long before dad and especially grandmothers, are! Love for our children can sometimes blind us to what needs to be done in order to help him.

If he were my child, I would seek out early intervention services in your state or a multidisciplinary evaluation. He should be evaluated by a speech-language pathologist and occupational therapist and perhaps even a pediatric psychologist who can help you figure out better ways to deal with his challenging behaviors. You are his mother, and you know him best, so you need someone to help you address what is happening. While mother-in-laws who help you take care of your children are wonderful, they sometimes too are oblivious to what is really going on.

As I said before, you are his mother, and you know him best. When he grows up, he will thank you for it! In the meantime, keep reading the articles on this site for very practical ways to work on his communication skills at home. The DVD could also show you several techniques you could use to help him learn to USE his words on his own, expand to phrases, and improve your ability to teach him to learn to interact consistently through play. You can do this Elizabeth! You sound like such a thoughtful, engaged Mom. Chase is lucky to have you! Let me know if you need any other help.

My daughter is talking a lot! She loves to label things she sees on a book, on tv, at the playground. We have the appointment with the pediatrician on friday, though. Hopefully the pediatrician will confirm that for you. Most kids at her age do label things just for the sake of labeling them. Let us know — Laura. My son is 27 months old. There are only a few behaviors that have me concerned but they are really worrying me.

I will count 1 2 3! And he will reply A 2 A! He also refuses to call me mom, he calls both me and his father daddy. He knows how to communicate very well using gestures, facial expressions and tone. He follows directions very well. He is very affectionate and social. He loves imaginative play and to pretend. He has his stuffed animals have babbling conversations to each other. He can be very independent when playing but always prefers to have someone to play with. When we read his first word books he will go through and point out only the words he knows, not wanting to pay attention to the other pictures.

But if I name the items he will accurately point them all out to me. Are these language issues enough for me to be worried about autism? Could this really be the cause? He may just need a jump start from working with an SLP who can not only work with him, but more importantly, give you new strategies to try with him at home. The only time this is the case is when there are absolutely no demands placed on him to talk, but it sounds like you are encouraging him to use words.

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You may also want to check out the DVD for ideas for all of you even those older siblings! Hi, I have a son Harley who is 21 months, i am worried and need some advice, he has started to head bang a lot, when we are at the park when he cant do something, when he cant have somthing etc… unsual attachments to his dummy and his blanket, like older children and doesnt know how to act around other children younger or his same age, or just ignores them.

Jessica — Thanks so much for your comments. I hope that you are finding the ideas on this site helpful so that you can be proactive at home in helping Harley learn to use language. In the meantime, use the ideas on this site. I have a 20 month old that I believe is exhibiting signs of autism. I know this is young, but going through the list of red flags, he has more than 75 percent.

He was speaking coherent and intelligent words by the age of one and has completely regressed. He will not answer to his name and totally tunes you out. At times he seems as if he is deaf — I can make loud banging noises to try and get his attention, but when he is focused on something else the house could collapse and he would not acknowledge. He lives in his own little world and wants to play alone at all times.

When he wants something he throws and explosive tantrum, falling to the floor and screaming and weeping until he is exhausted. He has begun talking gibberish rather than using words. He used to wave bye but no longer does this. He absolutely will not make eye contact. He does not follow even the most basic directions.

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The things he likes to do he does repeatedly. He constantly walks on his tip toes. He is covered in bruises from his clumsiness. He can watch a cartoon and totally fixates on it and absolutely nothing can get his attention. He has a high tolerance for pain, i. When he gets his shots he never even whimpers. Is it too early to insist that he be checked or is this typical 20 month behavior? I am worried sick. I will tell you that of the 28 children I am currently treating right now, 9 are children of physicians, therapists, or nurses, and every one of them started therapy before age 2.

Research tells us that early therapy can helps change the way their little brains are wired. Good luck and let us know how he does! Hello, My son is 2. He has bad tantrums. Or he will bang his head on back of the chair or the floor. He is very aggressive toward other kids. He hits, pinches and bites other kids for no reason at all. Not all the time, but very frequently. He may play alongside other kids, but then out of nowhere hit or pinch someone very hard. He always wants to take away a toy that another child is playing with.

He likes several cartoons that he can watch over and over again. She does engage in some social games, like throwing the ball back and forth and kicking a ball. I noticed at a birthday party this weekend that she was climbing up and down a play structure and going down a slide, repeatedly, until I directed her to something else.

She transitioned fine, but I was curious as to the repetition of what she was doing. Does anything I described sound like autism? Should I be worried? Camille — She could be imitating some of the things your son is doing rather than truly exhibiting the traits or autism herself. I really thought he also had apraxia, but we started therapy with him, and his mother really stepped up her play with him at home, and wah-lah, he is doing GREAT now with no characteristics of apraxia. This could also be happening with her, but…..

She made need some OT to help get her and you! I think you sound like a concerned Mom! Waiting to treat these issues until kindergarten is not a good idea since you would have wasted so much precious time. Moms usually do know best! Thanks for the good question -Laura. I just read this article and now I am very worried about one of my twins. The boys were born 10 weeks premature, and are now 17 months chronological, 15 months adjusted age.

They have been getting physical therapy through our local Early Intervention program for almost a year. Now that they are walking and are doing well with their motor skills, they will stop getting weekly PT. Both boys are speech delayed, but babble with inflection quite a lot. We do have a speech evaluation scheduled for next month, and it could just be a normal speech delay, common in twin boys.

In fact, neither one of them do much in the way of imitative behavior, and really never have. In contrast, S seems to want to do the same things over and over. For example, he will pick up a toy and walk back and forth from the table to the couch and set the object up high. He does this over and over, and seems to enjoy it a lot. His eye contact is okay, but not great. On the other hand, he smiles and giggles and laughs and plays with his brother. He snuggles for brief periods, until he goes off on another adventure. He is interested in our pets and likes to chase them and pet them.

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Maybe it is just his personality? Congratulations for going ahead and pursuing the assessment now rather than waiting. In the meantime, you can start implementing some of the suggestions from articles here on the site. You can listen to the show by clicking the top link under the blogtalkradio icon.

That being said, autism is just one of the reasons a child may show a delay in communication skills. Prematurity and late gross motor skills are also contributing factors. I hope their communication skills move along as well as their motor skills have! Keep us posted on how they do! You could also ask your pediatrician for a referral to a pediatric psychologist. Call your early intervention program back and ask for OT, or find an OT privately. In the first show we discussed the official diagnostic criteria for autism, so this info might also be helpful to you before you visit another professional.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the top link under the blue blogtalkradio column on the right. Why are we so quick to label such young children. We all learn at different rates. I am now in a very senior role within the working mom force. Can we not let them be children without the stress for just a few years? Lucy — I am all for stress relief for parents and children, but I think you and I have very different views of what stress is!

My son is 27 months old and has alot of these habits. He says a couple of words and gets very mad if we try to teach him new words or sounds. He only eats about 4 different things. He has really bad fits flinging his arms and legs to the point i think hes going to hurt him self or someone else. He doesnt listen, if we say no he keeps on or just screams. I really dont no i am kind of worried. He seems to be a normal toddler, he is very loving son, loves to be cuddled and be kissed.

Now, im so worried about my son. I couldnt sleep well. I almost forgot, my son loves to watch certain dvd movies at home over and over each day. He was also a premature baby only 8 months old when i delivered him and after birth he was confined to a neonatal intensive care unit for almost a month due to some respiratory problems and i had a difficult pregnancy with him. Ruth — First of all, welcome to the site. I hope that you can find information here to be able to help your son at home while you are waiting to see a professional.

I will e-mail her and ask her to respond to your comment here on the site, so look for that response over the next few days. There are lots of things you can do with him at home to work on these skills too, so read the ideas in the articles here on the website. Start with the oldest ones from last January and work your way forward. I have been searching the web, reading about autism while my daughter sleeps and I visit my sister.

Today my daughter threw such a fit when she was getting her diaper changed that she banged her face on the side of the changing table resulting in a fat, bloody lip and bloody nose. I explained to her why holding hands was important and she seems to accept in more than she did. She is 20 months old and probably has a vocabulary of ten words.

She knows what everything is though. She can point out anything in a room or book. Sometimes when we are driving, she will be sitting in her car seat with her hands over her ears, and humming, seemingly for no reason. She also hits herself in the face.


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My main concern is these fits she throws. Her body goes rigid, and the screaming is earpiercing. She also seems to fairly frequently hurt herself. I feel concerned…should I be? If there are other concerns too, the professional that evaluates her will let you know. Contact your local resources and get their opinions. Hope this info helps! Hi, I am the father of 19 month old twin girls and I am worried about 1 of them. The characteristics I worry about are: She loves her milk, chicken nuggets, fries and other junk foods like donuts, potato chips and cookies but nothing healthy, 3 she does flap her arms when excited, 4 does not look me in the eye, she will always look to the side or down, 5 says many words but not two words together.

Will only go to me, her mother and nanny. It takes time for her to warm up to people and for some, she will just cry when they look at her like my brother , 7 does not like to cuddle and lastly repeats words 3 or 4 times. Her vocabulary consists of about 20 words. Sorry, I do want to highlight that she does smile all the time, knows how to play with her toys and only throws very mild tantrums when she does not get her way or does not get what she wants. Dad — Thanks for your questions. My last podcast, 20, is about the pragmatic language skills, or how a child USES communication including words and gestures and other non-verbal means like eye contact.

I also have to wonder — is the thing that makes you worry is that her sister is thriving and she is not? Are there marked differences between the 2? Parents rarely regret going ahead with an assessment and nearly always regret waiting. Keep reading the articles on the site for ideas for how to work with her at home. Joint attention and social responses are a very important part of communicating.

Dads and grandparents universally disuade concerned moms from pursuing action when they know in their hearts they should. Have you heard of this before? I did a whole podcast series about this in October, so check out the shows about this which may help to explain even more things about your son. Occupational therapy may be what he really needs. Hope this advice helps to give you additional ideas to pursue! Thanks for your question — Laura. Rachel — I am so moved by your story. You have to take care of yourself so you can continue to take care of everyone else! See what the initial results are and what the recommendations are before you start planning all of the what ifs.

In the meantime, keep reading the articles here for ideas for home. My 22 month old son has a huge vocabulary and can answer questions and can name body parts and pictures in books. He used to point out body parts everytime I asked but now he only does it sometimes and other times he ignores me and moves on to other things. Is this a concern or is it a typical stubborn toddler trait.

I do ask him to name things or point out things all the time and I kind of wonder if he is just fed up with the constant quizing I give him or if its really a sign of a problem. If this is not the case, relax, and move on to talking about and expanding what he IS interested in. Laura thanks for the reply. It makes me relax a little. I had my Mom ask him to point out things for her she doesnt really ask him to do things like that normally and he pointed out everything correctly without hesitation.

Continue to read his signals and relax! I think ideas for this are in articles in the receptive language section, and check out the video clips for Teach Me To Listen and Obey since you may get some new ideas there. For recommendations about helping him expand how he uses the words he knows, read ideas in the expressive section in the article Teaching Toddlers Words They Know to Change Their Worlds.

I first noticed a definate change at around 7 or 8 months, before that he used to be a quiet but cuddly baby, he never cried, he liked to be held by all of us and was very calm but playful. Sometimes he just screams so much that you have to leave the room. His mother finds it very difficult when my brother is at work and is exhausted at the end of the day.

I think he has difficulty sleeping too. My brother is getting quite worried, a few days ago he told me he cried non stop for about 2 hours when he woke up in the middle of the night and another day it took him an hour to calm him down. I hope you can give me some advice about this.

Frustration due to lack of a way to communicate is very common and understandable and may explain at least some of his behavior. Check out the articles and links in the sign language category. I have a 3 year old son. He is smart as a whip he talks alot, but I have somethings that bother me. He will not ask for things like his cup or something to eat.

I just have to guess. He repeatedly says yes sir and yes mam when you are talking to you instead of listening to what you say. I mean I am glad he has such good manners but how can he hear what I am saying if he continously says that. Also he was potty trained going to the bathroom in his potty and not pooping in his pants, but now all of a sudden he goes pee but now poops in his pants and has started smearing it and eating it.

That is not normal behavior for him. My husband and I recently lost a child that I was carrying it was very close to the due date and our toddler knew so too and people have told me they think he is lashing out because of that me as a mother I do not think so. Please tell me what you think.

I am so sorry that you lost a child. This must be gut-wrenching for you and your entire family. If not, I urge you to seek professional counseling. Eating poop at 3 is not in realm of typical behavior, with or without a major family trauma. Please feel free to write back with any other questions. Good luck to you all and God bless! My 19 month old son is not talking. He has never babbled either.

He does not point but does grab for things he wants. He is VERY affectionate- loves to be held, cuddled, kissed. He makes great eye contact as well. He has a huge problem with cruchy food. When I try to feed him he will not feed himself anything crunchy like a cracker or a piece of cereal, he will choke, gag and spit the food out. He also has some strange physical things going on…sometimes he will violently shake his head from side to side and his eyes simultaneously roll up and to the left.

He does not really interact with other children but has an obvious interest in them. He does not seem to know how to play with his toys…he will spin the wheels of his toy cars for extended periods of time and be perfectly content to just watch the spinning and he is OBSESSED with Wheel of Fortune. He has a strong reaction when I try to trim his nails or hair. He had a rash all over his body from the time that he was 3 months old till he was a year the doc said not be concerned, he would grow out of it.

He has chronically red cheeks that have little bumps sometimes. He is constantly thirsty, has cold hands and feet a lot, whines a lot, usually has very red ear lobes and pulls his ears. He is constipated frequently and touches his genitals every chance he gets… I know this is alot of info, but any advice you could give would be great. He is also being evaluated by a speech therapist and will likely start therapy within the next week. He loves to be read to and will look up and me and smile while I read to him.

The first time he actually put his finger on an picture in a book was 2 days ago. He does have a great appetite and is not picky at all, but refuses to feed himself. I have tried to show him how to at least finger-feed himself with my own hands and it does not work.. He will really only eat by taking the food from a spoon or fork. Sometimes when he is woken from a deep sleep his body shakes like his is severely shivering…this lasts for about 30 seconds.

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He is VERY afraid of certain close family members. He SCREAMS when he sees my grandmother and it takes him about 20 minutes to warm up to her, my dad, my mother…but at the same time when we celebrated the holidays at my grandmothers home he immediately went and climbed up on a complete stranger cousins new boyfriend and gave him a hug and a kiss…. He likely needs to also be evaluated by an occupational therapist based on his extreme reactions to touch, his reluctance to self-feed, decreased processing ability, and his unpredictable social skills.

In October of last year we did a whole series on sensory procesing disorder. Your SLP will be able to give you very specific ideas and activities for him too, but this will get you started until you can begin therapy. You may also want to take a look at the DVD — especially Teach Me To Listen and Obey 1 — since it starts with basics for teaching kids how to interact and understand language. Hi Laura, Thank you for the advice, and yes, there is also an occupational therapist coming to meet him this coming Tuesday along with the speech therapist.

I have been doing some research and this was a topic of interest. Having your professional opinion regarding this subject would be great! Hiya just need some advice really, I am a childminder to a toddler who is 2 yrs. He has never said many words, and even now says only a few and that is when you ask him to repeat, you never catch him saying anything otherwise. His tantrums are getting quite disturbing,and sometimes thet are for no reason at all, he will kick furniture, punch, kick and try to bite and also bang his head off the wall quite violently,I have spoken to the parents and been on websites to try and understand why this child is like it, i dont know what to do next, Can you help by giving me some advice on what to do next.

She does babble a lot but nothing understandable yet, is there any cause for concern, my doctor tells me know but I just need to get another opinion. Victoria — You should pursue having her evaluated. You may also want to check out the DVDs available here to give you additional ways to work with her at home.

It also sounds like he has some strengths, and sometimes with these kinds of kids, parents ignore the nagging feeling that something else could be going on and then wait to pursue professional help losing valuable treatment time. Usually the earlier any kind of developmental or behavior issue is treated, the better the outcome for the child and ultimately, your entire family. I encourage you to pursue that help. Whatever you decide, I wish you luck! There were some autism questions that made me start to consider that maybe he is. He will follow some directions pick up your hands!

He has never thrown what I would consider a tantrum. He will make eye contact pretty regularly, not all the time, but consistantly. He can spend 10 minutes on it. He can play with his toys for quite a while. On the other hand, as soon as someone goes into the kitchen to start cooking he makes a beeline to them and wants to be right in the middle of the action. He enjoys watching other kids play and shows no aggression toward them.

Watching kids or dogs play will often make him laugh. No picking up a phone to talk. But reading the autism questions from Kaiser got me worried. R — First of all, let me say, good observations on your part! There are reasons other than autism that can cause a child to demonstrate delays in developing communication skills. Look for other opportunities and fun routines to start with him as a way to build on social interaction and language skills. If you need some help coming up with these, look for the article Social Games for Infants and Toddlers in the expressive language section.

I wish you all the best as you continue to try to help him! I have a 24 month old daughter who started speech therapy at the end of Feb. She has very few words but does babble a lot and uses all different sounds. She also used to always say yes when she wanted something but stopped about 6 weeks ago and now just gives a really big shake of her head and grunts.

I wonder if she benefit from being seen by someone more often? First time parents who feel a bit blind-sided by the whole thing. We have been speaking Spanish in the house about half the time since he was born. Any thoughts around that? I prefer to see children weekly for 45 minutes to an hour, but I do see them less often if they have other issues and need other therapies, mostly because of limits of the early intervention program in our state, difficulties with family scheduling, or if a family is paying privately, what they can afford.

R — I do think that parents with children with difficulties with receptive language, or understanding, should definitely pick one primary language. I wrote an article about this last year. You can search for it using the key words Foreign Language and it should come up. Good job on changing the way you play with him. This usually makes a big difference! Hope things continue to improve with him! I listen to your broadcast every week and own all of your DVDs.

I am totally play based in my work with families and usually use more creative or open ended toys with children. I can, however, imagine this toy providing lots of motivation to several of my more challenging children. Thanks for any help you can give me. Say hi to Kate too! Mary — Thanks so much for your kind words, and I will pass them along to Kate! Thanks for sharing how you use this toy.

I do plan to use the toy with children who are have significant receptive language delays. All of your suggestions for toys are terrific. My next search is for the swimming pool toy and the cool jack in the box seen in your DVD! Again, thank you for your wonderful website! Mary — The jack-in-the box is Peeks the Clown, a retired Discovery toys version. Your best bet for this one is on ebay or in second-hand toy stores.

You can find a swimming pool like that in any girl toy — Polly Pockets or Barbie. Good luck finding them! My son who is two is so scared of the doc and men. He gets hysterical and starts crying and panics so mch. He also panics when he hears door bells or mobile phone ringing. This has been happening for the past week. Is this something to worry abot or is this jst a phase?

If it lasts for a while, he may be auditorily sensitive — meaning that he processes sounds differently that other people. I am concerned about the son of a family memeber. Her son is 14 months old and I have never heard him say a word. He just recently started taking steps but will not do more than 5 or 6 steps and will not do it on a regular basis. He will not take a sippy cup, but will only feed from a bottle often times held by his mother. When he cries, he bangs his head or becomes limp.

She mentioned that he is on task but I beg to differ. I think she is in denial. What do you think? Concerned Family Member — What a difficult situation for you, and let me add, that I too have been there! You have reason to be concerned about that baby, and so should his mother. While it is true that all children develop a little differently, there is a general path for achieving milestones, and he is on the latter end of that not only with motor skills, but with communication skills too.

By 14 months a child should be saying several words on his own, and more importantly, repeating names of familiar objects AND interacting with other people on a regular basis. Is he connected to them? Does he light up when they talk to him? Babies first have to learn to understand words long before they can say them. This is where you might also help educate his mom by asking her how he does these things, or better yet, play with him and try a few things like this yourself. Drooling is still within the normal range at this point, but because of his feeding issues and having difficulty transitioning to the cup plus later walking, he may possible have low muscle tone.

Keep asking about him in a loving way and be available for her should she choose to ask for your opinion. Say that you are concerned and want to do anything you can to help her help him. And again, interacting with this little boy yourself on a regular basis will be a wonderful support for mom and for him.

I hope the mom comes to appreciate how much you care about this little boy and her. They are lucky to have you in their lives! Like the woman above I am concerned about a little boy I have been watching in my home for about 3 yrs. When he first came to me he was 21 months and still on the bottle and not talking at all. The entire 8 hrs he was at my house he sat on the couch and rocked back and forth.

I thought at first it was a nervous thing but 3 yrs later he still does it even if there is nothing to rock against. He sometimes rocks whilke watching tv but he will turn his head and watch out of the corner of his eyes with his tongue stuck out and hands up at his chest. He also freaks out about unsual things. He also did this once with fried chicken. He is very attached to his toys and still drinks from a sippy cup. He is also attracted to violent movies and games.

I have asked his mother about some of it and she laughs it off but i am really concerned for him and dont know what to do I feel somthing isnt right but I know she wont accept that. Is he following directions? Is he telling you what he needs? Does he answer questions? Information about language skills may help me make more specific suggestions for how you can work with him during the day.

For more ideas, keep reading articles on the site, or write me back with more specific questions and information about his language skills. He used to get on the floor and play with myself or my husband sometimes they would wrestle around but he has withdrawn himself even more and if you even go to give him a hug he cringes and if you hold him to long he screams and cries he does go to a 3yr old program at a private school 2x a week for 3 hrs but i dont think he acts like that i think he just acts shy and then she doesnt plan on sending him to pre-k this next year.

The cues — Tell him, show him, and help him are easy to remember. You can look at the clips here on the website to see more ideas in action. He needs to understand and use words that will make a difference in everyday life. When he goes to school these issues will be identified. Until then, if his mom is not receptive to your advice, keep working with him yourself since it sounds like he may be with you more than at home.

Im sorry, but im desperate. Once children are 3, you can contact your local public school system to have him evaluated. He may also be eligible for free preschool in addition to speech therapy, but the programs are different in every state. Hope you can find someone soon!! In the meantime, use the ideas here on the site to help you work with him at home! My granddaughter is 21 mths old and does not speak at all. In all other ways she is very happy and placid and sleeps extremely well. She goes to a toddler group but doesnt seem to mix in with the other children. She has recently had a new baby sister and has not shown ANY interest at all…its as if the baby does not exist.

Please advise is I have cause to be worried.

Christopher Stevens

Does she understand and follow directions? These are actually more of an indication of a delay that might be affecting her overall developmentally and actually is more serious than late talking alone. So many parents miss these key indicators. This program is offered in every state for children birth to age 3. In the meantime, take matters into your own hands and begin to work with her yourself. On those I show you exactly how to work with late talking toddlers to facilitate those first words and help them learn to understand language.

Concerned grandmothers who are willing to help can make a huge difference!! To all you doubters: The sad part of that is, the longer you deny and do nothing, the less progress your child will make. My sons did not display symptoms until well into the toddler years and when I tried to mention my fears all my friends and relatives dismissed me.

It is hard work. If we had started when they were younger, we would have less difficulty. People who dismiss Autism really bother me.

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Autism is a reality. We, their parents work HARD with them. Smibbo — Thanks so much for your insightful comment. Thanks again for your comment. I feel so much better after speaking to you, your swift responses and helpful advice are great. I will definitely keep you up to date with our progress. I would first like to say that I have a brother who is severly autistic and I always worry if my children are going to be , especially with it on the rise so much now.

My daughter just turned 2 almost 2 months ago and doesnt seem to be progressing in language as much as another girl her age we know. She plays wonderfully with other children, is always waving hi and bye while saying bye bye , has great eye contact and is always smiling and laughing and being a complete goof ball!

She knows how to outwit us all the time as well. Whenever she wants something she does point and say mmm mmmmmm! Although at times she will take it upon herself to get the kitchen chair and try and get it herself. I would say she has at least 10 words in her daily vocab but it really isnt growing much. She always asks us whos that and whats that many times a day. She follows instruction fairly well , blows kisses and when u ask her for a kiss shell giv u one and say MWAH!

Im not sure if I should be concerned yet or not. Also keep in mind my daughter is always on the go and I can seldom get her to sit quietly if we go anywhere unless shes strapped in her stroller.

Everyone says that is typical 2 year old behavior to be curious and adventurous which she most definatley is. Should I be worried or listen to my pediatrician? I know its always best to go with your gut, but i can honestly say ive been freaked out about autism ever since she was a baby. Chrissy — I understand your concern about your daughter, and I would be concerned about her too if I were you.

The pediatrician has missed a huge indicator for problems with expressive language development for her. While we do want children to use two-word phrases by 24 months, they ALSO need at minimum 50 different words that they use on their own. Children over 24 months should be using many, many different words on a daily basis. Other skills she should be doing are pointing to familiar pictures in books on request Where is the dog? However, autism is not the ONLY reason for language delays.

I also have a set of DVDs for sale so you can SEE exactly how to work with her at home to increase her language skills. Go to the DVD section or click the logos on the right to read for more information about these. You can even see a few clips from the DVDs. Thanks for submitting your great question! My mantra to pediatricians really is to refer as soon as parents are worried. That takes a weight off of my shoulders! I will try the thing witht e books. My mother in law tells me when they look at books she does point to the birdie etc..

When I read her books she has a very short attention span. My mothe in law is always telling me how smart she is which she is she just doesnt say much. She tries to but all we mainly hear is babbling. She says BLUE clearly and gets excited when i clap my hands and praise her so she says it again. You can tell she really wants to talk and is trying.. I agree and think shes just having a hard time spitting it out.

I will def ggogle early intervention and look into your dvds. Thanks so much for your quick response! Oh and I left out she does follow my instruction to go to her room or go show daddy etc. I am an autistic mother, my children are both autistic. This is not a made up thing, its very real. It has a lot of the same symptoms as Autism as far as speech is concerned. You should be able to go to the elementary school and aske the person in the front or ask to see the speech therapist and ask her for the number to have you child evaluated. One of the two should know.

Your school even middle and high school should have a speech therapist. I have one child, an 18 month old daughter and I am so worried about her development and possible autism. She says maybe 5 or 6 words but not in a meaningful way. She rarely says mama or dada to us. Her motor skills are great, she walks, runs, climbs etc.

Are PETS the key to treating autism? | Daily Mail Online

She does come to us with toys to show us and loves to imitate us when we make funny faces or noises. Having a parent who is actively seeking ways to help a child who is experiencing a lag in developing language is a very important first step, as long as you let your concern propel you to work with her to help her catch up.

This back and forth interaction, more commonly referred to as joint attention or reciprocal interaction, is usually NOT seen in children who go on to be diagnosed with autism. Children can exhibit language delays for a host of reasons besides autism. As far as what you can do, this whole site is FULL of articles to give you ideas!

Your daughter is lucky to have such a concerned and caring Mom!! Good luck to the both of you!! Laura, my son is 22 months old and I am concerned about his apparent speech delay as well as if could be on the autism spectrum. As an infant, he hit all of his milestones at the appropriate age. By 14 months he was pointing, waving bye bye, had about words that he used. He has always been a very happy, playful child, who enjoys interaction with others.

It was around this time that we were referred to an ENT because of his chronic ear infections 8 infections within 16 mos. The doc recommended tubes for the persistent fluid that was in his ear. We finally got tubes at 18mos. They both administered the REEL test. They recommended to give him time to learn after his tubes and to come back for another evaluation. They recommended I enroll him in speech therapy. So now he is currently been in ST for the past 6 weeks.

His joint attention has improved it seemed to decrease during the ear infections. His receptive language definitely is increasing and he is much better at following directions. He is very interested in books and flashcards and continues to points at things in the books. Although these things are positive, there are other things that worry me. He is always on the go. He likes to close his eyes when he walks sometimes. I think he likes the sensation, like feeling dizzy after spinning.

His play is kind of interesting. He runs back and forth, moving to different items of interest. He never stops and plays with one thing too long. Sometimes seems very unfocused. When he does stop and play, he plays with the items appropriately. He has very little imaginative play. He loves cars and makes the noises, but anything else has been limited. He is very independent 7. He is still a very picky eater, but is seeming to open up more lately. He eats some meats, breads, grains, dairy, but not much fruit or vegetables. Should I continue with the ST and wait until our 24mo.

I am also contemplating going to Early Intervention again to see if he qualifies for any free help. Hi i am just wondering if you can help my 20 month old son isnt walking yet or talking neither. He doesnt say any words such as mama or dada he just humms all day. Sometimes i can call out his name several times and he will not respond at all but sometimes he does me and my partner just thought he only listens when he wants to but after reading the symptoms of autism he seems to have a few such as flapping he as done this since a early age and does this all day long when he is walking on his knees.

He as also just started playing with one of his toys one of the old fashion wooden base toys with metal spiral shapes with beads on he as several of these but only plays with one he will bring it to me or are partner and put it on our knee and humm really loudly while he is pushing the beads round he will only play with this toy when it is on somebodys knee. Another thing he does is he doesnt indicate that he needs anything he will not bring me his cup if he wants more juice or point at the fridge or indicate that he needs anything he will play with his toys and he is able to get them as they are in reach of him but other wise he never indicateds he wants anything.

Im really concerned now about him i had the health visitor at my house yesterday becouse i was concerned about him not walking on his own yet but she seemed to be more concerned about his speech and told me to take him to the gp. I was looking today if there was any websites that could help me teach him to say a few words and it lead me to autism please could you email me back and see what you think with what i have just told you about him i do have autism in my family my brother was diagnosed with asperges sydrome a few years ago thanks you.

Some of this really could be related to the chronic ear fluid. In the meantime, keep working with him at home too! The site is FULL of ideas for you to help him yourself. This website is FULL of advice for you to use at home with him. Thanks so much for asking! Twin daughter is cute and more social then the boy. So, all visitors pick her up all the time than him. He is a shy guy. They were writing the letters for my daughter to identify. As and when she was answering them, they were thrilled ad were appreciating her a lot.

I know he was sad. Did it affect him and his confidenc? Is that why he is repeating the numbr and color for appreciation? Also, I startd takig them down the stairs we live on third floor in out bld. To make it easy for me with both of them, I would encourage tem to count the stairs. I Also, the first I them in the swing park , I swung them and said numbrs So, now whenever we walk the stair on the swing he keeps saying his numbers.

From the time that you realize your child will require a different type of care and education than other children; you begin seeking resources for children with special needs like those of your child. Also, there are different phases of their growth that may require a different approach.

Having a wide range of resources in one convenient location makes it easier to find the information and support that every parent needs as they continue to help their child grow. If you have a special needs child, then there is no need to spend your valuable time searching for resources that may, or may not, cover the topics that matter the most to you right now.

Here you can find the resources for children with special needs, for you as a parent of a special needs parent, and those for individuals who are working with special needs children. There are many different viewpoints on the methods of care that work best and numerous organizations that will provide you with a variety of information as well.

If you are looking for new ideas for working with special needs children , we can provide you with the options that have worked for many others with the same condition. No matter what you need, there are resources to suit your needs here. A Boy and a Turtle: A Buffet of Sensory Interventions: A case study of early development in Smith-Magenis Syndrome.: A case study on autism: A Child Called Noah Book.

A Child Called Noah: A Family Journey Book. A Child of Eternity: A Client Called Noah: A Family Journey Continued Book. A comparative study of fluency training and discrete trial training on the acquisition, stimulus generalization, and retention of noun labels in children with autism. A comparison of adaptation to childhood disability in Korean immigrant and Korean mothers.: A comparison of methods for teaching auditory-visual conditional discriminations to children with autism spectrum disorders. A comparison of the instruments that assess language and communication in students with autism spectrum disorders and an analysis of their functional uses.

A comparison of two trial distribution schedules in embedded instruction.: A computer assisted repeated reading intervention with children with high functioning autism. Through a Mother's Eyes Book. Stories that celebrate the differences in our extraordinary kids Book. A Day at a Time: