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suzanneiom1

Had all assesments done on my 2 yr old

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Hi all Iv had all assesments done on my son harley, and the outcome at the moment is they do not think he is on the spectrum, he has brill eye contact, is social with others, his skills are quite good for his age, but im just confused now after watching that programe the other night about autistic kids in america, they either didnt spk till late in life or couldnt speak well at all, and all my fears are coming back now. harley babbles abit but still no words and he is 2.4yr, what else could this be apart from autism... or maybe there diagnoses is wrong.. really wish i did not watch the programe, he is being assessd every 6 months now and has speech therapy which i have to admit is useless.. I asked his speech therapist, he will talk eventually wont he even if on the spectrum and she said yes, but that programe just proved to me that he may not.. his only other little quirks i would say is that he hand flaps but that has almost dissapered but he jumps now sometimes.. he isnt sensitive with noice, doesnt mind different evnvironments, ect... im confused...

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Hi

 

I would say that given you are being seen every six months do not worry too much. The more you dwell and read and watch on these things the more it plays on your mind. I would focus all your energy into helping him communicate,has the speech therapist given you things to do at home? If not maybe google things you can do to help him.Even if he cannot communicate verbally at this point there are all sorts of ways he can communicate,so maybe explore these options as it will help both you and him feel less frustrated.

 

Did they give you full reports from his assessment? Maybe you can read through and highlight things that may concern you,if there are any. This will help when you go for your next appt. Also make notes/keep a diary on other behaviours. At the end of the day ASD is not just about speech it is so much more than that.

 

My son who got diagnosed age 6 had very good speech he could talk very well age 2. It did not always make sense but he knew many words,lots of complex words,and could pronounce them clearly. Then my other son with a diagnosis could not speak,would babble like your son and also scream alot,he started "talking" age 3 just out of the blue,but only started properly age 4 and even now that he is six his speech is unclear at times.

My last son is almost 4 and he also had same trouble with speech,he came on really well when he started full time nursery(age 3) and again almost overnight he was talking. He had been to two different childminders before that who both thought he may have ASD as he never spoke a word and never interacted with other children. He does both now and I am not too worried about him now.

 

So as I say just hang in there he is still young and may happen very soon. Just keep talking to him and helping him learn,even though he cannot talk he is observing and absorbing everything.

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hi thanks so much for you msg, yes they have said he communicates very well non verbally, and has a good understanding, and i notice everyday he is understanding alittle something else. we havent had the full report yet, i had alittle chat with the assers, and i got the gist of what they were saying but we do have a big meeting just to confirm there thoughts, just waiting for that too. yea the speech therapist told us to use simple signing with him just afew words so we do that.. im just so desperate for him to talk, because the older he gets i just worry now.. i so hope he is like your kids and it kind of happens over night. sometimes i talk that much to him im so tired at the end of the day. He started preschool jan, two days a week and they are happy with his progress he babbles more and is more interative with the children. did you watch the show the other night about autistic kids, im so worried after watching this show that my son will perhaps get worse with things or not talk at all, or are they really servere? do your two autistic children have a bright future do you think? again after watching that programe im thinking if harley is on the spectrum how bad is he, will he be able to do normal things work ect.

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Stop worrying. A child having delayed speech development done not mean they have Autism. You say that they are happy that your child communicates non verbally OK. There is ages before he starts preschool. Stop worrying.

 

My son had delayed speech development. As it turn out he was diagnosed with Autism at about 7 but by then his speech was normal,(It was normal by the time he started school) As far as his speech is concerned now, we cant shut him up.

 

And as far as TV programmes, informative as they are, do remember that if they did a program about my son who is getting on alright at school, who is not badly behaved, who (At the moment) we do not have any (Very few) problems with, it would not make very good telly.

Edited by chris54

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There are many speech and language disorders that don't necessarily mean your child has autism. My friends son has verbal dyspraxia for example where he struggles to physically form the words but intellectually and socially he is fine.

 

I would probably concentrate less on the verbal aspects but just give him ways to communicate whether it's via sign or pictures and symbols.

 

At the moment, there is no way to tell if a child with autism will remain non-verbal or will speak. My son was diagnosed severely autistic at 26 months (he also has significant learning difficulties) and he didn't talk until he was 6.5 years old. We stopped worrying about the verbal aspects long before then and just concentrated on giving him ways to communicate. Also, when a child has autism, even if they can 'speak', the language is not always functional.

 

If they are monitoring your son, and don't seem otherwise concerned then I'd try and not worry too much.

 

Lynne

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hi thanks so much for you msg, yes they have said he communicates very well non verbally, and has a good understanding, and i notice everyday he is understanding alittle something else. we havent had the full report yet, i had alittle chat with the assers, and i got the gist of what they were saying but we do have a big meeting just to confirm there thoughts, just waiting for that too. yea the speech therapist told us to use simple signing with him just afew words so we do that.. im just so desperate for him to talk, because the older he gets i just worry now.. i so hope he is like your kids and it kind of happens over night. sometimes i talk that much to him im so tired at the end of the day. He started preschool jan, two days a week and they are happy with his progress he babbles more and is more interative with the children. did you watch the show the other night about autistic kids, im so worried after watching this show that my son will perhaps get worse with things or not talk at all, or are they really servere? do your two autistic children have a bright future do you think? again after watching that programe im thinking if harley is on the spectrum how bad is he, will he be able to do normal things work ect.

 

Yes I watched the programme,there is a thread for it under general discussion,you will see mine and others opinions.

 

With both my boys I have high expectations despite their diagnoses. They have an older and younger brother and they do not have autism so I try have the same rules and the same expectations from all four of them,I don't think it would be fair otherwise. I strongly believe that if a child has the right school/education and the parents are committed to helping their child be all they can be,by structure,consistency,setting goals,having consequences and rewards,as well as patience and understanding,then they can be just as successful as any other child.

 

generally parents want alot for their children but whether they have autism or not who is to say these dreams we have as parents are the same dreams our children want or whether they are even realistic. I know I want all my children to work/study hard,to get a job no matter what it may be, so that they hopefully will not live off the state. I know it may take longer for them to reach their goal but feel it is possible. I am 29 yrs old and although worked since age 16 I am only now able to study what I want and working very hard to get into the profession I love,so I can show my kids its never too late.

 

What Chris mentions is quite true in my case as well,because my boys generally do well at home and school it would not be that interesting if they were on telly,so the kids they show on telly are often to get people to watch,it is not to say its "put on" but it is the very worst cases IMO. Like the "outbursts" shown are said to happen X amount of times and everyday. I cannot say the same for my boys,similar outbursts may happen prehaps once a week. They are very energitic,Sam stims alot which is noisy and can be distarting if we watching something or doing work. Dan is just everywhere does not sit still so it is exhausting trying to prevent him from hurting himself or others when he gets carried away as he has no concept of others/objects around him. They both have trouble eating,though better with age and both have sleep problems(though different types.) So as I say it is so much more than just the speech. I think its great that your son is improving at pre school/nursery and I am sure the more the hours increase and with him getting older he will continue to improve.

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I strongly believe that if a child has the right school/education and the parents are committed to helping their child be all they can be,by structure,consistency,setting goals,having consequences and rewards,as well as patience and understanding,then they can be just as successful as any other child.

 

I would put as they can be just as successful in reaching their full potential as any other child.

 

For some children, no matter what, they will never achieve "Success" when measured against the "norm".

 

In order to measure success you first need to define what success is for that individual..

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I would put as they can be just as successful in reaching their full potential as any other child.

 

For some children, no matter what, they will never achieve "Success" when measured against the "norm".

 

In order to measure success you first need to define what success is for that individual..

 

I did mean individual success or goals.If one of children has a goal to be a doctor and the succeed then they are successful,if another child has a goal to be a binman and they succeed they to are successful.I just know I would not want any of my children (ASD or NT) to not have any goal or ambition,no matter how big or small it may be.

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What about children, or adults for that mater, that do not have the mental capacity to understand the concept of having a goal or ambition. How do you measure there success.

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What about children, or adults for that mater, that do not have the mental capacity to understand the concept of having a goal or ambition. How do you measure there success.

 

Well I am not in that position,so I cannot personally answer that. I mean I was in the position where my son (Dan,HFA) did not talk and did not communicate other than screaming,for the greater part of 3.5years,I felt at the time that maybe he will never aspire to be anything. However I just carried on treating him the same as his brothers,I sit down with my boys everyday and read to them or they read to me,they are given "homework" as the schools do not give them enough(or sometimes nothing at all.) I instill in my children that nothing is free in life,teach them values etc. I guess for me every progress my children(again whether NT or ASD) make is a success in my eyes. My youngest is 2mths old,when she smiled for the first time it is a success,when she will sit walk etc it will be a success,even if she does not reach these milestones on time. So when Dan could talk I knew not to underestimate what a child can achieve over time,small achievments or big achievements all amount to something.

 

In my case I know I will never be all that wealthy,I have many responsibilies that extend beyond just my children. I have to work hard to support other family members who are not so fortunate to support themeselves, for this I am successful.

 

My point,as directed at the OP,is never to just conclude that one cannot reach their potential because they cannot talk or walk or whatever it may be. As a parent it is important to support,motivate and encourage children to reach whatever goal they may have. Again it was aimed at the OP.

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