My 2 year old is worrying us cant learn anything or say any words.

[cajunjay1]

Hi

 

My son has just turned 2 years old and in his two years he has not learnt anything at all really. He can walk and climb but does not interact with us almost at all, he doesn't listen to us most of the time. He cannot say any words or even come close to saying anything whatsoever. He cannot play toys properly he just rolls them around or mostly just avoids them altogether. Hes favorite things to do are slam cupboard doors continuously and walk around the garden collecting stones to put in his mouth. We are very worried now and have a series of appointments lined up firstly a hearing test but i have done quite a few of my own hearing tests and he seems fine he just lives in his own little world.

 

I have convinced myself by comparing him to all the other two year olds I have met that he might be autistic, he also cries alot for no apparent reason.

 

Hes very repetitive behavior and as I type this he his again just opening and closing doors I feel really stressed out right now as he wont interact with me or hardly ever makes eye contact cannot follow any commands and doesn't listen to anything we say to him.

[Isobel]

That sounds like autism all over to me.

[Suze]

I,m shocked that your son is 2 yrs old and only now concerns are being flagged..........did no doctor or health visitor notice these delays ??.........for now it is great that you have a series of appts set up.Write down all your concerns and odd type behaviours your son displays.Also include how he was as a baby with sleep feeding etc, how he coped with lumpy foods etc.Does he have any sensory , such as aversion to types of sounds.Have you had his hearing checked to see if this could be why there is a speech delay...best of luck with your appts, it may not be autism , but your right to be concerned , welcome to the forum , suzex

[A-S warrior]

apparantley i diddnt start talking until i was nearly 3. and i turned out alright. i wouldnt worry too much. and i wouldnt compaire your child to other 2 year olds, beacuse some children are unique and special in there own little way. id embrace the fact hes different. he,ll grow into a gifted individual.

[LisaKaz75]

at 2 my little boy (diagnosed autistic at 2.5 years) hardly spoke and had very little interaction with us.

 

It was worrying at the time, but he has improved no end with some speech and language therapy and with us learning techniques to get into his world. Yes he is still behind his peers in many ways including speech, but he can ask for things and make himself understood

 

What I am saying is it does sound like there are autistic tendencies, but he is still young and with help he can develop - just do what you are doing! Push for hearing, speech and paediatric assessment

 

LisaKaz

[Mannify]

Our son didn't talk until he was about 3 and didn't walk until some time after he turned two. He was also having very long tantrums if we didn't wrap things in newspaper in just the right way (one tantrum lasted a fortnight). He's 7 now and is autistic and attends a special school. He is doing great, though. His language continues to improve, especially now that he's in a school that's just right for him. Life can still be rather hard work, but he's a source of joy to those around him and everyone who has any contact with him falls in love with him. We simply couldn't be more proud of him. The point I'm making is that I remember those early years of just not knowing what on earth is going on and it is hard, but if your son does have autism (at the time I really thought about other possibilities that were very worrying and potentially life-limiting) there's plenty of reason to expect that he'll make progress and be happy. Either way, the way your son is now is not how he'll remain, but getting all the right help via appointments is an important priority.

[trekster]

i agree about doing your research try googling for the CHAT assessment. thats an autism sceening tool and print out and take the results with you to your gp. refuse to take no for an answer you know your kid.

 

i must respectfully disagree with 'as warrior' on the subject of gifted. i think it meant to read 'with the right support any asd kid can reach their full potential'

 

my diagnosis came age 16 and i needed intensive speech therapy to talk from age 2.5 and 3. my spikey profile iq was 120 but im anything but gifted. jmho

[Mannify]

i must respectfully disagree with 'as warrior' on the subject of gifted. i think it meant to read 'with the right support any asd kid can reach their full potential'

I know what you're saying, Trekster, but I don't think AS Warrior necessarily meant academically gifted. The way I see it, I have three gifted kids. My eldest has AS and is gifted in the traditional sense - he could read at 3 and writes computer programs at the age of 9. My middle son is 7, is autistic and has learning difficulties, but there's noone I know of more gifted with sheer joy over snowfall or leaves falling down. He's like a ray of sunshine, and has a wonderful appreciation of music, too. My youngest is 4 and as far as I can work out does not have an ASD at all. All her development has been very typical, and I don't think she's necessarily academically gifted, but she's a fascinating mix of assertiveness and kindness. She's also really sporty, which I love, coz I never was. They're all ace, but very, very different. Edited August 28, 2012 by Mannify

[cajunjay1]

Thanks for all your input guys.

 

We took our son today for a hearing test and like i expected they couldn't get a good valuation of his hearing as he just doesnt pay attention for long enough. He has selective hearing and today decided he didn't want to participate in the test. But they did put a probe in his ears to check if his ear drums are vibrating correctly and there perfectly fine.

 

Its another two more weeks before the pediatrician comes over for there first visit so we will just have to sit tight and see what happens.

 

We have tried very hard to teach the little guy something such as wave goodbye but he gets annoyed quickly and wont participate or properly interact with us, he does like t give us hugs and kisses tho.

[Sally44]

This is a link to the Autism Exemplar, which will give you an insight into the process of it all. http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_4090571.pdf

 

Regardless of him not having a diagnosis yet, he needs professional input asap. So I would contact your local authority and ask for their Early Years co-ordinator or Portage. Explain that you have a little boy who is suspected of being autistic and is being seen by professionals.

 

I presume he is not in nursery? There are special nurseries, but again you need professional advice on which one would be most suitable, and the thing is that when a child is at nursery, if they have concerns they are supposed to refer the child on. If you are keeping him out of nursery due to your concerns that he would not cope he is kind of invisible to the system.

 

And you also need a break, and you need professional advice on what to do and how to help you connect with him.

 

It is very difficult when they are so young, and not verbal and appear not to be interested or curious about other people or the wider environment apart from the things that do interest him.

 

His door slamming might be sensory seeking behaviour. You could try sitting next to him with some saucepans and wooden spoons and both have a good bash at them. Does he like ripping up paper too? The thing is to share what he is interested in, rather than you try to divert him onto something you think he should be interested in.

 

I would also suggest you google Sensory Processing Disorder and have a read about that too. My son has a Sensory Processing Disorder and it basically means that all sensory information [visual, auditory, tactile, smell, taste, texture, balance and co-ordination is affected] can be over or under sensitive, or fluctuate between the two [ie. appearing deaf one minute and covering their ears the next], and sensory information may not be integrated properly or processed in real time. Which is all very confusing for them as they are not getting the same information as we are. And how we behave is a direct response to what we perceive and experience.

[Sally44]

This is a link to a page about Sensory Processing Disorder. It looks quite informative and you may recognise your child's behaviours. I certainly recognised sensory processing disorder, and my son also is on the autistic spectrum. http://www.sensoryintegration.org.uk/about-sensory-processing-disorder

 

And it is also true that problems with language [expressive and receptive speech and social communication] means that there is a direct link to learning difficulties or learning disabilities [depending on the cognitive level of the child]. My son is around average cognitive ability, but has an ASD and SPD, and together they have both causes of his dyslexia, which is a specific learning difficulty.

 

Those with Aspergers have to have typical language development up to age 3 [according to the diagnostic criteria], so he will be ASD rather than AS [although AS is being merged into the ASD umbrella soon anyway].

 

My son now has very good speech. He appears advanced in some areas, ie. better than 92 out of 100, but in other areas would score less than 1 out of a 100. So there can be a huge range of difference in abilities.

 

Anyway hope that gives you some more information to be working with.

 

I would also suggest that you download the SEN Code of Practice which can be found in the "publications" section at the top of the Education forum. This explains how a child receives help whilst in the education system, and it is worth you reading this.

Edited August 29, 2012 by Sally44

[Sally44]

For ease, this is the link to the SEN Code of Practice. http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/sen%20code%20of%20practice.pdf

 

You can also contact the National Autistic Society and ask to be put on their list for Help Seminars in your area. These are for parents of newly diagnosed children [or in the process of getting a diagnosis]. I found them very helpful, because at the beginning you just don't know where to start and you know very little about autism. These seminars give help/advice about the diagnosis, education, benefits etc.

[smileyK]

You're doing the right thing the earlier the investigation into issues / situations added up build " a bigger picture" the better as the better the input of services support that needed does point to the possibility of something more going on which needs to look into I wasn't diagnosed until early teens so I know the true importance of having support services there after assessment / diagnosis is found!

[robert7111a]

He has selective hearing and today decided he didn't want to participate in the test. But they did put a probe in his ears to check if his ear drums are vibrating correctly and there perfectly fine.

 

This isn't very telling. This is just to see if there is any fluid in his ears (which would raise a red flag) but as you say, this was fine. But this does not give any other information.

 

Did he have this test done in a specialised paediatric hearing centre by an audiologist? If so, what other test(s) were carried out/attempted? Or was this done at your local hospital ENT department?

 

Of course, it can be very difficult for a 2-year old to sit still but given the right environment and skilled audiologists, they should be able to obtain some kind of test result

 

Let me know and I can give you some further advice...

[trekster]

Re: the 'selective hearing', does he reply or take action if his name is used?

eg Ryan come to mummy? Often autistics don't realise that someone is addressing them unless their name is used. i have problems where i don't realise the other person doesn't know my name unless i give it to them. Until he is assessed be careful about overcompensating for his difficulties, it could mean the diagnosis is missed as has been with friends of mine. Good luck and i hope speech and language therapy (SALT) can help him.

 

Have you made contact with your local branch of the National Autistic Society?

[justine1]

I agree with Robert. As part of the dx process both my boys had their hearing tested and was done at the development centre where they were being assessed. The staff are trained to deal with "active" kids and they can take breaks if need be.

 

As for communication,speech is not the only communication tool are you using other ways to communicate or teach him to communicate? My two with ASD are very different,Dan who has HFA could not talk until 3-3.5 years and still has speech difficulty(though he does not shut up!) whilst he could not say many words clearly or at all,and no sentences,he was able to try other ways of letting us no what he wants. He to would cry and scream but generally was due to frustration. Just remember although the speech is not there his mind could be working overtime,my son was absorbing info all the time and still continues to do so. So keep teaching him various things,read to him etc it does work!