Son not talking at 2 yr

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No I don't think crying in noise ALONE is a ASD symptom. It happens to many kids that are tired, or not use to too much noise.

I would take a step by step approach. First thing is the hearing test and neuro consult.

While you are getting these appointment - start by getting started at home with some individual play with your son. I highly recomended FLASH CARDS.

Also ask you daughter to play with him for a 1/2 hour. Something they can do together - color, play - so he learns to interact with other kids.

Don't get overwelmed with what it is and isn't. First get the diagnosis and start with a plan

I don't know if there is a cure or not for autism. That's another BIG debate.

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

njgal, right on! You need to get the consults done. And start gearing him up for more interaction.

Something that works very nicely with speech-delayed children is pictures. Get a picture of each daily activity - breakfast, snack, bathroom, teeth brushing, lunch dinnner,nap/bed time, etc. When he wants something, have him point to what he wants and at least attempt to say the word. If he does, reward him with the thing he is requesting. There are resources online that have great pictures, just google "PICS".

Once you have a better idea of the reason for the delay, there are many other resources you can look into. For dyspraxia, theres a great book called "The Late Talker". For sensory and autism spectrum disorders, theres a great book called "The Out-of-Sync Child". Both have all kinds of therapeutic (and fun!) suggestions on activities that help overcome difficulties.

Let us know how things go! Will keep you in prayers.

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

I totally agree... one step at a time. Just see what the reports says... he might just be a late talker. My mom says my brother didn't talk till he was 2.5, but he communicated in other ways.. and today he's a perfectly normal, infact above average intelligent guy!

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

We visited ENT specialist( expertise in voice problems ) he discussed and told there is 99% chance that it is not autism. He also asked about the social activity. During the discussion a nurse came in n smiled at ahmed .. Ahmed responded and make complete eye contact . also yesterday my husbands friend came n took ahmed to his lap and played for some 4-5 minutes . ahmed was playing with him.
Doctor told that this is clear indication that it is not autism. We are very much hope ful of it now specially due to the social activness of ahmed.

Can some one eleborate about the repetative activities of autistic child. Ahmed also plays with things e.g. he will spin the wheel of cycle for some 5-10 minutes and then leaves and go to some other activity. or he will drag his toyon the wall for some 4-5 minutes then leaves. then after some thing it starts again and then leaves again
is this suppose to be repetative activity.
Also what i tried today is recorded his name on mobile and played . he was responding by some time looking towards us or some times only smiles it but once we call our self he doesnot response now he some times calls babba or nannna

now we will get his ABR test done and then visit a child psychlogist.
Pl. pray for us.

One more question : can speech therapy started at age of 2

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

You had some good news Saami, thats great! Did his hearing check out to be fine?

The repetitive behaviors are called "stimming". It is something quite common with children on the autism spectrum but also children with other learning disabilities like SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) and PDD (Pervasive Development Disorder). There is a really wonderful book called The Out-of-Sync Child which explains it all and has numerous activities for kids who stim.

As far as speech therapy, it can actually be started in infancy! Speech therapists work not only on speech but also on developing muscles in the mouth and throat - called oral-motor skills. Infants that have trouble with feeding respond very well to speech therapy. You have to be able to control your mouth before you will be able to properly form words so thats why speech therapy can actually start shortly after birth.

Will keep you and your little guy in prayers.

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5-10 minutes doesn't count as repetive (in my books) - something that a child does for hours. It could be stacking blocks, sorting something or coloring, or spinning wheels of a car.

[QUOTE]
One more question : can speech therapy started at age of 2
[/QUOTE]

Absoultely - as Mamaof3 said - it can start early as even 3-6 months.

I would encourage that you learn some of the activities that they teach in therapy and apply them at home. You don't need to do it all day but every 10 minutes of every hour - try to engage your child in a conversation in animated play situation.

Whatever you are doing in the home - talk about it.

"Look at mommy put the laundry in. These clothes are dirty - these are clean. these are wet - these are dry."

"Lets Stir the sauce - can YOU stir the sauce? "

Walk up to the window - *"what the weather for today - is it sunny, cloudy? windy?" *

Don't worry if he doesn't understand at first. He will iA.

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

A parent can be the best at determining whether a behavior is actually "stimming" or not...stimming behaviors typically include spinning, lining things up, rolling things, sorting things. If it seems "odd" and occurs with regularity, it is more likely stimming. To find out the severity, interrupt and stop the behavior shortly after it begins. The degree of anger expressed by the child indicates the degree of severity and their level of need to "stim". A High-functioning autistic will get mildly perterbed. A severe autistic will have a total meltdown if their stimming is interruped. This is pretty true for any of the developmental disorders that include stimming as a symptom.

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

Mama - don't you think that it's really hard for parents to recognize "stimming" in a 2 yr old?

What is a difference in a typical terrible two tanturm versus not? I could not differentiate between the two.

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

hmmm. Not really njgal. If it seems confusing or hard to recognize then its most likely NOT stimming!

But when you see your 2 year old really enjoy, on a daily basis, something like spinning the wheels on a toy car or watching a fan with fascination or lining things up in a row or blinking his eyes while looking at a light...to the point that you notice it, to the point that you say to yourself "hey, my little one REALLY likes to spin things or line things up", to thepoint that the child gets upset if the behavior is interrupted or terminated or to the point that it seems a bit odd...thats when you can call it stimming.

A parent who knows the generall idea of what stimming is, looks at their child's behavior and finds it confusing or hard to determine...is most likely the parent of a child who isnt "stimming"!

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

Yesterday we went to another child specialist he checked and was of firm opinion that this is not case of Autism. Just negligance and lack of stimulation for talking. He refered to a ENT further to a neuroligst ( to have double check ) .
We visited ENT , he obsereved our son and straight away told that it has nothing to do with autism
He observed the ears and told that there is ear blockage and asked for audio test. From test report he conculded that left ear is blocked with infection and there is a vein going from ear to the throat is also choking, Right ear is not effected much. He gave medicine for 10 days ( anti biotic ) and then ask to come again.

upto now we have got it checked with 4 doctors here in KSA and all told that it is not the case of autism. We hope and pray to ALLAH that this is the case.

We are still not sure about the diagnosis as it is done by egyptian doctor and there are so many stories about egiptian doctors capabilities althoguh it is a known hospital here ( Hammadi hospital )
ABR is planned this week. After that we will go to the saudi ENT specialist and hope and pray that INSHA ALLAH things will be fine.
Pl. do pray for us

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

I am glad ur getting good news. Ur little boy will be in my prayers

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

So far so good saami!

It sounds like you dont have complete confidence in the docs though. Its odd that an ENT doc would talk about autism, he isnt qualified to do so. What is the egyptian doc's specialty?

If you dont have confidence in the docs, start reading up on the internet. There are wonderful websites that explain signs and symptoms of childhood disorders, the differences and commonalities between them and how to determine which if any may apply to your child. You can also google the effects of neglectful parenting in infancy to read about how it affects the child. By reading these things and getting to know all the signs and symptoms you can have more confidence in the docs and be able to better help your boy.

Will keep the two of you in prayers!

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

Heres a link to one of the less alarming articles about neglected infants:

Impact of Neglect

It explains some of the symptoms and consequences of neglectful parenting in the first years of life. Well worth a read. The big issue is that during the first 2 to 3 years of life the brain develops and pathways are formed. A neglected infant does not form these pathways and their brains do not and can not develop properly. A pediatric neurologist or neurodevelopmentalist would be the type of doc who can tell you whether this may be the case or not with your little one.

There are many similarities and slight shades of difference between autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders and neglected child syndromes. You should acquaint yourself with these details on your own so that you know the basics and can better discuss things with the docs.

Again, will keep you both in prayers.

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

Saami

I am an extremely private person, and have to do something I was not planning to, but feel like I have to because I want to make sure that you do what is right for your son.

an ENT is not qualified to rule in or rule out anything. even for child psychoogists, developmental pediatricians, pediatric developmental neurologists, they can not rule things in or out cleanly in one visit at 2 years old.

We had same fears with my son, and went through a barrage of tests, but while we waited for a 'diagnosis' we went the most aggressive route for him for Operataional therapy, developmental therapy and speech therapy. eventually they went with sensory modulation issues, and developmental therapy was not needed, he has been going through OT and speech and lets just say the impact on him has been nothing short of amazing. While he still has some ways to go but he has made gains that are just amazing, alhumdulillah.

early intervention is the key, dont worry about labels, do what you can, do it as early as you can, there is considerable evidence that early intervention is the key. same things started earlier have an impact they they simply dont have a year or 2 later.

I am only saying this because I fear that by the advise you are getting, you may lose precious months to get your son on early intervention programs that could be critical if indeed there are autism spectrum or developmental or sensory modulation issues.

I wish you and your son the best, and more than wishing, I am giving you some advise that may be helpful in giving your son the best support he may need. Look if he does not need it nothing lost but some time and effort , if he needs it, then well, early intervention is key. I can no stress enough the importance of this point

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

Autism is not a disease, it is a condition. If a child is diagnosed with Autism, they will alway be autistic. But being autistic doesn't mean a child has no future. With help and interventions, they can live a very successful life.
Some of the classic symptoms are:
- not making eye contact
- not responding to name
- spinning
- sensitive to sound
- sensitive to light
- delayed speech
- sensitive to touch... might not llike hugging/touching
- sensitive to crowd.... difficulty in crowd
- sensitive to surprises or change (you have to let know what is going to happen..

A good movie to watch is Temple Grande.

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Good info!

Sami, he is in our prayers.

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

Just out of curiosity, has anybody read Jenny McCarthy’s book on how she dealt with her son’s autism? I was flicking through it at Chapters on the weekend, and it looks like a good read. You might find it helpful.

You can read some of it here:

Louder Than Words: A Mother’s … - Google Books

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

Mehnaz, I did read it. And this enouraged me to seek the services of a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) Doc.

She has made magnificent strides with her son and claims that he is "cured". Some of the things she advocates are a little "out there" and do not apply to all cases. Most importantly, she advocates early intervention services which, as X2 pointed out, are crucial to a "cure" - of any type of delay or developmental issue. My youngest was diagnosed as autistic at age 19 months, we got intervention in place and he is now in a regular kindergarten class and doing great there. We did not need to go into special diets, chelation therapy or any of the other things touted in the book but each case is different yeah?

X2, thank you for sharing and for writing an outstanding post! Best advice yet!

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Mama, I’m reading it online right now and it’s so incredibly scary what parents and kids with autism may go through. All the misdiagnoses, doctors giving wrong information … you have to be so patient and strong having to deal with this before knowing what exactly it is you are facing and how to deal with it. :flower1:

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Re: Son not talking at 2 yr

awww! Thanks for the supportive words mehnaz! You know, parenting is the toughest job you'll ever love no matter what the situation.

I have to say that it was indeed a struggle at first though. The only thing that helped was reading, reading reading and never giving up. I;m medically a layperson but have spent many a sleepless night reading medical journals, neurology sites, metabolics sites and all kinds of info about autism and sensory processing disorders and therapies. And still feel that I dont know enough.

At the endof the day, it still turns out to be that interventions and therapies make the biggest difference. So does persistence with the docs and therapists - which requires the moms to have the knowledge to ask the right questions if you want them to take you seriously.