Is my toddler autistic or a late talker???

Question

I have a 23 month old who doesn't really speak yet...all she does is babble (she babbles whole stories sometimes) and maybe can say like 4 or 5 words. She is advanced in her motor skills..it's just speech that is delayed. I am not sure if she is autistic (in my family and husband's noone is autistic). She is mostly very shy but sometimes she surprises me by smiling and looking at strangers...she seems to understand most of what I am saying...but the thing that worries the most is she sometimes likes to spin around and shake her head and when we tell her to stop she just laughs like its funny and does it even more, also sometimes she hates certain loud noises, i know she has like hypersensitive ears....does anyone else have this problem? is autism hereditary and does my daughter have it?? please help! thanks!

Thanks for all your responses, I very much appreciate it all the kind advice...I did have a hearing test for her but the doctor says seems to be hearing fine (not 100% sure though), I did call early intervention already but none of the evaluators gave me clear answers (one said she has speech delay and the other said she might have slight DDP maybe)...just worried mostly...just hope that she's a late talker b/c we give her a little too much love and attention...btw she is my first child....

Answer 1

Well, without the chance to observe your daugther's behavior, no one on here can tell you that she is autistic. A delay in speech is an indicator, and I am glad that you are concerned, but there are several other indicators that a professional would look for in autism. Some major red flags would include: a lack of eye contact, few social skills, large tantrums, sensory problems, stemming behaviors (hand flapping, head banging), odd voice quality. It could be that she simply has a speech delay. Take her to her pediatrician and request an evaluation. You can also call your local school district to have her assessed for free. Since she is under 3, she will be assessed by an agency called a Regional Center, who funds therapies for children under 3 years of age. She can recieve speech therapy based on her particular needs, as well as recieve a pyschological assessment to rule out autism. Autism does have a hereditary component, but other family members may not have autism. She may also have a sensory integration problem, which would explain the hypersensitivity to sounds. Have her assessed by the Regional Center near you. Good luck!

Answer 2

If she makes eye contact, smiles, and tries to interact with others she's probably not autistic. Autism is a social dysfunction with many other symptoms besides speech delays. She sounds like she's just having fun figuring out the she CAN spin around and get herself dizzy. My son is 5, didn't speak a word until he was almost three and is now considered "brilliant" by the child psychologist that evaluated him for school. Just goes to show each child develops at their own pace. Try to enjoy your daughter and worry less!

Answer 3

Anything you research on the web about autism will just confuse/scare you more than you probably are right now. Your best bet is to take her to a developmental pediatrician. They are pediatricians that specialize in the development of children and can easily spot abnormalities. You can probably find one at your nearest children's hospital or university hospital.
Also - look into something called SLI or Specific Language Impairment. It may be closer to what she has than autism. This is a pretty good article on it:
http://www.asha.org/about/publications/leader-online/archives/2001/sli.htm
You could also take her to a speech pathologist to have her evaluated.
Easier said then done but try not to worry and focus on getting her evaluated - it can't hurt. Early intervention is key for autism or a speech and language delay. Best of luck to you.

Answer 4

No one knows what causes autism. There is some evidence that it might be genetic, or genetic plus some environmental trigger. And there seems to be a linkage to older fathers.

But the symptoms you're describing don't sound like autism to me. Luckily, your daughter is 23 months old, so she has a check-up next month!

Express your concerns to your pediatrician, and he/she will be able to assess your child and tell you if you have anything to worry about.

One last thing: many children can't work on their verbal skills and their motor skills at the same time. So if she's very advanced, physically, her verbal skills just might need a while to catch up. I know a little boy in that situation, and a few months of speech therapy made his parents feel a lot better about what was going on. He's now totally on track for both verbal and physical development.

Answer 5

It doesn't sound like autism to me, but I am not a doctor. I know a boy who is autistic. Not only was he not talking by age two, he was not responsive and very rarely made eye contact with anyone, including his own mother. He was not much of a babbler, either. His main interests were watching tv and looking at pictures in magazines, but he would not play with anyone and would pull away from attempts at engaging him in group activities. He was easily upset by odd things, such as seeing other children on tv, but they were always the same things that upset him, and it upsets him every time without fail.

I think you should consult your doctor because there may be something wrong, but I don't think it is autism.

Answer 6

My son was diagnosed autistic when he was 2. He only babbled and made just grunts and noises until age 2 we were were terribly concerned. He spins around in circles also and flaps his arms. My son understands everything he just has a hard time communicating and socializing. He is 4 now and only speaking 2-3 word sentences at a time. I would take her to a Pediatic Neurologist or a Psychologist they will diagnose whether she is just a late bloomer of has a problem. Good luck and if she does have autism don't freak out. I cried for days when my son was diagnosed but you deal with things and love your child for who they are!

Answer 7

Your child doesn't really sound autistic to me but she does sound like she may be speech delayed. I wouldn't stress and self diagnos. There are a lot of children that are slow to talk but have normal intellengence. I would recommend taking her to see a speech therapist in your area. They will test her hearing and do an extensive examination on your child's speech and language skills! They would also be able to teach you ways on how to help your child progress at home and let you know if there is anything that you should be concerned about. :o) I worked with a two-year old with similar problems before and I saw improvement!!! Also a note to someone else that answered to your question....You do not grow out of autism.

Answer 8

Just keep the doctor posted. If any diagnoses are added, you are quite likely to be informed by your childs physician. Routine checks are made for all areas of functioning falling outside normal limits. Remember there is always a range, everyone has certain strengths tempered by other areas of less skill. If audiology, sensory integration, or other treatment is recommended and effective voiding all other concerns.

Answer 9

My fiancee's second cousin didn't talk for a long time. They took him to the doctor and what they found out was that his ears were clogged up. They cleared them up and put in drainage tubes and he caught up y quickly and soon he would not stop talking! The doctor said his hearing for the first 18 months of his life sounded to him like what its like for us to try to hear people talking underwater. Maybe the same thing is happening here with your daughter. The part about the certain loud noises kind of makes me think it's a possibility. Hope you get it figured out one way or another!

Answer 10

If you're really worried, I'd say to take her to a doctor.
But for now... I don't think it's really anything to worry about. But then again, I could be wrong. But I did know this one little boy that didn't start talking till just about a year or two ago... and he's turning 5. Maybe she's just shy.