Should I be worried?

Question

I have a 2 year old daughter, she doesn't talk much, she only has a few words, but shes getting to know more. I have her in a speech class, we go once a week, and we are working on sign language... But my question is, I just got a letter or an invation in the mail, asking me to come to a meeting for special needs children, and children with autism.... They never said she had autism... She's really not hyper, I always thought she was more relaxed than anything, she has her days, she gets mad, but what child doesn't? She can sit down and do a 4 puzzles at once, put on her own shoes, and socks, not always on the right foot, she can run, go upstairs by herself, feed herself, so her gross and fine motor skills are great, Her speech "people" told me that, she just isn't talking as much as she should be.... What is going on here? In advance, thank you so much for your answers.

Answer 1

you sound like a marvelous mother...what does her pediatritian say? your doctor probably would have ferreted out any abnormalties such as autism earlier than two years...if you are concerned, have your family doctor check the child out...these schools may have much to gain by catering to "special needs" children whether they are special needs or not...and it may mess up the kid...
schools are not the final word in much of anything...i'm a grandpa and know something of these matters, my oldest grandchild is 15, and there are 11 aged downward from there.
and the schools said alot of things, but so far they have been in most cases wrong...(except with Lacy...she really is very bright, and her instructors did say something about that...like this child is very bright...another one they said had issues...and now they don't understand why she doesn't...so be careful when listening to educators, have things checked out by the doc.)

Answer 2

First - DON"T PANIC - easier said than done, I know! I have a 6 year old with Down syndrome and am involved with lots of special needs families. Autism and being hyper are really not related. As for speech, 2 year olds often don't speak a lot so that doesn't mean a whole lot. My typical now 21 year old didn't talk a lot at 2 but by 2 1/2 was talking a ton and ended up in gifted programs.

Now, just because you were invited to discuss autism doesn't mean she has it or that anyone thinks she does. However, IF she does or has a form of it (many forms exist and can be mild) , early diagnosis and treatment/therapy are wonderful. I would contact whoever invited you to this meeting and ask them about why you were invited, etc.

Again, nothing to panic about right now as far as I can see. But you're a mom so I know you will, at least a little... (hugs) Good luck!

Answer 3

Albert Einstein did not talk until he was 5, so I would not worry. I worked for a few years as an autism therapist and the reason why they are grouping your daughter with those kids is because it involves speech delays. But I really would not worry too much. Something that might help though is to enroll her in a day care or preschool program maybe two mornings a week so that she can play and socialize with other kids her age. This sometimes helps. :)

Answer 4

I have a question for you too before I can really say. Does your child have other children to play with? Or even an older sister or brother? I have a 2 year old that will be three in April and she was not very verbal when she first turned 2 but the more she played with other children and especially when she started daycare she began to really open up. Adults have a have a "different" vocabulary from toddlers. We use complex sentences and ginormous...LOL words in their eyes so children learn best from other children.

Answer 5

I don't think you have anything to worry about. You are doing something most parents wouldn't do and that's put her in speech therapy. You probably got that letter because you signed up for something without realizing it. Don't concentrate on the fact that it said autism. She has a speech delay and some people condiser that a "special needs." Don't worry, once she starts talking, you won't get her to stop!

Answer 6

Standards set by medical pros are often quite inaccurate. I know a very rich and smart person, married, adjusted, who only spoke after 4. Keep your child's mind inquisitive, growing in different arts, like dance, sciences, classical and show music, arts and crafts, drawing, interested in all life and the Wonder of nature. When she is ready to speak, she will, more and more.

I think testing is a good thing, but to properly diagnose a two year old is very difficult, and tests are often later to be found out inaccurate. I also know someone who was diagnosed autistic and so mislabeled many years ago, she was sent out of district to a magnet special ed school and clumped with kids who couldn't spell their names, while she was an avid and advanced reader and did not belong in that setting.

You be the best judge of where she goes and never relinquish your visions of her having a great life, full of wonder, interests and love.

...remember the movie " My left Foot"? See it and you will see wonders from determination. Helen Keller too!

I hate these labels. It did not stop a dyslexic Nixon from getting t0 the Whitehouse, or Edison from inventing.

Answer 7

My daughter was the same way. She really didn't start talking until she was 2 1/2. I had a friend who was a speech pathologist that was worried about her. I didn't worry too much about it because she knew how to communicate her needs and she understood everything we said. She was the only child and so I don't think she really felt a need to talk a whole lot. When she did start talking she spoke in almost sentences. I think she was very bright and just talked when she was ready. I'm sure your daughter will be the same way. Good luck to you!

Answer 8

No.
I'm an Instructional Aide for a Parent Education Program ("toddler classes") at my local family resource center. There's a Korean mom and child there. One day this quiet woman said to me, "I worry because he (2yr old) doesn't talk much". Now, this woman, while warm and approachable, is soft-spoken and of few words. I asked her, "do you and your husband talk a lot together at home?" Well, guess what? No, they didn't talk much at all. I offered that maybe baby simply doesn't have much to say yet, as he's not had a lot of verbal interaction around him, on a daily basis. He, like your child, does many many things, and is responsive to people and situations around him.
Don't panic, mom. With my first child I worriedly asked, "gosh, when's he gonna' start talking?" You know, it seemed like a heartbeat later I was mentally asking myself, "when's he gonna' give it a rest?" !!!
Then again, maybe she does have a higher IQ. Many little brainiacs (Einstein did poorly in early primary education, didn't he?) aren't inclined to put out much at early ages. Are they absorbing so much they're busy assimilating material?
She sounds developmentally fine.

Answer 9

Most likely it was a general flyer sent out to parents of children with special needs... not directing or insinuating that your child has something other than a speech/language issue. Children with speech and language problems are considered "special needs" children, so that is most likely why your child has been sent a letter to join in. These meetings are beneficial to parents with children of ALL abilities, and regardless of a child's delay, there are techniques and valuable information for ALL parents. Stop freaking out about the "intent" of the flyer... it is most likely a harmless general one sent out to all parents of a child with special needs.

Answer 10

What probably happened is b/c your daughter gets special services for speech she is in a database with other children with a variety of special needs. So she received an invitation to something that all the children in your area that receive special services get.