To ask for your very late talker success stories?

My niece, well great niece, never spoke until she was 4 and a half. She was engaged, responsive and liked to sit beside an adult relative and give you the colouring book.
Then just before P1 she started talking. I used to joke that up until then everything was perfect and she had no need to talk ,😁

My child said nothing at 2. Neither did she walk until around the same age. Very quiet/ selective mute in most of primary. Didn't read until around age 6, didn't 'get' phonics. She's now 13 and top in all sets at school, very capable with her language and has a great group of friends.

My godson, who is my best friend's kid, didn't speak till he was 3. He was in a special SALT group for children with SN.

I never thought he was anything other than quite bright. I used to take him shopping with me and he was clearly very switched-on, he just didn't verbalise it.

Anyway, fast-forward to 11, when he gained a place at our local super-selective grammar, and now, in his 30s, has a really good job as a Financial Controller.

He was never diagnosed ASD, but I think it's likely. He's not quite like his very 'normal' brother, and his first child was diagnosed with autism at 3. But it's definitely a success story.

I think you'll find most of those people are ND and just not diagnosed.

I can think of two people very close to me who didn't talk until they were 3/4, and I am very certain that both of them are autistic, although neither has a diagnosis.

DH hardly spoke a word till he was 4, he has a PhD from Cambridge and is a University Prof and was a head of dept till retiring last year. Never diagnosed with autism but it’s pretty obvious he has multiple personality traits and backwards bendy thumbs that are linked to being ND.

When he ‘decided’ to speak it was like a tap turning on with full long and complex sentences. He got lost in central London aged 5 and his distraught Mother said he looked at her and said ‘don’t be ridiculous I knew exactly where I was and wasn’t lost’.

‘I didn’t talk until I was 3’ is something I’ve heard said by a few people I know- not even necessarily neurodivergent people either! And I once worked with a little boy with Autism who was 2.5 when I started and he was more like 3 when we began to get some words from him- with intensive therapy.

as a teenager, he goes to a mainstream school and does incredibly well.

My cousin didn't speak until 4. He now works in investment banking. Autistic.

My DS2 spoke less than 10 words aged 2.5 and it was difficult to work out what the word was. He was very quiet as a baby. He's now 9 and there's no shutting him up when he's with me. Also Autistic.

All the boys in my family were late talkers with ADHD and or ASD. My sins first and only words was beans from age 2-4 and then suddenly started taking in sentences ( with poor word order). He’s now 25 and is over of the page I love to talk to the most. His vocabulary is vast. My nephew is now 9 and he talks with an American accent but it can be hard to understand him if you don’t know him. He had the most unusual way of thinking though and it’s always a delight getting his opinions etc. my other Dnephew only said a certain word related to a Disney movie but used that for everything with different inflections etc to get his point across. He’s also fascinating to talk to and sees things that others wouldn’t and has a unique viewpoint. Honestly, I know it’s worrying but SALT can be fantastic. And it’s not a Givenchy that he will never talk. Just do your best to not talk for him. Children still communicate, even without words.

I think the cleaning hinch lady, her oldest is autistic and spoke late. She’s got some videos on it

OP I'd love to know how your son is doing now?x

My close friends daughter has autism and also global developmental delay. I met her when she was 3 and she wouldn’t even turn round when you said her name and had never said a word, only noises. Now at almost 5 she responds to her name every time, can say the names of people in her family and favourite TV show, and say things she would like to do next as part of a routine. It’s truly incredible how much she’s progressed. I hope that gives you a little hope.

Relative is 7. Extremely late talker, didn't even babble as a baby. Had no speech. Language absolutely exploded at 4/5 and dc is so bright, chatty and sociable and is absolutely flying at school
We were really concerned as ds was so late and almost silent when v young but all fantastic now.

How is his speech now?

My DC is 9 and has only just started talking this summer. Single words mainly, asking for things (sweets mainly). Never had speech therapy, diagnosed with autism. I never thought it would happen!

My DD2. She’s only 5.5 now so not grown up yet but at 2.5, she had no words, tantrums because can’t communicate her needs, always in her own world, will smile only a few times to just me and dad, no gestures like pointing, stims, etc. We got a private speech therapist because we were just been fobbed off by the HV and I cried after reading the first report the therapist wrote because it was accurate but painted a bleak future so got Pecs, etc. Just to add, she had very minimal screen time.
We changed her from the childminder to a nursery because the nursery had a reputation of getting services for children.
At 3, she started saying some words, and then chunks of words that may not apply to the situation so maybe something she heard in the morning and she just repeats it later, she was diagnosed with ASD and then finally got to see the NHS salt and they told us she’s a gestalt language processor.
I’ve never heard of that till then so we started researching what it is and applying these interventions to her, dh is an occupational therapist but he took some speech therapy courses in that time as well. We stopped using pecs and in the space of 1.5 years, she can now talk in sentences, can ask for things, she can’t narrate what’s happened in school for example but we can ask questions that she’ll answer yes or no to. The tantrums has almost stopped because she now speaks even though they are sometimes single words but can pass across the message. Now to the best part, she can read so well, learnt phonics in reception (mainstream school and has 1 to 1 based on her ehcp) and since then applies it to books she’s reading. She’s learning to speak more now from reading and now has extensive vocabulary. We get picture books from the library with sentences and if there are difficult words, we describe or act it out for her to understand what it means as much as we can and this has made such a difference in the last one year. She still stims though.
At 2.5, if someone had told me that we’ll be here then I’ll say that’s not possible. Ofcourse all children are different but take any opportunities you’re given and if you can afford it, get private salt till you can get one on the NHS as well.

My brother isn't autistic but didn't speak until he was over 3. He hasn't shut up since.
I get your fears. My DS is 4, probably autistic and he doesn't really speak but in the last few months he has actually said a few words mummy, daddy, no and strangely giddy up. So no proper conversation but he does use the words in context.
Both my DDs were late speaking too, one is autistic, one is NT. Both were almost 3 before they started talking but both are certainly capable of holding a conversation (or arguement).

My now 19yr old autistic son didn't speak until he was 10. There is hope.

MiL once told me that eldest BiL (now over 80) barely uttered at all until he was 3. She had been getting very worried, but once he started, it came out in whole sentences - he’d just been taking it all in and biding his time.
He eventually went on to win a scholarship to Cambridge.

Sorry should read: "statemented"

DS3 didn't talk until he was about 4 & then it was just short phrases and pretty much only comprehensible to those who knew him. He had his own words for things that didn't sound much like the correct word. He had speech & language therapy & was statements (old Code of Practice) for speech language & communication disorder. Honestly, he's 29 now & you can't shut him up! He has the gift of the gab & works very successfully as an estate agent.
I hope you have a similar success story.

My daughter was very late talking - once started, she has not stopped since. Not autistic, although possibly ADHD. Graduated with a First, now bilingual