2 year old speech/ASD?

[DamnedRose]

I’m hoping others have been through something similar and may have some advice.

DS turned 2 just over 2 months ago. He still has no words but has started recently making animal noises (some more recognisable than others). He has just had a speech therapy assessment and she asked a lot of questions which suggested she thought he could have ASD. A few of the flags he does meet:
Lack of eye contact - his eye contact is really poor
Lack of speech - he’s never really babbled, he can make different sounds but he tends to repeat the same sound for a while rather than blending any or babbling in a conversational way. Most of the time though he’s just silent and he doesn’t use sounds to get peoples attention.
Hand flapping - this is limited to when he’s excited or very happy

He understands some things but his understanding could be a lot better. He can identify animals and colours and some common objects. There are some phrases he definitely understands like ‘it’s bath time’ or ‘put it in the bin’. He communicates his needs by grabbing people by the hand and pulling them to what he wants, if it’s something high up he then puts his hands up to be picked up instead of pointing. He does point if you ask him to identify something in a book or if you’re looking at pictures he points to the one he wants you to name (he absolutely loves reading) but he doesn’t point to ask for things or to direct your attention towards something like a dog. He has recently started following points a lot better when you are trying to direct his attention towards something.

He’s not really interested in other children and doesn’t seem to join in group activities at nursery.

Does this sound like anyone else’s child? I’m interested to know if they developed speech, if they were diagnosed with any SEN and what they’re like now?

This sounds a lot like my daughter apart from speech. She was speaking in two word sentences. She is now 8 and has a diagnosis of ASC. I never realised until she was 3 that she didn't point and even now has difficulty following the direction of someone else's point. She also has sensory issues and toe walked until we were given a 'sensory diet' to follow by an OT.

Hi OP, I’m sorry you are going through this. Has the Speech and Language therapist referred you to a paediatrician? This would normally be the next step. If not, I would suggest you speak to your GP for a referral.

Your DS does sound like mine to be honest. The lack of pointing, complete lack of speech (apart from animal noises) lack of understanding of anything other than repeated routines. He was diagnosed just before he was 3.

My DS didn’t start forming words until he was 3 1/2 years old. He was only just starting to speak in sentences by the time he went into reception. He went to a “mainstream” private day nursery but to be honest they were absolutely fantastic - they really understood SEND children and the interventions they needed to bring them on.

We had lots of interventions both before his diagnosis and afterwards. We paid for private Speech therapy (tried several different therapists to get the right fit). We settled on makaton (rather than PECS as the NHS suggested) and made very quick headway with this. He had private OT (which I think helped a lot) He had a council specialist “child development worker” that came to the house to teach us things which would bring his speech on and set individual targets (like putting his favourite toys in a clear plastic box and making him say a sound or point to it if he wanted it, rather than taking our hands to it)

Now DS is in mainstream school (year 1), his speech is great (not “fully caught up” but from where he was, it’s a wonderful improvement)! His maths is great (because it’s logical, he is a very logical child!) and he is learning to read. He has a EHCP (which gives him a 1-2-1 but he is full time in the classroom with his peers). He has a best friend at school (NT) and they are in a small group of 4.

There is light at the end of the tunnel but you are going to have to push. Be prepared to be your DS advocate. Wait times were horrific before covid, goodness only knows what they are like now!

Hi @DamnedRose, I could have written this myself about my 2 year old, I am watching with interest.

Hi @Crazycatlady83 thanks for your reply, that’s really useful. We’re waiting for the official assessment from the speech therapist and should hopefully have it back next week. Can I ask in which ways the private OT helped? I’m really worried about the wait times but luckily we would be able to go private. It’s really nice to hear where your son is at now and has really given me hope.

Hi @DamnedRose the private OT was great. It helped us understand his sensory needs and how this many be impacting on his development and speech. The report we got after the initial assessment was great and really helped get the EHCP (which I think has been vital in pushing him forward in his education) We were recommended to go to OT by our SALT and had regular sessions with both before his formal NHS diagnosis. Early intervention really was key for us I feel. If you can afford to go privately, do think about it because I don’t regret it for a second!