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Is this very concerning behaviour from my almost-3-year-old?

7 replies

marsunin · 12/03/2025 23:49

My son will be turning 3 in May, he doesn't talk. All he says is babble "mama", "knack knack" (when he sees a duck/bird) and "anana" for banana.
He hums to songs a lot, dances, gets excited and shakes his arms in front of his face, squints his eyes, spins, scuttles around stomping his feet close to the ground if that makes any sense, sometimes he will run on his tiptoes. He is good at pretend play and likes other children, he is very confident and will adapt to his environment very fast (if there are toys in a new room he's never been to, he will just play with them straight away), he waves, smiles at people and blows kisses. but he does display some more autistic traits like lining up his toys, covering his ears with his hands, parallel play, echolalia, he doesn't point, etc...

He gets very frustrated, throws things on the floor, hits me, his dad, and his baby sister. Screeches.

He doesn't listen to "no". He will try to climb on the kitchen counter to reach the boiler again and again and again obsessively.

His vocabulary is quite limited, he doesn't understand many instructions and doesn't know many words. He doesn't know what yes and no means.

He's also a VERY picky eater.

How likely is he to start talking if he's non verbal at almost three?
His speech therapist said she thinks he might have autism.
I don't know where to go from here.

OP posts:
Octavia64 · 12/03/2025 23:50

Dd he have the two year old check?

Why does he have a speech therapist? Was he referred?

marsunin · 12/03/2025 23:53

Octavia64 · 12/03/2025 23:50

Dd he have the two year old check?

Why does he have a speech therapist? Was he referred?

Yes, he was in the black in virtually every milestone.
He was referred by our health visitor

OP posts:
LauderSyme · 12/03/2025 23:57

Quite a few of the traits you mention seem to point towards autism. I think speaking to your GP is a good starting point.

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Octavia64 · 13/03/2025 00:05

Yes agree speak to GP.

It may or may not be autism. It's possible a referral to a paediatrician to look at the overall picture would be a good idea.

Did the health visitor do any follow up beyond referral to speech therapy?

Pinkhat123 · 13/03/2025 00:16

I dunno, I’m on the fence here. Some things you say are not necessarily autistic traits IMO and are not uncommon for near 3 yo.

its not uncommon for boys to only have a few words at that age, my eldest was like that at his age and he picked up after his 3rd birthday (my son is not autistic). Does he have a tongue tie? Recurrent tonsillitis? These can affect speech. Do you have much screen time? Do you watch things like Cocomelon? Signing programmes are meant to be linked to speech delays.

Only eating beige food is not a complete sign of autism, this could be a result of how he has weaned as a baby. And can be behavioural and environment at mealtimes. My kids would eat beige food all day long if I have it to them.

he is showing social signs of kissing/ cuddles, confidence, ability to adapt to new environments like new toys, parallel playing with other kids.

surely his frustration and outbursts are due to his lack of ability to verbally communicate? He is trying to be understood.

justdobetter · 13/03/2025 00:21

there's a separate questionnaire the health visitor can do if you believe he has autistic traits. Depending on the results they can refer him for a full developmental review, including potential autism diagnosis, by community paediatricians.

HallidayJones6779 · 08/04/2025 01:07

Hi @marsunin - how is your son doing a few months down the line?

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