To ask when your autistic child started to speak?

[Merryoldgoat]

I have two DS - older is 7 and younger is 2. Older has HFA. He spoke early and has been reading since three. In mainstream school and doing well most of the time.

Younger appears to have some ASD traits and before lockdown was referred for assessment.

He’s got no words. He babbles, makes noises that may be his words for things and repeats some sounds.

When will he talk?! It’s killing me. He’s obviously extremely frustrated that we don’t always understand what he wants but I don’t know how I can help him.

He’s absolutely lovely and full of joy and sunshine but he is HARD WORK and that’s exacerbated by the limited communication.

Older DS could speak in full sentences by 2 so this is all a bit alien.

[CatherineCawood]

You should see if you can do a PECS workshop. It will certainly help his frustrations and yours if he can use a method of communication. Don't let anyone tell you that using alternative communication will stop speech. Its simply not true it helps to bring it on if anything.

PECS are running their workshops online during the pandemic. Parents attend at a heavily subsidised rate and there is a trust that can help with funding. Details are on their website. They also have a very active official support group on Facebook. They have been releasing lots of free activities and symbols sheets and stuff recently on their website. Lots for parents to do with kids at home. We send a lot of parents their way. Good luck.

[Embracelife]

Cinders we had super ABA lead for 20 years. Very holistic....behaviour approach but flexible. From using computer to toilet training age nine achieved so much. But....went thru 3 before that one. The others were by the book ABA and were not good.

[Embracelife]

10 years not 20!

[Whatsmyname26]

3 for my son

[Merryoldgoat]

Definitely not looking for ‘cures’ - my boys need understanding and acceptance, not a cure.

[EveLevine]

We had "mama" at 19 months, "no" just after 2, "dada" at 3.5 years. After "dada" other words slowly started appearing - by 5 it was a hundred or so words, then yr 1 at school we got a private therapist and within 6 months we had complete sentences.

[saffy1234]

My son with be 7 in September and uses very simple one or maybe two word commands to vocalise.As he gets older you could always do a Total Communication course like I did to help communicate with him,good luck xxxxx

[Figamol]

3.5 to really start communicating needs - closer to 5 for full sentences, nearly 8 now and you wouldn't know apart from unsophisticated vocabulary. More importantly however is the receptive language - like how much does he understand of simple instructions etc. This always bothered me more as a mum.

Mine had intensive therapy ESDM and SLT, which helped massively and is not as controversial as ABA.

[HavenDilemma]

4 months old, and no, I'm not joking!

I immediately grabbed my phone and began filming as she was repeating herself. I showed the child psychologist during assessment and he was utterly staggered...! He couldn't believe it.

She is the overly social type of autist however. Also, constant (and I do mean literally constant) speech/chatter is a real issue with her. She chatters on & on & on & on. It's 10:30pm, she should be asleep and as I type this, she's having a conversation with her pillow...

[StrictlyAFemaleFemale]

3.5 to really start communicating needs - closer to 5 for full sentences

Ditto. He could count to 20 and name all the colours before he could string a sentence together.

[waitingforadulthood]

1. 3 if I count what she said to me- I understood the babble words and as she was my first it took professionals pointing out that she hadn't just said "I want some milk" but rather "E A E IK". It was really only when I had my second that I realised how delayed she'd been.

[MarkRuffaloCrumble]

I did baby sign language with mine. He was able to communicate effectively in sign at about 8 months but didn’t really talk except mama until he was over 2.5. But then he acquired spoken language very quickly and did not shut up. Ever!!

[JeDeFloupFlee]

5.5 and still no communication, slowly starting to be able to use PECS for snack requests though. He babbles so much but still, no meaningful words. I'm still hopeful but also know that theres other ways to communicate than speech. I hope your son does soon, I remember asking the same thing when my son was 2.5

[YouTheCat]

My ds could count to 100 at 3 and knew all his letters. I could ask him to point to a letter or number and he was 100% accurate. He can read a bit (at about a year 1/2 level) as this was tested with sequencing cards. His teachers were quite amazed given the severity of his problems.

[SeriouslySoDoneIn]

DS1 with ASD started speaking about 2 and a half, but only in a whisper. Moved on to sentences when he was about 3 but didn’t start speaking in a normal voice until he was about 5.

DS2 is 2 and a half atm and doesn’t speak yet. He babbles, has a couple of words but definitely no where near sentences, but understands absolutely everything and has his own way of communicating (that isn’t always understood either!) As far as I’m aware, he’s not on the spectrum, some children just take that bit longer!

[Boulshired]

DS is still non verbal as a teenager, of his early birds group of eight children, five were non verbal at 3 and he is the only one now without any speech. The biggest difference between him and his peers as a toddler was his understanding. Understanding of language in my opinion is more important than the speech as an indication of the future in regards to communication.

[TAKESNOSHITSHIRLEY]

i have 2 with it both need 24/7 care

oldest is 15 he has severe aspergers,moderate autism,severe dyspraxia, mild physical tourettes,ODD(Oppositional defiant disorder),severe sleeping disorder as in doesn't sleep at all
(yes i know aspergers now come under asd but as he was diagnosed in 2012 this is what was on the paper)

he was a few years behind mentally,but he started talking at 2 and half

9 y old has asd moderate,gdd by 4-5 years,pda,spd,severe separation anxiety(i cnt leave him),dyspraxia and severe sleeping disorder

he didnt speak till he was 6 and half,he even did 2 and half years in a mainstream school not speaking

i took him out in y1 christmas term and by thr feburary he started tlking

he was mute up to then no babbling like thy do no baby talk he was always quiet,what he wanted he used to take your hand nd pont or gt it and hand it to you if it was food
he even toilet trained at 2 and half with out any words
even now his speech is not always clear

we attend a disabled group that organizes meet ups,trips,activities etc there is many in this group that are classed as severe most are older than the youngest and have never uttered a word,17 being the oldest a lot are still in nappies too

[quarantinevibes]

My son is almost 7 (diagnosed at 3) and has only just started babbling. Sometimes he will try and say a single word, it’s not very clear at all and only I can make out the sound he’s trying to make as im his full time carer. PECS are a good start, every time you show him the pec say the word that’s on it so he starts to put a name to the picture. It can take years, don’t give up.

[Mimishimi]

Intelligible speech by 7 ... after four years of speech therapy.

[toinfinityandlockdown]

I used to teach 5-7 year olds in an SEN school, I agree with the others to try PECs or even without the 'system' you can use laminated pictures for him to give to you to ask for things, then you say the words out loud to reinforce. It can help children get the concept of communicating and when used with speech, reinforces which words go with which meaning. Sign language helps some children too. If I read your post right he is only two years old, so every chance he will get this in time.

[hotlava]

Started speech therapy at 3 and was talking by age 5 but not fluently until 6 or 7.

[Zoflorabore]

Ds is 17 with HFA, diagnosed age 8 Aspergers.

He was my first and I didn’t have any experience of children in general but I remember being thrilled at 2.5 when he said “come back balloon” and then by 3 he didn’t shut up.

Interestingly, he was very aware early to toilet train and I remember being baffled by this as I had my dd (now 9) when he was 8 and she came out talking and was having full blown conversations at 16 months but was really late to master toilet training.

I also recall ringing my mum when ds said 8 words in a sentence. I was so happy!

It’s so hard not to compare. I compared mine as above but they all get there somehow in the end.

[Lifejacket]

My ds is nearly 10, he can use learnt phrases or echolalia for long word counts but realistically this is more about him soothing himself. Actual useful verbal language maybe two or three words together for requests or needs. If asked a question usually one word. He developed as most do until around 18 months where he list everything he had learnt including words such as cup, mumma, shoe etc. He could count into the hundreds at two years, letters and numbers just stayed and clicked with him. He can now translate/ decipher words in many other languages but can't use them to answer questions. He has an aac device which helped him learn to control the muscles in his mouth to make the words (he just sat and copied until he got it, it took the emotion out of it). He has had specialist slt since 2 making the most progress in terms of meaningful language use in the last year or so when we changed from NHS to independent due to ehcp section f wording. We tried pecs but he didn't respond which is why we use an aac app as he likes the tech.

[monkeytennis97]

@Embracelife ah yes I bought Proloquo (first and last time I spent over £100 on an app!). DS never touched it despite encouraging him everyday. He LOVES Gridplayer though, Graham and Rachel are his voice😊