How do i know if my DS's language is behind?

[ihavenewsockson]

He will be 3 in November. I can understand some of what he says, most really.
But he is in a world of his own most of the time.
he doesn't hear or doesn't understand some of things I say to him.

How can i tell if he is behind with his speech or understanding? could he be autistic?

Thanks, he had the hearing test when he was a few weeks old and they said his ears were great but will speak to the GP.

Agree about checking his ears, a test as a baby will mean nothing now as ears can get blocked with wax. I was completely deaf when I was 5 purely from bad wax build up. Had to have gromits fitted and it sorted it but my parents hadn't realised for ages.

A GP can check the ears for blockages so would rule that out straight away but of course may still need a hearing test. I'd see the HV if his ears aren't blocked and take it from there. Good luck.

What sort of things doesn't he understand?

TBH if you have concerns about autism, or other developmental delays, then try posting this on the Special Needs: Children section of the board. It is full of very lovely and knowledgeable ladies, many of whom have children with autistic spectrum disorders (asd) and who can advise you.

It definitely sounds as if you need to get his hearing checked. My DS passed his birth hearing test with no problem, but developed glue ear at around 1 yr and was really very deaf. Now 18 months I have to get his ears looked at regularly and he may well need gromits aged 2. My best friend felt terrible with her 4 yr old DD - so many times she had said in exasperation 'are you DEAF' as her daughter ignored her yet again, and it turned out that yes, she was (well approx 40% hearing deficiency), gromits worked absolute wonders, but it has left her DD with slightly delayed speech - she'll catch up very soon though I'm sure and currently sees a SALT to help with this.

I would def advise you to see your GP and tell him your concerns. Ask for a referral to an audiologist for a thorough hearing test. Also mention the other points you make about his language, general behaviour and possible lack of understanding. They are really important developmental stages and shouldn't go ignored. I also agree, post this on the Special Need Children's board .. even though your little boy may not have SN, there are loads of parents with great advise and similar experiences on that board. Good luck!

This sounds a lot like my son at the same age, he was 3 in June. If you have concerns it really is worthwhile to act on them asap, as they can still be helped a lot at this young age. We did the hearing test and started speech therapy, and 6 months on we have seen great improvements.
We also had concerns about autism, some of the symptoms of speech delay can mirror that it seems, anyway you should mention your concerns to your GP etc.
Meanwhile you should try and give your DS as much 1 to 1 time as possible, get down on the floor and play with him, read, sing etc, using simple language as you do so. Try and engage him as much as possible. I found loads of helpful info here, including a list of what they should be saying/understanding at different ages.
Definitely take a look at the SN board on here, they are really helpful. I still don't know if my DS might be on the autistic specrum or not, but I am better informed and certainly less frightened of the prospect after talking to people on there.

We also greatly reduced time spent in front of the TV!

Wow thank you for the response. i will make an app with the GP, i don't have anything to do with the HV team here but my GP is very good.
I just wondered if I was imaginig it or pushing him to be faster.
He's my first adn DS2 was born when he was only 15mths old so I thought maybe that's what's held him back, the first year with DS2 i had bad PND and really struggled. maybe i didn't put enough time adn effort into DS1.
He is very happy, very sociable, sings and dances and plays in his own little world.

I agree about getting his hearing re-checked. When my dd had her newborn hearing check I was told that passing the test didn't mean that a child would never have hearing difficulties.

This might sound like a strange question but does your ds seem to only hear very quiet sounds, like a rustling piece of paper?

no more blaming yourself, but time to do something - hearing tests, speech therapy, and if it comes down to it assessment by a paediatrician are unintrusive, and shouldn't be distressing for a child, so if there's no problem, absolutely no harm in getting your child checked over. A hearing test is bogstandard for all kids with language problems before they start speech therapy to make sure there's no obvious physical reason for the delay.

agree with the other ladies, particularly sputnik. if a child is struggling to understand what is being said then they can become withdrawn (if you go on holiday abroad where you don't speak the language, think how frustrating it can be!), so sometimes hearing or language problems can give rise to similar symptoms to autism.

try backing up what you say with photos/gestures/pictures, giving visual clues can help, also might be worth trying a bit of signing, like on something special - you would use signs together with words, so it should help with language rather than hinder.

Agree with getting ears checked. DS had almost no words at 2.6 when we discovered he had severely impacted ear wax. Once that shifted (Finally!) ther as no stopping him. Good luck