Will I ever have a conversation with my son?

[glamour24]

My son is 3.10 and has speech and language delay. He has been assessed as being on the 5th percentile for expressive and receptive speech. The EP said she doesn't think he has ASD but the way he learning language is the way ASD children learn language. She couldn't give me a prognosis so I live in wait.

Does anyone else have a child who was language delayed at 3-4 and did the gap between them and their peers ever close? Has anyone been living so desirously for years that their child learn to talk properly, and then had it happen? I will be the happiest girl alive if it happens.

Everything I've read suggests that language delays under 3 are not serious and children are likely to catch up, but what happens to the children who haven't caught up at 3?

This is all affecting my mental health so badly and I've relapsed into an eating disorder I was meant to have recovered from.

How much progress has he made in the last ten months?

My ds is 4.2 and has a speech and language delay, its been very slow progress since he spoke his first unclear words around 3 and now he is using 6 word sentences albeit not all words are clear yet.

Hi Mummy, thank-you for replying. It sounds like your DS has made fantastic progress, it doesn't seem slow over 14 months. Ten months ago my DS was putting the odd 2 words together in a descriptive way, i.e. 'red car'. Then around six months ago he started with ''I want...', and 'mummy come here' etc. Now we are probably on 3-5 length sentences but he never can answer my questions unless something very factual like 'what colour is...' or 'how many...' It's this that's stressing me out no end, I'm just desperate for a two way conversation.
Please can I ask, what are you doing to help your DS along?

My DS is nearly 6 and has ASD and a language disorder.

I couldn't really have a conversation with him until he was nearly 5. I used to wonder if it would ever happen like you did.

His speech is now probably at the level of a 3-4 year old. However, actually getting his to engage in conversation is quite often like pulling teeth. He will often just ignore you, or reply with a raspberry, or not answer your question but say something entirely random. Talking and listening is really tiring for him so he tends to shut down if it's too much.

He still struggles with talking about the past and future, so I rarely know what has done at school unless it is written in his communication book.

He is also very echolalic so will just use the nearest phrase he has to hand - which doesn't always fit - and can sound odd, although I'm used to it and understands what he means.

Sounds like he's making progress! we have monthly speech therapy (private) which takes place in nursery and 1-1 support (LEA funded) at nursery to practice the speech therapy targets.

I suspect its just a slow gradual road but they will get there - I'm super happy that my DS can now let me know what he wants or when it hurts.

The expressive language delay does not sound very concerning, 3-5 word sentences for a 3YR old does not sound that delayed. However, a receptive language delay would be more concerning. However, autism is not a 'language disorder' but a social communication disorder so if autism is present there will be many other and more reliable signs by 3YRs old that do not involve language. Language is a very very small subset of communication.

The way children with ASD learn language can be different to how NT children learn language - they often process language in gestaltstyle which is a top down way of learning language (learning and attaching meaning to whole phrases rather than individual words). This might be what your SALT is commenting on, although this learning style may also be present in children without ASD, I'm not sure.

Hi

My son is 3.5 and doesn’t say a single word we was due to go back to see paediatrician yesterday but he cancelled last minute, I’m worried he will never talk and I’m sure he will be going down the asd pathway, it’s a constant worry every day really makes me sad that he could never talk

X

Hi i am in a similar position i was wondering if ypu had any updates

@dawny30xx my dd is 3.7 years old, and hasn’t said a single word how is your little one now?

Hello!!

My son is just over 5.5 now and still non verbal still waiting for an asd diagnosis! Covid slowed it all down! He is in a mainstream school and copes very well and is making lots of improvement he is really good with his pecs cards! He can talk I’ve heard his voice he sings most off the time and his speech isn’t very clear! But he now points and uses gestures which he would have never had before! The biggest thing I get hung up over is his speech I’m so worried he will never talk especially as he is 6 in March! It’s all such a worry but with the right help in place I do believe they can progress my son has an ehcp!

Dawn x

@dawny30xx in a similar position , would love to hear how your LO is doing nearly two years on x