Autism or slow development due to lockdown

[Veryworriedbehaviour]

Hiya, after reading all about autism on the internet (I know big no no) I’m now overly worried my DD might be autistic and not getting enough support. She’s 29 months and has very limited speech. Up until April this year she had glue ear and recurring ear infections. She had a hearing test a few weeks ago which came back all clear from the glue ear and we’re due to see the consultant again next week. She will engage with me, her dad and my mum but isn’t very responsive to others. She’s able to follow some simple instructions including sit down, get your shoes and stop (which whenever we tell her to stop she laughs). She’s beginning to say more single words like biscuit, juice, okay, bubble and will copy a few things we say like all gone oh dear. She loves to sing nursery rhymes and will look at us to get us to sing too. She’s recently transitioned from a cot to her bed and a new bedroom without any issues. She’s not great at responding to her name we have to shout to get her to look especially when she’s doing something. She will bring toys to us to show us what she has and will sometimes look if we point to something. She really isn’t keen on her little brother and acts as if he’s not there but will give him a kiss if we ask her to and will also tickle his feet in the bath. I feel like I’ve let her down as I really struggled with PND after having her brother. We also spent a lot of time isolated due to covid as I’m classed as clinically vulnerable. She does a lot of hand leading but if I ask her if she’d like a drink she’ll find her cup and give it to me. She loves cuddles and kisses but is still very unsure if family members try to give her a cuddle. She only saw a health visitor for her 2 year check due to COVID and hasn’t seen one before or since. She babbles a lot and has very fleeting attention. Sorry for long post just looking for some advice on what to do. Thanks

Try the m-chat assessment online (Google it) and speak to your HV. A mother's instincts are often right about these things so I would certainly seek some advice.

I’ve done the assessment which has shown she got a score of 6 which is medium. I’ve spoken to a HV when she had her 2 year check who said she’d write to the paediatrician but chances are they won’t see her yet she also said it’s the same with S&L. I’ve booked to see the doctor about my concerns and the earliest appointment I could get was mid October. Just feel like as she can do some things but not everything she’s not behind enough to be seen straight away and again is being pushed back. She’s starting pre school in a few weeks so hopefully they’ll be able to help.

The pre school will definitely help you to build up evidence, and their support will be really helpful. It would be good to be open with them about your suspicions from the start and ask for their help, meet the SENCo, etc. However, there is no reason why she shouldn't be seen sooner by SLT. Unfortunately, parents do have to push a lot. If she's scoring medium that suggests that she is likely to need support and that may well lead to a diagnosis in the future. Best of luck.

OP this sounds very much like my son. Sometimes I'm really worried about him and convinced something is 'wrong' and then sometimes he seems absolutely fine and I think he's just a typical 2 year old.

What is interesting is that I know so many children around this age who are exactly the same and I've got talking to so many mums whilst out and about who have the same concerns. Is it covid? Are there suddenly lots more toddlers showing autism signs? I really don't know

Just to add my son had severe glue ear as well so v v similar

I spoke to the GP yesterday who wasn’t overly concerned but has referred her to the paediatrician. I will keep this thread updated with everything that they say and think. I just hope she gets the support she needs.

Hi OP. Our little girl is 3 next month and we've had exactly the same concerns as you. She also had severe glue ear - we got grommets put in at 18 months and they've only just come out now.

Her speech has caught up a little but shes still quite behind where other children her age are. We've got a consultation with SLT in a few weeks. They werent really too keen on seeing her before she was 3. She uses lots of different words and her pronunciation is so much better but we are concerned that a lot of her sentences sound like scripting or echolalia. Hoping SLT can give us some support on this. They did say when I rang for an assessment date that they are inundated with cases atm due to lockdown.

Shes very sensory - had sensitivity to loud noises for a long time although this is much better now and its only the hand drier that causes us problems - which happens with a lot of toddlers! We were wondering if she was stimming for a while but that seems to have dropped off a lot. Shes still quite "flappy" and likes to stretch a lot when she's tired.

She's fine with transitions and change and isnt really concerned with routine - happy to go with the flow. She does some pretend play but not a lot. I'm not sure she plays with toys very much like others her age seem to.

Our nursery are fab and have her on an individual play plan with three month reviews, but haven't flagged anything major up as yet. We've probed a bit about her interaction with other children but they just say there is such a variety at this age and to wait and see. Family also very much "all toddlers do this" "she will catch up" and "she will do it in her own time" which doesn't always feel very helpful.

Its so hard to know how much to push and how much of this is caused by the glue ear. My instincts tell me something more is going on, but feel like everyone sees something different!

Anyway this has ended up quite long but just wanted to share our experience and some of the things we are keeping an eye on!

It’s just so hard when everyone says different. Yeah I get she’s not great at socialising but is that due to COVID? Or is there something else going on? I can show her photos of different things from animals to vehicles etc and she can correctly tell me what they are and actually says “that’s a bus” etc. She’s not fussed on noises or routine and is fairly happy except when she can’t get her own way then we have a tantrum. She loves to play with grown ups but is very unsure about kids (tho she did give her cousin a big cuddle yesterday) I’m hoping to see the community paediatrician soon to help her get the support she needs whether that be ASD support or just S&L but will definitely keep updating this thread! I just want the best for her.

There's no such thing as 'lockdown delay'... in fact the evidence is that kids who stay with their caregivers until age are actually normally at an advatage against kids in daycare. It sounds like hearing may be playing a part so I'd definitely be pushing to have this tested. It does sound like understanding is quite behind too. My dd could understand quite complex things by age 2. I even have a video clip of her doing the 'don't eat the sweets until I come back' challenge and she understands exactly what she's meant to do (still fails miserably haha) I'd be pushing for assessments as the delay in understanding is more of a concern than the expressive delay tbh. In the meantime all you can really do is spend as much time talking/singing/practicing joint attention as possible. I hope you can sort things x