Autism and developmental concerns

[Elona966]

My daughter is 25 months old and we recently had her 2 year developmental review. She has now been referred for speech therapy, hearing assessment, and what I think was described as a global developmental delay/developmental paediatrics referral (still trying to process all the information).

I’m feeling quite overwhelmed and would really appreciate hearing from parents who’ve had similar experiences — especially if your child was a late talker or had autism concerns at this age.

Some things about her:

• She has very limited functional speech but vocalises/jargons constantly and attempts words
• Says a few words “mama” “bubbles”, can count to 7
• Communicates a lot by leading me by the hand or bringing me objects
• Doesn’t play with other children
• Doesn’t consistently point or respond to her name
• Enjoys pretend play (feeding dolls, brushing hair)
• Memorises hand routines/dances
• Good at puzzles and problem solving
• Eye contact has been improving over time

I think what’s hardest is the uncertainty. Part of me worries about autism, part of me wonders if she may just be delayed socially/verbally and still developing.

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone whose child had a similar profile at 2 — whether they later received an autism diagnosis, caught up developmentally, or were somewhere in between. Mostly just looking for perspective and reassurance while we wait for assessments. ❤️

How is her understanding? Can she follow instructions, like go and get your shoes, or can you bring the bear to mummy? Can she identify body parts? Point to the right number/colour?

I’m interested in why you ask this @anxiouslywaiting8as my DC2 could do all of those things but didn’t talk until 3.

edited because of a typo.

Is your daughter autistic?

Yea.

Typically if it’s just a speech delay/speech disorder then the child will only be delayed in actually speaking words but they will be able to communicate with gestures, and they will be able to fully understand everything that is being said to them. So they can follow instructions, point to things like colours, animals when asked etc

Usually children with autism will be delayed in both areas. They may have issues with understanding the language, such as following instructions or using gestures to communicate.

If a child understands and uses gestures appropriately then it’s more likely a speech delay rather than something like autism.

Interesting that you say your daughter didn’t speak till 3 but was able to understand everything being said to her etc it but every child presents slightly differently with autism. Was your daughter’s diagnoses delayed because she was understanding everything and using gestures?

Not understanding language at that age is a red flag, so if OP's child can follow instructions and can do gestures then it would point towards more of a general speech delay rather than autism.

It is a red flag but ASD is a spectrum and some DC can follow instructions easily, be non-verbal and still have ASD. My concerns were dismissed so many times. Firstly by the GV who wasn’t concerned because DC2 could understand and follow instructions then by the school who didn’t understand masking. So being able to understand and follow instructions does not rule out ASD.

Yes it is a spectrum and no two people will present the same, but generally being able to follow instructions and doing gestures correctly, pointing, waving, etc whilst also recognising body parts/numbers/colours when asked shows a great level of language understanding that most autistic toddlers would not have.

What concerns did you have about your daughter, and is she able to verbally communicate now?