Been suggested by someone running a family centre my DS is autistic

[cheesemonster]

Hi,
Today I was up our local childrens centre & the lady who ran it urged my DS into the creche to play with others. He didnt want to go & got very upset- no big deal as he thouhgt he was staying with me for a drink & cake. Later he went in & played happily but whe I was leaving she asked if he had been tested for autism as she thought his speech was very slow & he screamed & pointed at stuff he wanted rather than asking for it.
He is 2.5 years old, his speech is slightly "behind" however he has lots of words & sentences he uses- when he wants! I have never been over worried by it as he chats away in his own language to most people, plays with others really well, has great eye contact etc. He is not used to being left so isnt keen on it.
I felt really really angry that this woman who has no experience made such a judgement & suggestion but then she has got me really worried.
Any ideas?

You are right to be angry. Diagnosing a child as autistic is difficult for a consulant paediatrian and certainly a childcare worker could not tell if a child is autisic. (Whatever NQV she might have)

It really annoys me this assuming a child is autisic just because their speech is a bit delayed. My son had delayed speech because of glue ear.

The fact that your son communicates by gesture as well as using sentences is quite normal at his age.

He's only 2.5!!!! Gosh i can't believe the lady said that. he sounds like he's got lots of great interpersonal skills and i would be more worried if he was happy to be left at that age if not used to it!!
What are her qualifications? maybe it would be worth finding out as if she is saying that sort of thing to people frequently she could be causing all sorts of worry unnecessarily.

Ignore her. Sounds like a jobsworth to me.

I agree with cornsilk, just ignore her.

She shouldn't be dishing out stuff like that, ignorant woman.

Thanks for the support. I am normally so confident & would walk off & think you how an you make a judgement on my son so quickly without knowing anything but I was just shocked today.

Ignore, Ignore. Highly irresponsible of her. I hope your OK

there are a few other things to consider. the autistic spectrum comprises several dificulties (i won't call them syndroms, couse some of them are not actually that). but don't ignore a warning sign, rather check it and make sure THAT IT IS NOT the issue. 2.5 is not too early to diagnose nowadays, and the earlier the better. don't refuse you child the support you could give him and as early as possible.

if you feel his speech is ok then dont worry yourself unless you have concerns

my ds at 2 was hardly speaking he pointed he interacted with adults his eye contact was good when speaking to him but when he answered his eyes flitted away couldn't hold contact

he was dx at 2.6 although wasn't finalised until 3 properly

he didnt interact with other children he did like to watch though

but the speech if he is putting sentences together then i wouldn't be worried but you say talks in his own language my ds did this too i'm not saying your ds has autism but i think maybe it could be worth checking the speech out if you have concerns as its so hard to get on SALT lists if it turns out you dont need it its much easier to come off then go on

he should have range of 50 words and starting to put 2 word sentences together at this age

obviously dont want you to think ASD but possibly may have delayed speech and for anything early intervention is best

in a way i kind of like that she was concerned enough to say something as my ds was dismissed by everyone his a boy his slow dont worry he'll catch up if id listened goodness knows where he'll be now his come along way with the help

I think she was very brave to ask you this .... but as awful as it sounds, the first person to ask me about my ds was an elderly lady working in a mum & toddler group. He is 6yo now and dx ADHD, which is considered to be on the 'spectrum' (and they are not called syndromes, but rather disorders, which I equally dislike). I agree that any dx on a child with any ASD or other behaviour issue takes more than one professional, many assessments and time. 2.5 is not too young to dx some of these and language delay is often one of the first signs there may be a problem.

Having said all that, you are his mum and you will know in your heart if there is anything 'different' about your ds.

"she asked if he had been tested for autism as she thought his speech was very slow & he screamed & pointed at stuff he wanted rather than asking for it."

Did you asked if she had been tested on her knowledge of autism? as far as I'm aware pointing is one of those little things that doctors first check when checking a child for autism.

I was a late talker and I used to point. My son was a late talker too. I think there is an awful lot more to autism. Talk to your GP or practice nurse or health visitor and let them reassure you.

'I felt really really angry that this woman who has no experience made such a judgement & suggestion' .... why would you feel angry? She didn't make a judgment, she was suggesting you might want to go and check on your child. Would you rather have ppl telling you all is fine, no matter what? after all the ppl in schools are there to help your kid; even if they are not specialists, you might want to just listen to what they have to say and make your own judgment afterwards ...

cheesemonster,

it's really good that he points. Is he using the index finger too? If you have any concerns, perhaps start a new thread. But the other key point is his understanding of language.

Erm, Joburg, I think the OP is angry because a complete stranger took it upon herself to suggest in public that the OP's son has a lifelong pervasive developmental condition that affects the quality of interpersonal relationships?

It happened to me with my DS1 at 21 months so I understand (he's fine btw).