Speech delay or possible signs of autism

[TNL]

Hello

I am looking for any advise from any ASD parents or anyone with experience with autism in young children

my daughter is 27 months , has a speech delay and has I would say around 10 words she uses constantly but is not able to string any sentences together yet . She’s improving but no ‘ rush of words ‘ yet . Hearing test came back fine .

I have been worried sick and blaming myself for this and researching all aspects of what could be causing this , unfortunately you can’t make your child speak and I know she will get there eventually. The other concern is that she could have autism . I have asked family members whom do not think she’s showing signs but I can’t help but wonder . She engages well with imaginary play and definitely doing more in the last few months , she will point to things she wants or finds exciting, she will bring things to me that she wants me to open or play with , she wouldn’t initiate play with me but is happy for me to joint her . She’s my first so very independent and will happily play on her own but will he happy for people to join. She’s very engaging with her baby brother and will often want to feed him his milk or play with him . Very smiley and genuinely happy little girl . Very friendly and outgrowing towards Everyone . Her tantrums aren’t bad or prolonged . She lines things up and will run in a circle but not in a ritualistic way and is not upset if you disrupt this . She is able to be in loud settings such as soft plays and shops without a problem . The concerns I have are this ; 1) she will not always respond to her name , especially if she is focused on something else . If you call her from across the road or when she’s not distracted she will look at me 2) when pointing at things she won’t necessarily look for my reaction so I was concerned about this from a joint attention point of view .

sorry for a long post but just desperate for some insight or advise !

thank you !

She sounds normal to me. My 3 year old has got no words at all. She's only just turned 2 so I bet she'll probably start saying more before you know it. Hopefully some parents of autistic children will tell you the same

Sounds completely normal to me.

If she is pointing and engages in pretend play, she will be fine.

That is a bit of a speech delay. Does she have speech and language therapy or is on the waiting list? Nobody can diagnose her on the internet (or reassure you that she will definitely "be fine" tbh) and she may not have autism but could have a developmental language disorder or verbal dyspraxia for example - or none of these and just have a speech delay. You really need a speech and language therapist to point you in the right direction though!

How would your DD react if you used a toy 'wrong' - so pretending that a toy kitchen is a mountain and getting the dolly to mountaineer up it, rather than cook pretend food on it? How is she with letting you steer the game or does it need to be the same every time? There's a lot more nuance than just "pretend play or none" and again you'd need a specialist.

Every child is different but FWIW my autistic DD was showing a lot more signs, and more obvious signs, by 27 months - which might be reassuring to you.

Hi, just FYI what you are describing is a language delay rather than a speech delay. Speech refers to the sounds we make when we are talking and language is about the words, vocabulary etc we use. Not being pedantic, but worth knowing in case you get to referral stage for your child. Many children have this 'silent period' where there is lots going in, before the output starts. I see many worried parents at this stage and then 6 months later they child is chatting away. Take the pressure off and don't bombard with questions. Comment on what you are doing when for example 'im cutting the apple and putting it on your plate, yum yum!' rather than holding up the apple and saying 'what's this?' Have a look on the speech and language UK website, lots of good tips and parent training on there. If the understanding is good, so if you were to say 'go get your shoes' and she does, then wouldn't worry too much, it will all likely happen within the next 6 months or so.

@TNL thank you for you comment that is very helpful ! She’s on the waitlist for speech and language therapy but like anything there is a long wait . We have been educated ourselves a lot and changed how we are speaking to her like you have commented , she’s picking some things up quick like making sounds when eating or pointing to pictures of food eg omnomnom or animal sounds . She’s picked up some signs but only uses them when she feels like it . I am abit of a worry wort and only want the best for her what ever that looks like . Hard not to compare to others or feel that you have failed in some way

Both my DD’s were late to talk, dd1 was nearly 4, she is autistic but learned to speak very fast once though can be selectively mute. Dd2 was 2.5 and is not autistic but is dyslexic and potentially has ADHD though not diagnosed. Both are adults, successful in their own way

Thank you for your comment ! If I use a toy that isn’t for its intended use she’s not fussed , she’s quite fond of teddys currently and will often walk around with them . We practice my turn and your turn as we are doing some speech stuff with nursery and she again isn’t that botherd . She will try and get her teddy back but she isn’t having a disproportionate reaction , if we play brushing their teeth she will give both to me for my turn and then take them back for hers . She likes to problem solve so I’ve seen her also try and put a toy in a puzzle slot that she can’t find the piece for to see if it will fit . She’s on the waitlist for speech and language but just thought it was worth asking what other peoples experience is as it can feel very isolating

My number one tip is to talk to them a lot, a running commentary about mundane day to day, doesn’t matter they don’t join in and lots of books, phonics readers are particularly good. Once dd1 did decide to speak (I swear she was capable but chose not to) she could already read fluently with a large vocabulary

My number one tip is to talk to them a lot, a running commentary about mundane day to day, doesn’t matter they don’t join in and lots of books, phonics readers are particularly good. Once dd1 did decide to speak (I swear she was capable but chose not to) she could already read fluently with a large vocabulary

My DS4 has a significant speech delay and has been diagnosed as Autistic.

Everything that you’ve said honestly sounds pretty normal to me, with DS the main indicator something was amiss wasn’t his lack of speech it was his lack of understanding. So at 27 months old, if I’d have said “bring mummy the ball” he would have had absolutely no idea what I was talking about and that for me was the main concerns that I had. His speech is much much better now but he still doesn’t reliably use gestures, I have to remind him to wave/ point etc.

Everything sounds pretty normal with your little one but it’s always good to be “in the know” as it were and have it on your radar just incase you have anymore concerns in the future. With DS his autism has become much more obvious the older he gets.

Mum of a non verbal autistic boy. Agree with the last post re understanding. My ds understands well now but didn't at your daughters age. He wouldn't know things like put your shoes on etc. Lining things up and running in circles im familiar with and I know girls can mask better than boys so see what your hv says at her 2 years check and go from there. Could very well just be delayed though. I know a girl who didn't speak until she was 3 and shes fine now at 6

Op, I’m mum to a young man of 33 who is severely autistic (amongst other things) and who was non verbal till he was 8.

There are things in your posts which would concern me but what really stands out is your DC not responding to their name. My son didn’t either and my 11 year old grandson who I was concerned about since he was about a year old didn’t for a long time either. I suspected he was autistic but in the last few months he’s been diagnosed with ADHD.

I know it’s very difficult but it really is a waiting game you’re in the midst of and Im thinking of you.

Hello , thank you :)

her understanding can be difficult for me to interpret . If I say let’s brush your teeth she will go to the bathroom and get her tooth brush but i say bring me your shoes she wouldn’t be able to do that . She would however lift her feet up for me to put them on , when I say let’s go she will go to the frount door . I would say she’s got good understanding as long as the request isn’t too wordy or complicated . She can do point to say for example the picture of the duck but wouldn’t be able to do ‘ bring mummy the book ‘ . She is getting better if not slowly . Hope that makes sence

thank you for you comment that is very helpful ! She’s on the waitlist for speech and language therapy but like anything there is a long wait . We have been educated ourselves a lot and changed how we are speaking to her like you have commented , she’s picking some things up quick like making sounds when eating or pointing to pictures of food eg omnomnom or animal sounds . She’s picked up some signs but only uses them when she feels like it . I am abit of a worry wort and only want the best for her what ever that looks like . Hard not to compare to others or feel that you have failed in some way

Thank you for your comment ! If I use a toy that isn’t for its intended use she’s not fussed , she’s quite fond of teddys currently and will often walk around with them . We practice my turn and your turn as we are doing some speech stuff with nursery and she again isn’t that botherd . She will try and get her teddy back but she isn’t having a disproportionate reaction , if we play brushing their teeth she will give both to me for my turn and then take them back for hers . She likes to problem solve so I’ve seen her also try and put a toy in a puzzle slot that she can’t find the piece for to see if it will fit . She’s on the waitlist for speech and language but just thought it was worth asking what other peoples experience is as it can feel very isolating

Hello :)

this Varys , she does respond to her name if I’m calling her across the street if say in a walk or if I can see her when I’m in the garden and I call her name she will look at me . She won’t if she’s playing or ‘ busy ‘ . It’s not either yes or no as I can vary

her understanding can be difficult for me to interpret . If I say let’s brush your teeth she will go to the bathroom and get her tooth brush but i say bring me your shoes she wouldn’t be able to do that . She would however lift her feet up for me to put them on , when I say let’s go she will go to the frount door . I would say she’s got good understanding as long as the request isn’t too wordy or complicated . She can do point to say for example the picture of the duck but wouldn’t be able to do ‘ bring mummy the book ‘ . She is getting better if not slowly . Hope that makes sence

From what you’ve described, her understanding sounds ok for her age I think. My DS2 is also 27months at the moment and his speech is pretty good and I would say his understanding and ability to follow instruction sounds very similar to your daughter. He would be able to bring me something if I asked for it but that’s the only difference really.

When I say DS1 lacked any understanding, it was everything, he didn’t recognise any words, he didn’t know what objects were who people were etc. There were no words he understood at that age at all, he wouldn’t have been able to point to anything in a book for example.

Also for what it’s worth, his speech has developed massively between the ages of 2 and 4, he understands what I’m saying now, can follow instructions and talk to me, he is still learning to form sentences on his own but communication is so much easier. His understanding is still behind peers of his age but he is always learning and will get there in his own time.

Have you got an upcoming HV review? We’ve just had the forms through for DS2 so they might hopefully give you an indication of where she is at the moment developmentally and a time to discuss your concerns with the health visitor.

It is possible that your dd maybe autistic so something to be aware of and keep an eye on as it can sometimes present more subtly in girls but I personally wouldn’t be hugely concerned at this time. If you have your review with the health visitor you can ask them to check back in after 3 months or so to see how she’s doing/ if there’s any further intervention needed.

Thank you so much this is super helpful and reassuring! Yeah I asked for our review to be brought forward , she’s completely on track for absolutely everything apart from the speech and communication section . I spoke to her HV last week and touched on autism and she reported based on her interactions with my daughter she would feel that would be something to consider yet . Nursery haven’t mentioned anything either and we have been working closely with them as they give us weekly speech homework for her . I will keep an eye for sure , I’m just desperate to hear what she has to say about the world and she’s very comical but I know it will come in time ❤️

DS2 was under SLCN for some years, he now has an autistic/ADHD diagnosis (but is at uni studying MEng - masters in mechanical engineering). His speech delay did mean that teachers in MS made assumptions about his understanding of language and his intelligence. The school arranged EP because they suspected learning difficulty only to find his IQ was ‘genius’ level.

I used baby signing but should have continued to use signing until DS2 could express himself verbally.

Hi @TNL hows your little one getting on? Similar situation with my 24 month old but we have no words in context yet, plenty of babbling though! I’ve always found these forums reassuring that you’re not alone!

My child had only 4 words till 27months.
He is 29months now and already uses sentences "give me, its mine", " mummy wants to play ", etc.
Not Autistic....