Oh bugger

[Jimjams]

Just come across this definition

NON VERBAL AUTISM
limited or no spontaneous language by age 5.
motor planning issues.
inappropriate behaviours
limited use of gestures
understand more than they can say
distractable with short attention span.

oh well that's it- it's official then

bugger bugger bugger bugger

Always knew age 5 was important. I've been going on about it for ages. Bugger.

Think someone's been watching ds1 to come up with that definition.

{{{{{hugs JJ{}}}}}

Life's a b*h - I know the feeling well.

Thinking of you.

I'm ok really dottee - thanks though. I think the last 6 months has been a slow case of acceptance really. Not helped by ds2 just steaming streets ahead (although obviously mightily pleased he is). Just made the difference so much more obvious.

My heart did sink on his 5th birthday..... Always been my cut off......

Oh Jimjams- that must have been horrid to read.

Really don't want to be pollyannaish but...

...they left off:

*gorgeous
*coping in mainstream school
*using pecs to communicate
*engaging a whole community of women with his washing machine obsession

so they obviously weren't watching ds1 closely enough.

Hugs.

And you realise that gap's going to get bigger and life's going to go on without an instant solution as Fairy Godmothers don't really exist.

Oh poo! I'm off on one now
!

(((hugs))) jimjams.

I had always heard that it was 7 and that is the age I've heard quoted for NT kids learning a foreign language more easily. I do believe that the jury's still out on what can be achieved as kids get "older" and the thinking is always changing. Have you seen the Eikseth study on ABA for "older" children? (I think up to age 7, hardly older!)here

oh well thanks for that jimjams my daughter will mmost probably be officially non-verbal soon too

really does it matter? I know its a real PITA but at the end of the day the most important thing is that they are making process. However small the steps and however long the process they are getting there. I know it frustrates us but it must frustrate our little ones more

{{{{hugs to you all, and you dottee{}}}}}

should have said making progress NOT making process!

jimjams - I know someone whose autistic daughter didn't start to speak till she was over 6. She was completely non-verbal up till then. I know its hard for you though, do you hang on hoping ...or accept it....as obviously all children are different.

Great to hear your dd2 is doing well though. My dd is still quite far behind and I am getting concerned, not that she is autistic but that she may have a language disorder but then again it is rare to have the language disorder alone... sorry didn't mean to hog the thread. How are you feeling with the pregnancy if I may ask here?

Jimjams - can't think of anything to say except crap cliches like 'every child is unique' etc....

I think the 'hope v acceptance' thing is one of the hardest things about being the mum of a child with SN - I constantly swing from one to the other.

7 aha! Hope springs eternal . I just keep thinking about the boy my friend met who started talking at 14

I think the problem is Fio I don't feel like he is getting there in language at all. I don't think his language ability has changed since he was 15 months old. It's like it just stopped dead. Not so bothered about actual speech but would love for receptive langauge to be hammered into him. Just finding it frustrating when absolutely nothing seems to work.

Don't want to go all 'pollyanna' on you, but as I've posted before a friend of mine's son went from no language to fluent almost overnight. Kids wil ASD are real individuls when it comes to learning, as you already know.

oh jimjams, life's s**t.

YOur ds1 sounds so gorgeous, so loving and cuddly. I don't know if you want to hear any more late talker stories, if not just don't read on.

If you do, remember that mother I met on the ferry last year - I talked about her sons on mumsnet?
Anyway, both her sons were autistic. They were running around with my yountest son. Her oldest was nearly 6 years old and seemed to me to be talking absolutely fine, thought he echoed what I said sometimes. I was amazed to hear from the mother that he hadn't spoken at all till he was well over 5 years old, then he picked it up very quickly.

((hugs))