Worried about my 2 year old

[zeenat26]

Hi my daughter turns 2 next week. She has no speech but has just started counting to 10 and saying a bit of the alphabet. She doesn’t engage with her older brother who’s almost 4 who also had speech delay didn’t speak until 3 but he had understanding, where as she has no understanding. She doesn’t want to play with him or anyone at nursery. When younger her eye contact was fine but she doesn’t like to make much anymore. It’s gotten a lot better with interventions. She sometimes responds to her name and is very clingy to me. She doesn’t pretend play but only fills and empties baskets with toys e.g with pencil colours or any object but has to be many of them. She has started building towers with blocks after repeating this activity with her nearly everyday for weeks. Help? Advice? Thanks

Hi @zeenat26

My DD is 5 and has just recently been diagnosed with ASD. We noted similar concerns with her regarding her lack of interest in peers, repetitive play, speech delay and repetitive speech.

You have raised several concerns regarding your DD and I think your best course of action is to speak to your health visitor or GP regarding your concerns, they will be best placed to advise on the next steps you should take and can make a referral for autism assessment if it is required.

Wishing you luck, I have found these boards to be invaluable throughout my journey to DD’s diagnosis, they provide excellent advice and support. 💐 x

Thankyou for your reply! Nursery have already started early help and referrals I just need to go to the GP for hearing assessment. Can I just ask if your little one eventually did speak and understand? If she is in mainstream school and how she progressed? I’ve never posted on here just read others with similar stories to my oldest son but I haven’t found a post similar to my daughters hence why I posted. I appreciate your advice x

@Thatsnotevenmyusername Thankyou for your reply! Nursery have already started early help and referrals I just need to go to the GP for hearing assessment. Can I just ask if your little one eventually did speak and understand? If she is in mainstream school and how she progressed? I’ve never posted on here just read others with similar stories to my oldest son but I haven’t found a post similar to my daughters hence why I posted. I appreciate your advice x

It is good nursery have already instigated referrals. What support is the nursery providing when DD is there? If they need more funding to providing support in some areas they can apply for early years inclusion funding. In other areas it isn’t available until 3. You could also look at requesting an EHCNA.

If you have Portage in your area and they work with DC already in nursery a referral to them would be a good idea.

My DD talks all day long haha! She never stops! But what she usually talks about are her own likes/interests/wants/needs, she can struggle with reciprocal conversation, doesn’t really ask proper questions but has recently started asking “why” so we are currently in the phase of her asking “why” to every sentence I say. Her speech was always unclear but is becoming much more clear now where others can understand MOST of what she’s saying if it’s in context, however her speech can be repetitive and tangential and she uses a lot of echolalia.

Her understanding is delayed and educational psychology are currently querying moderate learning difficulties due to her cognitive assessments she had for her Statutory Assessment (EHCNA in the uk), the ed psych scored her understanding as less than 3 years old which at 5 years old is a rather significant delay. She is currently in p1 (which I think is the equivalent of reception in the uk) in a mainstream school and now has a 1:1 assistant with her full time to support her in school. Education psychology have raised concerns of her ability to cope in mainstream education and said this needs reviewed on a yearly basis, so we may need to move her to specialist provision sometime in the future but for now we are just focusing on how to best support her in mainstream.

It is all very daunting and I’ve had a really difficult year as DD’s needs became more apparent when she started nursery as she struggled to integrate with the other children, struggled with her fine and gross motor skills, speech and understanding. But things are on the up now as she has her diagnosis, her support in school is in place, she receives ongoing weekly occupational therapy for her fine motor skills and is intermittent therapy for her speech. She even has a little group of friends in school (while she is not that interested in them they absolutely love her!)

She is honestly the sweetest, happiest little girl in the world and we wouldn’t change her for anything. She fills our hearts with pride and our lives with happiness every day!

In your shoes I would ensure all referrals have been made, particularly with SLT and ASD assessments. Look into Makaton if she is unable to communicate verbally. Keep an eye on her fine motor skills too. Arrange play dates with peers if possible. Give her plenty of notice for transitions or changes, no matter how small they may seem to you.

You’ll get into the swing of things with your DD, just ensure she gets all the support she needs x

@Thatsnotevenmyusername aww wow! Sounds like your little one is doing great! She sounds much like my 4 year old. He can also talk for England but mostly repetitive but is now able to say his wants and needs but it was a struggle for a while. He’s been seen by peads and under SALT. I was very worried about him but happy with the small progress but it’s like my worries have started all over again. She doesn’t like to play with her brother unless it’s catch and chase she loves that. At nursery they play outside and big brother loves to engage with her but she’s oblivious which worries me too. I’m a teaching assistant in a primary school and I see children all day and do worry how my children will settle in primary but I can only hope for the best. I don’t know if I’ll be able to deal with both being seen with agencies at all times it’s so stressful! 😣 I’m really hoping she’ll soon be able to start expressing her needs as she doesn’t even point at things. Aaaaah ! Thanks so much for replying I didn’t think I’d get any replies it means the world 🥰🥰🥰