We are a bit ahead of you in the system OP, so maybe this information will be helpful. My DC now 2.5 is receiving early intervention for developmental delay along with autistic traits. We have been referred for speech therapy, pediatrics, a hearing test, portage and children’s centre contact. Our health visitor has been very good in making sure that all those referrals have been made and we have been in contact with all but SALT but the wait times for audiology are crazy right now. There is also the possibility of an ND referral for autism but we are waiting to gather more evidence to see if that is needed at this stage.
We also hired a private speech therapist who offered to give us an initial consult, and we liked her and her approach, so we paid for some sessions with her to work with our son and try and get the best out of his emerging speech. She gave us some ideas for exercises to do with our son outside of sessions. Flashcards have been great because my son is receptive to correlating images with words. My son is also hyperlexic so literally anything with letters, numbers, shapes, colours are things I can use to engage him. I always make sure I talk very clearly, even loudly sometimes, and one word instructions. He is also very sensory seeking, so tickles, bubbles, cuddles, anticipation, swinging etc are all things that help him regulate, which is so important for his emotional health and wellbeing. I also give him vitamin supplements. I always make sure to do things at his pace and do not try to force anything. And it’s about knowing your own child and trying things out to see what works and what doesn’t.
What I would say however was that whilst I always had the suspicion that my son was not developing typically, which I voiced at his 6 month review, just from my experience a LOT can change between the ages of 1.5 and 2.5, and a lot HAS changed. At 1.5 he was non-verbal and would run and spin around ALL DAY long then have meltdowns cause he was overtired (no matter how much I tried to intervene and help him regulate) and now he is a different boy altogether. He was still developing, just atypically, and hammering the spinning schema!
My son has mellowed out SO much since 1.5 years old. He’s gone from non-verbal to pre-verbal with some words within that time, and with that he has calmed way down. Meltdowns have reduced in frequency and his world has started to open up much more now that he understands more of what’s going on around him along with the understanding of key phrases and simple words. Those years before he turned 2 were honestly super stressful and I had very little idea of what was going on at that time, but I do think the referrals and early intervention are being put in place at the right time for him at this point. At 1.5 he would have been way too young to be receptive enough for speech therapy to have any effect for example. He would not have been ready for nursery at that time either. He just wasn’t ready back then, and I think I need to remember to give myself some grace when it comes to that side of things, I’ve learned that children will only do new things when THEY are ready. Be patient. Work with the child you have.
They also do a more in depth developmental review between ages 2 and 2.5 because that’s the age when specific developmental milestones can indicate better where appropriate referrals can be made where there might be a delay.
One thing I would say is that I chose to have my son attend a setting too, and you do not need an EHCP for any setting to recognise that a child may have additional needs. My sons nursery for example already knew he was SEN before he even attended as they had communication from my health visitor, and we will all have a meeting when he turns 3 about the next steps for him. He seems more than happy to be around other children at the moment and so I don’t have too many worries about him attending school, but we are still in the early days and we take it as it comes. It’s sometimes hard to see others his age doing what seem like super advanced things when compared to my own child, but I have now got to the point where I try to focus my energy on my child and no one else’s. Typical development is also not a sign that a child will turn into a well-functioning adult. Remember that.
You could always ring your local health visiting service and voice your concerns and ASK them to log your concerns down. Also the local children’s centre have tried to accommodate us pretty well too so worth contacting one if you haven’t already done so. All children’s centre activities should be free of charge. We book out the sensory room there and my son just enjoys exploring.