Seeking Advice - Hamilton, OH

Not to freak you out- I just saw a study that looked at children with delayed speech that were labeled "Autistic". When the MD ran an EEG (a test that looks at the spike and wave of your brain) They realized some of these kids were having mini seaizures that could not be detected by the human eye- not the big tonic-clonic ones that everyone thinks about when they hear epilepsy or seizure disorder, but tiny seaizures you would never know they were having. Once the kids were started on an AED, their speech developed normally as did other social/developmental functions. See a pediatric neurologist at children's, there are many wonderful doctors there. Best of luck. Email back if you need any further information.

Your story sounds almost exactly identical to mine. Our daughter began speech therapy at Children's at 18 months and did some programming through Help Me Grow, and her developmental pediatrician didn't really think it was autism. My daughter is now almost five and has been officially diagnosed with autism. She's lovely, as I'm sure your son is, but I'm going to tell you what I wish someone had told me -- ask your developmental pediatrician to refer you for an autism screening now. We held off and missed out on opportunities to get some really specific and intensive therapies while she was younger, which can be paid for with a $20,000 Autism Scholarship through the State of Ohio. I think we were hesitant to "label" our daughter too early, but we were thinking about it the wrong way -- giving your child extra therapy won't "make" him autistic. It can only help; even if your son is just a little behind, having therapy will only enrich his life.

I hope this was helpful. Good luck to you -- God bless.

Be diligent and get as many opinions as you need for your fears to be addressed BUT realize that they could very well be right, and your son could be fine. I went through this with my daughter, now 5.5 years old and perfect, lol. She didnt speak at all till after her first birthday, not even teh gurgles and coos of infant hood, she did not roll over, hold her head up, follow noises sit or crawl untill after a year either, so we really thought something was wrong, she saw speak therapists and had her hearing checked and everything else that you are going through, and they couldnt tell me what was wrong, and they told me they couldn't test for autism till she was 3 or older. we still don't know what caused it, i like to blame her immunizations, which i stopped at 6 months, but we don't really know, but she is fine now, she caught up practically overnight, and she still has her things, but i think it's just her and not so much something being wrong or different. every child really does develop a thier own rate. something to look into though if you haven't already, check for lead or mercury poinsoning, and iron levels and his hearing. best of luck.

Hello D., I would hold off on the alternatives to your sons speech delay. I have a son, hes 5 now, but he recieved speech therapy from first steps from about 18 mo's until he was three. He did not so much as utter a word until he was three. The speech therapy helped, but I think that some children just naturally go through this. I know the develepmental milestones say otherwise, but that is soley based on "the average" child. As any mother knows children are complete individuals. Now that my son is 5, he is right up there with the rest of them. I hope this is helpful!

It is always good to get a second opinion!

jo

My story with my daughter is VERY similar. We started the process at 13 months and still have no diagnosis and no speech with multiple delays, my daughter turned 6 on Wed the 14th. She does not fall into the Autism spectrum due to her social skills. It sounds lke your son is in the same boat. The good news is that being mom to a special needs child is so rewarding. I would not change my daughter for anything other than to make her life easier. On the flip side, you have to battle for your son. He sill get lost in the shuffle at Children's. They do great work but you wait sooooooo long fo reach appointment only to be told nothing and go on to the next specialist or test. DOn't let it get you down. Keep working at it! My daughter really enjoys the Baby Bumble Bee vocab builder DVDs. They are kind of pricey but she has has gotten a lot of enjoyment from them. Not to say that your son will never talk, just like I can't say that my daughter never will talk, but she has her ways. We do some sign, picture exchange, we get partial words here and there and a lot of "guidance" from her. She will take us to the item she desires or the food that she wants and place our hand on what she is wanting. We then say the name of the item for her several times and attempt to get at least the first hard sound of the word from her. It has been a long road and we will keep traveling it with her. Just prepare yourself for a lot of repetition and FUN! Don't get down and never stop fighting, now your rights, use your resources. That is the best advice I can give to someone who is in a similar boat. Good Luck!