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<p>...I need the opinions and thoughts of those who know a little about speech delay/autism/aspergers/etc...</p>
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<p>Tate is just three. He started speaking at 12 months with the word "light" but few words followed. He is definitely slow to speak, but has used other forms of communication like sign language, crying, pointing, etc. I wouldn't be all that worried, since his doctor who saw him a few months ago wasn't, but at that point, I hadn't realized that he does these things:</p>
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<p>1. When I ask him a question, such as, "Do you want jelly or honey on your sandwich?"...he says, "Jelly or honey." If I ask again, I get the same answer. If I take him the two jars, he'll make the connection and answer with which one he wants.</p>
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<p>2. He seems to exhibit signs of echolalia. He's constantly repeating what his brother says, but I'm not sure if it's a real attempt at communication, or just mimicking his cool older brother, or if it's a real issue.</p>
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<p>3. He doesn't ask questions. Every now and then he might ask, "What's that?" but that's it.</p>
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<p>4. He doesn't have any of the typical autistic signs of social disorder...he's definitely good with eye contact, making friends, playing, etc. </p>
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<p>5. He DOES struggle with messy things on his hands, if his clothes have something spilled on them and are wet, and he hates tags. Of course, this can be just personality, but I'm not sure how to categorize it right now.</p>
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<p>6. He doesn't understand the concept of gender or age, and doesn't use pronouns at all. (eg: "Tate, are you a boy?" "NO, Tate!" "Is Mommy a girl?" "No, MOMMY." "Tate, how old are you?" "Tate." "Tate, are you three years old?" "Tate.")</p>
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<p>I'm not sure if I'm just holding him to a really high standard or not...Ev was SUCH an amazing and totally advanced talker, that it's hard (and sort of not fair) to compare, but I'm not sure what is normal at 3 years old. Ev was talking in complete sentences at 18 months: "Mommy, I go outside now, please," for example. I don't think Tate has ever put more than 4 words together. </p>
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<p>It's getting frustrating for all of us. </p>
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<p>Any thoughts? I'm thinking of having him evaluated by the school system once school starts...or should I just call speech pathology right now? Or should I ask for a consult from a specialist?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tate is just three. He started speaking at 12 months with the word "light" but few words followed. He is definitely slow to speak, but has used other forms of communication like sign language, crying, pointing, etc. I wouldn't be all that worried, since his doctor who saw him a few months ago wasn't, but at that point, I hadn't realized that he does these things:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>1. When I ask him a question, such as, "Do you want jelly or honey on your sandwich?"...he says, "Jelly or honey." If I ask again, I get the same answer. If I take him the two jars, he'll make the connection and answer with which one he wants.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>2. He seems to exhibit signs of echolalia. He's constantly repeating what his brother says, but I'm not sure if it's a real attempt at communication, or just mimicking his cool older brother, or if it's a real issue.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>3. He doesn't ask questions. Every now and then he might ask, "What's that?" but that's it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>4. He doesn't have any of the typical autistic signs of social disorder...he's definitely good with eye contact, making friends, playing, etc. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>5. He DOES struggle with messy things on his hands, if his clothes have something spilled on them and are wet, and he hates tags. Of course, this can be just personality, but I'm not sure how to categorize it right now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>6. He doesn't understand the concept of gender or age, and doesn't use pronouns at all. (eg: "Tate, are you a boy?" "NO, Tate!" "Is Mommy a girl?" "No, MOMMY." "Tate, how old are you?" "Tate." "Tate, are you three years old?" "Tate.")</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm not sure if I'm just holding him to a really high standard or not...Ev was SUCH an amazing and totally advanced talker, that it's hard (and sort of not fair) to compare, but I'm not sure what is normal at 3 years old. Ev was talking in complete sentences at 18 months: "Mommy, I go outside now, please," for example. I don't think Tate has ever put more than 4 words together. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It's getting frustrating for all of us. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Any thoughts? I'm thinking of having him evaluated by the school system once school starts...or should I just call speech pathology right now? Or should I ask for a consult from a specialist?</p>