Teachers, parents, grandparents...

Colby · Jul 27, 2010

...I need the opinions and thoughts of those who know a little about speech delay/autism/aspergers/etc...
 
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:
 
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.
 
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.
 
3. He doesn't ask questions. Every now and then he might ask, "What's that?" but that's it.
 
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. 
 
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.
 
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.")
 
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. 
 
It's getting frustrating for all of us. 
 
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?

altoids · Jul 27, 2010

Colby, I wouldn't wait until school. If there is a problem, you don't want to delay intervention.
 
 I'm not sure what other type of specialist you'd check with, but I think getting an evaluation of his language development would be a very good start. Some of that sounds a bit off for a 3 year old. It may well be within normal limits, but I would get it checked if it were my child.

OldBaldHippie · Jul 27, 2010

if he is three, then for sure request a speech eval by the school...I wished I knew someone in Richardson, but start with the special ed dept....I googled and this looks like the special ed dept:
 
 
<table border="0" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="A_Paragraph_Text" style="width:52%;">Special Student Services</td>
<td class="A_Paragraph_Text">469-593-7500</td>
</tr></tbody></table> 
a speech eval would be a good start...then keep in touch with me...I know people in private practice if you can't get a good answer...the school eval will be free though...oh yes, and call now and get the paperwork started...school is going to start soon anyway...and it will take a little while to get the referral processed...

OldBaldHippie · Jul 27, 2010

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oops...meant to edit, not quote myself...

altoids · Jul 27, 2010

Good idea, when my kids were little, school services weren't available that early. My point is don't delay in getting an eval.

wherestheportojohn · Jul 27, 2010

Colby,
If it is available in your public school system, please arrange to have the Early Childhood screener evaluation:
 
speech & language
OT/PT
psych
 
They may say that placement in EC is a great gateway into seeing progress thru professionals' eyes....he would receive services from all of the above programs if placed.
 
(In my district, kids are admitted as early as age three....it is a pre-k program)
 
~*~best of luck~*~

4boysmom · Jul 27, 2010

Yah, I'd have him checked out.

jebba · Jul 27, 2010

My friend has a child with a spectrum disorder. They went through a number of evals and tests. At one point, his IQ was assessed as borderline mentally retarded, and then another time, it was assessed at the high end of normal intelligence. In any case, once they got the diagnosis, they started a comprehensive program of occupational therapy, and it has worked wonders.
 
[edited to remove completely unnecessary comentary about my own kids]
 
Good luck, Colby. You and Mr Colby are great parents. Tate and E are lucky to have you.

ToddEP · Jul 28, 2010

All great answers. 
 
Hippie and Porty are much more professional than I am. They and others are spot on in getting Tate tested and evaluated as early as possible. It will make all the difference.
 
Kenyan...are ya going to chime in here too?

maccabeth · Jul 28, 2010

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<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by ToddEP <a href="/forum/thread/69144/teachers-parents-grandparents#post_1927215"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a> 
Kenyan...are ya going to chime in here too?
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I think today is his moving day, so he may not be around.
 
Just speaking as a teacher, I would agree with the others that say to go ahead and get him eval'd. If it *is* nothing, then better to know now and not continue worrying, right? Good luck, Colby.

the kenyan · Jul 28, 2010

Contact the director of special ed/student services/whatever it is in your district and request an eval. May as well do it ASAP to get things in motion before things get backed up with the new school year. Speech&Language is a good place to start, and they'll know where to go from there if needed. It'll provide definitive answers and get him set up with an early intervention plan if needed, and at the very least, bring you some peace of mind. 
 
PreK is hardly my age range of expertise, but there are multiple language disorders that could be accounted for that dont necessarily imply a diagnosis of autism. I think one of the biggest challenges for parents is trying to decipher what's *developmentally* normal from what's not. Having had another child who by all accounts was very advanced certainly makes this more difficult. That said, he could be developmentally lagging or there could be something more there- it's all up in the air at age 3. An evaluation will help to bring you these answers. 
 
Other questions to ponder might be:
 
1) have you seen any trends toward improvement?
2) does he not have much of a vocabulary or just choose not to use it?
3) does he appear to exhibit normal peer relations?
4) does he appear to exhibit normal play patterns?
5) does he like to be touched/held?
 
I've got to check out of this middle of nowhere-ness and drive 8 hours to missouri, but I'll try to check in again before the end of the week.

Colby · Jul 28, 2010

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<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by the kenyan <a href="/forum/thread/69144/teachers-parents-grandparents#post_1927320"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a> 
An evaluation will help to bring you these answers.
 
Other questions to ponder might be:
 
1) have you seen any trends toward improvement?
2) does he not have much of a vocabulary or just choose not to use it?
3) does he appear to exhibit normal peer relations?
4) does he appear to exhibit normal play patterns?
5) does he like to be touched/held?
 
 
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Thanks, Kenyan! Those are good things...I'll try to answer as best I can...
 
1. He DOES show improvement, although, it requires a lot of work. One thing that has been difficult for him is to use words that begin with the letter S plus another consonant. So, words like snow, snake, and stop are hard. But he can say see, say, sit...so the S plus a vowel is OK. Yesterday, I got him to say snake properly many times, but then when I added another word in front, like green snake, he was back to saying "green nake" instead of snake. When he was younger, he put the S at the end, so that snow was "nows" and snake was "nakes". 
 
2. He has a good vocabulary, I think. He knows all of his colors, can count to 12, and can identify some letters of the alphabet. He knows all of the animals and what they say, he knows his body parts. He's great at showing emotion, either happy, angry or sad, but doesn't identify the emotion with the word...which, I think that is normal.
 
3. He plays really well with other children, but better with his cousins and people he knows. Otherwise, he is a little shy at the beginning until things warm up. His best buddy is his big brother, and he tends to prefer kids Everett's age, as opposed to kids his own age.
 
4. He plays well with toys, and loves to take things apart. Not good at putting them back together yet. He pretend plays really well, and will do things like: pretend to be a turtle egg that is hatching, or hold a car and make it a "flying car"...he builds blocks and legos just fine, but hates puzzles.
 
5. He is extremely affectionate. He loves to be held and hugged and kissed. He has always been that way.
 
??? Does his help anyone??
 
I've got a lead on a great speech therapist, thanks to OBH, and I"ll call her this morning.
 
Oh, one other thing I thought of that might affect his speech: He has used his blankie as a means of comfort since he was 4 months old by sucking on it. I know, disgusting, right? I just took it away a week ago, so he's not sucking on anything anymore. But, the result of that is that his front teeth exhibit a pretty significant overbite. ??
 
Ok, you guys. Y'all are the best. Thanks for helping me parse through this stuff. I'll be glad to either not worry and know he's OK, or just start something that will help.

S

Litchfield Hills · Jul 28, 2010

BTW - get in touch with the schools for an appointment NOW - once school starts, scheduling is much more difficult (my wife is an OT and does a lot of early intervention stuff).

Colby · Jul 28, 2010

I will get in touch today! 
 
Oh, and a few other Tate factors...if anyone is reading!

He was 7 weeks premature, and slept for the first 6 months of his life. I mean, 20 out of 24 hours a day. 
He has ginormous tonsils and always has. They do get infected quite often.
He has perfect hearing; we've already had that tested.
 
So, there's that.

S

Stitcher · Jul 28, 2010

Hey Colby....
 
You're on the right track.
 
It's been awhile since I was in public schools, but from what I remember, speech irregularieties (especially with "S" sounds) are developmentally normal up to age 8 at times. 
 
My youngest niece was significantly speech delayed as compared to her siblings. BUT, both of her siblings had had mom's attention almost exclusively when they were learning to talk. There are 5.5 years between the first two, and 2 yrs + 2 days between the 2nd two. 
 
C (youngest) didn't HAVE to talk.....her sisters did it for her. It wasn't until she was turning 4 that she gave her own opinion about something to my mom, and that was about birthday cake. 
Mom: Do you want pink with pink sprinkles too? (fully expecting the normal nod and "uh huh")
C: No, Nanny, I pweefuh (prefer) bwoo (blue). 
 
Now....going into first grade......all the other kids do what C says. "I just have the best ideas."
 
But, if you're worried or concerned defnitely go ahed with the eval. 
 
Because, if he's just developing differently than his older bro, but is still within the typical range.....your mind will be at ease.
If there is a true developmental concern, you will have a place to start.
 
And, even if he is in the typical range, you might still get some ideas to help him along from the folks that you see.
 
One last thing, if you think his dental issues are contributing to this, you might also want to make an appointment at the dentist. Likely, there's not much they'll do until permanent teeth are in, but they might be able to give an opinion as to whether his dental alignment might contribute to speech issues.

OldBaldHippie · Jul 28, 2010

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Colby <a href="/forum/thread/69144/teachers-parents-grandparents#post_1927329"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-bottom:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-right:0px solid;"></a> 
Thanks, Kenyan! Those are good things...I'll try to answer as best I can...
 
1. He DOES show improvement, although, it requires a lot of work. One thing that has been difficult for him is to use words that begin with the letter S plus another consonant. So, words like snow, snake, and stop are hard. But he can say see, say, sit...so the S plus a vowel is OK. Yesterday, I got him to say snake properly many times, but then when I added another word in front, like green snake, he was back to saying "green nake" instead of snake. When he was younger, he put the S at the end, so that snow was "nows" and snake was "nakes". 
 
2. He has a good vocabulary, I think. He knows all of his colors, can count to 12, and can identify some letters of the alphabet. He knows all of the animals and what they say, he knows his body parts. He's great at showing emotion, either happy, angry or sad, but doesn't identify the emotion with the word...which, I think that is normal.
 
3. He plays really well with other children, but better with his cousins and people he knows. Otherwise, he is a little shy at the beginning until things warm up. His best buddy is his big brother, and he tends to prefer kids Everett's age, as opposed to kids his own age.
 
4. He plays well with toys, and loves to take things apart. Not good at putting them back together yet. He pretend plays really well, and will do things like: pretend to be a turtle egg that is hatching, or hold a car and make it a "flying car"...he builds blocks and legos just fine, but hates puzzles.
 
5. He is extremely affectionate. He loves to be held and hugged and kissed. He has always been that way.
 
??? Does his help anyone?? yes...glad you mentioned these observations...
 
I've got a lead on a great speech therapist, thanks to OBH, and I"ll call her this morning.
 
Oh, one other thing I thought of that might affect his speech: He has used his blankie as a means of comfort since he was 4 months old by sucking on it. I know, disgusting, right? I just took it away a week ago, so he's not sucking on anything anymore. But, the result of that is that his front teeth exhibit a pretty significant overbite. ??
 
Ok, you guys. Y'all are the best. Thanks for helping me parse through this stuff. I'll be glad to either not worry and know he's OK, or just start something that will help.

S
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the things that you noted that I bolded are really good signs...but let's get that speech eval...
 
also...you didn't mention and fine or gross motor concerns...all that seems ok?

jebba · Jul 28, 2010

Colby, FWIW, my 3 year old has trouble pronouncing some words, too. He still says a few words I cannot for the life of me understand. I'll repeat exactly the (to me) nonsense thing he has just said, and he'll nod and look at me expectantly as if I am supposed to know what he's talking about. The more syllables a word has, the less likely he is to pronouce it correctly. So he can say fire and truck, but will say "firetuck."
 
And my six year old, who is fairly bright, still gets her d's and b's and v's confused. So a detective is a betective, gloves are glubs, etc.

Colby · Jul 28, 2010

His fine and gross motor skills are great....The fine motor skills being a little advanced, I think. He's really great with crayons and markers, and taking tiny Legos apart. It took him a while to walk, but it was still within the normal range, (14 months)... and I attribute some of that to his personality. He's REALLY cautious...He's wary of trying new things if he's not sure that he'll do well. When he walked, he walked without falling. Does that make any sense? He's the kid who knows he can't swim, so he's glad to sit on the steps in the pool without going further unless someone is there to catch him. ...???
 
And Jebba, that helps, too. There are times when I have no clue what he just said to me...but he generally has good diction, so who knows. 
 
I emailed your contact OBH, and hope she'll call here soon.

refinnej10 · Jul 28, 2010

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by jebba <a href="/forum/thread/69144/teachers-parents-grandparents#post_1927520"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-right:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-bottom:0px solid;"></a> He still says a few words I cannot for the life of me understand. I'll repeat exactly the (to me) nonsense thing he has just said, and he'll nod and look at me expectantly as if I am supposed to know what he's talking about. 
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I have this same "conversation" with my 6 year old just about every day. It's usually something he's overheard (from me and DH, or the radio or the TV) that he's trying to repeat.

wherestheportojohn · Jul 28, 2010

jebba, colby, and jen: as a teacher of "at-risk" 5-7 yr olds, I've observed that those are very common mistakes
 
They are just learning the inuendos, rules, etc which are SO varied and confusing!
 
"Goed" instead of went is a prime example.
 
Pronoun confusions as well: "Her" is hitting me. "Me" want that popsicle. 
 
etc
etc
etc
 
 
parents, sibs, and caregivers should continue to model the correct terms and articulations so the young'uns hear proper use of language
 
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