Confused Mother to a Beautiful Little Boy!

As other people have mentioned, you should be firm with your Pediatrician to get your son evaluated. We have had good experiences with First Five. It's a free service and we didn't need a referral. They really work with you to not only evaluate your child but then follow through with programs and solutions. My daughter had a language delay and after spending a couple of months in a language development play class, now is on target with her peers. The website is listed below. Good luck and best wishes.

http://www.ccfc.ca.gov/

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If autism is the diagnosis, I suggest you look into Stanley Greenspan. He has a social/emotional perspective that a lot of behaviorists lack. Best of luck and blessings to you <3

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Hi R.,
It does sound like you should have your son evaluated. Often times, kids don't talk until later and it's NOT a sign of autism, but it can be. He may also have trouble hearing or he may have a speech delay that needs therapy.
I would take him in to the pediatrician soon for evaluation, then discuss the possibility of evaluation by a Regional Center, which does extensive evals and works with kids with physical, emotional, and mental delays.
I hope everything turns out ok.
I do know many kids that are in the 22-27 month range that say only a few words, so please don't panic too much.

K.
http://oc.citymommy.com - where moms connect

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While everyone jumped immediately to the conclusion that this is autism, you didn't mention whether your son responds to anything you say. Not speaking is not unusual at all, but I would get him first to a pediatrician to check out his hearing. If his hearing appears to be normal - and that is hard to check at this age - get your doctor to get you an immediate referral to your local Regional Center and ask for an evaluation. Should he need any services they will provide them. Do this immediately - the sooner you deal with this the better. Good luck - I know how stressful this must be! Just know it's not anything you've done or not done.

S. Eiges, M.S.W.
www.LAschoolscout.com

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If it was JUST that he wasn't speaking then I wouldn't worry. But that PLUS the wandering around aimlessly AND not responding to his name, definitely WOULD worry me... I would have him checked (by a pediatrician or child therapist or someone). If it ends up being nothing and that's "just his personality", that's great! If not, then early intervention will be of key importance!! Good luck!

I would definitley speak to your pediatrician. Not responding at this age would concern me so see what the dr has to say!!!

Going one step further and in agreement with everyone here, NO vaccinations, especially any of the flu shots, when you go to the pediatrician for evaluation. Your son's immune system could be in haywire mode already and this could damage it further making recovery harder.

I highly recommend going to www.tacanow.org and start looking around the site. It is for families of autism spectrum disorders and even though your child may be perfectly fine and just doing things at his own pace, there is so much good information there.

Hugs to you and good luck on your journey. Don't wait too long.

Dear R.,

Please get him evaluated soon by very trained professionals. He may have some sort of autism. Good luck and God bless you.

Hi R.,
It sounds like you are noticing some behaviors that are having you feel scared. I would encourage you to take him to your pediatrician or a pediatrician in your area that deals with developmental stages of a child. It doesn't work to guess at what might be going on, it will only create more fear for you.
Did you vaccinate him?
W. S.
____@____.com

26 months...If he has one on one attention he could be talking up a storm by now unless there is something not working propperly. Is long overdue to take him to a DOCTOR and examine him limb from limb, from head to toe.
Whether he is deaf or not, he is your baby and he is and always will be a blessing; the important thing is to attend to his needs so he can catch up and develop.
Love him in action, learn with him and keep on learning.
* from a 64 year old mother.

I hate to say this buy it sounds exactly like what my son did at that age. Unfortuneately, his peditrition refused to think autism and just kept saying he's a late developer. Trusting my instinct I looked up a pedi recommended by a locat FEAT (a autism support group, just google for one in your area) and got a second opinion. He had him evaluated and it was autism. We got early intervention and now follow a gluten, casein, soy and preservative free diet with natural supplements and he has come SOOOO far and is very well mannered and SMART!!! Everyone is always suprised when I tell them that he has autism. The best thing is early intervention, it's good that you show concern, follow your instincts. You can e-mail me privately if you need anything further. Good luck. J.

To make you feel better, my baby cousin didnt start talking til he was two. Everyone thought there was something wrong with him but he just talked later than most kids. I would def have a talk with your pediatrician though.

hi R.
have you told your babies Doctor, cause it sounds like Autism!
UCLA has a wonderful Dr. BJ Freeman who is a especialist in this area. But you first need to get an evaluation for many other thinks before they call it Autism. Hope this helps.

I'm not sure what it all means, but I would suggest you get him evaluated. You can call the Regional Center in your area and they will set up a free evaluation. After he's evaluated, if it seems that he needs services, the center will set up a plan for him and the services will be free of charge until he is 3 years old (and then he goes under the school district - I don't know much about it, but I believe the services remain free). The main thing is not to wait - if there is something going on with him, it is better to start to address it early on.

Best of Luck.

It is a good sign that you are seeing that something is not right. Yes, at this age they should respond to their name and be saying words. A lot of mothers out there do not want to know that their child may be a little different. My sister and a friend both waited until their children were 4 before they admitted to themselves that something was not so right. Yet everyone one around them would talk but not say anything to them. It is a delicate subject and it caused a riff between my sister and I, as i was the only one to say something. Things are great now and her daughter is 17. She will never be quite the same as other kids but she has other great talents.
Have you spoken to your pediatrician? He should have been asking questions all along about your son to make sure he is on track.
If you have doubts in your mind then this is the first step
so go see your pediatrician. Don't be gentle with him, hound him this is your son and you want the best for him so don't let the doctor push you aside, get the answers and tests that you want.
Jenny McCarthy has a great book out there that also helped my sister. Can't hurt to read that

I am sorry as this must be so scary. You are getting great advice. Again I agree, avoid vaccines right now...read anything by Jenny McCarthy (she is well informed and can make you laugh) and have your son checked for autism. Parents are often in denial about these things and it is perfectly normal. If it is that, the more support you and your son get now the better. (I am a school teacher, so as a teacher I have had to deal with families dealing with this.) Good luck and I wish you the best.

The fact that he doesn't respond to his name is the thing that stands out the most. Otherwise I would say it just sounds like speech delay, but I would definitely take him in to a professional for evaluation. If he has something else going on, the sooner it's addressed the better.
Good luck!

These are some signs of Autism. My daughter has a very high functioning form of autism, and there are therapies that can truly help your child! I would suggest going to your primary care physician with these issues and get referred to a specialist. Of course, this may not be the issue, but the pediatrician needs to be aware.
Best of luck to you and your precious little boy!
J.

I would contact your local Regional Center as soon you can. They will provide him services free of charge. My son utilized their services and is now WAY ahead of his peers in terms of speech. Early intervention really works. Good luck!

Your not going to want to hear this but I'm going to have to say it just so you know to suggest it to your pediatrician.. Autism.. Thats the first sign in Autistic children is little or no responce to human reaction., i.e. Saying "Come here Ben!" a 2 year old should know his name by now. Try taking him and looking at him and saying "Ben (whatever his name is obviouisly) I love you, Ben come here Ben.. etc. Point to him say his name, point to yourself and say mommy maybe point to daddy, the dog.. and every time go back to him.. say his name with EVERY little thing you say to him just say it over and over and over, autistic or not he will get it

Your child appears not to meeting any of his milestones and there appears a need for concern. I strongly suggest that you call your local regional center in your city/state and ask for a developmental assessment......ASAP
I have work for many years with infants and toddlers and tomorrow I would call your regional center. Please feel free to email with other concerns

You may want to share these concerns and specific reports of behaviors to your child's pediatrician right away, as they sound atypical. Also ask for a developmental evaluation, often referred through your local Regional Center (you can self-refer or the MD can refer you), so all of his developmental skills can be assessed.

Have you considered a hearing disorder? Or perhaps autism or some other developmental disability? If you have already spoken to your pediatrician about this, and you are not satisfied with the answers you received, try another. Keep trying until someone gives you a solid answer. It is definitely not "normal" to have a child who is 2 years old be that detached from his surroundings.

R.-
use your instincts. I knew something was off with my son but didn't know what it was. from the time he was 18 months i asked the ped. if i should have him evaluated. he always said no. when i had him treated at the regional center with speech therapy again they said- no don't worry about it. when he was 3 he was moved to the school district and they said we will just check and sure enough Autism. it is a huge spectrum and every child's symptoms are like their own little finger print. no two are the same.

I wish when i had that first little feeling i would have perused it. i could have been getting services and working on this for at least a year before we got the diagnoses, and if he didn't have it i could have dropped those feelings of "Is something wrong with my little boy?"

regional center..TACA...these are great places to start like others have mentioned. we have also found dietary restrictions have been hugely helpful as well. If this is indeed the diagnoses you son has..which he might not but it is worth it either way to get it checked out.

ps-
whether or not your son has autism you should look into the foundation
http://www.parentswithpurpose.com/
this organization works with all kinds of children from being born blind to having trouble in math. they have great information on how a brain develops, how to identify if there is a problem in development and how to fix it. the idea is if you educate a parent they are the best therapist your child can have. look into it she will be coming out here Nov.7th. I will definatly be attending the seminar. if your interested i can send you more info.

good luck you are a great mom!!

Talk to your pediatrician. Do not ignore your mother's instinct. I am not sure where you live, so find the phone number for Regional Center in your area. They will evaluate your child and if he is delayed, they will offer early intervention services. It is most important to do this now. The earlier the intervention the better the outcome. I had similar concerns when my son was 18 months. He did receive help and now he is almost 5 years old. He talks, sings, plays and has lots of friends. It was hard work but definitely worth it. If you are in Orange County, then email me directly and I can give you some phone numbers and web sites for resources. ____@____.com is my email.

Good luck!

R.,
Have you had his hearing checked? When my son was 3, the day care lady told me the state was coming out to check his hearing. It turned out he'd had water in the tubes of his ears and a simple surgery opened the tubes, they drained and all was well. Before this, I thought Robert was ignoring me; instead he had 50% loss in the left ear and 45% loss in the right ear. Otherwise, I'd ask your doctor for a referral to a child psychologist - he might have some form of autism.

Have you spoken with your child's pediatrician about your concerns?

I would suggest that you contact your local Regional Center to get your son evaluated. This will be done at no cost to you. You should contact them soon as it usually takes 4-6 weeks for an evaluation to be done & an additional 4 weeks for any services - if deemed appropriate - to begin. This agency provides services (speech, behavior, occupational & physical therapy, etc). for children 0-3.

Hope that helps some. Best of luck!

M.

R.,

I didn't read other responses so sorry if this is repetitive. I'm not sure where you live, but if you're in Orange County I would contact the Regional Center and request an evaluation. Their website is www.rcocdd.com. They will complete a full evaluation and recommend services if necessary, such as speech therapy. Also there are monthly developmental screenings offered by The Family Support Network throughout Orange County. I'm not sure of their contact info, but if you search Family Support Network you should be able to get to their website where you can access the listing of developmental screenings. This process will take a few hours and you will leave with feedback on your son's development as well as referrals if needed. Hope this helps and good luck to you!

I needed to add to the responses you've received that, once your son is evaluated by the Regional Center, the services that they provide are PAID FOR BY THE STATE until age 3, at wich point, your local school system will reevaluate your child's support services. In this day & age when health and developmental care is so expensive and not covered, it's critical to be aware of these services that the state (aka. our tax dollars!) will cover on your behalf!

It might be a long journey ahead for you and your son, but getting early intervention is key!

Have you had him tested for Autism or any other developmental issue? Perhaps you should take him to a counselor. I would tell his pedi about this and make sure he understands that you are genuinely concerned.

A.

Definately get him checked out. Discuss this with his pediatrician. Also, get his hearing screened. Did they do a newborn test in the hospital? I wouldn't let this pass another day, go with your guy and have him checked. Better safe than sorry!

Hi R., Ask your son's MD, then start with the Regional Center. Also, don't try to "control" him in the appointments. Let the professionals see him at his worse so they can really see his behaviors. We tend to want our kids to be so "good" I have a son that has autism and the Regional Center is an excellent source of information. Also go to the school district for some ideas. good luck, Deb
It would be good to get some help for him, now.

Does he interact with you when you are holding him,
when you are playing with him face-to-face?
Have you described this behavior to a nurse or doctor
at his well-baby check-ups?
Has anyone tested his hearing . . . even the simplest of tests, like clapping a little bit behind him?
S.