Just wanting to hear from parents with children diagnosed on the spectrum.
It’s very obvious that our youngest child is showing a lot of behaviours associated with asd, he is 21 months old and not communicating verbally or non verbally. I’ve managed to find a speech therapist with availability and he started OT last week.
My question is- at what point did you know that your little one was non verbal? I feel so silly asking because I know that every child has such a different and unique journey.
I’m just in knots over it at the moment, worrying for his future, worrying if he’s content and knows he’s loved.
I’m working on different ways to communicate with him but I’m not sure that he understands. I keep telling myself he’s going to start “firing” any minute but then scolding myself for trying to “cram” him into a box he just doesn’t fit into ❤️ I’m just worried and desperate to find a way to communicate with him
How can I communicate with my toddler?
How can I communicate with my toddler?
Posted in:
Baby & Toddler, Milestones, Aspergers & Autism
4 Replies
Mum to now adult ASD son who many would consider non verbal.
Breathe, although early intervention can make huge strides, the clock doesn’t run out on learning.
I’ve also worked in autism specialist therapy clinics. My son didn’t say his first word until he was 6. Ive met kids who couldn’t talk at all until 7 develop speech, some get there at 3.
For my son speech will always be difficult but he has an awesome communication system (which has changed over the years) and we’ve been able to work on his compression.
We had a great speech therapist in the early years who trialled a number of communication devices. The one that clicked for us was PECs (picture exchange communication system). I think the structure really helped my son to understand how to communicate. We then moved on to an app called proloquo2go, which he uses on an iPod now. He switches between that and speech depending on his ability to say words.
Keep an eye out for your child communicating in non verbal ways. My son used to grab my hand and drag me to items he wanted. Non verbal is as important than verbal, and those attempts to get there needs/desires met will become important when exploring what methods of communication will best suit your child.
PS all those ‘what if’s’ that used to keep me up all night. They don’t anymore. My son is delightful, hilarious, clever, quirky etc. and although we had some rough years, he is my absolute favourite person in this world.
Thank you so much for your insight and experience ❤️ I’m normally such a “cup is half full” kind of person and your post has really helped x
I have a friend with a severely autistic son, who was diagnosed early & went to all the interventions & treatments etc, he's now a brilliant & well functioning late teen. (Well done to you for recognising & getting help so young) He still doesn't talk in situations where he's uncomfortable, but when he is comfortable he doesn't shut up.
I have another friend who currently has a 2yo who doesn't say any words at all; he's had numerous assessments & shows no other issues or ASD traits. She's pretty well been told "he'll talk when he's ready".
And my own brother didn't say a word until he was 5, his first words were literally a full sentance. Turns out he just never bothered to speak, because our older sister always spoke for him - and when she started school, he had to start asking for things for himself 😂
Thank you 🤗 all 3 of my boys have had some degree of speech and language delays but I do recall them babbling and pointing to things by this age. I’m very hopeful with therapy we can work out ways to communicate ❤️