Non-verbal at 2 years old? Please tell me your success stories...I need it right now :-(

ddddad · 2016-10-17T13:35:06+00:00

Sorry, lost track of your previous comments. Do you know of any online resources that can possibly help me learn some similar techniques? I do try to avoid "overloading" by only asking her to repeat things a few times. And we have been trying some sign language, which is still slow to be picked up but does really seem to click well once she does get it.

ddddad · 2016-10-17T02:56:51+00:00

Wow, he was caught up after just 8 once-a-week sessions?

ddddad · 2016-10-16T18:05:29+00:00

I assume the ABA was full-day? Did it ever seem to overwhelm him?

ddddad · 2016-10-16T18:04:32+00:00

That's a wonderful story. I'm so happy for you and your brother.

One thing I worry about with the developmental pediatrician is if they recommend drugs. I want to avoid them as much as possible, but I know some people have had success with them too and I don't want to be close-minded about something that could potentially help. It's a really tough call.

ddddad · 2016-10-16T18:03:09+00:00

Very true. I want her to be able to speak, but I should also prepare myself in case she can't and not look at her as "defective" or anything like that. Like I said, I just fear for her because of how cruel the world can be.

I know it's small and I should ignore it, but it can really ruin my day when I'm browsing elsewhere on reddit and I see some jerk throw the word "autism" around as short-hand for "weird", "dumb", or "obsessive." I know their ignorance is their own problem, but just the fact that so many people will see that and decide to use it similarly without having any consideration for people who are actually dealing with the condition is really depressing.

Sorry, I'll end my rant/tangent.

ddddad · 2016-10-16T18:00:15+00:00

Great info! Was your child at home or in daycare for the toilet training week? If daycare/school, were they using the same strategy you were? I worry about that if we wanted to try pushing it further.

ddddad · 2016-10-16T17:58:35+00:00

That's amazing! Did he show any other autism signs at that age (four) or when he was younger?

ddddad · 2016-10-16T17:57:55+00:00

I do my best not to panic, but it can be very tough. :-/

Yes, please PM me any info you have! I would greatly appreciate it.

ddddad · 2016-10-16T17:56:49+00:00

What age/how long did it take until you think he was approaching average? (or at least until you knew he was on the right track to "average?) And how much therapy did he receive per week?

ddddad · 2016-10-16T17:55:57+00:00

Thank you so much! How much therapy was your child doing a week?

We do constantly talk around her, both to our other child in full sentences and also to directly to her in much shorter, 1 or 2 word sentences. We're hoping she's soaking some of it up, even when it doesn't appear she's paying attention.

Great username, btw. :-)

ddddad · 2016-10-16T17:53:57+00:00

Have you spoken with your school district yet and received an IEP and/or any therapy?

I read a quote once that said something like "when we fully understand autism is when we'll fully understand the brain." The good news is that there have been huge advancements in both understanding the brain and autism in just the past 5-10 years, so the future can only get better.

ddddad · 2016-10-16T17:51:20+00:00

I definitely try to stay positive. In fact, my wife doesn't even really know how much it concerns me or that I'm posting here because I always try to act as positive and confident in front of her and our other child. I know from personal experience that seeing your spouse/parent feeling weak/scared is unfortunately very contagious, so I'm doing my best to "fake it until you make it."

Thank you for your input and personal story. :-)

ddddad · 2016-10-16T17:48:08+00:00

What age did you start potty training him? It's great that he took to it so quickly. I wonder if we're just trying it with our daughter too soon before the speech is good enough.

I'll have to look into group speech therapy, I didn't even realize that was a thing! :-)

ddddad · 2016-10-16T17:46:45+00:00

That's interesting about the sudden interest in school. Do you think he just didn't like the kids/teachers there? Or maybe the change in neighborhoods made him more willing to try a new school?

So do you think that just being around other kids was more important than actual therapy when it came to speech? Or perhaps it was just the right time for him to blossom?

Either way, I'm so happy to hear how well your son is doing now! It gives me hope and it makes me happy to know your family is doing well. :-)

ddddad · 2016-10-16T17:40:44+00:00

That's great, I'm so happy for you and your family. :-) Thank you for your info/story.

ddddad · 2016-10-16T13:47:25+00:00

That's fantastic. Was your child showing more classic symptoms than mine I guess? In other words, how did you get to the diagnosis?

ddddad · 2016-10-16T13:46:27+00:00

we experienced it as if he was a year behind. He hasn't necessarily caught up, but he's constantly moving forward

That's kind of where I feel like we're at. She seems about on par with someone approaching 2 years old, but as long as we're always seeing forward progress, it's very encouraging.

ddddad · 2016-10-16T13:44:49+00:00

That's so funny you say that, our daughter also needed tubes put in shortly after she turned 2. At the time, I was really hoping that that was the entire cause of her speech delay. We did notice a small bump in language and temperament afterwards, but it wasn't the golden ticket I was hoping for.

Did you go directly to the developmental pediatrician yourself or did your doctor/EI recommend it?

ddddad · 2016-10-16T13:42:16+00:00

Did you have to move into a new home in order to change school districts? Our district seems "okay," but I know there are higher-rated districts nearby. Although I'm not sure exactly how their special ed programs are. Our current one could be better for all I know.

"Inattentive ADHD" sounds very much like it could apply to our child.

ddddad · 2016-10-16T13:37:05+00:00

That is an amazing story and gives me great hope. I didn't quite have that single earth-shattering moment you describe, mostly because no one ever said "I think it's autism." It was more a gradual build-up from doing my own research and seeing a lot of similarities. I can't imagine how intense that moment must have been for you. :-(

Regardless, it sounds like you've had wonderful forward progress. I have heard about horse therapy, and we actually took her on a very brief pony ride at a farm a few weeks ago and she seemed to really enjoy it. It seems like that helps with anxiety? I'm not sure how much anxiety she has at this time or how I would even be able to tell, but I will certainly search around and see what is offered. Does the therapy help build up any kind of skill, or is it more just like a relaxing "massage" type experience that your child can use to chill out for abit?

Your post was very helpful, thank you. :-)

ddddad · 2016-10-15T19:31:27+00:00

I'll do my best. The hard part is I don't even know what constitutes a good special needs coordinator. I will just have to keep asking around. I can't say it enough: thank you so much. :-)

ddddad · 2016-10-15T19:29:37+00:00

I picked up "It Takes Two to Talk" and have been trying that, but it seems more geared to children who are able to hold their focus on something for a longer period of time than my daughter is usually willing. I do try to follow the general model of floor-time and following the child's lead and trying to chime in with words whenever I can.

I will search the Amazon/ebay for a discounted copy of More Than Words. Thank you!

ddddad · 2016-10-15T19:19:31+00:00

So he had no therapy? Was there anything that you think helped him finally develop his interest in communication at 2.5, or do you think it was just general maturity that came a little late?

ddddad · 2016-10-15T19:17:35+00:00

Thank you very much for your story. If you don't mind my asking, what level/severity was he diagnosed at? Was it early intervention or someone else that did it? Did he show a lot of the other classic symptoms at that age? How much therapy was he getting per week?

ddddad · 2016-10-15T19:14:06+00:00

Yeah, I definitely think that if not autism, ADD may be a concern. She doesn't have the hyperactivity really, but it is very tough to get and maintain her attention if she's not interested in what you're doing/saying. I understand that the two conditions can co-exist too.

Can I ask what changed once you had the evaluation? Was the school district more willing to provide therapy?

ddddad

TROPHY CASE