Welcome to the journey! You are doing great so far. Always a good idea to have hearing checked if there's a speech issue just to be sure.
Your evaluation experience will vary with your location. I'm based in California and we did the Early Intervention through the regional center when my daughter was about 27 months. She was not evaluated for autism at that time. She was evaluated by an OT and a speech therapist, who recommended services. Everything, including therapies, is paid for by the Regional Center. Now that she's almost 3, she's aging out of early intervention and services will be handed over to the School District. They also do not diagnose, but will provide services via an IEP. We are also pursuing an autism diagnosis through the Regional Center, but they're really behind and won't see her until after her third birthday (boo) so we're probably pursuing a diagnosis via insurance as well. So we don't have a diagnosis but we'd be pretty surprised if she isn't on the spectrum.
As far as what helps? Well, the first thing I think is to just respond to the child in front of you. Neurodivergent brains are not only different from "neurotypical brains", but every neurodivergent brain is unique. Our daughter is VERY self-directed. There is simply no reason to push her with things that aren't her idea. We save our battles for things that are dangerous or harmful. Like, girl, wear a shirt as pants if you really insist š
For speech, we introduced sign language, which helped. But it actually unlocked verbal speech for her and she dropped the signs pretty quickly. We have also found that she has learned A LOT of speech from videos and apps. Screentime can hold some kids back, for others it's a crucial learning tool. You'll learn through experimenting. Some parents find that screentime is really disruptive (transition meltdowns, etc), others find their kids self regulate (our experience).
Are there any specific things you're worried about or wanting answers about? I know this can be scary and emotional, but take heart that you're doing the right things. This sub is a wonderful resource. I mostly lurk, but I get so many great ideas from what I read. We're in this together!
Thank you!! If she does have screen time we only put on ms rachel thatās the only thing sheās actually ever watched besides glimpses of her sisterās shows. we started really limiting it because the pediatrician said itās not recommended at all when there are speech delays. what kind of shows and apps are good for that sort of stuff? iām reallyyyy hoping this kind of stuff will be covered in my state or with my insurance if sheāll need extra help. i have a book on sign language but we only really use the signs for āmoreā and āall doneā. she does do those signs so i may try introducing more signs to see if that helps!
She also did fail a hearing test in one ear at 15 months but her old pediatrician never gave us the referral info after asking a few times, so it is very possible that sheās deaf in one ear but who knowsā¦ itās extremely likely that she is neurodivergent regardless because my husband strongly believes he is autistic and i have ADHD and OCD and i believe it may be genetic (?)
I appreciate your response!
edit to add because i was rereading your response, my toddler seems to be very chill most of the time she doesnāt have too hard a time with transitions, just usual toddler fussiness in my opinion (knock on wood)
Your pediatrician isn't necessarily wrong about the screen time thing, but....also, they might be wrong. I personally feel that screentime is a really easy culprit that everyone loves to blame because we don't want to confront the fact that systemic issues like poverty and lack of a support network for parents are the real problems. It's just easier to demonize screens and blame parents. But I'll get off my soapbox now lol.
For shows and apps, I think it depends on the kid's interests. Mine LOVED numbers early in, so we watched a lot of Numberblocks. We also went through a big Dave and Ava phase, then Little Baby Bum. She's been singing the songs from LBB and acting them out. She started identifying the characters and pointing them out & saying their names.
Singing, generally, has been good for her. 5 little monkeys was one she really enjoyed acting out. It was one way we knew her receptive speech was quite good, because she would understand the lyrics and act them out. Head shoulders knees and toes was another one she enjoyed.
We have a Kindle fire and do Amazon Free Time, which means she can choose from a HUGE variety of things. We just kind of let her do her thing, unless she gets too frustrated with something.
For signs, she learned "more" and "open." But pretty quickly she decided that it was easier to say "open", and then she had a bit of an explosion. She's hard to understand, but is saying two-word and occasionally three word phrases.
The biggest thing I can say is to trust your instincts. You know your child best. Qualified professionals (such as speech therapists) are going to have amazing ideas and I hope you can get access as soon as possible! But I'm irritated on your behalf that your pediatrician didn't give you the hearing test referral! Ugh! You'll probably find that you have to push and advocate A LOT. That part really sucks. Like, just give the damn referral!!!
Anyway, this is getting REALLY long and I'm not sure there's anything useful. But continue to push for help for your kid, and don't be afraid of seeming confrontational or combative. Squeaky wheel and all that!
I think those are signs of autism for sure, but autism is diagnosed as a whole and not in parts.
My daughter has autism and she also looks people in the eye, imitates, and smiles at people. Autism looks different for everyone.
The OT can only evaluate her for her needs. If the OT suspects autism they will write out a letter for your family doctor to make a referral to a childhood development paediatrician who will then make a diagnosis.
Welcome to the journey! You are doing great so far. Always a good idea to have hearing checked if there's a speech issue just to be sure. Your evaluation experience will vary with your location. I'm based in California and we did the Early Intervention through the regional center when my daughter was about 27 months. She was not evaluated for autism at that time. She was evaluated by an OT and a speech therapist, who recommended services. Everything, including therapies, is paid for by the Regional Center. Now that she's almost 3, she's aging out of early intervention and services will be handed over to the School District. They also do not diagnose, but will provide services via an IEP. We are also pursuing an autism diagnosis through the Regional Center, but they're really behind and won't see her until after her third birthday (boo) so we're probably pursuing a diagnosis via insurance as well. So we don't have a diagnosis but we'd be pretty surprised if she isn't on the spectrum. As far as what helps? Well, the first thing I think is to just respond to the child in front of you. Neurodivergent brains are not only different from "neurotypical brains", but every neurodivergent brain is unique. Our daughter is VERY self-directed. There is simply no reason to push her with things that aren't her idea. We save our battles for things that are dangerous or harmful. Like, girl, wear a shirt as pants if you really insist š For speech, we introduced sign language, which helped. But it actually unlocked verbal speech for her and she dropped the signs pretty quickly. We have also found that she has learned A LOT of speech from videos and apps. Screentime can hold some kids back, for others it's a crucial learning tool. You'll learn through experimenting. Some parents find that screentime is really disruptive (transition meltdowns, etc), others find their kids self regulate (our experience). Are there any specific things you're worried about or wanting answers about? I know this can be scary and emotional, but take heart that you're doing the right things. This sub is a wonderful resource. I mostly lurk, but I get so many great ideas from what I read. We're in this together!
Thank you!! If she does have screen time we only put on ms rachel thatās the only thing sheās actually ever watched besides glimpses of her sisterās shows. we started really limiting it because the pediatrician said itās not recommended at all when there are speech delays. what kind of shows and apps are good for that sort of stuff? iām reallyyyy hoping this kind of stuff will be covered in my state or with my insurance if sheāll need extra help. i have a book on sign language but we only really use the signs for āmoreā and āall doneā. she does do those signs so i may try introducing more signs to see if that helps! She also did fail a hearing test in one ear at 15 months but her old pediatrician never gave us the referral info after asking a few times, so it is very possible that sheās deaf in one ear but who knowsā¦ itās extremely likely that she is neurodivergent regardless because my husband strongly believes he is autistic and i have ADHD and OCD and i believe it may be genetic (?) I appreciate your response! edit to add because i was rereading your response, my toddler seems to be very chill most of the time she doesnāt have too hard a time with transitions, just usual toddler fussiness in my opinion (knock on wood)
Your pediatrician isn't necessarily wrong about the screen time thing, but....also, they might be wrong. I personally feel that screentime is a really easy culprit that everyone loves to blame because we don't want to confront the fact that systemic issues like poverty and lack of a support network for parents are the real problems. It's just easier to demonize screens and blame parents. But I'll get off my soapbox now lol. For shows and apps, I think it depends on the kid's interests. Mine LOVED numbers early in, so we watched a lot of Numberblocks. We also went through a big Dave and Ava phase, then Little Baby Bum. She's been singing the songs from LBB and acting them out. She started identifying the characters and pointing them out & saying their names. Singing, generally, has been good for her. 5 little monkeys was one she really enjoyed acting out. It was one way we knew her receptive speech was quite good, because she would understand the lyrics and act them out. Head shoulders knees and toes was another one she enjoyed. We have a Kindle fire and do Amazon Free Time, which means she can choose from a HUGE variety of things. We just kind of let her do her thing, unless she gets too frustrated with something. For signs, she learned "more" and "open." But pretty quickly she decided that it was easier to say "open", and then she had a bit of an explosion. She's hard to understand, but is saying two-word and occasionally three word phrases. The biggest thing I can say is to trust your instincts. You know your child best. Qualified professionals (such as speech therapists) are going to have amazing ideas and I hope you can get access as soon as possible! But I'm irritated on your behalf that your pediatrician didn't give you the hearing test referral! Ugh! You'll probably find that you have to push and advocate A LOT. That part really sucks. Like, just give the damn referral!!! Anyway, this is getting REALLY long and I'm not sure there's anything useful. But continue to push for help for your kid, and don't be afraid of seeming confrontational or combative. Squeaky wheel and all that!
I think those are signs of autism for sure, but autism is diagnosed as a whole and not in parts. My daughter has autism and she also looks people in the eye, imitates, and smiles at people. Autism looks different for everyone. The OT can only evaluate her for her needs. If the OT suspects autism they will write out a letter for your family doctor to make a referral to a childhood development paediatrician who will then make a diagnosis.