Question about my grandson anyone?

[Guest guest]

Question about my grandson anyone? Anyone with a similar experience?

I have a beautiful grandson that is 16 months old. I am concerned

about his speech delay not saying any words at all while I have him I

babysit him up to 8 hours at a time and no clear spoken language. He

does communicate by pointing and grunting and much garble as if he

knows what he is saying. He does seem like a typical child being

that he plays well and interacts well and he has wonderful eye

contact and loves to be held and he seems to learn things. He is

changing though, where he was easy to get along with just in this

past month, he is becoming a bit demanding and seems to be starting

with temper problems on occasion, he never had that problem before,

he used to be so easy going. I had some concerns for his older

brother who is 5 now in the past but he seems to have come along

doesn't show autism.

I'm not sure if my son would be able to hear my concerns, if I really

made a point to discuss it in detail, I mentioned concerns in the

past and they keep reasurring me that he is ok. Not sure what to

do. I just don't know if I should wait to see if he gets any worse

or not, I don't want to cause more stress to my son by bringing it up

unless I really need to only because he has a lot to deal with

currently, this may be too much for him to deal with right now. -- Is

there anything I can do myself?

Thanks for your help.

Lynn P.

[Guest guest]

Lynn,

While it is difficult to say what is going on based on the info you gave (doctors will often have as much trouble diagnosing a child with milder forms of autism). It sounds like you may have reason to be concerned. I think most parents here will agree that if you suspect autism or some form of autism, you are usually right. Most docs will tell you not to worry if speech is the only problem. But, the majority of parents I have spoken to were alerted to the problem first with concerns about speech. Other things to look for are sensory issues. Does he avoid certian clothing? Does he crave certain things? Does he seem to have no fear of falling? Does he toe walk? Does he have sleep disturbances. Does he limit himself to only certain foods? Does he have horrible tantrums? Does he line object up, spin objects? Autism is a spectrum disorder and there are millions of different "symptoms" Depending on where you live, you can get an evaluation at Cleveland Clinic Center for autism and insurance usually covers diagnosis costs. I personally wouldn't put much stock in the advice of a pediatrician, few have the specialized training to recognize the signs especially if he is on the milder end of the spectrum.

As for your son, that can be tricky. The best advice is if dad refuses to deal with the issue, the best you can do is offer help the best you can. If you spend 8 hours a day with the child, pay special attention to speech. Speak slowly to him, most kids have trouble decoding language. If he has a speech delay, he may become frustrated and have melt downs if you prod him with questions. As moms we have a natural instinct to ask our children questions, "Do you want eggs? You like eggs don't you?" This is the exact opposite of what to do with an autistic child. Speak as if you are giving information. Label everything! LABEL through your speech, but more importantly, LABEL with pictures. Our kids are visual learners. They process information better when they have a picture. You can use a polaroid and use pictures of things that he is familiar with. Take pix of him brushing his teeth and hang it in the bathroom. Show him the picture and tell him what to do. Studies show that the earlier autistic children receive intensive therapy, the better chances they have at recovery. The great news is if he does indeed have autism, he has a grandma who is on the ball! The sooner you get started on helping your grandson, the better off he will be. I know it may be alot for your son to digest, but imagine how he would feel if he waits and finds out that his son has autism five years from now and wishes he had done something sooner to help maximize his son's abilities. That regret is a horrible feeling!

Last point, In my opinion, NO more vaccines! Especially the flu shot which contains mercury. there is growing evidence that mercury in vaccines is linked to autism. I could go on with this subject forever, but at the risk of sounding like a crazy conspiracy theorist, lunatic. I digress....

----- Original Message -----

From: grandmamaof3boys

Sent: 4/4/2006 10:13:41 AM

Subject: [ ] Question about my grandson anyone?

Question about my grandson anyone? Anyone with a similar experience?I have a beautiful grandson that is 16 months old. I am concerned about his speech delay not saying any words at all while I have him I babysit him up to 8 hours at a time and no clear spoken language. He does communicate by pointing and grunting and much garble as if he knows what he is saying. He does seem like a typical child being that he plays well and interacts well and he has wonderful eye contact and loves to be held and he seems to learn things. He is changing though, where he was easy to get along with just in this past month, he is becoming a bit demanding and seems to be starting with temper problems on occasion, he never had that problem before, he used to be so easy going. I had some concerns for his older brother who is 5 now in the past but he seems to have come along doesn't show autism.I'm not sure if my son would be able to hear my concerns, if I really made a point to discuss it in detail, I mentioned concerns in the past and they keep reasurring me that he is ok. Not sure what to do. I just don't know if I should wait to see if he gets any worse or not, I don't want to cause more stress to my son by bringing it up unless I really need to only because he has a lot to deal with currently, this may be too much for him to deal with right now. -- Is there anything I can do myself?Thanks for your help.Lynn P.

[Guest guest]

Hi Lynn and welcome! I have a 24 month old who.... if I recall correctly...at just a tad younger age than your grandson...went thru a similar experience. To me, it seemed as though he was "just on the verge of forming speech" yet displayed frustration at given times. He, too, became a bit more demanding...but I also feel that was due to his "wanting" to "speak" the words, but not quite have the ability to do so. If your grandson shows affection...has good eye contact, etc...that is wonderful!! I would suggest a parenting board that may show appropriate developmental steps that most kids go through at different ages. Also, you could contact your county's local dept of health...or early intervention program...ech of these programs will have a "developmental wheel" that you "turn" to the child's age and then it "reads out" for you what the child "should" be doing at said age. If you have any

concerns after discovering developmentally that he may be lagging...then you may wish to convey this to your son. If your grandson is only lagging in one area...I would also wait another 4-6 months before I said too much...to fall back in one area while progressing nicely in all of the others...well, we know that all kids don't do the same things at the same time! Best of luck to you! Noelle grandmamaof3boys <grandmamaof3boys@...> wrote: Question about my grandson anyone? Anyone with a similar experience?I have a beautiful grandson that is 16 months old. I am concerned about his speech delay not saying any words at all while I have him I babysit him up to 8 hours at a time and no clear spoken language. He does communicate by pointing and grunting

and much garble as if he knows what he is saying. He does seem like a typical child being that he plays well and interacts well and he has wonderful eye contact and loves to be held and he seems to learn things. He is changing though, where he was easy to get along with just in this past month, he is becoming a bit demanding and seems to be starting with temper problems on occasion, he never had that problem before, he used to be so easy going. I had some concerns for his older brother who is 5 now in the past but he seems to have come along doesn't show autism.I'm not sure if my son would be able to hear my concerns, if I really made a point to discuss it in detail, I mentioned concerns in the past and they keep reasurring me that he is ok. Not sure what to do. I just don't know if I should wait to see if he gets any worse or not, I don't want to cause more stress to my son by bringing it up

unless I really need to only because he has a lot to deal with currently, this may be too much for him to deal with right now. -- Is there anything I can do myself?Thanks for your help.Lynn P. Do Not Go Where The Path May Lead, Go Instead Where There Is No Path and Leave A Trail. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Guest guest]

I just want to thank you all for your kind replys to my question about my grandson and I'm so sorry it took so long to reply to you. My grandson seems to be ok so far except for speech so I'll just keep working with him that way (thanks for the ideas on visual pictures and the Help me grow organization). I haven't mentioned my concerns to my son because of his current difficulties. I think maybe I might not have to say anything right now. I think you are all really nice people and I'm glad I found you. It's nice to know there are such good people to find through the internet. Thanks again, Lynn The Marotta Family <marottafamily@...> wrote: and Lynn - I love the labeling ideas! and the Polaroid pictures, too! Lynn - While your grandson probably won't get diagnosed with autism (if he has it) until after your son starts to recognize symptoms, there's nothing stopping you from starting informal "therapy." If the little one isn't on the autism spectrum, he won't be hurt if you give him a language rich environment. Visual cues like the polaroids can help. And describing what he's doing as he does it helps. If he's playing with a toy train, say "Oh, and the blue engine is now going up the hill!" and things like that. Don't forget your grandson is only 16 months old. Your grandson may be a bit advanced in that he might be starting the terrible twos early, trying to

assert his independence. Or he might be frustrated because he can't communicate as well as he would like. Both could be the cause of increased tantrums. If your grandson points at things just to share the experience of looking at something together (not just to get the food etc that he wants), if he encourages you to play with him and likes it when you join him, or if he learns just by watching you or others, then I wouldn't be concerned about autism. These are not symptoms of autism. But I would be concerned about his speech development. Please keep us informed of your grandson's development! Marotta ----- Original Message ----- From: rmaher1969@... Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2006 1:04 PM Subject: RE: [ ] Question about my grandson anyone? Lynn, While it is difficult to say what is going on based on the info you gave (doctors will often have as much trouble diagnosing a child with milder forms of autism). It sounds like you may have reason to be concerned. I think most parents here will agree that if you suspect autism or some form of autism, you are usually right. Most docs will tell you not to worry if speech is the only problem. But, the majority of parents I have spoken to

were alerted to the problem first with concerns about speech. Other things to look for are sensory issues. Does he avoid certian clothing? Does he crave certain things? Does he seem to have no fear of falling? Does he toe walk? Does he have sleep disturbances. Does he limit himself to only certain foods? Does he have horrible tantrums? Does he line object up, spin objects? Autism is a spectrum disorder and there are millions of different "symptoms" Depending on where you live, you can get an evaluation at Cleveland Clinic Center for autism and insurance usually covers diagnosis costs. I personally wouldn't put much stock in the advice of a pediatrician, few have the specialized training to recognize the signs especially if he is on the milder end of the spectrum. As for your son, that can be tricky. The best advice is if dad refuses to deal with the issue,

the best you can do is offer help the best you can. If you spend 8 hours a day with the child, pay special attention to speech Speak slowly to him, most kids have trouble decoding language. If he has a speech delay, he may become frustrated and have melt downs if you prod him with questions. As moms we have a natural instinct to ask our children questions, "Do you want eggs? You like eggs don't you?" This is the exact opposite of what to do with an autistic child. Speak as if you are giving information. Label everything! LABEL through your speech, but more importantly, LABEL with pictures. Our kids are visual learners. They process information better when they have a picture. You can use a polaroid and use pictures of things that he is familiar with. Take pix of him brushing his teeth and hang it in the bathroom. Show him the picture and tell him what to do. Studies show that

the earlier autistic children receive intensive therapy, the better chances they have at recovery. The great news is if he does indeed have autism, he has a grandma who is on the ball! The sooner you get started on helping your grandson, the better off he will be. I know it may be alot for your son to digest, but imagine how he would feel if he waits and finds out that his son has autism five years from now and wishes he had done something sooner to help maximize his son's abilities. That regret is a horrible feeling! Last point, In my opinion, NO more vaccines! Especially the flu shot which contains mercury. there is growing evidence that mercury in vaccines is linked to autism. I could go on with this subject forever, but at the risk of sounding like a crazy conspiracy theorist, lunatic. I digress.... ----- Original Message ----- From: grandmamaof3boys Sent: 4/4/2006 10:13:41 AM Subject: [ ] Question about my grandson anyone? Question about my grandson anyone? Anyone with a similar experience?I have a beautiful grandson that is 16 months old. I am concerned about his speech delay not saying any words at all while I have him I

babysit him up to 8 hours at a time and no clear spoken language. He does communicate by pointing and grunting and much garble as if he knows what he is saying. He does seem like a typical child being that he plays well and interacts well and he has wonderful eye contact and loves to be held and he seems to learn things. He is changing though, where he was easy to get along with just in this past month, he is becoming a bit demanding and seems to be starting with temper problems on occasion, he never had that problem before, he used to be so easy going. I had some concerns for his older brother who is 5 now in the past but he seems to have come along doesn't show autism.I'm not sure if my son would be able to hear my concerns, if I really made a point to discuss it in detail, I mentioned concerns in the past and they keep reasurring me that he is ok. Not sure what to do. I

just don't know if I should wait to see if he gets any worse or not, I don't want to cause more stress to my son by bringing it up unless I really need to only because he has a lot to deal with currently, this may be too much for him to deal with right now. -- Is there anything I can do myself?Thanks for your help.Lynn P.__________________________________________________