AboutSharon A. Mitchell Expertise Sharon can help with parenting and educational concerns. She has worked in teaching, special education and counselling for over twenty-five years and gives workshops to educators and parents on working with kids with autism spectrum disorders. Sharon speaks from both the education and parent points of view, having a son with Asperger's.
Experience Sharon is a special education consultant with a school district and autism consult for the province's Department of Education, giving workshops and individual consults. She is also the parent of a son with Asperger's who is away at university. Together they have a website at http://www.autismsite.ca that offers strategies for home and school. Sharon's Master's thesis looked at the long-term outlook for persons with high functioning autism and Asperger's.
Organizations
Website at http://www.autismsite.ca and sits on Autism Today's Panel of Experts (www.autismtoday.com)
Publications Co-author of Amazon.com bestseller, The Official Autism 101 Manual
Education/Credentials B.A. in Psychology,
B.Ed. in Special Education,
M.A. in Educational Leadership, Ph.D. Candidate in Autism
Question my 20 month old cousin only say a couple of words like he can only say mom, no, and yes and then he points to everything he wants and if you don't get want he quick enough for him he screams and yells until he gets what he wants and it really gets annoying at times
Answer Yes Heather, I can see where that would be annoying for all concerned - including the child.
Children don't all develop at the same time, although there are guidelines for what is typically expected at certain ages. Very briefly, here are some speech and language skills that a child of your cousin's age may have attained, according to http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/child-development.html
By the end of 1.5 years (18 months) many children are able to:
- do simple pretend play ("talk" on a toy phone)
- point to interesting objects
- look at object when you point at it and tell them to "look!"
- use several single words unprompted
By the end of 2 years (24 months) many children are able to:
- use 2- to 4-word phrases
- follow simple instructions
- become more interested in other children
- point to object or picture when named
On average, a child should use at least 200 words by the age of two. As general benchmarks, consider whether your child can:
• Say her first word by her first birthday
• Combine two words, for example “Mommy up” by age two
• Use three-word phrases and short sentences by age three, like “Puppy come here”
When should I visit or speak to a speech-language pathologist?
Seek answers if your child:
• Shows no reaction to sound in the first three months of life
• Is not babbling and making sounds by 10 months
• Doesn’t gesture, show, give or point to get something by 12 months
• Doesn’t understand simple commands like “See your ball? Get your ball!” by 18 months
• Doesn’t pretend play, like feeding a stuffed toy, by 18 months
• Is not using single words by 21 months
At the bottom of the above link are things you and his parents can to this little guy in his development as you play with him.
You mention that your cousin is pointing. That's a good sign. Many kids with autism do not point or use other sorts of gestures. So, pointing is good. But he screams.
Let's look at this from the child's point of view. Talking is the fastest, easiest way to get what he wants to to control his environment. If he could ask for what he wants, he would.
Instead, he must be very frustrated. A child's receptive language far surpasses his expressive language. This means that a kid can understand far more than he can say. So this toddler may understand what you say to him. He wants something but does not have the words to ask for it. So he points. But the adults around him don't quite get what it is he's pointing to or they don't notice that he's pointing. He screams to get their attention and to convince them to get him what he desires. It's a long, drawn-out process, leaving everyone tired and frustrated. Words would be so much easier for everyone.
So, if his parents feel that he is not talking as much as he should be, then having his hearing checked is the first step. Has he had ear infections? Upper respiratory infections? Such infections can cause temporary hearing loss which interferes with a child's ability to acquire language.
After checking out his hearing, then a visit to a speech language pathologist/therapist would be helpful. Your public health nurse, doctor or school district can tell you how to get in touch with a Speech Path (SLP).
The SLP, after observing the child, playing with him and talking with the parents may say that she thinks this little boy's speech is within the norm for his age. Or she may feel that he has some delays and will give the parents suggestions for helping him. Or, she may schedule some therapy lessons to work with him.
But while you wait for these appointments, I imagine that you all want to help this little guy feel more comfortable and to get what he wants without screaming.
One thing you might consider is using gestures and signs. Your cousin is already pointing, so he might take to this readily. Getting started is not difficult. You begin with the sign or gesture of something meaningful to him. Here are a couple websites that give you signs and explain how to do this with your baby:
Using signs such as these is a form of augmentative communication. It gives the child a means to express himself and get what he wants is a less frustrating fashion than throwing a fit. Do not fear that using signs will further delay this boy's speech. Rather, it will enhance language development and his communication skills. While signing works well, it's still more work than talking. Kids choose to speak rather than sign once they are able. In the meantime, using signs may give this child some power to control his environment and the adults in it without screaming.
As for your question about autism, I'd have to know much more about your cousin to offer an opinion. From just what you've mentioned so far, no, autism would not be the first things that comes to my mind.
- Does not babble, point, or make meaningful gestures by age 1
- Does not speak one word by 16 months
- Does not combine two words by 2 years
- Does not respond to name
- Loses language or social skills
- has poor eye contact
- Doesn't seem to know how to play with toys
- Excessively lines up toys or other objects
- Is attached to one particular toy or object
- Doesn't smile
- At times seems to be hearing impaired
In case the possibility of autism is still worrying your family, take a look at these free, online checklists:
These are just preliminary screening checklists. A score on them does not rule in or rule out autism. But they can provide you with information to take to your doctor.
