15 month old needing speech therapy? Speech delayed?

I am not a parent, but I assure you that many experts of autism are not parents. Autism is a spectrum of closely related disorders with a shared core of symptoms. Autism spectrum disorders appear in infant and early childhood, where the delays are often developed in many areas causing delays in many areas of learning to talk, interact with others, and play.

Does he engage into imaginative play? As autistic milestones develops, it increasingly causes significant delays. By 24 months, the autistic milestones requires the child not to use two-word phrases that does NOT include repeating and imitating.

That area shows a sign of normal development. By 12 months, the autistic milestones requires the child NOT TO BABBLE. Autism varies (as stated before).

If the child is hand flapping, Rocking back and forth, Spinning in a circle, Tapping ears, Head banging, Staring at lights, Moving fingers in front of the eyes, Lining up toys, Flicking light switches on and off, and Repeating words or noises, then that's a thick possibility. My advice is If your child is developmentally delayed, or if you’ve observed other red flags for autism, schedule an appointment with your pediatrician right away. In fact, it’s a good idea to have your child screened by a doctor even if he or she is hitting the developmental milestones on schedule.

The AAP recommends that all children receive routine developmental screenings, as well as specific screenings for autism at 9 to 30 months of age possibly. As for evaluations regarding autism, schedule an autism screening. A number of specialized screening tools have been developed to identify children at risk for autism.

The earlier treatment he receives, the better he gets regarding functioning and social skills. That's why it is best to Seek early intervention services. The diagnostic process for autism is tricky, and can sometimes take awhile.

But you can take advantage of treatment as soon as you suspect your child has developmental delays. Ask your doctor to refer you to early intervention services. Early intervention is a federally funded program for infants and toddlers with disabilities.

Children who demonstrate several early warning signs may have developmental delays. They will benefit from early intervention whether or not they meet the full criteria for an autism spectrum disorder. Motor development: Generally many people with autism have lower muscle tone.

The areas impaired in fine and gross motor skills vary. Gross motor skills use large groups of muscles to accomplish tasks such as standing, walking, keeping balance and changing position. Fine motor skills use the smaller muscles in the hands and fingers to eat, draw, brush teeth, button a shirt, write, etc. IS YOUR CHILD DEVELOPING NORMALLY IN THOSE AREAS?

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT FOR A DIAGNOSES TO START HELPING YOUR CHILD. Also your child doesn't have to have all of the symptoms. He must have a combination of these symptoms the meet criteria.

ANOTHER SUGGESTION IS A HEARING TEST. Some toddlers are often misdiagnosed as having red flags of autism due to a hearing impairment. Make sure you take him to the doctor so that they could refer him to an AUDIOLOGIST.

ANOTHER SUGGESTION: Make a video of your child. Save it and send it to the specialist. I have seen some videos on youtube of parents posting their child's early signs of autism.

That can be helpful. Just my suggestion.

If you are in the US - please call your local school district and ask for an early childhood review or evaluation. They will be able to deal with what he is like and where he's at without dealing with an actual diagnosis of something just under developmental delay. He clearly is not meeting some obvious benchmarks.

After some intervention - the time might be right to consult with a pediatric neurologist or Neuropsych but medical community can only tell you what it is - the school can work with whatever it is. Good luck. I am amazed at the lack of knowledge of early intervention services in public schools - it is a FEDERAL MANDATE.

Services may be delivered in your home or as more consultative or in a center depending on how your school district delivers services. YOU MUST HOWEVER UNDERSTAND THAT EVEN WITH A MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS OF ANYTHING - YOU CANNOT GET SCHOOL SERVICES (THAT WILL COST YOU NOTHING) UNLESS THEY DO AN EVALUATION. THEY CAN REVIEW ANY OUTSIDE MEDICAL INFORMATION BUT DO NOT NEED IT FOR DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY.