Early signs of autism ? Or speech delay .Any experienced mamas out there

Question

My boy is 18 months old , he still hasn't said his first real word yet . 
He is also a picky eater , the only thing he really eats is yogurt although I give him a variety of choices each day 
He has really bad tantrums while throwing him self on the floor and screaming 
I've been doing some research and ended up calling a facility that will help with delayed speech but it turns out it's an early autism research place , it takes a couple months to actually get to the evaluation part but the questionnaire they gave me to fill out made me so nervous because it seems he has a huge delay in communication 
I've been watching some videos on YouTube and he does have some characteristics of autism . Although a small side of me thinks that a lot of the behaviors are normal like flapping hands and tip toe . I'm really nervous and scared.
My main thing is the no words Evan though I try to talk with him all the time and he is in daycare part time just so he can interact with other kids 
I guess I really don't know what I'm looking for with this post . Just wanted to see if anyone had a similar story and what ended up being the outcome and how you handled it . 
My husband thinks I should just let it go and not give him a "label" but I would like to be able to help earlier then later if it became something serious

Answer

Hi hun! I’m a certified autism specialist and have 3 nephews and 1 niece on the spectrum. Although the things you mentioned may not be indicative of autism by themselves, the fact that he has them together is reason enough to have him evaluated. When he throws tantrums, are they for usual reasons? Does he cover his ears a lot, or his eyes? Those are signs of sensory processing disorder which is diagnosed in many autistic children. Feel free to message me and chat if you have any questions or would like to discuss things further. 
My nephews vary from mild to moderate to severe- some are high functioning and some are considered low. Two of the three hit milestones at a normal pace; one is almost 4 and still has issues with talking (he echoes still instead of forming his own sentences). My niece is almost 3 and still nonverbal.

Answer

It could just be a speech delay, could be more. I suggest using all of the resources available to you to help your child be his best version of himself. If that requires a label, so be it. But it may not. He may get speech services and be on target. Either way try to take one day, one step at a time. Good luck!

Answer

My daughter had a speech delay and is turning 6 In a few weeks and  doesn't talk unless she has to. I noticed with kids wirh older siblings tend to speak later, don't worry yourself it will be fine. I drove myself crazy testing my daughter with autism and she's fine!

Answer

Don’t worry too quickly. Every child develops differently, and I think everyone jumps to autism rather quickly (myself included) 
My son didn’t talk until he was well past 18 months, probably closer to 3.5 years old. And he’s a perfectly normal, healthy, annoying 15 year old.

Answer

Not sure where you live but most states have early intervention programs, they come out evaluate and revoked devices. Many states also have school districts that provide services at 3yo. If things are takingyo long with this place maybe you can look into that.

Answer

Hey there my oldest daughter Emma started showing similar signs when she was around the same age. Didn't talk and would only eat a very small range of food . But she also had other signs of autism as well. Covered her ears a lot didn't like making eye contact and would get upset very easy if her schedule was even a little bit off. Delay in motor skills etc. But I thought she was just learning at a diffrent pace so I gave her a little more time. She was later diagnosed Nonverbal with food averstions and sound/texture sensory issues. In my  opinion I say go to the speech therapist and see if that helps him. If not then You may want to talk with his pediatrician about having him evaluated. Don't worry about labels. All that matters is that he gets the help he needs, even if he does have autism it just means that he will need a little more help than most kids.  Hang in there and keep your head up. Your little one will be just fine.

Answer

Sounds like a speech delay or possibly (maybe, highly unlikely) high functioning Austin. My daughter was exactly the same, the tantrums are due to don't be able to communicate effectively. OT + SPEECH DELAY INTERVENTION will be profoundly helpful.

Answer

esrly intervention is great my son was speach delayed due to his hearing he eneded up needing ear tubes.

Answer

does he make eye contact? do other things appropriately?

Early signs of autism ? Or speech delay .Any experienced mamas out there

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