Wondering if 3 year old has autism

Hi,

My son is 3 years old at the end of this month. His sister was speaking in sentences aged about 1.5 years old but my son still is not doing this.

He knows quite a lot of words but only says things like "you go over there" and "where daddy/mummy gone". Most of the time he just speaks kind of gibberish. He also has a low level of concentration, e.g. he's never interested in sitting down to listen to a story. He will however be glued to cartoons. He also bites other children sometimes and gets into fights easily. However he is very affectionate, smiles/laughs a lot, plays hide and seek, etc. and is extremely good at puzzles and games on his handheld computer.

Reading through this list of symptoms:

  • Has unclear speech or drools a lot
  • Doesn’t speak in sentences
  • Doesn’t follow simple instructions
  • Can’t work simple toys (simple puzzles, turning knobs/handles, peg board)
  • Shows little interest in toys
  • Doesn’t want to play with other children
  • Doesn’t play make believe or pretend
  • Doesn’t make eye contact
  • Falls down often or has trouble on stairs
  • Loses skills he/she once had

I'd say only these apply:

  • Has unclear speech
  • Doesn’t speak in sentences
  • Doesn’t follow simple instructions - mostly he understands what we ask him to do but sometimes he just won't listen but this could just be that he's three!

I'd just like to know if this sounds like autism or perhaps something else, if anything.

Thanks,

Scooter

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    That suggests that autism is less likely but it isn't fair to try and diagnose it via the internet like this. See what the SLT suggest. I hope you get some answers but I wouldn't be surprised if his speech springs into action before too long. :-)

  • Thanks, yes he does understand facial expressions. I think the main worry about autism is the fact he's not speaking very much. We've booked an appointment with a speech & language therapist.

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    Hi Scooter,

    It doesn't sound obvious that he has autism but neither is it obvious that he hasn't. Children do vary a lot! Not sure where the list you started with comes from? You suggest that his eye contact is normal - does he understand when you are happy or cross with him from your facial expression? The biting and fighting is concerning - this does happen with some autistic children but then again it also happens with non autistic children.

    I think that you should consult your GP or health visitor for advice. They will have more experience than you of what normal looks like. Ask them about the biting etc and see if they have any advice.