How to get autistic 2 year old child to respond more?

Question

my son's doctor thinks he may be mildly autistic. he has fleeting eye contact, rarely respondes to his name, unless treatened with a spanking. He has also lost most of his words( from 20 words to 5 words) how can I get him to speak more and respond to others

Answer 1

My experience with autism is two-fold: I have 4 relatives with autism (including my younger sibling) and I now work in the field as a therapist.

I recommend checking into ABA/AVA (applied behavioral analysis/applied verbal analysis) therapy programs in your area. The earlier you get your child into therapy, the better off he will be.

There are other therapies available, too. I watched my sibling go from non-verbal at the age of four to talking non-stop with the help of occupational, physical and speech therapies. If my parents had known about ABA, they would have tried that too.

In my experience as a therapist, I have seen kids graduate from the program who you wouldn't even know were autistic besides maybe a few "odd" mannerisms. I have seen kids come in totally uncommunicative and in a matter of a couple of months, using several signs or speaking a few words. But each kid is different.

But I will be honest. ABA can be controversial. So before you decided what to do, read up on the method, talk to your medical professionals, ask to speak to someone who knows ABA, and contact your local chapter of Autism Society of America (or the autism society of your country). Talk to everyone you can and ask as many questions you can to help make your decision.

You are your son's greatest advocate in getting the help he needs.

One more thing, it sounds like you may be a little confused and anxious about your new situation. I would suggest getting involved with a support group for parents with autistic children. Believe me, support groups are wonderful and you will need people that you talk to that can understand your situation. I don't know what my family would have done without them.

Answer 2

get down on the floor and get silly - whatever noises he makes you make them too - once that pattern is established try to make a funny noise to see if he will repeat - its not the content of the exchange it's the process.

You might find some activities in RDI (RElationship Development Intervention) books helpful.

Answer 3

Firstly, don't threaten your child. He is not being badly behaved by not responding to you, he has an autistic spectrum disorder. He needs a lot of love and a lot of patience, and YOU as a family need some support. Do you have pre school portage workers where you live ? These are provided in England by the local education authority , they will come into your home and work with your child. Are there specialist nurseries for children with ASD in your area ? Contact your educational department, your health authority, your doctor and any support services you can find who deal with Autism/Aspergers Syndrome. Look for parent partnership schemes where you can talk to other parents in a similar situation. Read all you can about your sons condition. Many children with ASD look to outsiders as if they are just being stubborn or awkward but they are not. I have an autistic son so I know what I am talking about. Be positive. There is a lot of help out there. But you have to look for it. Good luck and God Bless.

Answer 4

i dont know the answer to this but you cant threaten a 2 yr old with a spankin just cos he wont answer you, specially if he is autistic.........play with him, laugh with him, get down on his level and get him to trust you entirely and maybe just maybe youl get somewhere with him. i know its frustrating i have a 10 son who was diagnosed with adhd borderline autistic when he was 5 ................time and patience is what it needs...good luck

Answer 5

At two years of age, in America, a child with Autism has the right to get an evaluation and free Early Intervention services (quantity and quality depending on the State).  Are you in the US or anywhere else? There are Autism organizations worldwide that can help you evaluate your child.

DON'T THREATEN A TWO YEAR OLD WITH SPANKING, DON'T EVEN DARE OF EVER USING PHYSICAL FORCE ON A CHILD, WITH OUR WITHOUT AUTISM.  Be patient, things will get better, it just takes time.

I will pray for you and your child.

Answer 6

You shouldn't threaten him with a spanking in order to get him to respond, if he is autistic, whether it be mild or severe, you must understand that they cannot help it if they do not understand what you are asking for. The main thing with autism is they lack social interaction and communication skills.

I'm leaving a link to  an exerpt from a book written by Ellen Notbohm, titled "Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew". This will help you understand why when you ask for certain things he does not respond. You have to be careful in how you communicate with them. The better understanding you have of it, the more you can help him.

If your doctor thinks he's mildy autistic you need to get a referral and have him assessed for it (developmental pediatrician, psychiatrist, psychologist, etc). An accurate diagnosis should be based on observation of the individual's communication, behavior, and developmental levels. Parental  input and developmental history are very important components of making an accurate diagnosis.

You should have him assessed for speech language therapy (SLT) by a speech pathologist. Another thing would be look into a developmental playgroup and if he has sensory issues possibly a sensory class. Contact your local school board and have him assessed for early intervention services, they also assess him for any related services he may need such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc.

There's many different types of treatments for autism such as

learning approaches, biomedical & dietary approaches, & complementary approaches (link below about info on the different types of approaches), you'll have to see which one(s) best fits your childs needs..what may work with one child may not always work with another child, what you may try may only work temporarily, but never give up trying to find which is best for him, always have patience.