3 year old sensory seeker with no speech

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3 year old sensory seeker with no speech

by Nancy
(Cincinnati, Ohio)

I have a 3 and a half year old little boy who is a textbook sensory seeker, and is extremely delayed in his speech and cognitive abilities. He has some symptoms of autism, but the autism specialist we took him to was reluctant to get him fully evaluated until he is 4, since she could already tell that he doesn't exactly match up with autism, and thinks he may be more accurately diagnosed if we wait. I am thinking he may be diagnosed with either SPD or PDD NOS at that time.

He is extremely active (especially with his constant jumping), and he doesn't follow directions well, but he is affectionate with his family and gives pretty good eye contact. I know he is cognitively delayed but it is difficult to determine how delayed, because of the type of kid he is. (i.e., he understands more than he sometimes lets on.) He does not imitate sounds or actions much at all. His only word that he uses consistently and appropriately is "ball", which he excitedly points out whenever possible. But he also babbles frequently, which I have heard is a good sign for speaking sometime in the future.

I was wondering if anyone else has encountered a little one like my son. I feel that he does not fit into any diagnostic categories very well. From all that I have read about sensory seekers, extreme speech delay does not seem to be especially common with them. We currently have my son going to a special needs preschool where he gets speech and OT, private speech and OT, and also ABA-based music therapy. But he does not seem to be improving much in the area of communication. I feel that none of the professionals I take him to know exactly what to do with him, since he does not match up very well with what they have seen before.

Just wondering if anyone has seen this "type of kid" before, and what might help him that I am not already doing...

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3 year old sensory seeker with no speech

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Jun 02, 2010
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gradson
by: dorothy

hi my grandson will be three in a week he is having tubes put in his ears in 2 days. we have been waiting for this for a year. e has no speech and also has sensory issues. he to spends a lot of time looking at his hands and fingers. e has delays in all areas and has low tone. any suggestions or help would be appreciated grandma dorothy

Jun 01, 2010
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Sounds just like my son
by: Anonymous

My son is turning 4 this coming October and so far is not talking either. He is going through the In-home programs thru an IEP also and they work with alot of the speech, self help, OT, and just practically anything else you can think of. Like the other mom that has the son saying "ball", my son would also just try to say words with anything that has the "b" sound and the "m" sound. He will try to imitate back what you want him to say but it seems hard for him to generalize all the things he's learning in the normal environment. He's potty training right not and completely understands not to we his undies but he will not go to the restroom on his own if he needs to go. Everything has to be a prompt for him.

He seems to be afraid of everything, esp. amusement park rides.. for the little kids of course. He walks on tip-toe too, did I mention. Our main concern right now is his speech and hoping that it will come soon. I am now a stay at home mom because his tutoring is 35-40 hours a week can you imagine the struggles and frustration because he has no form of communication.... So to all you moms out there, I totally understand. BTW, my son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS

May 28, 2010
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jhk
by: Anonymous

My mom is diagnosed with sensory processing disorder and had a lot of autistic like symptoms including speech delay. She said that she did not speak clearly and did awful in school till she went to high school. In high school her speech cleared, she started doing better in school, graduated high school with great marks and even graduated medical school. Every one who knew her was so surprised because they did not think she was even able to finish elementary
So ya there can be a major speech delay with sensory problems.

May 07, 2010
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My son sounds similar about a year older
by: Cyndi

My son is 4 and sounds very similar to the children here. He started ST and OT at about 2 where he had very few words. Extremely active and couldn't focus long on any one thing. He was extremely visual as I think the auditory/speech wasn't there and it over compensated and he is at probably a 7 year old level with puzzles (100 piece no problem) and things like video games/computer. He had a medical diagnoses at about 34 months which they thought he was not on the spectrum but SPD and dev delay. He was too social and acted out for reasons. Very loving, happy boy. From 2-3 with lots of therapy he made progress but was only speaking 1 and some 2 word phrases.

From 3-4 when he started special ed preschool he has made much more progress and speaks in full sentences but certainly is still delayed but I see more progress faster it seems. He was always a nasalily kid but since his 4th b-day in Dec. he really snores loud like an adult so took him in as heard adnoids can be prob with speech and also behavior as they aren't getting great sleep even though he sleeps through night fine. x-ray today but I am all for doing anything that might help and improve him even if it's an operation. Also, will have a follow up with ped neurologist that did medical eval this summer (long waiting list).

I like you though seek out people with similar kids as I don't seem to see many in the blogs. His teachers are very pleased with his progress and I'll tell you if he is half as good as the kids he is with next year I will be thrilled. They are a year older then him and I've been to lots of b-day parties etc. and most of them I have no idea what their delay is. I am very curious how they were a year or two ago. Anyhow good luck to you and I'm very curious how this adnoid thing works out.

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May 07, 2010
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Submitted by: Cyndi

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My son is 4 and sounds very similar to the children here. He started ST and OT at about 2 where he had very few words. Extremely active and couldn't focus long on any one thing. He was extremely visual as I think the auditory/speech wasn't there and it over compensated and he is at probably a 7 year old level with puzzles (100 piece no problem) and things like video games/computer. He had a medical diagnoses at about 34 months which they thought he was not on the spectrum but SPD and dev delay. He was too social and acted out for reasons. Very loving, happy boy. From 2-3 with lots of therapy he made progress but was only speaking 1 and some 2 word phrases. From 3-4 when he started special ed preschool he has made much more progress and speaks in full sentences but certainly is still delayed but I see more progress faster it seems. He was always a nasalily kid but since his 4th b-day in Dec. he really snores loud like an adult so took him in as heard adnoids can be prob with speech and also behavior as they aren't getting great sleep even though he sleeps through night fine. x-ray today but I am all for doing anything that might help and improve him even if it's an operation. Also, will have a follow up with ped neurologist that did medical eval this summer (long waiting list). I like you though seek out people with similar kids as I don't seem to see many in the blogs. His teachers are very pleased with his progress and I'll tell you if he is half as good as the kids he is with next year I will be thrilled. They are a year older then him and I've been to lots of b-day parties etc. and most of them I have no idea what their delay is. I am very curious how they were a year or two ago. Anyhow good luck to you and I'm very curious how this adnoid thing works out.

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Apr 15, 2010
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I thought I wrote your post
by: Anonymous

Your son is exactly like my son, except mine is still 2. He will be three in July.
He is delayed- no words except "Row Row" for "Row Row Row your boat". Good eye contact, but doesn't respond to his name well. Huge sensory seeker. He loves mirrors, deep pressure, chewing, he looks at his hands a lot. He is happy as can be, babbles a lot. He is receiving Speech, OT, and music (since September 09) Still no words. He has ear tubes- we thought all this was because he was deaf for a period of time as an infant but he has had the tubes for over a year and he should have made some progress if that was the only reason. (His ear infection went undiagnosed bc there was no redness, no fever, ate fine, slept fine. The pediatrician missed it time after time, the ENT was the one who caught it)

Mar 31, 2010
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It is like we have the same little boy!
by: Anonymous

Really, down to the constant "Ball!" he says. My son is 2yrs and 4 months old. I just had him diagnosed with Autism based on his cognitive evaluation but those can be unreliable because it is based on what he can demonstrate... I know he understands more than he lets on... I have always said he has sensory issues... When your son started to walk did have his arms up most of the time? My son walked with his arms out, elbows bent like he was reaching up to hold hands with us... we assumed that he was so used to holding our hands that it was a habit... but I think that was an early sign he was very unaware of himself and his surroundings. We are taking him to an OT, PT, SLP and are doing RDI therapy... I think he will be great! Good luck! You have a lucky boy, he is getting a lot of great help!

Mar 15, 2010
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keep looking up.
by: Anonymous

My little girl sounds just like your son. Although frustrating she has made improvements. She will be five and her speech is at the level of a three year old. Then the spd on top of it all. Did you ever get a eeg or mri done? The eeg tests the brain waves in your head, and the mri is a type of x-ray of the brain. Good luck with everything all the therapy you have your son involved in is wonderful. Good for you keep advocating for him!

Mar 14, 2010
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You're not alone!
by: CS

My little boy is the same age and very similar--sensory-seeking, with speech and cognitive delay. He does talk some but much of his speech is echolalic. He was diagnosed as SPD last year, and so far we have been told that he's not on the autism spectrum. I believe that may change though.
Just wanted you to know you're not alone!

Mar 10, 2010
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you taught me!
by: Khat

What more could you do for your son? Amazing= I wish we had a special needs preschool in our area.

Just wanted to mention, because my son couldn't talk or be understood until he was about 4, that your son can still read. Just because he can't say words doesn't mean he can't start early reading, or pointing to pictures in books, or answering questions about the alphabet.
I thought that because he couldn't say things that he couldn't read..but I was wrong. I was shocked, when he did start to talk well, that he had been teaching himself to read.

I wish our children didn't have to go through all this. Each child is so different and needs different things. Good luck to you and your child.

Mar 01, 2010
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response to Annette
by: Nancy

Annette,

Thanks for the idea of my son's speech being an adenoid problem. Something I hadn't even thought of. However, my son has never had any ENT type infections, really (not even an ear infection). He hasn't ever been prescribed any antibiotics for anything (which is way healthier than my other 3 kids!). But, who knows? Maybe an ENT consult would not be a bad idea. I am willing to try absolutely everything! I'm glad you're little guy is doing better. It gives me hope. Thanks so much!

Feb 25, 2010
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Suggestions
by: Annette

My son was very similar to yours very active as far as jumping, etc. and not seeming to be able to sit still. He also was delayed in his speech and would put stuff in his mouth until almost age 4 (he is 4 currently, but this seems to have lessened, but not completely stopped)

Anyways, its sounds like you are doing everything you can, as far as the SPD/Autisim side of it. I would recommend asking his doctor if his tonsils or adnoids are a problem. We had my sons removed and now literally he will not stop talking :) The ENT said it may have caused most of his problems (speech, not breast feeding, acid reflux) as a baby and was probably why he didn't speak, it hurt too bad. So I would at least talk to the doctor and see if that is possibly a problem

As for the SPD I don't have many answers my son too is in preschool on an IEP for his delays and in OT but as soon as one thing seems to calm down, another crops up. If you get any good advice though, please share. Always looking for help myself.

Good luck and hang in there mom, you are not alone, but it is a struggle every day.

Feb 23, 2010
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good job
by: Anonymous

Mom it sounds like you are doing everything right so far. My son was delayed in his speech but by age 3 1/2 he was starting to use 2-3 word phrases. He now has a good vocabulary at age 6 and just some pronunciation delays. He's making a lot of progress and I am sure your son will too! Keep seeking answers from your physicians and other specialists! Good luck on your journey!

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3 year old sensory seeker with no speech

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3 year old sensory seeker with no speech