When my son was delayed in speech development, I didn't think much of it. My daughter was also a little late, but a lot of friends told me that's how the second kid was. They were right, she now tells me stories all day long. So, I was alright with giving my son some extra time to develop his voice.
As time went by, I noticed he not only wasn't talking. He would cover his ears when he was anxious and interact with things repetitively. At his next wellness exam I filled out the usual developmental screening with dread. I knew he was behind and this form brought things to mind I never even thought of.
There were several appointments and evaluations to be done. It was difficult, but we found a great option for therapy and were excited to get started. But he still wasn't speaking, in fact, he began making more noises to express his wants and needs to us. I started to think he would never speak to me. That he would never call me Mom.
This thought hit me pretty hard emotionally, so I decided to do a little research. In the article, "Study Shows That Many Nonverbal Autistic Children Overcome Severe Language Delays", researchers found in a study done by scientists at The Center for Autism and Related Disorders, 47% of participants became fluent speakers. Moreover, 70% were able to speak in simple phrases. This was found in children aged over four and five years old, which is the benchmark for seeing speech development in autistic children.
These statistics helped me change my perspective. Perhaps one day he will say simple phrases or even call me Mom. I have new found hope that he will speak to me one day, but until that day comes, I will keep finding new ways to communicate with him on his terms, not mine. Geraldine Dawson, PhD, Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer, points out, "These findings offer hope to parents that their language-delayed child will go on to develop speech in elementary school, or even as teenagers."
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