Normal up til 2 or 3...what if you weren't?

Post Reply New Topic

Okay, I'm starting to think I'm an Aspie..I have a lot of the signs and have for as long as I can remember though I have a lot of coping tools to get me through so I appear quite NT.

Anyway the only thing is all these diagnosis things say "No development delays: able to speak in one words normally at 2."

I didn't speak until I was 3.

Well, I didn't speak to adults until I was three and when I did start speaking it was in complete sentences...backwards but complete. The first thing I said to my mom: Want a drink of water now please.

I MIGHT have been speaking to and through my sister before that because obviously we communicated. We used to come in from different rooms and stand together and my sister would say "Beth wants a ham sandwich" and my mom or grandma would ask "Beth, do you want that?" and I would nod.

Does that mean I'm not an Aspie?

Hey, it's about time another person that did that came along. Wondered if I was the only one. As for that, you are on the border between High Functioning Autism and Aspergers. Aspergers has no speech delays, High Functioning has them. You are right in between. Most people in the business will thus diagnose you as AS. Personally, I have MSDD and am waiting to see what the verdict is with that condition.

yay! I'm not alone.

The scenario in which kids skip the babbling and single-word development phases and go straight from non-verbal to speaking in fully-formed sentences around 30-36 months seems to be quite common among aspies. My mother told me that I didn't babble or cry much and learned 5 words (yes, no, hi, bye, mine) by my first birthday. I then didn't say anything at all for almost two more years. Then one day I just opened my mouth and began speaking in coherent and fully-formed sentences and had a substantial vocabulary.

As far as diagnostic criteria goes, there is a misconception that if you didn't speak by age 3 then that makes you autistic. The criteria is actually based on communication skills, not speech. If a child doesn't speak by age 3 but is otherwise be able to communicate using gestures, pointing and shared gaze then they would not be considered autistic in the classic sense.

I think I feel you here with this one. I wasn't talking in full sentences until I was 3. It was mostly fragmented words and grunts. After 3, I was reading and talking and doing really well. And I wasn't dx'ed til last year! It's funny how all of the pieces fit together.

That's really interesting. I dont' actually make eyecontact I just realized with anyone except my husband...and that's when I'm trying to understand why he does something or how he feels about something.

Mostly I look at peoples ears or their mouth. They don't tend to notice I'm not making eye contact and when I do make eye contact it's fleeting.

Interestingly enough husband didn't start talking at ALL until he was three but is very social. Not in a life of the party kind of way but in a "everyone likes him, he gets along with everyone" type.

I didn't speak fully until I was three, and reports say that I babbled off and on a bit before that, mostly not too sensical.

The only thing I have read about this is that it defines whether or not one is a high-functioning autistic or an aspie, or possibly just PDD-NOS. For what it's worth, though there are differences between the three diagnoses, I don't really think it makes much of a difference. Treatments are generally the same, though maybe some may need more speech therapy than others. If you have an ASD of some sort, then that's basically all there is to it. Differentiating between all three isn't always easy, and many doctors tend to get it wrong.

I know some aspies in my local aspie group who have noticeable speech impediments.

- Ray M -

I am a diagnosed Aspie, I was late to reach all milestones according to my mother.
This could be due to the dyspraxia, though.

I did not say any words until I was 3, but I very quickly used full sentences.

There is a condition called Selective Mutism, where people don't talk only in certain situations. It sounds like you did talk to your sister. Was she old enough to remember?