22 Month old..
My 22 month old son is not talking, at least not with a purpose and infrequently. He has struggled with explosive crying much of the day (sometimes, it varies) since like 3-5 months old and I always felt he was different and harder to care for/comfort than his older sisters. He struggles with changing routines, car rides, nap and bed time, being told no. Crying is most used form of communication 90% of the time. We work with him a lot with talking, if he’s in the right mood, he will mimic some easy sounds, but usually will stare blankly. If everyone sings at him or people he doesn’t recognize talk loudly to him, he cries. Struggles with loud environments like people yelling/cheering at my older daughters’ soccer games. Does not point or bring toys to show, or plays toys with others. Solo plays with his toys. Did not walk until 17/18 months, but caught on quickly to age level once he started.
He does say dada and baba sometimes, used to say mama but haven’t heard him say that in a while. He babbles a lot when he hears others talking, especially to his older sisters, initiates little games we play constantly throughout the day. Gives kisses to everyone and everything. Laughs, loves goofing around with his sisters with tickles and peekaboo. Eats pretty well, is pretty athletic, loves jumping and throwing himself around and going fast. Sprints/runs/jumps/climbs. Knows how to stack things up to climb onto things he isn’t supposed to get into. Great eye contact and mostly responds to his name, if he’s not occupied with something. No fluid in his ears.
I’m sure these posts get old and are annoying, but I’d like some insight. I don’t have family history or really any experience with higher needs children, although, I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 10. My husband (not the father of my older daughters) is also diagnosed ADHD recently, his brother and parents both show signs of autism and some social/emotional issues, but are not diagnosed and never sought treatment. They live pretty normal lives, just a little different and harder to socialize/connect with.
My son is in early intervention with the county, they are encouraging sign language but he does not respond to it at all. We are working on scheduling him an evaluation for autism. Any major signs here, or could it go either way?
I want to get him any and all assistance as soon as possible because I hate seeing his endless tantrums everyday and know he’s struggling a majority of the time. Thank you so much for reading all this, would love your opinions and any guidance. It’s been incredibly hard worrying about him.