Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist Questions Developmental Disabilities

non verbal two year old

hi,
My son is non verbal and he is 34 months. He makes alot of phonic sounds but not producing any meaningful words. His understanding has improved loads and he communicates with hands. He knows his colours, alphabet and shapes and we do them together regularly. He still doesn't respond to his name much. Is there anything I can do to develop his speech?

many thanks

Male | 2 years old

4 Answers

Child&AdolescentPsychiatristDevelopmentalDisabilities
Good Morning, Your son is making steady progress which is great. I suggest getting him into speech therapy at least a few times per week. ABA or applied behavioral therapy has been the one important therapy that has been shown to be beneficial for autistic kids. In my experience autistic patients have their best speech development by about 5 years of age.
Talk to your pediatrician about a referral to a speech therapist or developmental pediatrician. Many school districts will also evaluate and treat developmental issues so you could check with your pediatrician or school; district.
I would recommend an in-depth evaluation by a developmental pediatrician or a Child/Adolescent Psychiatrist to determine as accurate of a diagnosis as possible. Often times an evaluation can/will lead to a referral to a Speech Therapist of Occupational Therapist, but it really starts with an accurate evaluation and diagnosis.
Is he receiving speech therapy? Is he in a school type of program?