Yvonne Said:

my son is 3 and does not talk i have him enrolled in speech therapy but i think he may be autistic.advise plz?

We Answered:

It's great that you have him in speech therapy. My son is enrolled too because I was worried that he didn't speak as much as other children his age. However, physically he was much more advanced than other children his age. For example, he walk at about 9 months. Children develop at different rates, so don't lose too much sleep over developmental delays. Take action. You'll feel better, and your child will begin getting the treatment/help he needs. The first stop should be your pediatrician. Make an appointment just to discuss and have an evaluation of his development. Go with a list of your observations and questions. Second, contact your school board. Even as early as two children can receive assistance with learning for free from the public education system. The counselors from the school board can determine if he has a learning problem and provide or suggest programs to meet his needs. Through one of these avenues you should be able to get an accurate diagnosis for your three year old. Don't be afraid to ask for a second opinion if you are not satisfied with the findings. If money is a concern, most states have free or low cost health insurance programs to ensure every child has a healthy start. Don't forget, you have choices and you are the perfect advocate for your child. Good luck.

Martha Said:

What id the difference of ABA and ECI therapy with a child that might be autistic?

We Answered:

The difference is in the techniques that are used to elicit language from your child. Since it seems that you do not yet have a diagnosis and if he is indeed having speech therapy and NOT language therapy, then they may be taking a wait and see approach.

There are a number of efficacious ways to deliver instruction to children with autism. ABA approaches have a very good research base for improving language and behavior in autistic children. Some include Verbal Behavior, Discrete Trials and Errorless learning.

However, one approach does not fit every autistic kid, so you may want to see what some of the other approaches are, including TEACCH and Floor Time.

The main issue is that you do your research, as you are starting to do by asking this question. There are numerous websites that offer information as well as some really good Utube presentations on autism.