Jude, is our youngest son, and our youngest child. He is now 19 months old, and we are now having a BIG leap in his speech progression.
At this age children always seem to ramp it up a gear, and you hear new words every day… which is most definitely what we are getting right now with Jude.
This has happened with all of our children at this age, except of course, for little Cammy.
At that age, Cammy had only a couple of words… things like ‘Mum’, ‘Dad’, ‘fruit shoot’, ‘juice’, ‘ball’, ‘what’s that?’ And even ‘Spiderman!!!!’ …all of the main things that he needed to know at that age really.
He quickly got nearer to the age of 2, and very slowly he began to lose the words that he had already learned… and we never heard any new ones.
(I should say that Cammy is our 4th child, and it was around that time for me, when alarm bells started to go off in my head!)
I asked the speech and language therapist Cammy started to see just shortly after this period in time, to try and explain to me how this could happen… she said that basically, a baby has a reflex of copying and learning from his/her parents at such a young age, and particularly with speech.
That reflex very slowly decreases, and the child is then supposed to ‘take over’ with the speech, by learning to listen and learn on their own… therefore, making that speech reflex redundant.
With many autistic children, when the ‘reflex’ stopped, so did the words, and the child decided that they no longer needed to use the words for communication.
This is basically why there are so many regressions noticed around the age of 18 months to 2 yrs, as this is generally when the ‘reflex’ will leave the child.
Very fascinating… but also very upsetting to try and get your head around when this has happened to your own child.
The same lady, also explained to me that non verbal autistic children must first be brought out of their own world, and brought into our world, with intensive interaction etc, before they can be taught a different form of communication, to either ‘bring on’ or ‘replace’ the speech that they lost.
This is the stage we have been ‘stuck’ at with Cammy for around 2 years now… and with the help of many intensive interactions at school etc, Cammy is now very aware of his surroundings, and will also study peoples faces when they talk to him etc aswell.
We just need to find the most suitable communication for him now! … and it isn’t easy… trust me!!!
Also, tonight, another MASSIVE milestone for him… he has actually started ‘seeking out’ myself or hubby, Brian, to take us upstairs and have fun on the trampoline or cuddles in his bed… he is seeking us out, taking us by the hand, and leading us upstairs!!!! This is HUGE!!!! He ‘wants’ to have fun with us now! … not preferring his own company all of the time, as he most definitely did lots before!
Our boy truly astounds us every single day… and as always, we will forever be hoping and praying for the day when it all just ‘clicks’ for him, and his communication will come on in leaps and bounds.
…The day when he finally finds his voice.
❤️
Cammy’s Autism Journey 