Ep. #6 LATE TALKERS: Diagnoses and Considerations

[@preetisharma-th3nr]

Can being a late talker manifest other behaviours in a pre-schooler that also point towards autism diagnosis? For example, doing things their own way, being non-compliant, cannot sit still, are seen in autistic kids but can also manifest in late talkers because they cannot express themselves appropriately?

[@Late-TalkerJourney]

Hello, Thank you for your question! Many of the behaviors that we see in your preschoolers who are developing differently are shared among various diagnoses. So, "yes" you can see similar behaviors across different diagnoses. There are, however, particular constellations of symptoms that would differentiate one diagnosis from another. This requires expertise. The younger the child, the larger range of variation there is in development, so you need to be careful; not hasty. The process of making a differential diagnosis should allow ample opportunity and allow enough time and space for thorough consideration. This may range from hours to weeks, or sometimes longer. This does not mean you cannot move forward supporting the child talking. Meet with your pediatrician and get a referral to a speech pathologist (SLP). Let the SLP know what you are seeking. There are excellent ways to move forward and support your child's growth and progress regardless if you have a specific diagnosis at that point or not. We so appreciate hearing from you. Sincerely, Mary Camarata.

[@BreckGirl1]

I had a late talking cousin (a boy), whose first spoken words to his mother (at age four) were, "Where does the moon to to sleep at night?" That cousin had observed the path of the moon during the night and saw it set, as if going to sleep! Our world is so verbal these days, but late talkers can be observing and thinking without being outwardly verbal. Thank you for your informative & reassuring talks.

[@Late-TalkerJourney]

Thanks so much for your comment! I can say with certainty that all late talking children, regardless of whether the late talking is a symptom or a stage, will often observe things in novel ways. Also, it is not uncommon for late talking children to talk about events, experiences, and other memories they had before they started talking. Late talking children are learning even when they are not talking. That is why it is so important to model talking and other learning activities (as is demonstrated in the lessons available on the latetalkers.org website). Stephen Camarata

[@diacritic8508]

I appreciate you added video chapters, it is so much easier now to find things in the video and share it with others!

[@camaramn]

Hello! I am so glad the "chapters" are showing up. We have been attempting to include "chapter" marker in all the episodes, though they are not all appearing when the episodes air. I am glad to see that they DID appear on this episode. We will go back and see if we can identify the key difference and get the "chapter" markers to appear on ALL the episodes. I like them too! Thanks for watching 🙂 Mary Camarata.