Are you worried about your late-talking toddler? Are you getting more and more anxious as you watch younger children talk up a storm while your child is still not talking?
You are not alone. In Singapore, speech delay is one of the main reasons parents seek speech therapy for their children.
Some Reasons behind Late-Talking
Although some of these children do eventually catch up, not all of them do. For children who fail to do so, there are real reasons behind why they are talking late, and these may include autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and language delay/disorders. These conditions are serious and need to be treated early for a better prognosis.
Even though both language delay/disorders and autism need intervention, the latter is a more serious issue and require more intensive treatment. So how is a parent to know which is which?
Autism Vs Language Disorder
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Difference #1: Eye Contact
Eye contact is one of the key differentiators between a child with ASD and one with language delay/disorders. While children with autism may present with poor eye contact and difficulty following the point of their parents; such issues are uncommon in the latter children.
This may manifest as a child right looking through or pass a person talking to them. In addition, they also seldom follow the point of another person to see what they are talking about.
Difference #2: Response to Their Name
Most children will respond when their name is called, including those with language delays/disorders. In fact, this skill develops as early as 6months in a typically-developing baby.
Many parents with children on the autism spectrum face difficulties getting the attention of their children. Children with ASD often have sensory challenges, some of which affect their ability to filter out noises. For example, they may have difficulties isolating the voice of their parents from, say, the humming of a fan. This prevents them from hearing, learning and thus responding to their names.
Difference #3: Imitation
Children learn by copying their parents and imitation is a core skill that neuro-typical children seem to come equipped with. Likewise, children with language delay/disorders can easily copy the actions, expressions and sounds of their parents.
On the contrary, autistic children often display a lack of interest in people. This lack of interest translates to less time being spent around others. In fact, even in the company of others, they may also not pay as much attention to them.
In addition, an article published in the Journal of Clinical Science suggests that there are abnormality in the functioning of mirror neurons in children with autism. This means that these children have more difficulties in imitating actions, especially those pertaining to social and emotions.
Taken together, these mean that autistic children have very few opportunities and reasons to copy the action of another, resulting in their lack of imitation.
Difference #4: Non-verbal Communication
Typically-developing children will often use a variety of gestures and expressions to communicate with their parents, and this includes children with language delay/disorders as well.
However, because of a lack of imitation by children with autism spectrum disorder, they often do not pick up gestures like waving, clapping and shaking their head. When they do communicate, they seldom use their body language to better convey themselves. In addition, their expressions are often “flat”, with little variation between happy, angry and sad.
Difference #5: Pointing and showing object of interest
Between 12-15 months, children, including those with language delay/disorders will start pointing and showing objects to their parents. However, this skill is missing from autistic children. Since they haven’t really paid much attention when their parents were pointing, they did not have a chance to learn the skill themselves.
Difference #6: Pattern of Language Development
In typically development, children often understand words first, before they are able to use them expressively. This includes children with language delay/disorders as well.
According to the Hanen Centre, children with autism, however, often display unusual patterns of language development. Some children on the spectrum may be able to recite entire songs or lift phrases from a favourite video, yet are unable to use them to communicate. Other children with autism may know all their ABCs and colours but be unable to follow simple directions.
Being able to talk and not use it to communicate with someone is a red flag. Unfortunately, their strengths in memorizing long sentences and academic concepts often give their parents a false sense that their language is advanced, thus preventing these children from getting help.
Difference #7: Pretend Play
By 2 years, neuro-typical children as well as children with language delay/disorders will be engaged in pretend play. At a minimum, they may pretend to talk on a toy mobile, or try to feed a soft toy with a spoon. At a more advanced level, they may use one object to substitute for another, such as using a lego block as a car.
According to research by the University of Bristol, there is a decided lack in pretend play in children on the autism spectrum. When they play with a toy phone, they may be pushing on a button repeatedly to elicit a sound. Or when they are playing with a toy car, they may turn it upside down to watch the spinning wheels.
Conclusion
In essence, a child with language delay/disorders is more or less like a neuro-typical child, minus the talking bit. But in ASD, more areas are affected, and in most instances, more severely as well.
Are there other differences that you have noticed between a child with language delay/disorders and one with autism? Let us know!
