Need advice please

[Sarahbelle]

I am currently looking after a two year old LO. A few things are starting to concern me. For example I have repetitive speech. For example, he will say Snack over and over and keep repeating it even when I have acknowledged him. He says other words to like this such as Car, Lorry, Man, Lights, Yes. He can say the same word over and over sometimes as much as 20 repetitions! Also he developed a habit of sticking his tongue out of his mouth and he plays and runs around with it out constantly. No amount of gentle reminders to put his tongue away seem to be having any effect (I am a bit concerned he will fall and then bite his tongue). He likes to run round in circles to and he likes wheels because they spin. He has no attention span whatsoever unless it is to do with cars, lorries, thomas the tank engine.

Am I right to be concerned about this? I don't know anything about ASD and have never worked with a child that has had it. I am just hoping to get some advice from all you lovely people out there.

And yes, I know he is very young at two and that it is difficult to diagnose in children of this age. But I just want to know if I am right to be concerned? Perhaps I should just make notes and and review again in 6 months?

Thanks for your help.

[barbarella68]

I would just keep an eye on it for a while, some children do this at that age, I have a two year old that goes on constantly saying the same thing over and over again. Ask the parents if they have noticed anything that worries them.Just note it down and if in 6 months it is the same you can at least let someone know of your concerns.:)

[The Juggler]

I think 2 is very young to be concerned about this. It might just be a stage but keep an eye on it hon. I had a 4 year old who did this and I was very concerned and it turned out something was amiss but hopefully in your mindees case it'll pass.

children this age repeat words just to practice them or because they like the sound of the word or their own voice :laughing: just maybe keep repeating a two word phrase/question back to him each time to help extend his language 'you want juice?' 'yes your juice is coming'

[mushpea]

it might be a bit young to worry about but you can always make a note of it somwhere and see how it goes ,, I look after a 2yrold who repeats himself untill I answer and even then will carry on untill I get down to his leval ,, look straight at him and answer him,,, sometimes I do ignore him as he has to learn to wait untill I am ready to answer esepecialy if I am talking to another child.

[Debbieanne]

Yes i understand your concern, i had a two yr old that repeated words untill i answered but that's common, and still does it at 3. i have a 2 yr old at the moment that at 14 months when i first minded him spun everything in site, and still has days when he just wants to sit and spin the wheels on his trains and cars. he has also always wanted to be lying down on the floor next to the toys he's playing with. i worried alot and called our local support team and they just said that i was expecting too much from a 23 month old.

[nicoleon]

sounds like he might have a rotational scheme

http://www.foundation-stage.info/forums/index.php?showtopic=7410

[MaryMary]

I would note it in your observations (that is why we do them :D ) and keep an eye on things. Your gut feeling may be right, but it is alittle early, and it may be the way he is learning. Has he been talking long? Is his speech delayed? He may just like the sound of his own voice! :laughing:

The wheels thing sounds like his schema - the way he learns. If that is the case, he should move on from it. If he is still obsessed in 6 months, and hasn't moved on, it might be worth raising a concern with his parents. They say Thomas is very popular with people with ASD - something to do with the face not moving! My cousin (autistic) is obsessed with trains still at 23!

Keep up with the obs, and good luck :thumbsup:

[Sarahbelle]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I have spoken to my DO and she is going to come out and observe him. There are a couple of other things that are disturbing me as well, so thought it best to get someone else in. Other than that I am going to monitor the situation for 6 months.

Thanks again.

[pinkbutterfly]

Look at your observations and see if he's progressing ... if he is I would not worry too much. We all have have things we like to do and say over and over again. The rotation schema may not necessarily go away but you can elaborate it by introducing certain activities. I suggest you check if there is a workshop on schemas available where you are ... I did one 2 months ago and it did help me to support one of my mindees better. Some grown ups have schemas and it's not uncommon.