I have done a lot of asd study over the last 2 years.
What I have learnt:
Most experts don't know the most recent studies.
1) fact 75% of asd children over 4 years of age that were not talking after a longitudinal study now do talk. http://m.pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/4/e1128
There is also thought that the more we as parents expect this to be the case the higher these odds will be in our favour.
2) strangely enough of the autistic brain that lights up for speech for nt people is also used for song ........ Asd kids mri's showed that song in the brain was lighting up even better than an nt brain.....so many people including myself believe that our kids get better at speech with lots of song.
Study reference - http://m.brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/01/26/brain.awr335 my son could sing a lot of words that he could not say.
3) try to find any thing that your child enjoys whether it is spinning, lining up, Thomas the tank engine, staring into space......anything, start mirroring his actions as close as he will let you...... If that goes well try a logical or ordered song to sing while you do it.....like the alphabet song or a counting song. When Edward was not really talking at all I found every chance possible to sing to him, in the car, the barney I love you song to put him to bed (this was really really hard, I was always choking back the tears - it took about 3 months )......this one was the loveliest song to hear my son repeat back to me.....so worth the pain of singing it. Going up the stairs I would sing "going up the stairs", " getting in the car", put Edward in his swing out side and sing the alphabet song with NZ sign language, I found a ton of songs on you tube and when Edward would spin or flap or jump on the rebounder to the songs, I would sing along to the songs. I put tile mirrors on the walls near the TV so he was getting more visual feedback of his face when he was trying to make sounds, I put his rear vision mirror back up in the car so he could look at his face while in the car. He is now 3 year and 9 months and he is partially verbal and I am very confident he will be fluent before he hits primary school.
Examples of children who can sing or learning to sing but can't talk. (Some people would really not like to believe.... So then there is a good reason not to try)
Nonverbal to helping me sing. Autism progress.: https://youtu.be/HQMM3vpx7S8
This young man can sing Sonia and is non-verbal in speech (or was at the time anyway) Non Verbal Autistic Child sings "A Whole New Worl…: http://youtu.be/pe-KbOiQAUc
So is this boy -
Autistic mute discovers he can sing: https://youtu.be/b63r79ia_2s
And this little girl who is non verbal is trying to sing, you can tell that she is really engaged and wants to. My non verbal Autistic daughter can sing! -Frozen: https://youtu.be/gpy04KpEj7E
Some children stay silent forever.....but I would not stop trying is all I am saying.....I hear so many parents who just sound like they have given up .....I would never give up.
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