Guilty

My very lovely and beautiful daughter might have delayed language disorder (DLD), or worse, autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

I was ready for my daughter to have delayed speech, since I've read a lot of articles stating that bilingual kids (and an only child) often have delayed speech. But after my research, I am concluding that it is not just a normal delay in speech, and it might be DLD.

My daughter is sweet, she loves to play, and laughs a lot. She is also very friendly and sociable even to adults she doesn't know well, and giggles and enjoys every time she sees kids, be it on tv or in person. What worries me is that she has a very short attention span (easily gets distracted), she doesn't understand things that I ask her, like please get the bottle over there, though she understands when i say - no, come here, open/close the door, clap, dance, etc., (more on one to two words). She doesn't look at our eyes when she's not interested, she still is not talking, and she stacks up cups and line up (only similar) toys as play.

So after my research, I have realized that these symptoms could also be ASD (maybe pdd-nos, a more mild and high functioning autism disorder), though it is still too early to tell.

I have read that many kids with mild ASD could revert/outgrow it with therapy and a lot of people with ASD are not diagnosed and only knew that they have it when they became adults... yet I can't help but feel guilty about my daughter. Maybe I wasn't really a very good mother. Preparing everything that she needs within her reach wasn't a good thing. And giving her what she needs before she cries wasn't a good thing. Letting her watch the tv all day wasn't a good thing.
How could I not thought about it? It does not stimulate her at all!

Now we will start "mommy therapy" since her pedia said we should observe her first. Hopefully she wouldn't be needing any real therapies when the time comes.

Crossing my fingers..