The fact that he says mama and dada is amazing. My sons first word was "Tigger" when he say his stuffed toy Tigger. He is 16 and can say a few words in sequence, but his language and comprehension is very limIted. My son is much better speaking then when he was little.Is your son receiving early intervention therapy? Temple Grandin did not speak until she was 3 or 4 and she has her doctorate degree. Keep trying he could be one of the lucky ones.

I have read from a clinical standpoint is generally believed that if a child with ASD doesn't speak functionally by age 8, it is likely they will not be "verbal". I have spoken to a few other parents have told me that their children, some of which speak perfectly fine with all things considered, didn't have functional speech until 4 to 6 years old, so you have quite a bit of time for speech development. I have 2 on the spectrum, one is verbal and one is considered nonverbal, but my nonverbal son actually has some significant functional language, all though we rely on PECS a considerable amount. He also has motor skill issues with speaking which is an additional hurdle , so I make sure he has all avenues of communication(sign language, PECS, communication device) available to him. If he eventually is able to really "talk", great, if not, he can still communicate his needs efficiently. Never underestimate the power of speech therapists, they are angels sent from above for ASD kids, seriously!! Good luck to you!

Hang in there! All kids are different and I don't think there is a specific point in development where you can say he will be be "nonverbal forever". It was really helpful for us to read a manual by Dr Koegel on how to teach children first words http://www.autismprthelp.com/books-and-manuals.php Our son didn't speak until 22 months and now at 28 he is speaking in phrases! We were SOO worried until he finally said his first word approximation. Once it clicked, it started slow and then took off with the help of his therapists and our hard work! Best of luck!!!

My children, now 14 & 15, are "Irish twins", only 12+ months apart. So, I had 2 infants, toddlers, etc at the same time. Both children had Apgar scores of 9 when they left the hospital. By 9 months old, each child was exhibiting gross & fine motor delays, not crawling or pulling up on furniture at the expected time & by age 18 months+ both kids were jabbering complete nonsense & communication was generally a pointing game with a lot of trial & error. I got both kids involved in Child Development Resources (CDR) -- recommended by the kids' pediatrician from 18 months to 3.5 years. They received Speech Therapy, OT, PT & weekly social interactions which I could watch thru a 2-way mirror, all at zero charge. Both kids challenges persisted but were much less dramatic. My kids attended Bright Beginnings (a free public school pre-K program) in advance of Kindergarten. I have continued to advocate for my kids in SPED programs throughout school & I must say that now my children are "quirky bright kids" that benefited tremendously from early intervention. Don't give up! Fight every battle! Find out from your pediatrician about free community resources for your child. Now is the time to intervene aggressively!!! Hope this helps!

Thank you everyone! Super encouraging and super helpful