I've been concerned because, whenever we explain something to my daughter or ask anything of her, she looks at us blankly. Sometimes it looks like she's trying to figure out what we're saying, sometimes it seems like she's just zoning. Sometimes, if I ask her to "bring me a towel" she'll go off in search of something she thinks I might find useful from the general direction of where I'm pointing and bring me something like a phone. Like she wants to please me but doesn't know what is being asked of her. She'll often repeat the words I'm saying, making me think she just doesn't know the word. So, I'll pick up the towel and say "towel." But, she still doesn't know what a towel is the next time I ask.

She just turned two three months ago, and the doctor told me she was probably just being defiant and not to worry about it unless other family members or friends noticed. He blew off the fact that my mother brought it to my attention and my sister in law has also commented on it. Now, I have always liked this doctor because, on his first meeting with my nephew when I got custody, he was able to assess his behavioral issues before I even asked about them and without my nephew acting out and provide excellent recommendations. But, I knew something was off with my daughter because her comprehension is not up to par with other children her age or even with my autistic nephew when he was her age a few months ago. She's simply not grasping the language skills like she should be.

So I looked into it and came up with receptive language disorder. She has all the signs, but I can't find a doctor willing to work with her before she turns three.

I'm frustrated because similar things run in my family. My sister was mildly autistic, her son is mildly autistic and both have been affected through speech comprehension, I spent a couple years before elementary school in speech therapy, and my son is in speech therapy in school. Give any of us a book, we're great. But verbal and auditory language skills are not our strong suits. Receptive language disorder is like everything each of us ever dealt with all rolled into one and I want to get an early start since that is what made a difference for my sister and me.

Is there any specialist I can go to that will at least start working with a child this young to prevent ongoing issues as she develops? Or at least confirm for me that my sweet child, who genuinely seems distressed when she can't help, isn't just defiant?