A., let me begin by saying i could write a book on this subject, but i will try to keep my response short, i will howver, apoligize in advance for the lengthiness. First of all, let me say the most important thing for you to do is NOT to jump to any conclusions and try to avoid reading up on autism as from what i found, almost any child could fall into the category of what they call "the spectrum": ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder. This could range from mild to severe autism and symptoms include things like walking on toes (a lot of kids do this)lining up toys (a lot of kids do), not responding to name (a lot of kids do this too) and so on. Unfortunately, i believe autism is the newest "hot" label and "the spectrum" is an easy label to give a child as if a child does not clearly fall into a category, they can label her ASD and it can be "VERY MILD". Many children have these "red flags" and if they arent speech delayed, considered normal quirks. Let me tell you my story in a nutshell. At 2 my daughter hadn't begun putting together 2-word sentences. My ped, who is VERY cautious, recommended a speech eval. The people i went to, told me (after a 4 hour wait, 1 & 1.5 hour general development eval and finally a 5 minute speech "eval") that yes, she was speech delayed and she should have therapy. At this time, they also mentioned she could have a ASD because they felt she didn't give enough eye contact(???). Come to find out these peopel were in NO way experts and had no business even mentioning anything of the sort. I however, was shocked because developmentally i had no concerns as she has always been ahead of all other milestones and until that point was not even so concerned that her speech delay was so serious either as she did have a vocab, just no sentences. 2 months later i finally located a reputable speech therapist where they did a REAL speech eval on her (took about 1.5 hours) and came to the determination that at that time, she no longer met the criteria for speech delay. In 2 months she had really come a long way, even tho not speaking as much as some of her peers - she did however, fall within the norm. But, because i had obsessed about the autism, i wasn't thru. I made an appt to go to Dan Marino Center in Weston for them to evaluate her. They found they could not place an Autistic label on her and told me the most important thing to remember: As long as she continues to progress in her speech and other areas, she should be fine. If she starts regressing in her speech or if any other concerning things appear, bring her back. They also explained that all the little quirks that they say are "red flags" for autism are meant to be SEVERE. So, for example, my daughter did like to line up her toys...i used to freak out when she did this - thinking OMG- look she's autistic. BUT, what i failed to recognize, is that her toys didn't have to STAY that way - if i knocked them out of line, she didn't freak - she would laugh, and knock them out of line herself. She didn't HAVE TO HAVE her things lined up and freak out when they weren't. Additionally, as i'm sure you know, kids develop differntly and speech is no different. BUT, when there language isn't coming fast enough, sometimes this affects other behaviors like their eye contact and attentions more than a kid that has a large vocabulary. And the rule is ALL autistic children have a speech delay (this is the only common denominator in autistic children - other traits can vary), BUT NOT all speech delayed children are autistic. THe latter is what some would lead you to believe - ignore them. Finally, i wouldn't say to ignore the issue - just ignore uneducated, unqualified people. If there is a problem, you want to know right away. Go with your gut - try to think clearly. What i suggest (to be safe) is finding a highly qualified and recognized speech therapist to evaluate your child. Who knows, she just may need a little help to get her mind wrapped around language - a little kick start. They will tell you if any further evaluation is needed. Additionally, i found a book called "The Einstein Syndrome" that really helped me in varied ways. Even if just realizing, there are alternatives to the autistic label. There is also a yahoo group based on this book called the natual late talkers - it is very interesting. In a nutshell, don't know if you know this or not, but Einstein didn't talk til around 4 or 5 years old. He was thought to be retarded or autistic. Not suggesting that my daughter is "an einstein" but if you go to this site you might learn that there are a lot of kids out there like yours and mine that not only are late talkers but exhibit some other similar characteristics and highly inteligent behaviors. (late potty training is one of the characteristics that many of these children demonstrate). They also learn thier numbers/letters early and are early readers (despite language issues), and learn these things practically all on their own! Just worth checking out. If nothing else, they have some great resources to help to improve speech development. I hope my response was helpful. I rarely respond to these emails, but have found it my duty to try to help other parents avoid the mistake of allowing anyone to put anything in thier head about autism, because before you know it, you'll do nothing but analyze every move they make and think "is that an autistic trait?" and all the while miss out on enjoying your daughter and her achievements. Again, i'm not suggesting to totally ignore it, just don't let people put things into your head unless they are QUALIFIED, and even then, get a second opinion. Best wishes to you and your daughter.