Will a 2 1/2 yr old child who is behind in speech and is generally happy be diagnosed with autism or PDD-NOS?

He walks on his toes a lot, also looks at his hands in the air often. He knows all the letters, numbers, colors and shapes, can repeat words and a couple songs (echoalic speech) but does not communicate his wants/ needs such as "want milk" but will whine instead.Will a 2 1/2 yr old child who is behind in speech and is generally happy be diagnosed with autism or PDD-NOS?
Google "Early Intervention" for your state and contact them. SS will have you waiting until your son is 25 to get answers.
umm to the person who said the child is fine, I think you missed the part where SS already granted the child was disabled. This mother is looking for what the diagnosis can be. Everyone who advises to see a psychologist or doctor, I know that is the next step but sometimes its difficult to do because not every psychologist takes children that young that also take your insurance so it can be a hassle. I am a mother of a severly autistic beautiful 2 year old, and the characteristics you described are similar to my daughters. The fact that your child looks at his hands in the air is already an autistic trait. Walking funny, also an autistic trait. The whining part and the broken communication is also a big red flag. You do see that your child is not like the rest, and although I cannot tell you exactly what kind of autism your son may have, I know that he shares a few disorders in the autism spectrum large range umbrella. Your son does not sound severe because he can speak and he can do a lot of things that my daughter has never even attempted. So with therapy and lots of support and love I'm sure he'll be a smart young man. You can seek help and free services in a regional center near you if you havent done so already. To find my daughters regional center I just googled regional center and our zip code. Hope this helped. Good luck!Will a 2 1/2 yr old child who is behind in speech and is generally happy be diagnosed with autism or PDD-NOS?
Technically PDD-NOS is on the autism spectrum.

No one here can answer your question without being a psychologist and without observing your child. My son has Asperger's and in order to be evaluated for the spectrum, you need to see a psychologist for the Autism Diagnostic Oberservation Schedule (A.D.O.S.). Also there are a lot of online support groups at Daily Strength that can help you.
He sounds fine to me, its you that sounds impatient. Little children are Einsteins, ya know. lol Your sweet child is fine. Please do talk with your pediatrician and he can give you the low down on your concerns, and get a physical done. But again some kids do things differently, my child was super shy and needed preschool and help for a few issues but she finished college and manages a store and many employees now and is the wage earner for her game playing hippie stay at home husband.Will a 2 1/2 yr old child who is behind in speech and is generally happy be diagnosed with autism or PDD-NOS?
Go see a psychologist with your son. We can see if he is autist with just this information. Also, yeah, an autist can be generally happy and be smart.
Autism doesn't usually onset until the child is about 3 years old, but I'd go see a psychiatrist just to be sure. It's better to be prepared early.