[~Panda~]

Hi

I do realise children develop at different rates. I have sent a referral to my paed and am waiting to hear back. I thought I would pop in here and ask anyway.

My 14 month old DS is not quite walking yet, but close. He climbs, crawls very well, furniture cruises etc. The walking thing I am not concerned about.

I am worried because he does not respond to his name. His hearing is fine. He responds every now and then but not often. He does not wave "bye bye", he does not point to things and he only says mumma. He did say nanna, dadda and bubba but has regressed.

I don't want to worry but I want to be proactive too. He had torticollis, plagiocephaly and helmet therapy so I guess I have become aware of things that might be an issue. I just want to make life as easy for him as possible in the future.

Thank you

ETA - I would not have been worried if the nurse had not said something and then I did a google. I know, I know. Stay away from Google!

This post has been edited by ~Panda~: 01/01/2013, 08:34 PM

[TiredbutHappy]

I am worried because he does not respond to his name. His hearing is fine. He responds every now and then but not often. He does not wave "bye bye", he does not point to things and he only says mumma. He did say nanna, dadda and bubba but has regressed.

DD was the same, even at aged 2, she just never learnt to point or wave unprompted. I would make an appointment with a developmental paediatrician, if for nothing else except to put your mind at ease. The waiting for good ones are notoriously long, so when the time comes you may not even want it anymore, but at least you'll have that option.

Good luck, and try to stay away from Dr Google in the interim (although it can often have a lot of useful information), it's also a sure fire way to miss out on a lot of sleep

[bambiigrrl]

that does not sound dissimilar to my ds who just turned 2. While my son had reached his milestones later then my dd did, he did reach them all eventually, except he is still not talking that much, and babbles alot. He often will say a word once then i wont hear it again for months. Its like he can talk if its on his terms, but as soon as you try to force it he clams up! Very stubbern little man indeed lol. But the main thing is that i have observed progression. Even the not coming to his name thing, i figured out i was just being ignored! You can call his name and get no response, then call out i have a treat for you! and he comes running! I wouldnt worry too much, but for sure take him to the pead just for some reassurance. I bet hes probaly fine though. good luck!

[cheekymonkeysmum]

My son is the same sometimes as in doesn't always respond to his name and we have checked his hearing which is fine though he does have very sensitive hearing so he hearing is very overwhelming for him sometimes.
And my son didn't walk till he was 22 months if he wasn't walking by his second birthday he would have been seen by a physio.

As gumbette said maybe make an appointment with a Pead just to clear any niggling thoughts.

Good luck.

This post has been edited by cheekymonkeysmum: 01/01/2013, 08:52 PM

[baddmammajamma]

Hi Panda:

With a major caveat that I am not a medical doctor, I can appreciate why you are concerned. It's a good thing you are getting things properly checked out with your paediatrician.

One of my all time favorite web sites is First Signs, which is dedicated to helping parents recognize when their child might have developmental delays or issues.

Check out their "Hallmark Developmental Milestones (Key Social, Emotional & Communications Milestones):

http://www.firstsigns.org/healthydev/milestones.htm

This piece might be a good lauching off point for your discussion with your paed. It could be relevant that your son seems to have regressed with his speech, so be sure to alert your paed to that development as well.

You might also want to take a look at the link in my signature to see if anything there resonates with you.

It's wonderful that you are so on top of your son's development and that you are being proactive about getting professional guidance. If there are issues that need to be addressed, the earlier you catch them, the better.

Google can be a double edged sword. Information can help us get answers, but in some instances, it can cause undue stress. I bet you will feel better when you can sit down and actually talk about your concerns with the paed rather than a search engine.

Good luck!

This post has been edited by baddmammajamma: 01/01/2013, 09:00 PM

[~Panda~]

Thank you for the replies.

The thing is, he doesn't wave or point even when promoted. He has no idea. Hopefully he will just get it one day. He can clap though. Someone did mention that there are red flags there for autism. Other things he does too like obsessed with spinning a wheel. Appearing deaf when hearing is fine. Regression with some things. I am trying not to look into it too much because he is only 14 months but it will be good once we see the paed.

[Sunnycat]

My DS is also 14 months and does not wave or clap even when prompted. He does know his name sometimes, but often doesn't respond (because he's ignoring me).

My DS only says "mama" but I don't even think he saying with intent yet. He can say other babbling sounds but I have no idea what they are supposed to be or if they are anything.

He's only recently started pointing at things.

Your DS sounds normal to me, but it looks like my DS is slower to reach his milestones as well.

Good luck at the pead.

ETA: just saw your update and my DS is obsessed with spinning wheels too!

This post has been edited by Sunnycat: 01/01/2013, 09:01 PM

[~Panda~]

Baddmammajamma - sorry, I posted at the same time as you! Thank you for your reply. I will have a look at your signature now. Thank you for praising the fact that I am being proactive. My DH thinks I'm being OTT but I refuse to bury my head in the sand. I would never forgive myself if I could have done something to make my DS's life easier.

Sunnycat, thanks for the reply. I have been told that lots of boys are slower, especially when learning physical skills like walking, their language goes out the window. Have you heard that before?

[baddmammajamma]

Thank you for the replies.

The thing is, he doesn't wave or point even when promoted. He has no idea. Hopefully he will just get it one day. He can clap though. Someone did mention that there are red flags there for autism. Other things he does too like obsessed with spinning a wheel. Appearing deaf when hearing is fine. Regression with some things. I am trying not to look into it too much because he is only 14 months but it will be good once we see the paed.

Hi again Panda:

One of the best summaries of the "Early Warning Signs of Autism" I have ever come across is this site:

http://www.autism-center.ucsd.edu/treating...ages/signs.aspx

It's from the University of California-San Diego's Autism Center for Excellence. They are very "leading edge" when it comes to very early detection and intervention for ASD.

A child may show "flags" for autism and not actually have autism -- but if your son is in fact showing some of these signs, you should investigate further with a qualified professional (meaning, a developmental paediatrician, or a generalist paed who has a deep interest in/experience with children on the autism spectrum, a child psychiatrist, or clinical psych who specializes in ASD) -- if for no other reason right now that to get on their radar screen & have your son under their watchful eyes in the coming months.

PS: When you call your paed, DO mention to whoever takes your call that you are seeing some regression. It might be nothing significant, but your paed might be willing to see you sooner rather than later if you mention this development.

This post has been edited by baddmammajamma: 01/01/2013, 09:09 PM

[Super Cat]

Good on you for looking into it. I think being proactive early and finding nothing wrong is better than not chasing it up and finding out later that there was a problem.

Google can be a terrible thing but if used sensibly it can also help you to head in the right direction. The regression would be my main concern here. Any regression needs to be checked out by a qualified medical professional. I'd suggest booking into a developmental paediatrician to investigate further.

Good luck.