- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Babies: 9 - 12 Months
SiobhanK11
member
High anxiety over development
SiobhanK11
member
My LO, 11 months on August 10th (although he was born 5 weeks early), is hitting most milestones. I should preface that my younger brother has Asperger's syndrome a form of autism and I am so worried my LO has it too.
He crawls like a mad man, pulls himself up to stand with the couch and to play his table thing, sleeps like a champ, loves to try walking with assistance. But.....he doesn't always respond to his name, he babbles like crazy but no discernable words, he doesn't point to things he wants, when he pulls himself up he hits the couch repeatedly, he also will sometimes stand on his toes (but I think that is because he is reaching for things), he only occasionally touches my nose when I ask him, and he can grab finger foods and feed hiself, but he prefers if I do. And the other thing that is causing my anxiety, and many of you will find this super silly, but he is really happy go lucky, like I mean he is happy to chase me around, or just sit/stand play by himself. His first birthday is coming up of course there are all the milestones babies should be hitting and there are some he hasn't.
Am I just hyper aware of autism signs and as a result making myself crazy? Or do set up an appointment now.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: High anxiety over development
If you are worried, why not have him evaluated by early intervention. No sense in worrying yourself sitting.
What milestones should he be hitting that he hasn't? I think you might have a warped perception of what a "normal" 11 month old does. AND since your son was a preemie he is actually not quite 10 months old. Adjust his age so you settled down.
(preemie mom here, look down at my ticker to see what I mean). Preemies age is adjusted until the are 2 unless they are caught up before then.
We'll miss you sweet Debbie Girl (4.21.12) and sweet Cindy Girl (8.9.12)
I don't blame you for being so worried. But your LO sounds EXACTLY like my DS. Both my sister and brother-in-law are school psychologists and evaluate children for many different things. I have skyped with them and they said that a lot of what my son does could easily fall under Asperger's/Autism but that I should never let anyone tell me that those little signs equal it. I know it's hard to ignore it, but I'm sure he is perfectly fine! You could always set up an appointment now though to get those worries out of your mind, especially since you have a family history. My DS falls under every single thing you said.
Good luck!
This...even if just for some peace of mind. He doesn't sound abnormal for a 9-10 month old though to me off the bat. For what it's worth, my nephew is 21 months and has only really been saying some discernable words on a regular basis for a month or so...and the rest of the time he still talks gibberish, and he is a normal kid in every other way...everyone just knew what he wanted, etc. and didn't make him use his words. I've also heard that boys are a bit slower to develop than girls are, plus every kid is different!
Thank you..:) I probably shouldn't worry, he loves to play "chase me" and giggles like crazy when I catch him. He is quite sociable, makes excellent eye contact, but all those "little" things get to me, It is nice to know there are other babies doing what he is.
I 100% empathize with you, my LO will be one on 8/17 and was also 5 weeks early. I worried over him showing signs of autism/aspergers and also delay in gross motor and certain milestones. He sounds very similar to your LO in that he is an extremly happy go lucky baby, nothing really bothers him, He is happy playing alone and happy with me, he's just always happy. Yet he doesn't imitate games or sound with,me, he doesn't point at things or acknowledge an object if you ask him where it is, he does answer to his name, though sometimes he completely ignores me, he babbles all the time, but no mama, dada, baba, etc. We made the decision to call EI and have him evaluated last week and let me tell you I feel ten times better now. He excelled in social and cognitive thinking, an area I feared he lagged behind, his fine motor skills and communication are showing a definite delay but nothing that they worry can not be helped along with therapy services. She really put my mind at ease and now I can dedicate my time and energy to getting him help rather than worrying. I'm realizing I think that babies like my LO who are happy and content, seem to be just that content and happy in doing what they're doing and so it takes him a bit longer explore new things. It sounds like your LO is doing wonderful but if you're concerned make the appointment, it took so much worry and stress out of my life
I understand being hypersensitive about autism given your family history, but I'm not really sure what you're concerned about. Sounds like a normal 10 1/2 month old to me. My baby will be 11 months on 8/6 (but was full-term) and is in the same place. No real words, no pointing, no waving. I've never asked her where her nose is but I'd be shocked if she got right. Even once they get a skill down (e.g., recognizing their name) they're not going to perform for you every time. Babies are incredibly distractible.
It sounds like your'e worried because he's happy-go-lucky-- I must have misread that, right?
My daughter just turned 11 months and wasn't premature, and it sounds as if our kids are in a similar place. She actually has been in EI because the pediatrician was worried about social responsiveness around 6 weeks, but it turned out not to be a problem *at all*...but she's still in the program. It's been helpful for me to feel reassured that the little lags are just normal. I admit, I'm a little concerned that she isn't speaking discernable words yet, or pointing at objects that she wants. However, she's got an EI visit coming up next week (they're only doing once a month at this point), and I know that part of the reason I'm not too anxious about my concerns is that she'll be seen by EI shortly. I really agree with others who say that it sounds fine, but get in touch with EI if you're concerned.