Concerned About My Toddler's Development

[Colesmama]

I'm concerened that my 18 month son is not developmentally "on track". His pediatrician mentioned at his last regular check up that he should be communicating more verbally, using basic words other than "mama "or "dada". He was 15 months old then. When I told her the only words that he uses conistantly were "mama" and "oops" (sounds like "ups"), she was not too concerned, and told me that his vocabulary should really explode over the next three months, and that he should know around 20 basic words by the time his 18 month check up came around.

Now those three months have come and gone, and my son has not made nearly the amount of progress his pediatrician anticipated. He still says "oops", and has learned the phrase "uh-oh".  He says "hi!" at almost every opportunity he has, and will often disappear around the corner just so he can pop up and shout it, which we think is adorable. He says "ba-ba" for bottle, and often will go to the dishwasher (where he knows his bottles are) or to the fridge when he wants one. He seems to use the sound "na-na" (like banana) for all types of food. He says the word "hot" when something is on the stove or in the microwave. When my sister comes to visit, it sounds like he could be saying "autay" like "aunty", only mispronounced, but I am not sure. He says "da-da" sometimes, but i don't believe there is any association with the meaning of the word because I am a single parent and his father is not involved. He used to say "mama"  all the time, but over the past month I have noticed that he has been saying it less, and has stopped using it directly towards me. Instead, he will say it to anyone who has something that he wants. Out of all these words, I'd say the only ones he truely uses consistently are "uh-oh" (oops has become less popular with him), "baba", "hi", and "hot". Thats only four words, and obviously I am growing increasingly worried, becuase this is nowhere near the 20 word quota his Dr. gave me.

Sometimes I will hear my son say a new word, but after he says it, I never hear it again. Once my mom and I were cooking in the kitchen, and we were talking about peeling potatoes. And clear as day, he pipes up "potato!". But after that one occurance, we never heard it again. Also, I have a baby doll, and for about a week, whenever he saw it, he would point and say "baby", but now he will not say it anymore. There are other things he does inconsistantly. Sometimes when you ask him what a doggie says, he will bark. Other times he acts as if he has no clue what you are talking about. Sometimes when he sees cats or dogs, he'll also bark at them. If you show him a picture of an elephant, he'll extend his arm from his nose like a trunk and make his best attempt at an elephant noise, although he does not recognize the actual word "elephant".

I have been doing my own research because his 18 month checkup is this week, and I want to be able to ask the right questions so if there is a problem it can be diagnosed early. At first, I was concerned my son was displaying signs of autism. Along with his disinterest, or inabilty (which ever it may be) to learn new words, he'll space out sometimes and have this blank stare, and the only way I can get him to snap out of it is if I say his name or clap loudly. This seems to happen more often when there is a stranger around, he'll just stare off into space as if no one is there. Its nearly impossible to get him to focus when this happens. It seems like he just  "warms up" and stops ignoring the newcomer eventually. But then there are other days when he'll run up to a person he has never seen in his life, exclaiming "hi!" and extending his arms upwards as if he wants them to pick him up (although after this happens he will immidiately wriggle free and run back to me). I guess it just depends on his mood.

As I have gathered more information, however, I have realized that my son does a lot of things that a child with autism does not. He is a very happy kid, with a very warm and friendly disposition. He does not seem emotionally disconnected; he smiles freely, makes funny faces to get laughs, etc. He tries to sing when music is playing, and he dances. We read daily, and he loves to look and point at the pictures. He understands commands very well. When asked, he can give kisses or blow kisses, depending on what you ask him to do. If you ask him "can I have a bite?", he will share his food. He also brings certain objects to you when asked, such as a book or a specific toy (i.e. his elmo doll).He can self feed fairly well, and he tries to help when I get him dressed. He points at the things that he wants, or will bring them to me (if he wants to go outside, he might bring me his shoes). Up until this point, he has has a normal development. He was a month late on crawling, but he started walking when he was exactly 12 months old. I truely believe that his issue revolves around language development, but I don't know enough to be certain.

I have read a lot of posts from other people on different sites that indicate that I really shouldn't worry about this too much until he is two. Some people even said their children's pediatricians were not concerned at all, and that kids develop at differenent paces, and boys tend to be slower than girls. I have noticed at his daycare that this is the case, but I have also noticed that even among the boys he his behind. So finally, my question is this: Despite what my pediatrician says, would it be good to have my son screened? I want to catch any potential problems early, not only to ease my mind and my frustrations, but to get my son the help he needs as soon as possible. He has been growing increasingly more fussy, and I think part of it is that he can't say what he is trying to get across, and becomes upset.

[lilbit4444]

There are different levels of autisum. Some kids have to ware a helment because they bang their head and others have it very mild. I am not saying he is but keep an eye out for it. Some kids spec boys don't talk as early. My nephew didn't talk till he was 3 he just made sounds. At 3 he started using sentences and there is nothing wrong with him. All kids learn at different paces. Some walk early some talk or potty train late. Its good your concerned but don't jump to conclution. And if the doc says he is get a 2nd and 3rd opinion.

[Majikat]

Nope doesn't sound like autism. Autism affects more than just speech. You would notice repetitive behaviour, tantrums, poor eye contact, unable to play with toys properly, sensory difficulties, and the list goes on although autism effects every person different but still this does not sound like autism

[KarenDiane]

Hi! I doesn't sound like autism to me. My guess is speech / language delay. I would bring up speech therapy to your pediatrician. Most likely your son still knows all the words that he has learned but stopped using. And one day soon he'll start using each and every one of them.