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Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
13 mo. old, worried about social milestones
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
13 mo. old, worried about social milestones
by csmfather, Aug 11, 2004 12:00AM
Hello. My baby was born after going through difficult labor as a result of a severe bp drop by the mother, which caused a bradycardic episode (followed by tachycardia) and prompted an emergency C-section (an hour later). It has never been clear to me whether hypoxia was present.
At 5 months old my baby was diagnosed with low muscle tone, for which she's been on early intervention. The pediatrician believes it is benign congenital hypotonia after running some tests.
My daughter never crawled or otherwise displaced her body on the floor, but has been trying to walk very intensely and started doing so by herself at 11 months more or less. She is weaker in the mornings and needs some time to warm up, something therapists say is due to her low muscle tone.
What worries me about my daughter is her social skills. She has many reassuring signs, such as smiling, laughing at funny things we do, repeating words, babbling (a lot), some back-and-forth interaction (give-and-take, clap) and generally good eye contact (although she tends to look at the mouth much more than in the eye). Worrisome signs (for me) include: she almost never spontaneously imitates gestures (did learn to clap and to play peek-a-boo, and often uses clapping to indicate "the end" of an activity, sch as feeding); she is very inconsistent in responding to her name (sometimes I can call her ten times from behind and she won't even turn--but other times she does); she does not wave bye-bye, although she does tell me when she wants to be picked up (by patting on my legs) or dropped (by basically throwing herself down). She does not engage in joint attention (maybe too early?) except when we point to certain objects--she never does point or brings a toy to us. Her back is very straight when on arms, but I'm not sure whether that's related to her muscle tone. She's not a big fan of hugs and gives none (but she likes cuddling).
She looks at new people with great interest and follows cars, but at home she has a habit of roaming around, often using the same routes, with no apparent objective, while babbling to herself. It's very hard to make her come unless there's food involved. Finally, she has a certain fixation for a couple of seemingly simple, repetitive activities, such as turning the pages of a book (without much regard for content) and play with a string or belt with his hands and one foot. The belt thing she's done since she was six months, and it can be a twenty-minute thing. She also likes to feel and pull hair, whether my arm's or the fuzz of a tennis ball (not too fixated, tho).
My wife and I filled an online parent questionnaire (I forget the name) when she was 11 months old; she was supposed to score 13 or more on social and she scored 6-7 according to us.
I am very concerned about possible ASD. My wife says she's not concerned at all. Is it too early to tell? Am I reading too much into these signs? Thank you.
At 5 months old my baby was diagnosed with low muscle tone, for which she's been on early intervention. The pediatrician believes it is benign congenital hypotonia after running some tests.
My daughter never crawled or otherwise displaced her body on the floor, but has been trying to walk very intensely and started doing so by herself at 11 months more or less. She is weaker in the mornings and needs some time to warm up, something therapists say is due to her low muscle tone.
What worries me about my daughter is her social skills. She has many reassuring signs, such as smiling, laughing at funny things we do, repeating words, babbling (a lot), some back-and-forth interaction (give-and-take, clap) and generally good eye contact (although she tends to look at the mouth much more than in the eye). Worrisome signs (for me) include: she almost never spontaneously imitates gestures (did learn to clap and to play peek-a-boo, and often uses clapping to indicate "the end" of an activity, sch as feeding); she is very inconsistent in responding to her name (sometimes I can call her ten times from behind and she won't even turn--but other times she does); she does not wave bye-bye, although she does tell me when she wants to be picked up (by patting on my legs) or dropped (by basically throwing herself down). She does not engage in joint attention (maybe too early?) except when we point to certain objects--she never does point or brings a toy to us. Her back is very straight when on arms, but I'm not sure whether that's related to her muscle tone. She's not a big fan of hugs and gives none (but she likes cuddling).
She looks at new people with great interest and follows cars, but at home she has a habit of roaming around, often using the same routes, with no apparent objective, while babbling to herself. It's very hard to make her come unless there's food involved. Finally, she has a certain fixation for a couple of seemingly simple, repetitive activities, such as turning the pages of a book (without much regard for content) and play with a string or belt with his hands and one foot. The belt thing she's done since she was six months, and it can be a twenty-minute thing. She also likes to feel and pull hair, whether my arm's or the fuzz of a tennis ball (not too fixated, tho).
My wife and I filled an online parent questionnaire (I forget the name) when she was 11 months old; she was supposed to score 13 or more on social and she scored 6-7 according to us.
I am very concerned about possible ASD. My wife says she's not concerned at all. Is it too early to tell? Am I reading too much into these signs? Thank you.
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Aug 13, 2004 12:00AM
, Aug 13, 2004 12:00AM
I think you are unduly concerned at this point. Children's development has to be viewed along a spectrum, and there is a wide spectrum of normal. It's not unusual for children to display uneven development - i.e., they aren't at precisely the same point in all aspects of development (gross motor, fine motor, cognitive, social, emotional) at the same time. Can I assure you that your daughter will develop normally? No - I nor anyone can predict what the future will hold. But overall it sounds like things are proceeding well, particularly in light of the already-identified motor/muscle problems. At the pediatric checks they will continue to screen for developmental progress, and be sure to announce your questions and concerns.
Member Comments (3)
by csmfather, Aug 13, 2004 12:00AM
I think I should add that my daughter's hearing is fine.
by J'sMama, Sep 04, 2004 12:00AM
I personally think that as long as her muscle tone issues are being addressed through early intervention, your child sounds as if she's doing pretty well. However, I would like to point out(personal experience) that if you notice any loss in skills (ie...not using words she used to, etc.) express those concerns right away and ask your pediatrician for a referral for testing. Our son had some minor issues that I kept saying would work themselves out. So when he did start to "lose" words, I didn't (or perhaps in retrospect, wouldn't) notice. Although he was tested by 2 and in early intervention, and now attends a great school that adresses his needs (he has recently been diagnosed pdd-nos), there are those times, when all is quiet that I cry and am still so angry with myself for every moment I wasted. I wouldn't wish this feeling on anyone. I would like to say, however, after reading your question, I don't think you will fall into the trap I did! Best of luck to you and your wonderful family!
