18 mo - ASD/developmental issue?

[sarbwah]

My son will be 18 months old in a little over a week. He has no words, makes a few sounds using b, g, y, m and w such as bahhhhhh, mumumumum and yahyah, and will say ahh and ooh at varying pitches but that is it, no sounds strung together, and no meaning attached to any of it. He doesn't point (we have been working on this for a while now but no change) and doesn't gesture beyond clapping either when he is really excited (rare) or when we do it first. The way he communicates needs is to take my hand and lead me to what he wants. If he can reach he puts my hand on it, if not he will try to indicate that he wants me to pick him up, which is done soetimes by reaching up, but more often by pulling on clothes or pushing his face between my legs and whining. Throughout this process he makes zero eye contact, and trying to get him to engage is futile thus far. There are a bunch of other things that I know can be both typical toddler behavior and also red flags:

- he often leans his forehead against things for a moment - walls, objects, my leg, etc - he will lean in and do this and then be on his way.
- he makes eye contact about 50% of the time and same goes for responding to his name.
- he may take me to a toy or "something" but does not look at my face for reactions and does not engage in any other way, so I don't know if he is trying to share something with me or not (but that's what I have been going with and working on)
- he is very anxious around other kids, and if they enter his personal space he gets very upset and runs to me
- sometimes will watch kids intently and even go so far as to walk past them as if he wants to interact but doesn't know how to.
- he can be very focused and not notice people/objects between him and something he wants to investigate so he trips/gets upset upon realizing proximity to a child, etc.
- he runs his head/hair a lot with his hands and lately has started doing so with objects.
- he does walk on his toes, did so nearly 100% of the time while cruising furniture and when he first began walking at 14 months, only about 50% of the time now
- he does understand about three instructions: "no touch", "come here please" and "not right now" which is related to him wanting to go outside etc. he also seems to understand the sign for milk as of this week.
- very picky eater, was very slow to start swallowing food (just before his 1st bday he became consistent)

There are more little things but you get the idea. As I said, a lot of these things can be just a toddler being a toddler but while we wait for our evaluations (speech, infant development) for which we have been wait listed, I'm trying to gain as much knowledge and perspective as I can so that I can better advocate for my boy.

Thanks for any info/insight/suggestions you might have :)

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

The behaviors you note are not alarming by any means, though they do signify a bit of developmental slowness. The evaluation makes sense because it can help pin down his status in the various important domains of development (gross motor, fine motor, cognitive, social, emotional). To be honest, i think that too much focus these days is on PDD-spectrum disorders and parents are becoming unnecessarily alarmed when they observe any indications of lags in development. Remember: no child proceeds on exactly the same path in all the areas of development: some areas proceed more quickly than others. I'm not suggesting that you have no reason to wonder; I'm just suggesting not to worry too much about autistic-level condition.

[sarbwah]

We are in Canada so our version of EI is the Infant Development Program and we are wait listed for a consult/evaluation. Hence me trying to learn as much as I can meanwhile to be well armed with info when I go in :)

[growingbean]

Sounds like he has many characteristics of Autism. I suggest having him evaluated by early intervention.

[sarbwah]

Also meant to include that we go to a play group for kiddos on the infant development program wait list or in the program, and the consultant there today mentioned he seems to use me as a tool. There are times when he will be fully engaged with me, they usually involve physical contact like tickling, tipping upsidedown in my arms, etc and are generally always related to him being happy about something that I am doing like singing, tipping my head from side to side (which he will mimic) etc. he CAN be very engaged but it doesn't happen often and generally not at my request. The rest of the time - especially when he needs something - he does not engage with me so much as with the tool my body provides him with.