Not talking and hand flapping at 19 months

[Nikki2ol6]

My little boy is 19 months and still has not really said a word. If we talk to him he doesn't really understand unless we ask him for whatever is in his hand and we say thank you and he brings it. He has been crying a lot and saying de, de, de, de, de........
He's also been flapping hand hands when he's upset or wants something someone else has. Could we be looking at autism?

[user1476140278]

19 months is still quite young...though you'd hope he'd have said something, not all children do.

There's no way of anyone here telling you if you might be looking at Autism....but you obviously have concerns so the best thing would be to speak to his Health Visitor about your worries.

Does he point yet? Share toys and do some pretend play? For eg. does he ever bring you a toy to show you in the hope that you will play with him? Does he pretend to drink from a toy cup?

Have you done the Mchat test? Link below

www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/diagnosis/screen-your-child

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

Possible but I'd see the HV or GP as they can help you more than we can here.

[BarbarianMum]

If you are worried about autism try the MCHAT test and then speak to your GP.

Hand flapping at 19 months is totally normal. The reason that it is associated with autism is that autistic children are less likely to grow out of it later on but even then you can find older children who flap and are not autistic - they just learn to hide it.

[ElspethFlashman]

At 19 months my DS had exactly one word. It's a terrible time because a lot of kids (particularly girls) suddenly seem so much more verbal than your child and you get incredibly worried.

But the period between 19 months and 24 months can be transformative with speech, so if I were you I'd wait a bit longer. We had a sudden speech explosion around 2, which I would never have predicted. A lot was still gobbledegook, but there was plenty of good stuff in there too that was immensely reassuring.

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

As a PP said I don't think a bit of hand flapping is a red flag - my 2yo DS (who seems completely neurotypical) flaps and waves his hands when he is excited. Normal behaviour at this age I think?

[Lilybo7]

Are babies supposed to be talking by 19 months ? Now I'm getting worried too! My daughter is 16 months and doesn't say anything apart from 'dada', 'mama' and incoherent baby babbles, . Should they be speaking proper words by now?

[albertcampionscat]

Have a look at the 'ages and stages' questionnaire - but the short answer is don't worry. By two they usually have at least 50 words (including animal noises and made-up words - 'num-num' meaning dog.

[gingerh4ir]

I have a DC with ASD and would not worry much about the hand flapping or lack of words at 19 months. but the lack of understanding would concern me. At that age, understanding is far more important than actually saying words.

Agree on the M-chat and talking to GP or HV. At the very least I would want a hearing test but if m-chat flags up things, then I would push for a referral to dev paed/Salt.

[ciarac2000]

My son is 23 months, he is isn't talking yet and I'm very concerned. He is quiet in general but does babble sometimes. He says something resembling 'daddy' more just like dadada and that's all. He did say 'ball' and few other basics a few times in the past, and I know regression is a 'red flag'. I am worried sick. He doesn't really respond to his name, will tend to turn around more if I shout it though. His hearing seems fine other than that. Smiles widely as soon as he hears the first note of 'if your happy and you know it' in the car. He is very unwelcoming of strangers. He is delighted when he sees my 7 year old nephew and chases after him to play. He loves cuddles and cones straight over for comfort if he has fallen down and hurt himself. He laughs a lot and enjoys tickles. He takes me and my husband by the hand and leads us out to the kitchen, for example, if he wants more to eat. If I said for example put the book on the table, he wouldn't have a clue what I was saying. He is very attached to me and my husband and beams smiles when he comes home from work. He tolerates other family members but beyond that has very little time for anyone. He used to love being read to but now he doesn't seem to have any patience for it, he prefers to flick through books himself. He very rarely brings anything to our attention unless he needs help with something. I took him to see GP, she was nice but very young and got book out straight away to ask questions from. She said yes, would expect words by this age and that she would mention us to the health visitor, that any referrals etc are done through the health visitor at his age. I am so scared of what's ahead. Please advise

[gingerh4ir]

I find it strange that Gp did not refer to you but passed the bucket to the HV. of course Gp can refer.

Anyhow, don't wait for GP to 'mention' it to HV but chade HV up on Monday to get referrals sorted. I would expect a paed referral, one for audiology (hearing test) and one to SALT (though of you check it out you may be able to self refer to SALT). Don't let the HV fob you off. If she does go back and see another GP to get a referral.

[Newmama232]

@Nikki2ol6 hi how is your little boy doing

[ciarac2000]

He's 8.5 years old now. Sociable, kind, top group in school. He has some slight 'quirks' but not anything that he ever needed professional help with or labelled with anything.

[ciarac2000]

I can g remember now exactly but the time he went to nursery school at 3.5 he was speaking in full sentences. Once the understanding came the speech soon followed. I think I started seeing big progress from 2.5 onwards

[Valgodi]

Hi I know it's long time how is ur son doing now,