not pointing at 12 months - should i be worried?

[kalo12]

all his peers are pointing and saying a few words like 'dat' and 'cat' doggy etc

my lo isn't although he does seem to understand lots of words.

What age did your los point?

[ruty]

give it time. I think between 12 and 18 months is the normal window. If he understands that is great. See how it goes over the next few months, it might suddenly all come very quickly, it did with my ds. I remember being worried too though.

[kalo12]

thanks, i will , its just i have had other concerns before so i have been waiting for this marker

[ruty]

well you could always ask your gp for a referral to a development consultant but i think it is a bit early to tell if there are issues. You need jute if she is around she is a wealth of info.

[RoxanneMur]

I have b/g twins who are now 23 months old. My dd didn't point until around 14 months and ds at about 15 1/2 months. It came on very suddenly and then they were pointing at absolutely everything. DD is still ahead of ds developmentally, but he always seems to meet the milestonesjustso I am still keeping an eye as well.

What other concerns have you had?

[kalo12]

he doesn't seem to like other babies and he is really upset if they make a noise near him. he babbled quite late and used to twirl his hands alot but has stopped that now

he does make good eye contact though and interacts with adults and is very affectionate

he also crawls and is almost walking

[RoxanneMur]

Oops, didn't realise I was striking out the word "just". What I meant to say is that he meets them every time and just when I start to get worried, he will do what the books say he is supposed to do. His sister is very advanced, though. I am hoping in his case it is the "boy" thing they always talk about, but I am keeping a close eye on him for the next 6 months or so.

If you have other concerns, definitely get him evaluated. It can't hurt and there are fantastic programs if anything is amiss.

However, I wouldn't worry until 18 months about the pointing.

[TotalChaos]

Agree with Ruty, you would expect pointing by 18 months rather than 12. Also 12 months is early for speech. No harm following your instinct and going to GP, but suspect you will be told to "wait and see".

useful books and websites:
You Make the Difference by Ayola Manolson
Baby Talk by Sally Ward

www.ican.org.uk
www.teachmetotalk.com
www.hanen.org

My DS pointed at 15 months and started speaking around then (but has still ended up with a language delay!) so I can't really use him as a reassuring example....

[Heated]

Imo, if dc is meeting the other milestones, then don't worry. And 12 m is very early.

My half-baked theory is we're not a nation of pointers, having been brought up to believe it's rude to do so, and to have as a official childhood milestone goes against the national psyche That said, when I noted that my pfb wasn't doing much pointing and shock horror he was going to fail one of the official milestones we went into pointing overdrive!

We were considerably more sane with with dc2.

[extremelychocolateymilkroll]

There are some great resources here. The Learning to Talk, Talking to Learn and Chatter Matters DVD are interesting - though sometimes a bit basic - and you only have to pay for postage. My dd is 17 months and only has 5 words. I can't remember when she started to point but I think it was, others have said, between 12 months and now. She is definitely pointing more in the last couple of weeks.

[kalo12]

looks good, I will order them, thanks.

i'm sure i'm being paranoid, but i have pnd so tend to get things a bit panicked.

anyone else had late pointers?

[bumpybecky]

I've no idea when my three girls pointed. ds is 12 months though and he's not pointing and he doesn't say any proper words either

before I read this thread it hadn't even occurred to me to be concerned. I'm not about to start worrying over it. They all do things at different ages. Worrying about it won't change anything

[bumpybecky]

meant to add - dd3 was a late talker (compared to her very chatty sisters!) and I was a bit concerned at about 18 months as she only had a few words. She's 4 next week and literally cannot be quiet for more than 10 seconds! she's incredibly talkative and has an excellent vocabulary.

I'm sure your ds will be pointing and chatting away soon

[LisaJasper]

My ds was an early talker and is still pretty advanced with his talking, but he didn't really point at all until 18 months, now he doesn't stop! I wouldn't worry all babies are different and develop at different speeds. Like another poster said though if you are worried go to see a health visitor/GP - you'll likely be told to go away and not to worry, which will prob ease your worries as it will be said by a professional.

[kalo12]

i have been pointing like a traffic cop all day!

thanks for your reassurances

[2pt4kids]

My DS is 11.5 months. He just started pointing this week and has no words yet. Doesnt seem to understand any words either except his name and 'no' lol
I wouldnt worry. Seems very early to be worrying tbh.

[kettlechip]

It's worth keeping an eye on, but don't panic as there's plenty of time for this skill to come, and as others have said, it can come very quickly once it starts. In ds1's case, late pointing (around 18-19 months I think) was an indicator of language issues to come, whereas ds2 pointed at about 11 months and is now 17 months and chatting away. In ds1's case, I also had concerns with his lack of joint attention, patchy eye contact, passiveness etc. He hasn't been diagnosed with anything and is doing really well but is still being observed for a possible language disorder or mild autistic spectrum disorder.

If your ds isn't pointing at 18 months I'd seek advice from your HV or GP, requesting a referral to a developmental paediatrician. In the meantime you can try and encourage his shared attention to develop by pointing at everything you see when out and about. Easier said than done I know, but do try not to worry.