Should I be worried about my 13 month old’s communication?

[CathyandHeathcliff]

He’s advanced in every other way, he’s been walking since about 10 months, he brings us books to read to him all the time, he claps when we say clap and he can copy us when we do things, he’s also very inquisitive and always exploring.
However he never calls me ‘mama’ and he used to say ‘dada’ now he’s stopped. He doesn’t really wave, although he can, as I’ve seen him do it a few times. He doesn’t really point much...he says something like “what’s this?” or a variation of it often. But nothing else sounds like words, just sounds. He often sounds like he’s talking but I can’t understand any words.
He’s my first baby and I have anxiety, so please be kind

I'm probably not helpful but in a similar position. My first baby is 20months old and says 'ball's
That's it. Used to say mama and dada. Doesn't anymore. No other words or attempt to speak. HV said dont worry just keep reading to him, talking to him and it will come. Will reassess where he is at when he turns 2

Not balls haha omg. Ball

That sounds normal to me.

He is starting to wave when we say hello or bye bye so I know he hears me. He doesn't point often, but I think he understands if I point to something.

I reckon at 13months keep doing what you do
The interest in books is great. I went hv at 18months just to ask about the lack of speech. Theres no harm in you going in to see them. You can talk to the hv at the weighing sessions without appointments

Sounds totally normal, most 1 year olds don’t talk that much.

I couldnt talk until I was 8.

Ur son might be autistic.

My dd is 13 months and is exactly the same. I do wonder if she should be saying more at this point.

Sounds like my 20 month old at the same age. She’s now saying lots of things, strings three words together regularly. He sounds fine.

Who knows but personality plays a big role I’ve realised. DD just doesn’t do things she doesn’t see the point in. And I’ve now realised that’s been her all along. Best explanation I got was that with every stage of development it’s like unlocking a door and walking into a big room in interesting things - they can’t possibly look at and master everything at once so will start with what interests them most. Some kids will run around and have a little play with everything, others will focus on one or two things till they’ve totally got it, get bored and move on. But eventually, SEN aside, they will get to and master everything.

This is totally normal at 13 months, don't worry. Plenty of children don't talk until much nearer two.

There is a saying that you get "either a walker or a talker" and I think in your case it's true - I'd expect to see more language development in the second half of the first year. It's not true for mine, they have both developed walking and talking at about the same time, but after their first birthdays. I think generally when you get walking or talking before age one, it tends to be one or the other.

It's also common for babies and young toddlers to go back and forth with their skills - doing something and then not doing it for ages, because they are just concentrating on other skills.

This is a good website for checking what's normal:

ican.org.uk/i-cans-talking-point/parents/

Their document in FAQ section "My 15 month old is not talking" is a good, reassuring read too.

I've never known a 13 month old to talk

My baby had about 20 words at 2 and they were very unclear, before then she also could say words and then stopped almost like "I can do that so I don't need to anymore" she is now 2 and 7 months and never shuts up her speech still isn't the clearest in the world but she in understandable to most and talks in complete sentences.

13 months is so so young to worry about speech they won't do anything about it till atleast 2 anyway so please try not to worry.

A 13 month old not talking is completely developmentally normal and not a sign of autism.

I wouldn't be at all concerned at this point. The ages and stages questionaire asks if they can say more than 8 words (along with Mama and Dada) by 18 months. I think the average is 20 words by 2. As long as he is showing comprehension at this stage I wouldn't worry.

Agreeing with everyone else. Totally normal, not a sign of autism.

Mine didn’t say anything at that age. At 15 months she could say Baby Shark but not Mama... She cane out of her shell at 2 and is now a proper chatterbox! He sounds perfectly normal, chat to the HV if still nothing at 18 months but right now I wouldn’t be worried.

He’s doing amazing! Don’t worry. He’s probably put all his energy into walking and everything else. Talking will come later. DD said Mama quite early, then stopped for a while. Then all of a sudden it was Mummy and Daddy constantly. One day they just surprise you.

He is only 13 months old! I think we get so wrapped up in all these worries now, when at this age there really is no need.

A 13 month old not talking is completely developmentally normal and not a sign of autism

^^this

My eldest was like that. When he was 22 months old, I made a list of his words, because I was worried he had such a small vocabulary - he only said 35 words, if I recall correctly - and some of those weren’t words anyone who didn’t know him would understand. We knew air-see-see was airplane and Cor-cuck-cuck was a helicopter, for example, but to anyone who didn’t know, they were random sounds.

By the time he went to school the problem was getting him to be quiet - especially if he got going on his specialist subject - the railways. He’d back grownups into the corner and regale them with train facts until their eyes glazed over.

He eventually did a degree in law - a subject that demands good communication skills - did well in that, and has flourished since.

Which is a very long winded way of saying don’t worry, @CathyandHeathcliff, your little boy sounds fine.

13 month olds don't generally talk. Some might, most don't.

Some might have the odd word here or there. Lots won't.

If they were 2.5 -3 years old you might get different responses (but even then it's still within a normalise range). But at 13 months there's really no need to worry.

I think with your first you tend to compare them to other babies the same age, and worry if they’re not doing something you’ve been told/thought they should be, but really at 13 months that sounds really normal. My daughter’s two and a half and at that age she said about 10 words in a week and then pretty much stopped and didn’t start saying them again until about 18 months. By 2 she was saying lots, but lots of her peers weren’t, which is still quite common. Lots of toddlers don’t have an ‘explosion’ of language until 2.5-3. I really wouldn’t worry about speech (as long as understanding is there) until closer to 3 years old.

I’ve been in early years 15 years and have 4 children.....he sounds perfectly normal

Thanks everyone for your reassuring responses. I feel much better already.
He’s also started doing the actions for heads, shoulders, knees and toes.
There’s plenty of eye contact and smiles. He also goes to nursery twice a week and nothing has been mentioned about his communication (or lack of it) so I’m hoping that’s a good sign.

My now 4 year old girl said various syllables (da, ma, ga) early then lost interest in anything other than parrot like screeches and squawks. Very physically competent and able to get around. Talks plenty now, like all the time with all the questions!

DS is 12m. Walking, getting what he wants etc. He communicates by grunts and smacking the table to demand more.

My theory from watching at baby groups is that if you can get what you want by going there, talking is less interesting...

DD spoke in sentences by 18 months. By 13 months DS was babbling but no discernible words. I spoke to the HV as I didn't know what I should expect. She said that as long as he was babbling and communicating occasionally that it would come.

2 months later we have "Mam", "Daddy", "get", "drink", "eat" the start of what sounds like "milk", "baba" with a wave so must be bye bye. He points at everything, waves whenever someone picks up keys or shoes, shakes his head no. And babbled for everything else.

In short, every child is different. Your DS iscommunicating by babbling and figuring out that he can use his body to communicate too. Sounds all good to me.

Keep reading, singing nursery rhymes, if he picks something up and makes a sound, praise him for trying and tell him what the thing is - "Yes, clever boy, it's a ---". Name everything you give him or do. He'll pick it up.

@advicegiver5 13 months is still very young to be thinking about a diagnosis of autism if no other signs and there is some communication. I don't think OP needs to worry at all at this stage.