To worry about DS?

[sazzysazz337]

Ds was 1 last Friday and still no talking.

He doesn’t point to things, he was clapping and waving at around 7/8 months but has stopped. He doesn’t give you objects unless you hold your hand out to him.
He has been cruising since 9/10 months and can now take a few steps on his own. His eye contact is good and he’s always babbling. He will also copy behaviour like making noises with your hand and mouth but it seems once he’s found that he can do something he stops after a while. He’s very curious and is always playing.

I know not pointing etc is a sign of autism and I’m so worried.

I have just moved my 13 month old to adoption (I foster) but when he left me he was walking but not talking (in fact my 8 month old had a wider range of noises and sounds than the 13 month old did) or pointing (he would hold his hand out towards an object he wanted but not point), he would give you an object if you held your hand out but not if you said "Give me the book" If I built a tower he would swipe at it as soon as I put one block on top of the other. If I asked him to point at something in a book he would just try to turn the page (or throw it). He used to spend ages putting things in boxes/baskets and taking them out again or stacking his rings onto the stacking tower (that was a skill he was just developing as he left us), he didn't 'play' with things he was too busy exploring them and preferred household items to toys. No-one but no-one had any concerns about his development, please try to relax a little he sounds just like lots of other one year olds.

You sound like you're trying to find anything to link him to having autism.

He sounds normal from what you've said.

He might not like shops. But they are noisy. Have you tried him in shops when he's definitely not hungry/tired/unwell/wet/dirty/cranky or on the edge of these things?

@bloodywhitecat that sounds like DS.

Also if he wants something out of reach he just will go and get it or he’ll reach towards it. He’ll look at an object like his cup and moan looking at it so we give it to him but other than that - zilch

@00100001 sadly I suffer quite badly with anxiety around health. I used to prod and poke my neck, inflame it then think I had lymphoma. Covid has stopped me pestering my GP so I thought I had it under control, but it’s appearing I haven’t.

He’s okay in certain shops but he hates Iceland. Loves Sainsburys though. Typically the most expensive lol

Just be careful,the problem with "symptom spotting" is that you can seeymptoms of anything anywhere of you try hard enough.

You could convince yourself he's hard of hearing if you wanted to, just from your posts and I'm sure if you thought about it, you could find other signs of his "deafness".

Please try and relax, hopefully the HV will help you.

I honestly can't really see any problem in what you're describing about your son. I meant this kindly, but maybe make an appointment for you to discuss how you're feeling rather than one for your son.

[quote sazzysazz337]@bloodywhitecat that sounds like DS.

Also if he wants something out of reach he just will go and get it or he’ll reach towards it. He’ll look at an object like his cup and moan looking at it so we give it to him but other than that - zilch[/quote]
Our little one was exactly the same, didn't mimic sounds back or assign any sounds to words. I have worked with children who have autism but there was nothing, nothing about my little one that alerted me to thinking our fosterling might have autism. He was just a happy little baby who was ahead of the game in some areas and at the bottom end of normal in others.

[quote sazzysazz337]@bloodywhitecat that sounds like DS.

Also if he wants something out of reach he just will go and get it or he’ll reach towards it. He’ll look at an object like his cup and moan looking at it so we give it to him but other than that - zilch[/quote]
What else are you expecting from him when he wants something?

He eithers gets it himself, tris and eaches for it, or looks at it and "asks" for it. What else do you genuinely expect him to be doing?
Genuine question.

@HopefulButScared @00100001 I’m gonna give them a call in the morning, my GP’s heart is gonna sink. He always looks on edge when he sees me, thankfully this time I don’t have a new “lump” for him to inspect

I am a Speech Therapist and assess children daily for autism. There is nothing in any of the descriptions you have given that raise any red flags for me. Your son sounds like he is developing normally. At his age it is normal for him to ignore you when he is focused on something else, 1 year olds cannot switch their attention like older children or adults. His language development sounds fine, he is playing with sounds and listening to you. My daughter did not say her first words until 13 months and started saying phrases at 16 months. If your son is not saying single words by 18 months I would start looking into early intervention but even then I would not be overly concerned. I think one of the challenges of the pandemic is you don't get to see other parents with similar age children and share your experiences, it results in parents worrying about normal behaviour (myself included).

Of your anxiety is now projecting on to your child, you should seek some help for that separately.

Hoped HV will put your mind at ease though.

[quote sazzysazz337]**@HopefulButScared* @00100001* I’m gonna give them a call in the morning, my GP’s heart is gonna sink. He always looks on edge when he sees me, thankfully this time I don’t have a new “lump” for him to inspect[/quote]
I'm sure they will be happy to see you to help

It honestly sounds you're looking into the developmental stages too much. Most children will develop in some areas faster than others.

My youngest has recently turned one and she excels in fine motor skills, but is slow in her gross motor skills. If you looked just at the things she can't do, it may raise concerns. But when you'll at her development overall, she's getting there in her own time.

Its very easy to fall down the rabbit hole of what they can't do. Think about what your baby can do

@sazzysazz337

I know animal noises is one of the things for 12 month olds. If I say woof woof or moo he just laughs he doesn’t attempt to do it back. He laughs at peekaboo but won’t do it. He smiles and babbles at strangers but won’t wave. Are they signs of ASD?

No they are not, not in the slightest and age one is way too young to see "signs" in any case.

When you see the GP next I would suggest that you ask for a referral for severe health anxiety. I have a friend with very similar so I know how hellish life can be with it.

If I say mooo or woof to my 13m nephew he just looks at you like you're mad 😂 doesn't mean there's anything wrong with him though.

Op, I mean this very kindly and hope you don't take offence, but I believe it is more important right now to address your health anxiety than investigate whether your ds has autism. Have you ever had therapy or taken medication for it? Your ds sounds totally normal. Very few 1 year olds talk! The back and forth communication when he says 'ah!' In response to your talking to him is exactly how babies learn to speak. It's the pattern of conversation. At 1 it's far too early to tell as development varies so much between children.

@MattBerrysHair I have had therapy and medication on and off for about 7 years, it’s very sporadic and something always has to trigger it, which is even more annoying as I think I’m fine then all of a sudden there’s something else going on

It just feels alien to me that he will talk, I can’t imagine ever hearing “mama” or anything from him and I suppose that in itself is not helping the situation as I think I’ve convinced myself that something is off. I most definitely have fallen down the rabbit hole.

I did suffer with PND quite badly as well and I don’t ever think that was properly addressed which doesn’t help.

for you, you are a good mum, it is normal to be anxious about the development of a child. Do ask your HV if you are worried.

If it reassures you a bit, my DS did not speak until he was 3. Nothing wrong with him, had him assessed for autism, deafness, etc (nursery referred him). He just did not feel like it I think.

He is now perfectly fine. Did very well in his latest cognitive school tests, has friends, etc.

He is one
By all means speak to h v and have her see him
Nursery will help him develop
Babies will be at different stages
And they have experience so can tell you if there are concerns after a few months of settling in and if he needs assessment
Getting him into nursery will be best thing

it sounds so stupid but i can’t ever picture him being anything other than a baby, he’s always wanted to be on the go and he was crawling at just 6 months but as for any interest in socialising he has virtually none. his first year seems to have dragged so much with covid as well but in the communication bracket we have little to no improvement. and i do genuinely struggle to imagine a time where he will talk to me, it seems impossible to even think of

He is only one
What about your husband s family members with ASD? Do they talk?

Non verbal age 8 and 13

My DS is 16 months. He doesn't have any words yet or animal noises or anything like that. He has just (and I mean just as in today) started to pretend to be an elephant when he sees one on his book (by which he mean he waves an arm around like a trunk). He babbles a fair amount and definitely selectively ignores me especially if he wants to do something that he knows he shouldn't do. I asked his nursery key worker about it last week and she said that he's very much on a par with his peers and totally average. They're not concerned at all. I also have a friend who is a psychiatrist and does autism assessments and he was totally dismissive (in a nice way!) of my concerns. I think, in general, parents of boys end up getting more worried about this because it's flagged up so often and because boys are, on average, slower talkers.

He sounds perfectly normal but you seem very anxious. At his age (and a lot older) kids often ignore you if they are doing something more interesting and certainly ignore the word 'no'. Also he is communicating with you - he is showing you what he wants and he is responding to you talking to him by making sounds back.