Toddler seems behind in development

[lucylovesketchup]

My child is almost 14 months and does not point, wave, clap or say any meaningful words. He says dada, but does not use this specifically for his dad. He babbles, and makes a lot of oooh sounds, he doesn't say mama, yet sometimes says nana. He can hear fine and dances along to music, so I'm not worried about his hearing. His health visitor is coming to assess him soon, but doesn't seem too worried. I've read that where he is behind in his development can be a sign of autism. We speak to him, read to him and name everything, we have "conversations" with him too to encourage him to babble back at our questions. He doesn't go to nursery but has contact with other kids his age who are all way ahead of him. I know I shouldn't compare him to other kids, but it is hard not to. Any advice?

ds did none of those except wave (badly). He is now 16 months and occasionally points, says dada, mama, Nonono and Yeyeye plus animal noises. Its hard not to worry and compare but give him time.

I wouldn't worry too much my son hardly did anything until he turned 18 months including walking and didn't utter a word until he turned two. He's now 3.5 and does everything and has a full vocabulary.

Thanks so much! kblu - It is a relief to hear other kids take their time too and are still ok! Albrecht - giving him time is good advice - he was slow to crawl, but when he started he learned quickly and is now really fast, maybe he'll do that with his speech too!