11 month old communication and gestures

[QueenOfTheMadhouse]

Hi, i am just wondering what the usual age is for communication to start to develop, my baby is 11 month old, so far he occasionally babbles baba dada nana, but to himself if you see what i mean, not meaningfully. He cant wave or point, he can clap but not to imitate, he just claps to himself sometimes. He cant say any words, although when he was 8 months he could say hiya and mum but he stopped saying that.

I'm just worried as my middle son had a speech disorder and is only just understandable now at the age of 5. Also I have a cousin with ASD.

Also my son never shows me anything, he cant play with anything yet, other than mouthing the objects and rolling them and he wont play peek-a-boo, patacake etc. He does not want to share books either.

So i guess what i am asking is, should i be concerned or just let him get on with it and develop in his own time? TIA

Sounds perfectly normal to me. My ds only started to do most of the things you mention at 12 - 13 months, and at a 12-month hv check was pronounced absolutely fine. He still doesn't wave. As the hv said at the time, "Why should he wave? He doesn't see the need to". Playing patacake seems very advanced to me for an 11-month-old. (Was your oldest child much quicker to do all these things?)

Thanks for your response. Yes my eldest child was much quicker to do all these things that is probably what worries me, I guess i shouldnt compare one of my childrens abilities to another of my children. I dont know many other children at the same age as my son to compare with i guess apart from his 16 month old cousin who has also been quicker to do these things.

It is good to hear that your health visitor says it is fine not to wave yet! :)

DS learned to clap, wave, hand objects to us and hide under a muslin to play peek a boo at around 12 months (did them all in the space of about 2 weeks). He is now 13.5 and still doesn't really wave and doesn't say anything more than mama when he's upset and dada when he's excited What do they mean by playing pat a cake? Do they expect the baby to clap hands together with you in a rhythm?

I mean by mimicking my clapping gesture, not necesarily in rhythm! :o

By the sounds of it my ds is doing fine, i should just stop worrying i think.

Oh ok, cos I read pat a cake was a milestone in What to Expect: the first year, and worried they thought babies ought to be able to do a sing/dance routine!

Now that would be impressive! :D

Yes I read that it was a first year milestone along with waving and pointing, but I guess all babies will develop at different rates.