how much instruction does your 18 month understand?

[waterwindfire]

I think my DS understands most things like 'put that in the bowl' if I point to it/ or where's your cup/let's go upstairs etc - simple stuff - and then sometimes I'll say e.g. get your shoes and he'll ignore me! I am a born worrier so hard to know what's with me, or him, but how much should he understand - and even if he understands, I assume that sometimes he will ignore me (i.e wilful personality?). He points, shares attention, makes his needs very known, has about 10 words and copies a lot of others...

Just wanted to see if this was normal - I read a thread on here which made it sound as if an 18 month could do everything a mum asked of her

Mine sounds similar. He understands things like:

Kick the ball
Where's Iggle Piggle?
I'm going to chase you and tickle you!
Point at daddy
Give the biscuit to [dog's name]

Actually, with the last one he's just as likely to eat it himself.

I may not be the person to ask though as I am also a natural worrier and thinking about starting my own thread...

Hi Julie, starting your own thread about this?

the both sound normal to me :)

my dd is 18mths the youngest of 5, she can understand lots, ie if i say its dinner time she will go stand next to her high chair, she will fetch her cup and bring it to me if she wants a drink.

will fetch her shoes or dummy or cuddly lamb if i ask her to.

she can say a few words and this evening whe i was saying 'dinner time' to get the boys to come through, she said 'dinner' (actually it sounded more like ninner!) and then said hot and did he noise for hot which is to blow iyswim? as she could see it was hot.

she isnt talking much, but is very vocal, lots of pointing and making noises, does various animal noises when you ask her ditto nee naw for emergency vehicles.

but if she tired or simply doesnt want to then she wont, she may look at me and grin tho!

at this age my ds1 was talking in sentences! and very good at understandin, my others were all later ie 2yrs plus before they talked much, but they are all fine now at 12, 9, 7 and 4 and you cant tell that ds1 was the 'bright' one that talked earlier than they did! :)

I'm no expert but your ds sounds completely fine to me.

My dd2 understood basic instructions at that age but certainly not everything.
Instructions to fetch familiar objects, pass things to people, and that it was time to go out etc were fairly typical. She certainly didn't understand everything she was told or asked.

In contrast my two elder children have autism, and wouldn't have understood any of the things that you describe.

like your DS, dd2 understands a lot, but acts upon it only if it suits her.

for example if we say "get your coat" you see her eyes flicker towards where her coat is, as she ignores you and gets another toy out. whereas if you even mention anything to do with going to the shops, getting pudding etc, she will trot over and enquire about the chances of getting any "Choc Choc?"

Hi, thanks all

Yes, it's true, if I say 'get your shoes,' he might not get his shoes - he might get mine - but he 'registers' what I'm asking him. If I say come and get dinner, he'll say 'yummy yummy' etc and come!

He'll know to get his teddy, and if I say wipe your face (at food time), he'll take the cloth in my hand and put his face (and mine)!

I'm such a fucking worrier!!

5madthings - yes he also blows on his food when I say hot! He yawns (fake) when I say are you tired? And he sniffs flowers when I ask him what we do with flowers...it's all very sweet

he sounds fine, stop worrying! seriously motherhood is paved wiht guilt and worry but it doesnt sound like you have anything to worry about at all!

and what flora said its obvious that dd understand me, whether she chooses to do as asked is another issue, she is good at some things ie if we are going out she will go and get her coat and then get in the pushchair as she LIKES going out! infact she will get her coat and sit in the pushchair just to show me she wants to go out :)

but if i say lie down i need to change your nappy, she will run away and giggle like mad, she knows what i want her to do and is playign with me!

this is a lovely age, enjoy it :)

aww very sweet at the fake yawn! :) dd will do a fake cough and yes to sniffing flowers, waving goodbye, she will hand me her plate at dinner time when she is finished, they do understand lots actually, its quite amazing really and very sweet :)

Yes, it is a great age. He hands me his plate too!! yes he waves, says hiya repeatedly, bye bye, night night - all that

Water, because he doesn't speak yet, and because of his obsession with spinning objects.

Baby Goo can understand most of the instructions I give her, obviously I keep it simple and only ask her to do things I think she can do.

I know she understands because she does a naughty face and does the opposite

Your DS sounds like my 18mo DD.

If I say 'are you hungry' she will go to her high chair.

When I shout my DSs for school in the morning she will add boyyyyyyys, and then head to the door.

She knows Iggle Piggle and upsy Daisy.

She can say dog and will bark if she sees a picture of one.

Like the poster above I have had a DS talking in sentences by now, but he was and still is way way ahead of the game.