20 month old only few words, won't clap/wave. I'm worried!

[yorkshirejo]

Please can anyone reassure me? We have developmetal paed/SALT referrals in pipeline but i am so worried i am barely sleeping...

My very nearly 20 month old barely speaks (can go almost all day without saying anything at childminders; babbles a little at home, but I can't understand him. Occasional word 'up' usually in context)

Oops pressed post too soon!

Understands a lot!

Sometimes responds to name, other times doesn't.

Doesn't wave or clap despite months of encouraging him.

Points and says "what''s that?" a lot!

Used to have more words than now eg. Oops, dada, mama. But hasn't said oops in months now. Says dad and mama very infrequently.

Used to love books, now not interested for long at all.

Points to ask for something. But doesn't point and then look at me or when I point doesn't look and then check my gaze. A red flag for asd AFAIK?

Am I being overly worried or are there grounds for concern here?

He has always been atrocious sleeper too. Has woke 10+ times a night since 9 months old, but has just started showing some improvement. Have been hoping it's the lack of sleep that may have affected his speech/language development...

He never crawled/rolled but walked before either of these so has been delayed in other areas too.

He had untreated tongue tie for 7 months. Graded 90% it was finally treated at 7 month mark.

Thanks for reading!

I'm sorry you're having these worries. Have you made an appointment to have his hearing checked? Has he any history of ear infections? This can affect speech a lot....you've done the right thing to get a developmental check in place...I don't think you're being overly worries, there are a few red flags there but try not to get too wrapped up in the worry so much that you stop enjoying him.

I would second making sure he gets a hearing test. Lack of hearing can cause a lot of problems.

Thanks so much for replies.
Yes, he has hearing test scheduled for 2 weeks time, although he has no history at all of ear infections.
His hearing is excellent too and he can often hear things that I miss!

I'm most concerned over his lack of eye contact when talking to him (even when I bend down and try to engage with him directly), plus his not clapping/waving...

Childminder seems to think he's capable of it but is being a bit stubborn and simply refusing to as opposed to being unable to do it. Though my understanding of ASD is often kids aren't actively refusing to engage, copy, rather that it's simply not on their radar/doesn't even enter their heads...

It sounds like you are doing the right thing getting your concerns checked out. I do feel for you having to go through the waiting process for appointments etc. However, any interventions you make now can only help, not hinder. The talking point and Hanen websites are good if you have not seen them already and there's a book called 'It takes two to talk' which is excellent. It'll either give you new ideas for supporting your son, or reassurance that you are doing everything you can already. Blowing bubbles is great for eye contact if you're not doing that already.

To be honest, if your sleep has been that disturbed for nearly two years, I'm not surprised you're having difficulty with sleeping (fellow sufferer, though getting better) and I know how easy it is for the worry to be all-consuming. I've been through a couple of periods of worry about my children's development and found the best thing to do was first, reassure myself I was doing all I could (and it sounds like you are) and then take a bit of time to write a list of the things I really enjoyed doing with my child and actively plan time to do them, nothing elaborate just things like trips to the playground that we probably would have done anyway but the thinking and planning helped me to be conscious of enjoying my child rather than just focusing on the worry, if you see what I mean. Finally, try and take a bit of time for yourself too, easier said than done, I know!

Hi

My son does have autism and I would say that there are some red flags there (but please try not to worry too much - he may just be a little behind!). Please google the M-CHAT test, which should give you a very good idea what level of risk there is for autism.

Good luck and whatever the outcome, remember that the autism spectrum is very very broad.

Oh, and understanding a lot is a very very good sign .

Is there any update for this thread?