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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

a few niggly development worries in a 6.5 month old

54 replies

flubberdubdub · 04/05/2007 11:00

He's a smiley, giggly baby but reading development milestone charts (I know, I know...) gets me a bit paranoid. For example, he doesn't and never has put his arms out to be picked up. He has never copied noises or facial expressions. He is easy to get a laugh out of but isn't fussed about peekaboo or hiding games. It's the lack of imitation which really worries me. What does anyone else think? According to the books, he should have started basic forms of mimicry at 5 months old.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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kamikayzed · 05/05/2007 14:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ceebee74 · 05/05/2007 14:31

Just wanted to add to these - my DS (nearly 10 months) has never put his arms up either - which I have to agree with another poster is a shame as it must be so nice!

I have also read those books and there are tons of things that DS also hasn't done (for example, apparently he should be able to stack cups up by now - ha - he just loves knocking them down) so maybe they are best put in the bin!

gess · 05/05/2007 14:35

BY the way ds1 did put his arms up from a very young age, still does, and he's severely autistic I don't think its a very key development at all. From talking to friends and reading the literature, reaching and imitation is more important, but imitation is hard to observe when young.

nappyaddict · 05/05/2007 14:49

ds is 10 months and only just started reaching for things so i dont think you need to be worried.

nappyaddict · 05/05/2007 14:49

ha ha. ds can pick up stack cups, but stack them on top of one another, are you joking!

Ceebee74 · 05/05/2007 14:52

Nappy - exactly my thoughts about the stacking cups - hence why I take what I read with a BIG punch of salt!

gess · 05/05/2007 15:33

By reaching I mean lying under a baby gym and reaching up to bop at the toys/hit the toys, etc, nothing more than that.

nappyaddict · 05/05/2007 15:42

ah ds only ever used to kick them, but i think it was by mistake tbh!

gess · 05/05/2007 15:47

here's the chart In Ds1's case his lack of reaching was probably more to do with passivity/lack of interest in toys than anything else, and was definitely a cause for concern, but if a child is showing interest in toys in other ways then I don't think the nitty gritty of the hand grasp really matters.

Original poster

flubberdubdub · 07/05/2007 14:33

Gess, yes he does reach for toys, or anything really. I have to watch him as he's so adept at grabbing hair/glasses/earrings/knives and forks off people's plates! But other things that worry me are his bad sleeping habits. Is this something to be worried about? Thanks for your responses.

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Original poster

flubberdubdub · 07/05/2007 14:43

Also, re the reaching out thing - I was aware that this was a key developmental thing, and was obsessively looking out for it. Other babies his age seemed to start doing it before him - but probably only 2 or 3 weeks before. It felt a lot longer as I was so acutely aware of it. Now, as I said before, he is almost boisterous (sp?) in reaching out - but is it significant that he was slightly later than other babies? By what age should imitation be clearly in place?

OP posts:

gess · 07/05/2007 20:09

ds1 (who does have problems) didn't reach until 8 months or so- he learned to imitate aged 7 (years! not months!!). Early imitation is really tricky to see- it doesn't get really obvious until much later. If as he gets older (he's too little now) he learns things by watching you (eg he sees you drink out of a cup so he tries to drink out of his sippy cup) then he's imitating.

Bad sleeping habits are entirely normal in a 5 month old!!!

Why are you so concerned? You sound very anxious about his development- is there any particular reason?

fizzbuzz · 07/05/2007 20:26

My dd rolled once at 6 months, and even then needed help. Now at 10 months, rolls all over the place, especially when having nappy changed

Also had no interest in peek-a-boo at that age, but obsessed with it now, and wants to play it ALL the time........

As for imitating stuff, I never knew about that, but she does it now, but not sure she did at 5 months

They all develop at different times. Your lo sounds lovely, just enjoy that, instead of manic rolling nappy time baby!

Original poster

flubberdubdub · 07/05/2007 21:36

I convinced myself that I'd have a child with autism after coming across something online which linked maternal dental fillings with autism. That was when I was pregnant and I've been looking for signs ever since. How far does reaching out for things at this age rule out autism, if at all? And if he were imitating, would that mean he probably wasn't autistic? Sorry I know I'm being obsessive. If you don't mind me asking Gess, did you 'know' that your children were respectively on the spectrum and NT?

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Original poster

flubberdubdub · 07/05/2007 21:37

Sorry, meant to say did you 'know' when they were small babies, ie before milestones such as pointing came into play?

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fizzbuzz · 07/05/2007 21:37

WTF???? I had 2 huge root fillings when pregnant with ds....he is completely OK!

Original poster

flubberdubdub · 07/05/2007 21:45

Were they silver amalgam fillings Fizzbuzz? I know I'm obsessive and irrational....I don't know how I've worked myself up into this state really. I convinced myself that because I've got lots of big fillings the risk of ASD was huge. But there are websites which say as much!

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gess · 07/05/2007 21:50

fillings probably are a factor for some autistic children- but it's not just fillings. Some autistic children can't process heavy metals properly- fillings just add to the load. There are heavy metals everywhere though. My friend's dd had "should have been dead" levels of lead for example (she was eating window frames with leaded paint).

I suspected autism in ds1 from age 17 months. I watched ds2 and ds3 hawk like and couldn't tell for sure that they weren't until well after 18 months.

You're going to drive yourself mad if you carry on like this. Really you have no reason to think your child has autism- many many people have mouths full of mercury amalgam. Most children do get rid of heavy metals such as mercury fairly efficiently. The problem for some autistic children is that they don't, not particularly the amalgam fillings.

gess · 07/05/2007 21:52

IN other words the mercury doesn't make them autistic, the problem is with a dodgy heavy metal transport system. It's that that causes the problems. Yes reducing exposure will help if there is this particular problem. FWIW I did avoid certain triggers with ds2 and ds3, I didn't do anything about my fillings and didn't particularly worry about them.

gess · 07/05/2007 21:53

trying myself up in knots here- yes the mercury plays a role but only in conjunction with a physiological problem.

Original poster

flubberdubdub · 07/05/2007 21:57

Thanks Gess, I do know that it is pointless me trying to diagnose or rule out autism from day to day. It does drive me a bit mad already. When I think about it ('in my heart') I know that he is OK and I have no reason to worry. I tend to think along the lines of 'why wouldn't it be me' rather than look at the actual chances of it happening. Is good to know that fillings wouldn't be a cause in themselves, as this is where my fears stem from directly. Thank you all for your replies.

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coppertop · 07/05/2007 21:57

6.5mths is very early to be worrying about autism. Ds1 and ds2 (both autistic) are very different to each other but I would say that the things that made them seem different at that age would be things like:

no interest in toys whatsoever. Even if you put a toy in their hands it would just be dropped on the floor.

no mouthing objects, toys etc (although some children with autism do). We never really had to bother too much about keeping small things out of reach as nothing ever went in their mouths.

very placid. If you left them on their own they didn't care at all. Dd (who I'm fairly sure is not autistic) would howl if she couldn't see me or touch me.

I think ds2 was just starting to imitate at around 2+. Ds1 was closer to 3.

Even when I suspected that ds2 was autistic like his brother I couldn't be certain until he was around 12mths+. At 6mths I knew he had traits but it could honestly have gone either way.

Original poster

flubberdubdub · 07/05/2007 21:57

Out of interest, what were the other triggers you avoided Gess?

OP posts:

gess · 07/05/2007 22:35

antibiotics, vaccinations, gluten and eventually cow's milk.

I really don't think you need this- and its really is too early to tell but have a look at my website . If you follow the link on the right to 'pre-diagnosis' you'll find the first signs book and a link to their website, plus a link to forepath. The first signs website might be useful for you- it gives the key developmental stages wrt spotting autism.

There's also a book called "the boy who looked out of windows" (or something like that) which tells the story of a mother who was concerned about her child from the time he was a baby. I can't remember whether he was incredibly passive or incredibly difficult (autistic infants are often one or the other).

twentypence · 08/05/2007 00:08

And just to add to the confusion ds is not autistic - but has never ever put anything in his mouth, or reached to be picked up. And he's 4 now so I think he may just have missed that stage.

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