Hi, hopefully looking for some reassuring during the months-long wait to be seen by developmental paediatricians and audiology.
I have concerns about my 21 month old daughter, things seem to have changed quite a lot in the last two months or so; she used to be a very happy, engaged baby, making lots of eye-contact, brilliant joint attention, hitting most of her milestones on time (not gross motor, will come to this), but over the last few months, her eye-contact has definitely reduced, she's far more focussed on what she wants to do and doesn't involve me unless she needs assistance and doesn't seem to initiate joint attention. She will still look me in the eye when she needs something, or when we play tickling or chase, but most of the time she doesn't.
She doesn't always respond to her name, or to requests or commands. She has had an ear infection and potential glue ear, but we are waiting for a hearing test. She just seems to have become so aloof. She has a few games that she really enjoys, particularly she loves to collect stones and drop them in the drain/a puddle - any kind of water really! She also loves to post small things into other things, for example, posting breakfast cereal into my shoes, or putting my car keys through the catflap....I'd go so far as to say she's obsessed with this kind of game.
She uses lots of single words, and adding more most days, but some of the words seem to be quite stereotyped, for example, she'll say "heeey duggee", "yes" with a really pronounced s sound or "oh dear..." when nothing has happened, they're often pronounced the same way every time. She doesn't really hug or kiss me or my husband, but she will hug her toys and say "Aww" like they do on Hey Duggee. She says hello and bye bye, and can wave. She does also recognise lots of objects and says their names in context, I'd say she easily has 50+ words. She does point, wave, clap and do hi-fives. Often when she says a new word she will look at me or my husband, as if she wants us to know she's said something new. But she doesn't really look at me when I talk to her, or smile at me if I smile at her. Quite a lot of the time it feels like she doesn't hear me at all.
We went to a friend's garden the other day and she just spent all the time trying to escape, saying "home home home", she didn't interact with anyone else at all. I know you mustn't compare, but my friend's daughter is 16 months and is so, so different I can't help but worry there is more going on.
She doesn't yet walk, and has suspected hypermobility. She is a bum-shuffler, can pull to stand against furniture, and is trying more and more every day to stand up unaided. She does this thing very rarely where she will tense her arms and shake them when she is upset.
As I mentioned, we've been referred to the developmental paed for her walking, but I will be raising these social issues too. She has been referred to audiology but there is a 6 months wait for both clinics. I'm worrying myself sick, and can't get any support.