Hi All!
I would be super grateful for your views. I guess I went to get out what’s in my head.
I have an almost 18 month old and I’m not sure if I’m overthinking or if I should take my concerns now to my HV.
My DS doesn’t speak at all. He has always been very quiet and will make babbling noises now and then ‘papa’, ‘baba’ ‘aya’, ‘omaa’ type noises. But at nothing in particular and no words. He’s also from birth been sensory seeking in that, he will chew his tongue for comfort and squeeze my breast area for comfort (he was breastfed until 1). He does this a lot throughout the day - especially when upset/tired. But otherwise no hand flapping/other kind of stimming. He didn’t start to walk until he was 16 months and I’ve noticed that every so often in the last 2 weeks, he will randomly walk on his tip toes for abit. He gets frustrated a lot but at the moment, I’m putting it down to the fact that he cannot verbally communicate what he wants.
To note, he absolutely understands everything that’s being said. He points, claps and waves and plays with his toys. We have no issues with his eye contact or with him answering (non verbally) to his name. He’s interesting in playing with other children and adults when we’re out at soft play and sleeps pretty well. He’s very loving and loves his cuddles.
When he’s being looked after by my in laws/my parents, he’s absolutely fine in that he’s a happy, playful toddler. Could some of this be put down to separation anxiety (he wants my comfort when I’m around) and some of it just standard toddler behaviour?
Apologies for the long post. I’m going out of my mind slightly. I don’t want to let my DS down in anyway.
Thank you for reading.