Should I be worried ?

[Sarah1375]

Hi,

I have a 15 nearly 16 month okd boy who is still not saying any words yet. He also has been shaking his head a lot and has never really wanted to play with me, more so by himself or with the dogs etc. He has fleeting eye contact and focus/interest in specific things. He moves from one toy/object to the next and never will sit still or stop running around all day. He does have some gestures such as waving/clapping hands. He understands pointing and will point, but randomly and not to show me anything. He understands some things we say to him such as “where is your water” he will pick his bottle up, or when I say “bath time” he will run to the stairs so he does have some understanding. He has said mama and dada on the odd occasion but this is completely random with no meaning. Should I be worried at this stage especially when it comes to having no speech? He’s very vocal but it’s all just jargon and noises like his own little language. I tend to worry a lot, so that’s why I’m asking for advice to see if I’m right to worry or if this can be normal. Thanks for your help.

I think that it is worth phoning the HV and asking her to assess him.

I had one that had speech delay and it can be worrying but it doesn’t automatically mean ASD.

Before you see the HV it’s worth writing down your concerns, your opening post is pretty concise and covers the points quite well. I would also make a note to ask her to refer DS for a hearing test as you’ll need to rule out Glue Ear.

I would also fill in the 16 month Ages and Stages

and the 18 month Social & Emotional Ages & Stages.

I agree that there's enough there that it would be good to get the HV to do a review and to do the questionnaires that @BunnyRuddington linked to. Do check the scoring sheets at the back, though – they don't expect perfection!

A section or two in the grey on the broad range Ages and Stages is very common, and not usually a big concern, but if it's more than that, or if there are sections in the black, that can sometimes help you get HCP to take it seriously.

Hi,

thanks for your replies. I’ve filled out the 16 month questionnaire and he was in the black for communication but ahead with his motor skills. I’ve phoned the health visitor and she also went through the questionnaire and agreed that he sounds behind on communication. She said she isn’t too worried because he has understanding and that is what they are more worried about, rather than verbal communication. She’s arranged for a nursery nurse to do an assessment on him, so hopefully will have a better understanding if there is anything wrong.

That's great that they'll do some checks.

I would also fill out the 18 month questionnaire that was linked – it's a different one, specifically focusing on things like interactions with you and with other children, sleeping, eating, repetitive behaviours, etc. They don't make that one for 16 months, so 18 months is the 'right' one for your wee boy (although I think ideally the scores are interpreted with the child's age in mind, as it's quite a big age range for such little people).