Development concerns - 15 months

[GemB86]

Hi everyone,

I have an almost 14 month old son who recently had his 14-15 month assessment with HV. Although there wasn’t any major red flags it was apparent, going by the questionnaire I filled out, that there are many areas of development that my son hasn’t hit yet. My main concerns that I raised with my HV was no pointing, waving or small words like Mama, Dada etc. He does clap and shows enjoyment when we clap together. Im also concerned with his attention span. It’s difficult to encourage my son to play with a toy for more than a couple of mins before he’s crawling away to look at something else. He won’t bring a toy to me or indicate that he wants something in particular. He is interested in books and enjoys when I read to him - especially the lift flap style books.

He isn’t showing any signs of standing or walking at the moment but I’m trying not to worry about that until closer to 18m which gives him plenty of time to master the skills.

He sometimes responds to his name, most of the time he doesn’t. He does babble and laughs, smiles etc.

I’m an already anxious person as well as being a first time Mum. My partner is doing his best to be supportive and he doesn’t feel there is any need for concern at this moment in time. My HV has given us advice on how to encourage communication by offering more choices, putting things further out of reach on the sofa for standing but all this has done is get him frustrated.

Part of me thinks there may be a slight developmental delay and then the other half of me thinks he’s just doing things in his own time and possibly some “selective hearing”. My HV is due out again in Feb when he will be around 15 months to see how things are going.

I’ve been taking him to baby sensory since COVID restrictions eased in 2021 and he’s due to start his toddler group next week. I also meet other Mums in the area for walks and the odd soft play date here and there, so he does get some interaction with other kids his age. He doesn’t have any cousins and none of my closest friends have kids so a lot of the time it’s just the 3 of us.

It’s true that all babies/toddlers are different but im just wondering what other parents experiences have been with milestones and if you have any other advice on how to encourage communication?

Thank you

He is not even 14 months old yet OP . He sounds like a totally normal little boy of his age. I really think at this stage you are worrying unnecessarily.
Not walking etc at this stage is not unusual, nor is not talking. He sounds like a happy baby. Most babies I have known have a short attention span at that age, and are interested in everything around them.

My eldest, my only son didn't have any interest in walking, crawling, getting around or talking till around 16 months. My youngest two, both girls. Both crawled at 6 months, stood at 8 months and walked at 11 months. All 3 are happy and healthy. I just think boys are a little lazy and on the whole sooooooo much easier than girls. Give me boys over girls any day 🤣🤣

I think it does sound too soon to be concerned. My two girls weren't walking until nearly 18 months, though my son was a little younger. To a certain extent people do know their own child best but things you are saying he isn't doing aren't at all surprising at his age so it may well just be a case of being over anxious. Some do but many don't.

Sounds quite typical. I know its said so often that its a cliche, but at this age they develop at their own pace, and you can drive yourself mad over milestones!

He sounds pretty similar to my 14mo twins. Is he a good crawler? Neither of my boys are remotely interested in standing/walking and I'm sure it's because there's no motivation - my DD never crawled, so she was desperate to walk and was on her feet at 11 months. You could try harder to encourage walking, but what difference will it make? In the long run, there's no correlation between walking early and being particularly well coordinated.

Short attention span is totally normal. It will get longer over time, but even toddlers don't give one toy attention for long.

Waving is a really variable milestone. It depends a lot on how much of it they see - do you really spend lots of your day waving at people?

To encourage talking, you are probably doing all the right things. Copy sounds he makes, and use repetition - read the same stories over and over, then sometimes leave gaps at the ends of the line to see if he fills in the sound. Giving options (as your HV suggests) can also be very effective. Narrate your day. If it really bothers you, some babies learn faster if you use a couple of baby signs.

Heelo. My 10 months old girl is also experiencing a delay in her development, we had genetic tests which were OK and we went to neurologist, which he said she is neurological good, but she had a delay. At this age she can not sit well unaided and when she tries to stay straight with her back, her head is a little wobble. I am very worried, I started to cry all night. It's so difficult to leave with this uncertain feeling of what is going to be the progress. Some of you r opinions or experiencing would help me a lot.

Thank you everyone. It’s encouraging to hear what you’ve all said. I told my HV that there are many other things that he does that’s not asked on the questionnaire but when she gave me the advice and said she’d be back out at 15 months to see his progress it definitely instigated some worry.

@TinyTeachr yes he’s a great crawler - very fast! He pushes himself up onto his knees and will occasionally do some superb yoga style poses!

@JuliaTatu2021 sorry to hear you’re going through this. I’m sure you’ve already done this but just make sure you have support and asking for help from HV and any other health professional involved in the care of your daughter. Maybe using some supports when she’s sitting up, cushions etc?

Far too young to be concerned. Up to 18 months is normal for walking, 2 years for first words. Just continue doing what you are, lots of interaction where he can see your face, you could also use a bit of sign language which many children pick up quickly eg makaton (the programme something special uses makaton) if you are a bit concerned, it may relieve your anxiety as you are "doing something"

@gogohm sign language is a fab idea. We did do some at baby sensory but this isn’t something I continued at home but will definitely start doing now.

My parents said 18m is the time to start being concerned if needed. First time parenting can be a minefield sometimes, just glad we have lots of support networks we can access these days. This website has been a great resource too

Hi GemB86,
any updates on your son how is he doing now ? I am also worried about my daughter .

Hi @Rosee22
He started walking at 19 months after we had a visit from friends and their son. He is 4 months younger and was walking around the house which I believe encouraged our son to get up on his feet.
Our HV put a referral through for SLT and a Paediatrician assessment. However I’ve been told it can be up to 2 years for speech input and up to 4 years for an assessment. I live in Scotland so not sure what the wait times are like elsewhere in the UK.

He still isn’t saying any words, still babbles. I believe he understand some things we are saying but doesn’t appear to understand basic commands like “pick up” or “put hat on” etc. He doesn’t point, wave or bring toys/books to us. Doesn’t engage in imaginative play and prefers to pile his toys up on one side then piles them up on another. Rarely engages with other children. I have noted that he has a lot of repetitive behaviours too like running up and down the same part of the house touching the same objects as he goes. Rarely responds to his name but we’ve ruled out a hearing issue as he will respond to other noises.

I’ve got him starting at nursery in a few weeks after he turns 2 which I’m hoping will help with his development and I continue to take him to his toddler classes and soft play dates. My son is a very happy wee boy regardless and loves his cuddles. But I always knew he had a delay and if your instincts are telling you the same I would advice speaking to your HV to ensure you get the right support for you and your little one.x