Concerns over 22 month old

[Becs14]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help or give advice. Atm we're not having a good time with my little boy. He's very difficult and I'm crying a lot with stress. He's 22 months and is extremely busy, he doesn't have much speech at all (mama, Dada and a lot of babbling all day) he's been biting, pinching and hitting me, my partner and my mother. The people he is closest too really. He hasn't done it to other children or adults as far as we know. My mother has had him today and he has bitten her twice and hit her in the face three times. This is very upsetting now and I don't know if I'm overreacting. We tell him no and nice hands and all that but he doesn't understand. I'm worried he is autistic or has ADHD or some additional needs.
Or is he just being a very busy toddler.
He doesn't have the attention span to play with a puzzle, jigsaw, colour in etc. He will play with trucks, loves being outside etc. If he has got addition needs it won't change anything for us at all because obviously we will love him no matter what but obvious I'd like him to the the help he needs.
Has anyone got any advice or has been through something similar? Or do you think he's just being a toddler? Appreciate any advice. Thank you x

That sounds difficult. The first port of call is to write all your concerns down and see how GP or health visitor and say the things here you are concerned about. Is he in formal child care? If so ask them for a report or evidence for the GP as well

Thank you. I was going to call the health visitor tomorrow. I should have done it a while ago anyway about his speech. I thought it was because we speak two languages but not sure anymore.
He is at nursery twice a week but there's been no concerns. We are actually moving him to a different nursery in April and the manager said she will observe him and see what she thinks

I have an autistic kid. His sister was the biter; he never did. She bit everyone (i still have a scar on my thigh) from about 1yr to 3yrs old. She was diabolical. Now she appears to be a neurotypical 6 year old. So I wouldnt necesarily think that the biting/hitting=additional needs. But i would say your boys speech is delayed and he should see a speech therapist. They are great at picking up additional needs too.
In the interim, the only thing that worked with my biter was keeping ready at all times to dodge her. Sorry!

My DS2 was like this at the same age (not biting but hitting and pushing and not many words). He's now 13yo and is a kind gentle boy and doing really well at school. He was just being a PITA toddler.

My 22mo sounds very similar in terms of being very busy and not having the attention span for pretty much anything. He also babbles all day and while he does have more words (only about 10-15) it's only really me and DH that can understand him. He goes through phases of biting and hitting although it never seems intentional if that makes sense.

I used to worry like you but I do a lot of playgroups etc and chatting to other mums is really reassuring, people keep telling me this is the hardest age and I do see lots of other 'busy' toddlers at this type of group too.

Hope that reassures you a bit, speaking to HV is never going to be a bad idea though!

He's not even 2, I think you're just expecting too much too soon op. The biting and hitting is shit, but it's also one of those things. They're learning cause and effect, their learning about their own power.

You're unlikely to get a review for speech until after 2 but obv do mention it. And yes poor speech will impact on all other behaviours because they can't talk to you.

But I'd breathe for now and assume he's just a typical middfmy8