14 month old development - normal?

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My friend is worried about her little one 14 months.

LO has always met physical milestones on time or slightly early.

However, LO does not:

Clap
Point
Wave
Blow a kiss
Follow someone else who is pointing
Respond to name
Smile socially (will stare at you, but not smile at parents, other well known adults or strangers)
Cannot speak and only noise made has been an ‘errrr’ sound when focused on something. Never said dadada or any kind of baby babble
Follow any kind of short instruction, like where’s your nose

They are very interested instead in things that aren’t toys, like the hinge on a door, the round edge of a spoon, a zip or a buckle.

Does this sound like normal development or would you be worried at this point?

Not normal. She should contact HV. Baby will have had 9-12 month development check I wonder what that showed?

Doesn't sound normal, I've got a 13 month old as she started some of what you mentioned months ago, smiling responding to name etc

That does sound unusual. My 7 month old is waving, smiling, babbling different sounds etc. I'm not sure about the other things but it seems unusual not to be doing by 13 months. I would ask for a referral.

I would be seeking a referral.

Does the child respond to noise at all?

Yes sometimes, they like certain programmes on the TV and always look up when someone drops something etc and it makes a clatter

It doesn’t sound typical. I would urge her to speak to HV

@fortheloveofpogs that's not true. Please don't listen to this poster. I've referred a number of children younger than this to SALT, referrals have been accepted and early intervention has been commenced.

This child is delayed in multiple areas and needs a full development assessment.

I'd be thinking along the lines of social communication challenges.

I've asked Mumsnet to remove my posts as clearly I've muddied the water.

I was told that referrals weren't made for SALT before the age of two (I have a speech delayed child) but maybe that's just my area.

Thank you. I have worked with older children with autism myself and I do have to wonder. LO’s dad thinks the same but mum not so sure. Not sure what the 9-12 month assessment would have shown.

I would be concerned. I would contact HV to discuss but the first thing they will do is a referral to check hearing.

We are all quite sure LO hears fine. They run to the window when they hear the bin lorry, and startle if someone drops something or laughs in a loud way that they weren’t expecting.

I'd suggest mum or dad fill out this questionnaire for overall development (https://www.socfc.org/SOHS/Disabilities%20Mental%20Health/ASQ/ASQ%203%2014%20Months.pdf) and this one for social-emotional development (https://www.socfc.org/SOHS/Disabilities%20Mental%20Health/ASQ/ASQ%20SE%2012%20Months.pdf). Check the scoring sheets at the back, especially for the first one – the threshold for 'development seems on track' is never six 'yeses' in a section, and a section or two in the grey is quite common and usually resolves itself.

Telling the HV or GP that you've done the questionnaires and baby scores in the black on some things or has a lot of scores in the grey can help get them to take you seriously.

For hearing, a test will probably still be recommended – lots of people with hearing loss can hear some pitches but not others (to varying degrees), so it's possibly baby can hear the bin lorry, but can't hear a lot of human speech, for example. Or can hear a loud laugh, but not normal volume conversation.

You're ok! It's just a mistake. And you're right, it's a horrible postcode lottery for services. Shouldn't be that way at all.

This is useful. I’ll share it with them. Bless their LO just doesn’t interact at all. Looks at you curiously but no gestures, no pointing, doesn’t follow if you point. More interested in door hinges and how things work!

Hi

My son is 14 months old. I have a few concerns about my son's milestones, I am hyper paranoid about autism as it runs in the family and always over thinking stuff. Really just looking for some peace of mind.

My son has hit some milestones, he walks perfectly fine with no issues, he babbles allt although not said anything more than mama daddy yet. He smiles at people and is really good with new people. He will let you know when he wants cuddles ect.

However he doesn't point at stuff or play pretend, he doesn't wave or make any gestures of any kind to be honest. He doesn't follow any simple commands like come here or stop ect. He will play with toys which mostly consists of him smashing things together. He understands his name and responds some of the time but not always.

Have I anything to be worried about?

Sounds like ASD should be looked out for. My DC is autistic but actually did some of those things at that age. Otherwise it could be a normal / speech and language delay / hearing or sight issues or another range of things. Just keep an eye on things just take notes and date everything.

BTW just to add in here, autism is not a death sentence, just a different brain. Keep working on facial expressions, sing-a-long songs, maybe even try screen time, sometimes an autistic child will respond to that better than real life examples being shown. Do fun things like floor time and peek-a-boo. Enjoy your child, but be vigilant.