concerning or normal?

[sarah12397]

my 16 month old can only say ‘mum’ and babbles ALOT, she will also respond ‘yeah’ to everything you say. she only responds to her name sometimes and she is always spinning around, playing or trying to pick up stuff she shouldn’t. I’ve noticed she covers her ears a lot but I don’t know if that’s relevant. she doesn’t interact with other children and at play dates / toddler groups most of the time she’ll cling to me and will scream and cry if I get up or move away from her. In my gut I feel somethings wrong. I explained her not speaking to a friend and she automatically said she’s autistic but then others say she’ll do things in her own time. she can walk, eats really well and loves playing with toys but always seems in her own bubble. she doesn’t understand being told no. she waves at strangers in public and claps when we say ‘good girl’ sometimes if you blow her a kiss she will copy but other times will just stare. has anyone had a baby who reached these milestones late, how are they now?

Hi, my son was really similar to your daughter from what you describe. He started to talk at 2.5. i would write down what you have noticed. One thing here and there may not be anything significant but when you look at the bigger picture over time. My son also never pointed. He always had sensory issues and irrational fears of certain noises etc. everyone basically told me I was overthinking it and that he was fine. He is now 5 and on the way to having an autism diagnosis. It was disregarded by every dr and every health visitor I saw because he was smart and appeared sociable. Now he only generally talks facts and copies people and doesn’t interact as much as other children. If you feel like something isn’t right keep pushing. Early intervention can make such a difference. I Woudl also make yourself aware of other traits to look out for. Such as repetitive behaviour, issues with sleep, toileting, excessive tantrums, meltdowns etc