18 month old boy not talking, responding or communicating in anyway

[Shanshoe]

Hi all,

I am looking for a bit of advice on what to do with my 18 month old boy who has yet to say his first word, look up when his name is called or point at anything he may want.

He was born at 36 weeks so a bit premature but he has met all other movement milestones perfectly.

He is a happy little guy, very active. Always running around and on the move (literally does not sit still for longer than 30 seconds). He has no problem making eye contact and claps along if you clap and say "clapping". He also babbles ALOT.

We have had trouble getting him to sleep through the night (got it down to three wake ups) and getting him to eat solid food has also been a challenge in the sense he would just chuck the food or turn his face away if bringing a spoon to him. He is a bit better now but all the stars have to align (aka can't be too hungry because then he just gets angry, not in any kind of pain or discomfort i.e teething, and if one thing happens I.e bites his tongue then its game over with screaming, crying and food chucking).

He couldn't care less about other children/babies. He literally treats them like they don't exist. So he definitely doesn't learn by watching others.

We have taken him to the GP with the hope of a referral to speech therapy but we have to go through the obligatory all other specialist first to rule out everything else (first stop checking his hearing which I can tell you is fine as he reacts to sound and he was tested as a newborn but we are at their mercy)

So my question is has anyone got any advice on things I could be doing? He has a very short attention span so getting him to focus on things is very hard but maybe someone has some ideas as at this rate its going to take a year to get professional help

He also does not repeat sounds said to him. Its like he exists in his own little bubble

Do the hearing test. My toddler could hear a key turn in the door and had passed his newborn hearing screening. I could have sworn it wasn't his hearing. It was. He had glue ear and could hear some frequencies but not standard speech

The GP did check in his ears during the appointment and said they were fine? Isn't glue ear something she would have picked up then or is it something only the audiologist will find?

It didn't help that the GP was a brand new doctor fresh out of school who had to check with her supervisor after we left and admitted she had no idea what she was supposed to do to put through a referral...

Have you considered the possibility that your child might be autistic (source: I have two autistic children)?
Referral to Speech and Language is a good idea (but may be rejected until he's 2 depending on protocol in your area). Speak to your HV and local children's centre - ours ran a stay and play group for children with emerging needs that I attended with my youngest.

Definitely get his hearing checked.

The babbling sounds like he wants to communicate but if he has hearing difficulties, he may not be hearing adults speak clearly and so cannot pick up the words. The fact he does not turn when his name is called also suggests hearing.

I think sometimes, we assume a hearing problem means someone cannot hear at all. I have a colleague who wears two hearing aids. Without them, she can hear certain things but not others.

I wouldn't worry about the ignoring other kids at this stage - a lot do!

If he is happy, active and meeting other milestones, it could well be his hearing.

GPs often aren't great with milestones, development etc. I'd get in touch with your health visitor service instead and ask them to review his development. They can then refer on if necessary.

Agree with PP, glue ear can cause quite specific hearing loss, often around the frequencies for speech sounds. A GP wouldn't necessarily be able to diagnose glue ear as they can't see behind the eardrum which is where the problem is.

While I have not been formally diagnosed, I myself have a lot of traits that would characteristically put me on the spectrum (food texture aversion, struggling in social situations, difficulty with seeing the world as black and white as apposed to grey I.e I struggle with the concept that not all lies are bad, getting overwhelmed in crowds, and getting rationally upset if there are variations to my routine; to name a few). I haven't bothered with getting a formal diagnosis because I don't really see a point, I have come up with my own coping methods. All of that to say autism did cross my mind but because he had no issue with making eye contact I dismissed that idea because I thought that was a key factor.

I also have family members (brother and sister) who have been diagnosed ADHD so that has also crossed my mind as my boy was premature and the docs gave me steroid injections to mature his lungs quicker which they warned me beforehand increases his likelihood of having ADHD

Both my children made 'typical' eye contact until around 18 months/2 years. I also know several autistic children that are fine with eye contact. Something to keep in mind for sure, especially given your suspicions about your own neurotype 💕

Hmm I have an autistic son and some of what you say does ring alarm bells - treating other children as if they don't exist, in his own "little bubble". Get his hearing checked and then push for a referral if he's not improving. We got a referral via speech and language even before they'd formally take him on their books as he was under 2 (I rang the general help/ support line). Fwiw my son babbled loads from birth - we actually thought he'd be an early talker but he's now 4 and completely non-verbal, no words at all. Still babbles! Also eye contact is massively variable so while that's hopefully a good sign, it doesn't necessarily discount autism. Not wanting to unnecessarily alarm you of course, and he could well wake up tomorrow saying loads of words but I'd say definitely worth keeping an eye.