Concerns have been raised about my son since he was a year. He's been late to do every thing. He didn't walk until he was 22 months and at 24 months still doesn't talk. He babbles and uses "dada", "baba" and other sounds but other than referring to dad as "dada' doesn't talk. He has understanding though and will look for something he's lost, put things where you ask him to etc. He can point to body parts and specific animals in books. He has good social skills- eye contact, gestures, smiles and laughs appropriately etc He is in nursery which he loves and is under a paediatric consultant. Aside from speech delay he has very slow growth (currently being investigated for growth hormone delay) and still puts everything in his mouth- stones, paper, toys...
I'm really struggling as I'm an early years worker and feel as if I should have done better even though I know I couldn't have done any more. I read to him multiple times a day, do face to face talking, talk to him all the time (my day is complete with a running commentary) and he's in a fantastic nursery.
My mental wellbeing is taking a real battering as I'm struggling with not having any answers or even a direction to be pushing in. I've cut contact with friends who have children of similar ages and the comparison is too painful. There is at least a 12 month delay- he presents as a 1 year old.
My question for anybody who has experienced similar is when does 'development delay' become 'learning difficulty'? Also, for those of you who have been through similar experiences- what helped you cope with not knowing what to do next?