16 month old daughter Autism?

[Toworryornottoworry]

I have a just turned 16 month daughter that I have been worried about for a number of months. She had covid when she was 12 months old and has pretty much never fully recovered from that development wise.

Communication:
-Sticks tongue out when I stick it out, imitates well
-she brings me things a lot of the time now majority of the time it’s for me to do some
thing with the object, to request more milk/water and she just randomly puts things in my lap or gives it to me and moves on
-has good joint attention but disappears the days she’s sick.
-She pulls on my clothes to get my attention, she has also recently started patting me on my body to request my attention and sometimes says “mama” whilst doing so
-says the word “ham” when eating or when requesting food
-says three words but not every day

-she touches what she wants if it’s close to her say for example a snack and then looks to me and pats me and so on until I either say ok and and give it to her or I say no
-she checks in very often and looks for praise when she’s playing
-she now waves sometimes
-she brings me the remote if she wants the tv putting on or channel changing (is this strange?)
-her checking in before she does something she isn’t allowed to has become more frequent
-pretends remote is phone and puts it to her ear

high fives, gives kisses, plays a few nursery rhymes with actions.
-loves dropping things and looks to me after she’s done it to which I say “uh oh” and she laughs.
-has mastered the give me gesture and now gives without me putting my hand out by just saying the words “give me please”
-understands “come here” and a few other simple commands
-Gives when it benefits her a lot of the day though say a snack she wants opening, cup she wants filling those of sorts, when I ask her to give she does this way way less than her giving for help
-tries to put dummy in my mouth randomly and when I say “X turn” she puts it in her own mouth.
-reaches to be picked up since 8 months
-follows my point, not all the time though.
-uses eye contact well.
-understands no
-started walking
at 15 months and looks at us for praise.
-touches my nose when I say where’s nose
-her toy play she does put things into bowls/containers and copy my play if I show her how to play, she loves balls and we roll it back and forth to each other, she pushes cars along and puts
figurines in it, loves to play with kids ride along cars by pushing it herself or sitting on it, stacks things.
-uses toothbrush, hairbrush, spoon etc appropriately.
-pushes things away if she doesn’t want it any moves head away but doesn’t shake head for no or yes
-claps
-sleeps well and naps well but sometimes wakes up in middle of night wanting consoling as she wakes crying.

Concerns:
-still no index finger/whole hand pointing
(Has very few times pointed at my glasses or something close to her, don’t know if it’s her trying to touch things)
-some days chooses not to babble (tends to be the days she’s poorly)
-doesn’t shake head for yes or no
-still has stimmy behaviours shaking head, tilting head, randomly laying on floor and resting head. She does now come up to us when she shakes her head and laughs and gets us to join in so makes a game of it.
-still does some side eye looking/dragging
-not sure how much of this is to do with her ears or if they are genuine stims as she’s had a number of ear infections. She’s had a hearing test which they said was fine but not perfect hearing.
-spins wheels briefly few times a day.
-covers ears randomly
-is utterly obsessed with the tv she will literally shove anyone out the way if they try to talk to her if a tv show is on. Cocomelon being her obsession
-obsessed with phones and even presses buttons well
-my major concern is her eye contact has reduced massively. It used to be so good when she was a younger baby. She does use it whenever she communicates but she pretty much ignores everyone else and only looks at me. Some people have mentioned she ignores them.
-will loook if someone new walks in but not very often
-name response has reduced but will look to me if I say her name. Isn’t really bothered if someone else is calling her name
-she’s still very focused on screws and such little details on things/objects
-still holds together index finger or middle finger with thumb often (finger posturing)
-rocks back and forth and sways side to side when music on or when I’m singing to her and sometimes randomly
W sits a lot has no signs of low tone at all has good core strength
-scared of grass

My daughter has a number of allergies such as cmpa, eggs, banana and newsy one being wheat. I have tried taking her to the GP buy they are not concerned at all. If she eats something that doesn’t sit right with her she gets all types of symptoms and her behaviour is affected significantly too and almost seems to regress.

I have posted this on behaviour/development section too but not much success there!

From what you’ve written your daughter seems to be developing really well in a lot areas. With your concerns have you spoken to you health visitor? They may be your best option to see about her being referred to a paediatrician for a review. That’s how we got our son under review as spoke to health visitor but he wasn’t hitting a lot of his gross motor skills milestones. He 21 months but wasn’t sitting unaided at 1 year old and still had really poor neck control. He’s slowly getting there after starting physio at the beginning of the year. He still is non verbal, very rarely babbles and doesn’t interact really with anyone and doesn’t respond to his name. The doctor stated once he’s a little older if he still has the same type of behaviours she will refer him for an autism assessment just now our focus is working on his gross motor skills. Hopefully some others read your post and can gives you some further advice on what to do next.

@Polly421 Thsbk you for reading my post. Yes I have already spoken to my health visitor when she was 13 months old. She was then seen at 14 months after a number of ear infection and covid. She was sent for a hearing test which showed she didn’t have any significant hearing problems but not perfect whatever that means and she will have a follow up hearing app in 5 months time. She will be seen again by the health visitor at 18 months and make a plan form there depending on her progress.
According to screeners she seems ok some days and then other days she doesn’t do so well. I do understand that the relevant developmental screeners shouldn’t be done so often but I panic!

She is passing the ASQ in all areas apart from communication section which is why I have my concerns. It’s the pointing, repetitive behaviours and potential stims that have me worrying and thinking how much if this is typical for her age.

She has had a lot to deal with in terms of allergies, ear infections and covid all which popped up one after another. She’s still struggling now tbh.

Our daughter is nearly 4 and she eczema and I do believe she has allergies too but we had appointment over the phone earlier this year with allergy doctor and I would have preferred face to face. He believes it her immune system is still building up tolerance to some foods and said he wasn’t worried about her having allergies but told us to continue using anti histamines were necessary and not to limit the food she has to build it up. He would review her in a year. She’s terrible at times coughs, sick all over body rash, swollen eyes sometimes but he wasn't concerned about allergies but I do believe she has allergies as there all symptoms of a reaction.

@Polly421 My daughter has eczema too and is currently on steroids after me chasing and fighting for her for months. She’s reacts almost immediately to normal milk, soya, banana and egg so far. We think wheat is a problem too. She immediately gets a rash, vomiting, swollen under eyes, loose stools and overall irritated and uncomfortable and then her behaviours get worse too. It’s such hard work isn’t it! Maybi ask does your daughter have any developmental problems? Autism? Or is she neurotypical? x

My daughter is currently awaiting an assessment for autism. We noticed for an early ages she was quite a quiet child and never responded to her name. My health visitor when she became two referred into paediatrician as she never spoke a word, babbles rarely. We had her ears check some noise sensitivity but girl doing test said younger children do have sensitive hearing. She never pointed waved etc either so she had assessment with paediatrician last year and she agreed she is showing signs of autism and referred her. She has been getting speech and language she says now a handful of words but not able to have a conversation. She repeats a lot of words she knows throughout the day not in proper context and repeats a lot of sayings from cartoons she watches. She’s a really happy bubbly child but doesn’t have any social skills or awareness of the world around her.

@Polly421 What signs did she show if you can remember at 16 months of age? Would you say my daughter sounds similar to yours?

Yeah allergies are a nightmare it’s really difficult to find exactly what they are allergic to. I will be doing a private allergy testing for her soon.

We noticed when she was about 1, she would babble but when we spoke to her she would always look over our shoulder or away from us. Then I said to my partner have you noticed she never answers to her name. Older she’s got she hold her ears a lot more not just for loud noises but she when excited too. Your daughter is doing a lot more than what my daughter at her age with quite a few things but I would alway say go with you gut as both times with my daughter then my son I was correct in pushing for referrals. I’ve two older boys and never had any concerns with them but I know something just wasn’t right with my younger too.

@Polly421 Ahh so you are aware of what is typical and isn’t typical development with your two older ones. My daughter had excellent eye contact when younger, now she looks at us if she needs help, is giving us something or wants to be picked up. She gives me and my husband eye contact in these type of situations but she doesn’t bother looking at other people. She does look a new person for a little bit then acts like she isn’t interested after that. I can definitely say her eye contact and name response have reduced over time. She pretty much only responds to me when I call her, no other family members. I tell them to say her name louder and she do get more success that way. Then I wonder has she only been responding to my voice and not necessarily her name this whole time. I have lots of videos of her clearly responding to her name from 8 months old then it diminished after covid which she got at 12 months old.

Anybody else have anything to add, advice or if I have some valid concerns? My daughter is seemingly trying to use more words and has amped up her level of neediness. She follows me around everywhere and refuses to go to anyone else. She still brings me and shows me things daily but she is just unwilling to point to what she wants or point for interest. She’s now 16 months and 10 days old. The older she gets the more concerning I become. Thanks

This week she has sort of pointed to my nose, her feet, my other daughters face but she’s super close to what she’s pointing to when she does it so then I think is trying to touch it. She just loans and cries to get her needs met. Thanks

I would be asking my HV/GP for paediatrician referral re. Communication & behaviours, if you’re concerned they can’t refuse really. Your DD is doing more than my 31 month old. Although it was quite obvious from 11/12 months that my child had some sort of special needs. I think for me the pointing/waving, fiddling with screws and things and communication would make me push for assessment. If it turns out it’s just the rate of her development then that’s great, but I’d definitely be pushing forward. Do you send your child to any groups/crèche/day nursery?? I’d be trying to socialise her more to help with separation anxiety etc. i hope this helps try not to worry kids development at their own rate but if you’re concerned don’t let them brush you off!

@MumsyMum31 thanks for your reply. Yeah she will be seen once she’s 18 months old. She’s already been seen when she was 14 months old. She has tested positive for covid AGAIN this week so she’s super poorly and I have it too. She hasn’t even fully recovered from the first time she got it in January. She is making some progress but it’s very very slow. Not sure how much of this is covid related or if she also has serious developmental concerns.

@Toworryornottoworry any update on your little one?

@justmewithmylifetoday Hi, yes so my daughter is 2 and half years old now. She has come a long way these past couple of months. Says around 60ish words but still not putting two words together other than things like “bye bye” . She is still delayed with speech for her age however calls me “mommy” appropriately now and seemingly much more engaged with the world around her. It’s a lot easier finding out what she wants or what she needs now at this age. We still have our wobbles though but we think it’s mainly due to illness and her allergies.

She does have a temper but according to others these are just tantrums and no meltdowns so far. My biggest concern was limited interaction and no interest in other children. She now does look and laugh and looks at kids in excitement and runs around with them sort of thing. There’s still differences with an average typical 2 and half year old and my DD so I’m still not completely ruling it out.

Hi how’s your little one doing as of now ? ❤️