Expert: Dr Billy Levin - 1/19/2011

Question
i hv 9 yr old daughter and 2.5 yr old son. my son had all his milestones delayed since birth. he started holding his neck after 5 months, was crawling on his stomach, military style, but was very active. he started sitting on his own after 11months of age and walking after 1.5 yr old. now he goes to a playgroup for past 5 months. he has speech delay also. only speaks few words as mummy, papa, moo(moon), Ca(car),..i hv started his speech therapy a month back. his understanding of day to day things, his academic understanding....recognises pictures, people when asked for. follow instructions given at home...he has toe walking since start. but when i remind him of keeping his feet down he do so but for little period and not knowingly again walk or stand on toes. in playgroup school, his teacher complains abt his hyperactivity... acc to her, my son dosent do a activity for even few mins. he suddenly do something, like taking a toy or moving in other direction. after chritsmas vacation, he is crying too much in class for any small thing and only stops is hugged and loved.
at home also he is doing one thing or other, but sits in chair while i feed him his food. he dosent play with a single thing for long wants 3 or 4 things around so he can take what he likes. he immitated my actions like how i cook food in kitchen.
he very much likes to meet people and play with kids. he makes proper eye contact. he dosent have fidgetty or flapping hand symptoms. he loves her elder sister and likes to play with her.

my concern here is.... acc to our padeatrician he has delayed milestones, which he has achieved after a time. he suggest that my son only has toe walking and speech problem and he is not in add, adhd or autism category.
my son's teacher has asked me get him analysed by a neurologist and to start with remedial teacher therapy to improve his concentration and attention span.
i dont know whether i shuld go for any medication for him as he is too small. may be he has behavioral issues, which most kids have of this age/ as he dosent speak i cant be sure of his reaction everytime.
please help

Answer
From your description it would seem there might well be a pervasive developmental delay. I would strongly suggest you have him assessed by a doctor famalier with ADHD and Autism. In some exceptional cases medication might be used under strict medical suervision even at his age.