Expert: James Michael Roan - 10/5/2008

Question
Hi there! My son turned 14 months old 2 days ago and I have a few questions and concerns regarding his development. He started walking three weeks ago and is toddling around just fine. He can squat, pick up objects, and his pincher grasp is quite good. He babbles and has said a few words such as "Ca" which could mean car or cat- I'm not sure. He loves his toys, especially balls, which he loves to throw- he always has! I'm concerned because I read somewhere that he should know how to use a toy phone like a regular phone and he doesn't- yet. He pushes the buttons on it, then he sticks it in his mouth and then he throws it. Yesterday, I got him to stack one block on top of another twice, but then he lost interest and took the block, put the corner of it in his mouth and threw it. He loves to open and close cabinet doors and drawers. He can do that for 20 minutes straight. He also loves opening and closing the wooden shutters on our windows. I asked the nurse at my pediatrician's office about this and she assured me it was normal behavior and that he is just exploring his environment. He's affectionate, loves to be chased and tickled, and giggles hysterically when my husband or I dance around and make funny faces. Also, he can take objects out of a container, but will rarely put them back in. I would have never suspected anything was amiss with him if I did not get on the Internet and "google" so much! He's getting molars and eye teeth and mouths objects, so I assumed it was because he is teething, but then again, he has always been very "oral", but should he still be doing this at his age? Sometimes he answers to his name and sometimes he doesn't if he is too engrossed in playing with a toy. I've had his hearing checked by an audiologist and have followed up with an ENT because he referred in his left ear during his newborn screening exam and everything is fine. He has small ear canals, which have grown in size as he has gotten bigger. When he hears my or my husband's voice, he laughs and giggles and if he is in his high chair, he kicks his legs in delight. He loves our cat and squeals with pleasure every time he sees him. Am I being paranoid or is there a cause for concern? Thanks, Allison

Answer
Hi Allison;

I would not be too quick to dismiss the door thing. He should be pointing by 15 months. How is his eye contact and play with children his age?

Compare his behavior to the red flags for autism listed below:

6-12 Month Markers:

•   Passivity and decreased activity
•   Extreme distress reactions
•   Fixation on objects

By 12 Months:

•   Decreased positive affect and social smiling
•   Delayed gesture and language
•   Poor or no eye contact
•   Poor disengagement of attention
•   Inability to shift attention back and forth between different stimuli
•   Failure to orient to name
•   Poor imitation
•   No babbling by 12 months
•   No gesturing by 12 months

By 16 Months:

•   No single words by 16 months
•   No pointing to objects or interesting events in an attempt to share them with another

By 24 Months:

•   No spontaneous two-word phrases
•   Loss of any language or social skills at any age


Kind regards,
James