Expert: Valerie Herskowitz - 12/17/2008

Question
My daughter is 14 months now. And she has yet to say her first word. She use to baby talk a lot, but now she rarely ever does. She points to thinks reaches for things but she doesn't make noises for them. She also use to shake her head no but she doesn't do that anymore either. She also grinds her teeth and doesn't come when called. She shows signs of normal development in some areas but not others. She is my first child so I'm not too sure what to expect with infants.

Answer
Though 14 months (not an infant, but a toddler) is fairly young to be diagnosed with autism, there are some things that you should look for that could be a red flag. Normally at 14 months, your daughter should be starting to speak her first words. When I say words, I am referring to a real word that means something like baba for bottle or mama for you. Usually by 14 months the first few words have emerged. But more importantly than the first words, a child at that age should be coming when you call her and show signs of understanding things (if you say a word like Cookie, does she know what you are referring to.) Or if you say someone's name, does she turn her head toward that person to indicate she knows who you are talking about? Grinding her teeth could be a sign of sensory involvement-another red flag. So in general, you are pretty perceptive about the possibility that your child is exhibiting possible signs of a developmental delay. Feel free to ask me other questions. We can keep this up for awhile and then I will want to make some definitive suggestions once I know a little more about your child.