Expert: James Michael Roan - 6/10/2008

Question
Hi - how significant is pointing in diagnosing autism? I have a 14 mth old child who I care for who points at objects directly in front of him so he is touching them with the correct pointing finger, but has yet to point anything out to 'show' others - it's as if he uses the correct finger to point but he is not pointing just touching. I take him to the park, to the farm etc and he shows no expression and does not get excited or point at anything. He babbles a lot but it is to himself he has no sound that means anything eg mama for mummy, ba for bye etc.
Also he is extremely clingy - I have never met a child like it - he cries 90% time unless you are holding him. He has just started clapping but only after we sing a particular song. He used to wave bye bye a few times but I haven't seen that in months.

On a plus he smiles and runs towards his mum when she comes to pick him up. He can play with toy cars correctly eg push them along the ground. He looks up when you call his name. Can't decide if he looks at things I point at or just looking at my finger!

Anyway - any thoughts?

Thanks!

Answer
Hi Gemma;

Pointing is expected to arrive between 9-15 months and really reflects sharing behavior, which is generally absent or minimalized in autism. How does he stand against these red flags?:

By 12 Months:

·   Poor or no eye contact
·   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 events of interest in an effort to share

I'm not hearing anything that worries me as of yet.

regards,
James