Expert: James Michael Roan - 3/15/2009

Question
My 14 1/2 month old responds to his name at times ( maybe about 1/2 of the time when you call him.  He is not walking but can stand on his own, has taken a step and creeps around furniture.  He babbles endlessly and seems to hold a conversation with me but he doesn't say any words.  He does say dada but uses that sound to babble so we are not sure that he is referring to daddy.  He does not say mama.  We believe that he said baby when he was 12 months but has not said it again.  He has also said dog and box but only one time and never repeated again not matter how much we try to encourage him.  He has good eye contact and will always greet you with a responsive smile.  Will mimic some of the things we do but nothing that relates to himself. For example he will not pat his head or hold the phone to his ear or wave bye bye, but he will mimic the use of a toy and he will wave  to a song that has waving hand movements. He will bring us some of his toys or follow other simple commands when asked sometimes. He started clapping about 12 months but now has seemed to stop.  He rarely points, but he has on occasion.  When I ask him where is daddy, sometimes he will look at daddy and sometimes he ignores me.  He interacts well with us.  I was home with him for the first 12 months and he heard nothing but English.  After he turned a year, I went back to work full time and he is at a home day care where he hears mostly, if not all Spanish.  Do you believe that this could be causing a delay in his speech?  Also, even if he is not pointing with his finger, but looks to an object or person with his eyes, can this be considered the same type of acknowledgment?
Thank you

Answer
Hi Teri;

Yes, exposure to multiple languages can delay speech development and language delays often turn into social delays. I have included the red flags for autism below. When he is 18 months rate his behavior using the M-CHAT: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwpsy/faculty/M-CHAT.pdf

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


Kind regards,
James


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Bio

James Roan is a certified school psychologist who has been consulting in the areas of autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and learning difficulties in the United States and in Ireland for over ten years (http://www.jamesroan.com). James earned his M.Ed. in School Psychology and M. Ed. in Adult Education and receives ongoing post graduate training in autism at the University of Washington’s Autism Center. James Roan has traveled to Galway, Limerick, Mayo, Clare, Dublin, Cork, Waterford, and other cities and counties across Ireland assessing children and adults, and consulting with solicitors (lawyers) in defense of children with disabilities. James Roan was the consulting psychologist responsible for many of the autism and AD/HD screening tools and other content for Access Special Needs.Com. James Roan consulted with the graduate department of the Waterford Institute of Technology in Waterford Ireland in the development of their graduate program for the certification of private autism tutors. James has conducted formal assessments of students in the Autism Unit in the Claddagh National School in County Galway Ireland.