Expert: Trey McGowan - 4/27/2009

Question
Hi, my 8 month old son displays some odd behavior that I have not seen other babies his age display. He is very excitable, and never stops moving. He constantly flaps his arms and kicks his legs ,especially when he is excited but also when he is eating in his high chair. He has not said any words like dada or mama and does not imitate sounds or have back and forth "conversation". He has great eye contact, is affectionate and is sociable most of the time but also displays major stranger anxiety . It took a few months for him to be able to play with any toys that had lights and sounds together as he would cry. Should I get him further tested? Thank you kindly, Karen

Answer
Hi there, Karen!

As I have said many times, and will say many times coming I'm sure, I am not a doctor. To that end, I can't offer any sort of clinical diagnosis. I can, however, at least give you the basics of 'should I get him tested'. Especially in this situation.

First off, in reading over your 'symptoms', I don't see any issues at all. At eight months old, your child shouldn't necessarily be saying words, but should be babbling. A few patterns of words will slip out, but certainly don't need to be 'meaningful' at this age! Excitability just suggests an energetic child, and I can assure you I have seen many children who are quite excitable at this young age! 'Rocking out' in the chair is definitely no instantaneous sign of anything except 'high energy', unless combined with other symptoms. And you identify a lot of the other 'red flags' as not being there at all.

The stranger anxiety, itself, doesn't necessarily show the child is autistic. Without hearing how you define 'major', I can't even begin to guess how it's defined to you. 'Major' can be extremely flexible, depending on who is observing it, after all! However, if the anxiety concerns you, taking him in for evaluation on that issue in specific might help reassure you, and potentially get some hints as to deal with strangers for both you and your baby. Remember, though: your doctor may be considered a stranger as well, so you may find this a bit stressful if the child reacts badly to him as well!

Additional questions, comments, feedback, and follow-ups are quite welcome!

Trey