Expert: Sharon Rosen Lopez - 10/29/2009

Question
Im greatly concerned about my friends son. he is 14 months old and does not sit up by himself, he still camando crawls, he cannot stand while holding on to furniture, i have never heard him say one word, and doesnt not try to walk. Autistic maybe? I hate to say it but the doctors in our area aren't the greatest. They have given no answers.

Answer
Hi Ashley,

It does sound like your friend's son may have developmental delays, and he should definitely be evaluated. Can you suggest to your friend that she phone her county's Department of Early Intervention?  It's important that the child's gross motor (sitting, standing, walking) and speech and language skills be assessed, and the sooner the better, as early intervention can really help propel development!

As to your question about autism, please know that aLthough autism is in the news alot, that is only one type of developmental disorder.  A child with delayed walking and speaking isn't necessarily autistic! Autism is characterized by impairments in social engagement, play development and communication skills, and children with autism tend to have other atypical behaviors that makes them look different than their peers.

If you can't rely on your pediatricians for referring out when there may be developmental delays, perhaps you can mention your concerns to your friend, and suggest that she read up about developmental milestones. Also, she might want to review some of the previous letters I've answered on Allexperts about stimulating speech and language development in infants and toddlers. I do hope she'll be amenable to having her son evaluated, as he may in fact be eligible to receive free speech/language and even physical therapy through her county's Department of Early Intervention if he is found to have significant enough delays to qualify. Alternatively, a private speech/language evaluation can be obtained, and she could possibly find names of speech/language pathologists in her area by checking www.ASHA.org, the website of the American Speech/Language/Hearing Association.

I'm glad that you're there to support her! Best of luck!

Sharon Rosen Lopez, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech/Language Pathologist
http://www.SpeechSkillsForKids.com
http://www.SpeechArts.com
Westchester County, NY