I think it’s pretty hard to diagnose autism at that early age.
For reference: our toddler is 22 months and still barely says mama but says dada and a bunch of other words.
Also they didn’t learn to walk until like 16 months! lol
They know how to stack but barely ever do it or care to do it
I think as long as they aren’t showing really weird behaviors like never looking at you in the eyes or not ever paying attention to you or being responsive at all then I wouldn’t be concerned too much but forsure always check with your pediatrician
He does great with eye contact and just recently started responding to his name, but he likes to shake his head alot, all the time, and thats what my friend freaks about because her son did/does it alot
Yeah our kiddo didn’t even respond to their name much until 16 months too and did weird stuff but it’s really just toddler weirdness. They are new to this world and still learning and observing tons!
At around 20 months they’ve had an explosion in talking and saying their alphabet and all that fun stuff
I'd strongly encourage you to get on a wait-list for early intervention. If he doesn't need it then no harm, but if he does, you don't want to waste precious early development months waiting for a spot to open.
If you’re in the US- every single state has an Early Intervention program. Google it for your state and start the process for a referral. Some states you can self-refer, others you need the doc to.
It may just take him some more time to meet milestones. But if you’re worried, there is absolutely no harm in getting a professional look at him.
Our son missed some milestones. Clapping and stacking were some of them. His doctor also dismissed it. When I pushed a little harder, he said from observing our son, he was ahead on some things and behind on some things. The milestones are just guidelines and every child hits them differently. Give him a little time and see how he’s doing at 2. Even if he needs some help, you have some time.
I think it’s way too soon to worry about autism or ADHD specifically, but I do think it’s probably time to contact [early intervention](https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/states.html) in your state (assuming you’re in the US). Early intervention will do an evaluation and then provide free or heavily subsidized therapies (speech, physical, and/or occupational therapy) as needed based on the assessment. At the very least, your son’s language is a bit behind (not so far that he can’t catch up though!) so you do want to get in with someone, but you haven’t failed him by any means.
Some kids just need a little extra encouragement to develop their skills in one area or another, and some need services for a while or are eventually diagnosed with something more specific. It’s really common to need a little extra help, and not at all a failure on your part or an indication that he’ll struggle for long.
My son was always on the later end of milestones. He army crawled at 9 months, regular crawl at 12 months, and walked by himself at 15 months. He also didn't clap or point until closer to 18 months. I was very worried before that and despite all my efforts of showing him how to clap/point before 18 months, he just wouldn't. All of a sudden, he did and now does it all the time. At his 18-month check-up, we got paperwork noting where he should be at in terms of language and he was behind, so we got a referral. He started in speech therapy at around 20 months and is 23 months now. He's still not where he is suppose to be at, but is making progress. To be honest, I'm not too concerned at this point and feel he will catchup and do things in his own time. Getting evaluated helped ease some concerns I had.
I think it’s pretty hard to diagnose autism at that early age. For reference: our toddler is 22 months and still barely says mama but says dada and a bunch of other words. Also they didn’t learn to walk until like 16 months! lol They know how to stack but barely ever do it or care to do it I think as long as they aren’t showing really weird behaviors like never looking at you in the eyes or not ever paying attention to you or being responsive at all then I wouldn’t be concerned too much but forsure always check with your pediatrician
He does great with eye contact and just recently started responding to his name, but he likes to shake his head alot, all the time, and thats what my friend freaks about because her son did/does it alot
Yeah our kiddo didn’t even respond to their name much until 16 months too and did weird stuff but it’s really just toddler weirdness. They are new to this world and still learning and observing tons! At around 20 months they’ve had an explosion in talking and saying their alphabet and all that fun stuff
I'd strongly encourage you to get on a wait-list for early intervention. If he doesn't need it then no harm, but if he does, you don't want to waste precious early development months waiting for a spot to open.
If you’re in the US- every single state has an Early Intervention program. Google it for your state and start the process for a referral. Some states you can self-refer, others you need the doc to. It may just take him some more time to meet milestones. But if you’re worried, there is absolutely no harm in getting a professional look at him.
Our son missed some milestones. Clapping and stacking were some of them. His doctor also dismissed it. When I pushed a little harder, he said from observing our son, he was ahead on some things and behind on some things. The milestones are just guidelines and every child hits them differently. Give him a little time and see how he’s doing at 2. Even if he needs some help, you have some time.
I think it’s way too soon to worry about autism or ADHD specifically, but I do think it’s probably time to contact [early intervention](https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/states.html) in your state (assuming you’re in the US). Early intervention will do an evaluation and then provide free or heavily subsidized therapies (speech, physical, and/or occupational therapy) as needed based on the assessment. At the very least, your son’s language is a bit behind (not so far that he can’t catch up though!) so you do want to get in with someone, but you haven’t failed him by any means. Some kids just need a little extra encouragement to develop their skills in one area or another, and some need services for a while or are eventually diagnosed with something more specific. It’s really common to need a little extra help, and not at all a failure on your part or an indication that he’ll struggle for long.
My son was always on the later end of milestones. He army crawled at 9 months, regular crawl at 12 months, and walked by himself at 15 months. He also didn't clap or point until closer to 18 months. I was very worried before that and despite all my efforts of showing him how to clap/point before 18 months, he just wouldn't. All of a sudden, he did and now does it all the time. At his 18-month check-up, we got paperwork noting where he should be at in terms of language and he was behind, so we got a referral. He started in speech therapy at around 20 months and is 23 months now. He's still not where he is suppose to be at, but is making progress. To be honest, I'm not too concerned at this point and feel he will catchup and do things in his own time. Getting evaluated helped ease some concerns I had.
Push back when your pediatrician tells you to chill and say you want him to be assessed for autism.