My Best friends daughter is 18 months old. She is not talking at all should she be worried?

Question

she also has started refusing to eat she has been giving her pediatric supplements because somedays she will only spit food out. She begginnig to pointing at things and grunting for them. She gets very mad when you don't know what she wants.. And also still has trouble holding a cup or bottle by herself and playing with toys well below her age. when put in situations with other children she also shys away. My friend is very worried do you think there is a problem?

Answer 1

There is not necessarily a problem here, but your friend needs to keep a watchful eye on things.  I think the poster who suggested autism is making a very bold statement based on very little evidence and at this point, I would not take that statement seriously at all.

Children develop at different rates and the key points here are firstly, does she understand the spoken language which is addressed to her?  If she does, then there is probably no problem, if she doesn't then that should raise some alarm bells.  Secondly, she is pointing for things, - this is an important developmental stage, which is a precursor to language development (called secondary intersubjectivity), - so that is a positive sign!

All I can say is try to keep calm and make sure that she is exposed to as much spoken language and as wide a variety of vocabulary as possible.  Make sure she is exposed to rhyme and play games with her which are based upon developing an awareness of the 'sound system' of English.

She will probably be OK.

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Answer 2

I didn't start talking till I was 3 or a little after that.

Answer 3

kids develop at different ages. my 16 month old doesnt walk. keep mental notes about her behavior and talk to her dr. he/she will have a better answer

Answer 4

mohamad

Answer 5

Not to worry your friend but it sounds like possible early signs of autism.  Does she like to be held?  Will she look you in the eyes?  Were there any problems at birth or any other developmental milestones?  I would talk to the pediatrician about what is going on but Autism and other problems aren't really tested for until 3 years old.

Answer 6

yes...she should be worried. It sounds like she is mildly delayed in several areas. your friend should make an appointment with early intervention /birth to 3 in her area as soon as possible. they will screen all areas of development and let your friend know the areas that her child needs help. then they will arrange for her to get the help free or at low cost to the parents.

My son was only saying 10 words from 18-27 months. At 27 months EI diagnosed him with a 12 month delay in expressive speech. He learned basic sign language and gets 30 minutes of speech therapy  2x per week. about 2 months ago (at 31 months) he had a "language explosion" and just started speaking in full sentances practically overnight. He is still hard to understand probably 25% of the time so he will stay in therapy until he turns 3 in november.

just from what you have said it looks like your friend's daughter would get speech therapy, feeding therapy, physical and/or occupational therapy all for free or low cost. it is best top get this started now so she has a full 18 months to make progress towards age-appropriateness before she turns 3 and has to go to special ed preschool for services.

you or your friend can feel free to contact me for further questions