Delays that don’t seem to make sense- what to ask doctor?

amother

Copper

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 8:54 am

I’m making a list of questions for my pediatrician. My baby shows some delays that don’t make a lot of sense to me. I want to think of specific things to ask about, since in previous appointments it was always “well I guess we have to wait and see,” but meanwhile he is kind of lagging behind and it worries my husband and me.

His speech has not progressed past a very basic coo (one specific sound) and a gurgle sound. He laughs and cries, but beyond that he does not make other sounds. He also seems very physically strong but has only recently begun to crawl, very awkwardly. He seems a little uncoordinated. He is very easily overwhelmed, cries when it’s too loud, etc. he makes GREAT eye contact. Overall there is something that seems different about him that I can’t quite put my finger on. He is 9 months old.

Mommyg8

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 9:01 am

Why don't you get him evaluated through early intervention? They should hopefully be asking you all the pertinent questions and they should then do a formal evaluation. They will probably evaluate his speech, cognitive ability, fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Once you have done that and gotten concrete results, then you will know what the issues really are.

Just one point: early intervention REALLY helps! And iy'h with the right help, your child can catch up.

amother

Maroon

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 9:06 am

Your concerns may very well be legitimate, but is this your first child? I'm asking because by my first child, I got nervous from any slight delay, which usually ended up developing 2-6 weeks later. There is a range of normal and every child can be so different as I've learned.
Definitely bring it up with pediatrician though just to be sure

amother

Bronze

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 10:04 am

I work with early intervention and cpse. I don't see anything major. it's a type of thing you would have to wait another 3 months to see if there's real delays. I personally don't think that's a delay at all.
Also if your a first-time parents a lot of times first time parents freak out I personally think it's nothing to worry about

mom!

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 11:38 am

FYI, many times I found with myself that when I started to think my child was delayed, it was because other people did! I am not lacking confidence bH but when 10 people ask you in one day "is your child: sitting/walking/talking/crawling" it puts things into your head. Also, if your neighbor's or sister's kids are very advanced, that DOES NOT mean your child is delayed. Her kid walked at 9 months? Great-normal range is 9-18 months! Her kid talked at 8.5 months? My pediatrician says 5 words at 18 months is the norm, and less than that is in most cases fine too! It may be that your child is delayed, but remember you are the mother!! If you, your husband and your child's pediatrician is ok with you, you are doing the right thing!

amother

Seagreen

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 2:07 pm

I 100% agree with daniels mom. People would ask me all these questions about my son, or make comments that some things he did were stims for autism... I was all freaked out. B'H he's a VERY social and active 17-month-old with no signs of autism. I can't say I don't get caught up in this stuff sometimes, but I really try not to read the milestone lists and focus on the yummy child I have.

Crawling at 9 months is normal. If he's a little uncoordinated, it's because he's figuring it out. My son had an asymmetrical crawl for 3 months. I Googled it and it said that this is a possible sign of autism--and freaked out. Then, when he got stronger, his crawl straightened out.

The fact that he makes great eye contact is reassuring. If he doesn't make a lot of sounds, keep an eye on it, but don't panic. Overall speech/language development is slower in boys than girls, and the milestone lists don't take that into account. You can monitor him, but if the pediatrician isn't worried, I don't think you have to be, either. You can have him evaluated for EI, but bear in mind that unless he's significantly delayed, he probably won't qualify.

Last edited by amother on Thu, Jul 11 2019, 12:45 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Copper

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 2:13 pm

Thanks for the replies. He is not my first child. I’ve said basically along that something is different. My husband started to see it a few months ago. Pediatrician says wait and see. Early intervention says to hold off for now because qualifying criteria are such that minor delays won’t qualify for services now and there’s a 6-month wait for another eval. I’m familiar with EI because I have another child receiving services. More people have begun to notice the differences in my baby. Close family members have approached me individually to ask if everything is okay with him. Truthfully I’m less worried than I was at first, because a few months ago I really thought there might be something medically wrong with him. Now it seems like he’s healthy, just somewhat delayed. He has actually caught up in several areas, and the pediatrician says the only objective delay is language, which is lagging pretty far behind at this point. We might have his hearing tested. My gut instinct as a mother is that something is up with him. No idea what, but I’m not being overly worried. Something is definitely up.

sped

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 3:12 pm

I beg to differ with most of the previous posters: In my professional experience, a mother's instinct is very, very often right. Especially if it's not a first child, you are likely to notice subtle things that seem "off" but won't necessarily show up on a developmental list. I strongly suggest you get your child checked out by a very good team, because if you really feel something is wrong, there just may be.
And the lack of sounds does have me concerned.
(If you are in Israel, I may be able to suggest help.)
Hatzlocha

Mommyg8

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 3:15 pm

Hi, OP! My money is always on mother's intuition. To quote a good friend of mine "I am the one who will not sleep at night if there is a problem". All those who poo-poo your concerns -they're not the ones who are losing sleep over your child. Trust your instincts.

In general, I don't see a downside to an eval by early intervention. If the evaluation comes out good, you are reassured. And if it doesn't, then you get services. It's basically a win win, IMHO.

Back to your child - I agree that waiting a few more months will give you a better and more accurate eval, and perhaps have an easier time to qualify for services. I don't know how long the process is, but when I did it, I had to wait some time, perhaps a month. So to start the eval process in another two months is probably a good idea.

From what you have described, it sounds as if your child may have sensory and language issues. Do you feel that you would want to go to a pediatric neurologist for a more accurate diagnosis? I personally, did not find diagnosis to be helpful, but everyone is different, and it may help you...

amother

Copper

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 4:03 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

Pediatric neurologist sounds like a good idea actually. I might ask for a referral. I see some major sensory concerns with my baby. Extremely easily overwhelmed by noise and certain textures etc.

amother

Copper

Tue, Aug 21 2018, 4:04 pm

sped wrote:

What do you do professionally? What could the lack of sounds mean? I’m in the US.

amother

Periwinkle

Wed, Aug 22 2018, 2:48 am

Its very worth getting the hearing test as soon as possible, especially if you're not hearing sounds from your baby.
I'm of the camp that an earlier evaluation is better than waiting, but try to get the hearing test beforehand, so that it isn't left as a question mark for the eval.
My baby was slightly delayed for rolling over, and playing with her toys, and she qualified for services because if the delay is in more than one area, the qualifying lag is less (I think it was 25% in more than one area). The sooner the intervention, the better, and the less "spillover" to other areas (for eg, her play was delayed, because she wasn't rolling over and couldn't get to her toys).
She is b"H doing great today, and the extra push really made a difference.

FranticFrummie

Wed, Aug 22 2018, 6:11 am

Regarding the lack of babbling, do you model the sounds for you child?

I "talked" to DD by going "ma ma ma, ba ba ba" and she would start copying me. She didn't really say her first words until she was about 21 months, but once she did it came out in full, grammatically correct paragraphs! shock

amother

Pewter

Wed, Aug 22 2018, 8:22 am

amother wrote:

What age did she start?