11.5 months old cognitive development?

[Demotivated]

Hi mums. I m back posting again with with my paranoid FTM anxiety

DS will be a year in 20 days. Now I was reading somewhere that he should be pointing now. Clearly he doesnt..but I have some more issues..

- doesn't point
- 50% of times looks where I point, but mostly looks at my finger
- always always on the move
- knows his name and looks when called but if involved with a toy, he will just not respond.
- always in a hurry, trying to climb out of lap
- when I ask where is mama, dada, doesn't look at us
- doesn't hold something to show us
- have to really catch his attention to have a conversation with him

Good things:
Can clap (doing since 9 mnths), just started to wave
Babbles well.. Says mama, dada but not specifically to us
Almost walking, eats and chews everything
Cries when we leave for work
In between play keeps looking up every 1 minute to look at me, even if crawling, will stop, look back at me and keep crawling
Has favorite rhymes n identifies them
Loves loves other kids, but doesnt go in stranger's arms
When he wants something and I don't give, he will cry, looking at me, as to asking for that thing..

So he isn't an isolated child. But i worry about his pointing and joint attention. Is it too soon or it will come on its own?

 

[Demotivated]

*bump*

 

[staralfur]

Pointing usually starts between 9-13 months, so you've still got some time to fall into the 'norm'. Even then, if it's something that comes later, it's not necessarily indicative of a bigger problem on its own. Everything else you've mentioned sounds perfectly normal. Babies have kind of a short attention span and get distracted easily - mine still doesn't hear me when she's enthralled with a toy sometimes.

 

[Septie]

My first is extremely smart (now 6), and if I remember correctly, he pointed late (I remember thinking about it). Your LO sounds perfectly normal to me!

 

[_Meep_]

Ohaii ... :wave:

Sounds like he's more into the physical aspect of life right now, and is probably working very hard to become physically 'independent'.

It's pretty difficult for babies to focus on more than one, or a couple of, developmental areas at once.

Mine did point at about 7 months and has always been very good at identifying objects this way when asked, but she's a girl. They can be quite different from boys.

Saying that, she won't stay still either. Ever. She doesn't really play with toys at all. She prefers spoons, bowls and, strangely, things like pens. I had a little panic moment over it fairly recently as I read some autism crap and one of the things listed was attachment to hard items (such as pens - they actually used pens as the example!), rather than soft items! Argh!!

But if you give her a soft toy, she will cuddle it, or kiss it when prompted, so I don't think her pen fetish really means anything sinister.

I also realised she didn't really try to point out things of interest to me ... and worried about it until a couple of days later (November 5th) when she saw a firework for the first time and gestured maniacally back and forth with a very urgent expression on her face.

She would have been about 16 months old at that point and does it lots now. She also often uses what they call a 'gaze shift' by looking at me when she wants to share her enjoyment of something. It sounds like your son is doing this too, or at least checking to see that you are still engaged with him when he is on the move - a good sign.

If you want to see a gaze shift in action, here's a video of my LO looking at her dad and at me when her favourite theme tune (Peep Show) comes on. She even does a dance! Lmao.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xXiIycugI68

She only just started referring to me by name (literally yesterday when I heard her crying 'Mama, mama' in the night), though she knows who I am if asked.

If she is really interested in something, she won't pay any attention to me either if I call her. My OH does this too when he is obsessively searching for running shoes on eBay. Same with me when I am frantically Googling 'Does my baby have autism/developmental delay/a vision problem?' ...

It sounds to me from your 'Good things' list that your LO has great social skills and development, so a little thing like not pointing yet isn't likely a concern - more just something that hasn't yet 'clicked' for him. Eventually he should make the connection. Keep pointing at everything and he'll realise he can do that too.

He should start to understand and communicate so much more over the next few months, and you should see more imaginative play coming into the frame, if you haven't already. He might pretend to talk on the phone, for example. As he starts to understand more of what you say, you can ask him things to provoke imaginative play, like 'Can you give the bear a drink from your cup?', or give him an empty bowl and a spoon, or fill it with Duplo bricks or something, and ask him to feed you, and see if he will do it. Actions like these are surefire signs that he is developing as he should cognitively.

My LO has been into this sort of thing for a couple of months now, and especially enjoys making me breastfeed her toys ... and the occasional pen.

Nice to see you again. x

 

[_Meep_]

As ever, my Youtube link fucks up! If anyone knows how to stop this happening, PLEASE TELL ME.

'Baby loves the Peep Show music' for anyone who's interested.

 

[SarahBear]

I didn't see anything concerning in your post.

 

[Demotivated]

Thanks ladies. Every thing is wonderful with Him..
It is just his pointing ( which I read just now in what to expect 2nd year to be 13-14 mnth milestone).

Meep
U r like my soul sister. Trust my Google search to be like urs.. Nyela is adorable
DS has amazing eye contact n gaze shift is perfect. He watches his fav rhymes, gets excited, looks at me and goes back to watching them..

It's just that when I ask where is fan, ball etc. He doesn't look in that direction.. Though we started teaching this just lately.. He also doenst shake his head to say NO.. But..not that we do it either :/

 

[_Meep_]

Hey soul sister,

He sounds just fine to me. No signs of autism or any of that stuff that people would consider 'different' in terms of cognitive development. Keep naming stuff and chatting to him, and he will pick it up all at once - up until she was about 12 months, my LO had no words except 'duck'. Then her language exploded when she hit 17 months and she has gone from about 20 - 80 + words in a matter of weeks. One day they barely understand a thing, and the next, you can almost have a conversation. His understanding will come.

I don't think N shook her head 'no' until a year plus. She still doesn't nod. Everything is 'no' though, unless you offer her a banana.

 

[londonangel]

As another poster said, there is nothing concerning in your post. My eleven month old points and claps and knows her name and so on but she won't stay still either. Nor does she say 'mama' actually unless angry! 'Daddy' on the other hand she has been saying to her father for ages. Relax, your child is fine. Our little one is ahead of where her sister was with standing and walking at eleven months but we have yet to get a clear 'proper' first word out of her (her sister pointed to a duck and said 'duck' a few days after turning ten months old).

 

[SarahBear]

Thanks ladies. Every thing is wonderful with Him..
It is just his pointing ( which I read just now in what to expect 2nd year to be 13-14 mnth milestone).

Meep
U r like my soul sister. Trust my Google search to be like urs.. Nyela is adorable
DS has amazing eye contact n gaze shift is perfect. He watches his fav rhymes, gets excited, looks at me and goes back to watching them..

It's just that when I ask where is fan, ball etc. He doesn't look in that direction.. Though we started teaching this just lately.. He also doenst shake his head to say NO.. But..not that we do it either :/

If he doesn't look, it may be more a matter of interest than an issue of understanding. As far as joint attention goes, looking between you and the rhymes, is joint attention. As far as shaking his head to say no, I don't think Violet ever did that until she could say "no." And if you don't do it, he doesn't have that model to follow.

 

[Demotivated]

Thanks ladies.. Today 2 sweet and very reassuring things happened..

He was playing with his blocks n dumping in container.. So I said very good.. He looked up and smiled..then dumped another one and smiled at me n when I again said v good, he got excited.. Then again.. N waited fr me to say v good.. This went on till he put all blocks

And later we wre playing ball.. He was throwing, I was givng back n forth.. Once I took n kept it under a sheet.. He started whining n kept looking at me and sheet (it was out of his reach) .. Whn I gve, he started clapping..

It was a good day indeed !

 

[_Meep_]

See, he's perfectly fine, learning all about cause and effect and even anticipating a familiar action/phrase!

Wait a little longer before saying it and he might even try to say it himself!

P.S. It took me a couple of attempts to get my head round 'playing with his balls and dumping in a container' before I realised it was a perfectly innocent scenario!

Glad he's making strides every day.

 

[Demotivated]

See, he's perfectly fine, learning all about cause and effect and even anticipating a familiar action/phrase!

Wait a little longer before saying it and he might even try to say it himself!

P.S. It took me a couple of attempts to get my head round 'playing with his balls and dumping in a container' before I realised it was a perfectly innocent scenario!

Glad he's making strides every day.

Lol..I meant blocks.. Hahahha.. Lol...

 

[StranjeGirl]

I got SO worked up over this exact thing with dd1. She didn't point til 21 months and she has never nodded her head yes or no (she will be 4 in a few days) It turns out she did have a speech delay, but it has seemed to work itself out. It sounds like your ds has good joint attention and that is really what matters. Pointing is just one example of joint attention. DD2 just turned 12 months and does put her finger in a point, but I cant say she is actually pointing at anything- just waving her finger around. I realize I don't point much so maybe that has something to do with it? Anyway, I woudl stay up all night reading studies on autism when dd1 was a year old and from what I read it really has to do with a lack of joint attention, but there multiple forms of it and you don't have to be doing all of them!

 

[Demotivated]

I got SO worked up over this exact thing with dd1. She didn't point til 21 months and she has never nodded her head yes or no (she will be 4 in a few days) It turns out she did have a speech delay, but it has seemed to work itself out. It sounds like your ds has good joint attention and that is really what matters. Pointing is just one example of joint attention. DD2 just turned 12 months and does put her finger in a point, but I cant say she is actually pointing at anything- just waving her finger around. I realize I don't point much so maybe that has something to do with it? Anyway, I woudl stay up all night reading studies on autism when dd1 was a year old and from what I read it really has to do with a lack of joint attention, but there multiple forms of it and you don't have to be doing all of them!

Hi girl..

I am in the same boat as urs.. Aftr reading online tons, I realized he doesn't follow my gaze too
I stumbled upon your thread on the same..

https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/baby-club/1588777-following-eye-gaze-1.html

I glad to hear she figured out everything but as a parent I just can't help worrying. He has figured out how to get down from bed & social reference is amazing. But his gestures are no where as they should be

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

I don't know what's normal or not, but every child is different and develops at their own pace.

If you're in the States though and you're concerned, reach out to your local Early Intervention program and ask them to do an assessment. If they do find there is a delay they can provide free therapy/assistance until the age of 3 (DD's case manager comes to the house once a week for her speech), and help figure out what's needed to get baby to catch up. Can't hurt, and it might relieve your mind!

 

[Demotivated]

I don't know what's normal or not, but every child is different and develops at their own pace.

If you're in the States though and you're concerned, reach out to your local Early Intervention program and ask them to do an assessment. If they do find there is a delay they can provide free therapy/assistance until the age of 3 (DD's case manager comes to the house once a week for her speech), and help figure out what's needed to get baby to catch up. Can't hurt, and it might relieve your mind!

Hey thanks..i m in Asia, and we have no such thing here like EI

My parents, my inlaws, husband, nanny...everyone says he is absolutely fine & lovely child.. I havebt been to his paed since he turned 9 months (no HVs here), but he has never shown any concern and asked me to come for 1 year check up in February. He does raise his arms when he wants to be picked up & starts whining otherwise and follows when we point .. just started looking at wheres is mom, where is dad etc.

I know mommy's gut is mostly right, but quite honestly, i am myself not sure of anything.. :/

 

[StranjeGirl]

I don't know what's normal or not, but every child is different and develops at their own pace.

If you're in the States though and you're concerned, reach out to your local Early Intervention program and ask them to do an assessment. If they do find there is a delay they can provide free therapy/assistance until the age of 3 (DD's case manager comes to the house once a week for her speech), and help figure out what's needed to get baby to catch up. Can't hurt, and it might relieve your mind!

Hey thanks..i m in Asia, and we have no such thing here like EI

My parents, my inlaws, husband, nanny...everyone says he is absolutely fine & lovely child.. I havebt been to his paed since he turned 9 months (no HVs here), but he has never shown any concern and asked me to come for 1 year check up in February. He does raise his arms when he wants to be picked up & starts whining otherwise and follows when we point .. just started looking at wheres is mom, where is dad etc.

I know mommy's gut is mostly right, but quite honestly, i am myself not sure of anything.. :/

Everything sounds perfectly fine to me! I and I think if everyone else thinks he is fine, then he probably is. My 12 month old just now started looking when I say dada or where is your sister etc. I don't really notice her following my gaze either...this whole gaze thing seems ridiculous. They are so distracted by other things! DD1 didn't do half of the things dd2 is doing at 1 year old and she just had her 4 year checkup today and met all of her milestones. I'm really seeing that all kids are different and have different interests and do things at different paces. My best advice is to have another baby. You start to worry less about things lol. Although dd2 has food allergies and that is now my new worry. It's always something! But honestly, I had the exact same worries as you and my daughter did develop some things late, like pointing and even speech, but it never turned out to be a "problem"...just her doing things at her own pace!

 

[StranjeGirl]

Btw- does your ds wave bye?