This doesnt seem right.. 17 month not walking or talking yet.?

Question

I babysit a 17 month old and he doesnt walk or talk yet. He doesnt even say dada or ball.. nothing at all. He just moves his hands around alot looking at them. He reminds me of a 8 or 9 month old baby. my daughter is 6 months and says dada an ma ma. My 2 yr old seems like he is 4. I kno every child developes different but it just dont seem right to me that this child is not saying anything.. What could be the problem. His parents are getting him checked next week for autism.

Answer 1

My two boys didn't walk until 17 mos and 19 mos, but they were talking. It could be he does have a for of autism, I hope for the best!

Answer 2

I have a little boy I babysit and I wish his parents would take him to get checked out for a mental delay or condition. He is the same age as your charge and he do not say even momma or dadda, he do not really walk much or very stable when he does (although he has been trying for the past 3 mths), he has no concept of depth or plain of field (usually a child will notice a step or drop off shortly after becoming mobile, my charge will not notice and will walk right off a landing or step as if it wasn't there, he also walks into walls and will continue to walk into the same wall until you turn him away) he do not play with toys instead he is still mouthing everything and that is all, he is not stimulated by colorful objects or active play, he is always screaching (not just a cry, but a screach for everything- loud or soft noises, being told no, another child walking by him, and for no apperant reason most times), he will not nap or sleep (his parents say he will not sleep at home either, he falls asleep at about 10 and wakes for the day at 4, he will maybe nap during the day for about a half hour to an hour!), he has terrable seperation anxiety but shows no emotion for anyone (including father and brother) other than his mother.

He do not communicate with the other children or play along side them. I have tactfully mentioned to his parents that he is behind and that he should be getting 10-12 hours of rest and that i feel he should be checked out but the mother simply says well the public health nurse says he seems fine!

I have seen and delt with autism children and I certainly feel that he exhibits many of the signs. I think if your charge also exhibits some of those things aswell, that he should be checked out. The best thing for autisim is early detection and intervention!

Answer 3

you're right, this isn't normal. If the parents are getting him checked, then they are well aware there is a problem.

It's possible he is autistic or he could be deaf.
The inner ear balance system is one control of our sense of balance and when it is damaged or not working at all, it takes us a bit longer to re-orient ourselves and regain a sense of balance. This is one reason deaf children take a bit longer than normal to learn to walk.

Is he active and engaged with you otherwise? Is he crawling? Does he make any sounds at all?

An autistic child might not react to you, they tend to be lost in their own little world. he might or might not be crawling and he might or might not be making noises of some sort.

A deaf or extremely hard of hearing child at this age, would be active and engaged with you, curious about his surroundings, maybe making noises but not making any words or attempt to make any words. And because of the inner ear balance issue, might not be making much effort to walk yet.

Another thing to look at: Was this child a preemie? If he was, how early was he? Deduct the number of months he was early from his actual age and then you will know how old he really is developmentally. So if he was say 4 months early, then developmentally he is actually 13 months old--however a child who is 4 months or more early may have other health issues that would further delay him.

If you see this child on a regular basis, the best thing for you to do is be affectionate with him and try to engage him mentally for his age/development level as much as possible.

Answer 4

17 Month Old Not Walking

Answer 5

17 Month Old Not Talking

Answer 6

Thats unfortunate, a good time to check on his slow progression would have been about 6 months ago.
Does he look anyone in the eye and react to situations appropriately?? Smiling and laughing when you play with him or crying when mom and dad leave? Those are important signs of autism not that any of us are experts here but I'm glad the parents are finally checking this out. He could just be slow or he could have something that will be treatable with good one on one therapy.

Answer 7

they're right to be a bit concerned, particularly with the walking. Does he crawl or bum-shuffle instead? What's his eye contact like? Does anyone ever actually talk to him properly and stuff at home?

A lad that shared a child-minder with mine as babies was like this. He caught up at about 2 1/2 onwards but he's still a bit odd, even in Yr12. Nice little tot, but very laid back and didn't seem to get much stimulation at home. As long as he was quiet and not requiring any attention that was good enough for them.

Answer 8

Some babies have trouble walking because they are too heavy or because there is something wrong physically. But he should be saying da da or ma ma or anything at all. I'm surprised they haven't taken him to a doctor yet!!

Answer 9

It might be autism. It might be something else, or like me (I started walking at 3 and talking not much later but now make up for lost time! Unless there is something else wrong that could be it. I presume his hearing has been tested.

Answer 10

Next week?? The doctor should have noticed that he wasn't developing normally a long time ago & looked into some kind of intervention.