D.B.
Hi Julia,
My comments mimic many others but I know mom security sometimes comes from many voices saying the same thing. : )
My son spoke very little until he was 2 (he signed a lot and my mom swears that prevented him from talking!!!) lol but now I shout (in my head, of course!) for this boy to STOP TALKING and let me have a moment of peace!!! He's 4 1/2 and is only quiet when he's unconscious. lol I thank God he still takes a nap and I get some quiet during the day! : )
On the flip side, if you are highly concerned, schedule an appt. with his ped. and ask for their opinion. If you're in a playgroup, ask the other moms for their HONEST opinion based on their observations, making it clear you won't take offense because this is about your child's health and not your ego. I, personally, would be more confident in the moms than the doc because many docs notoriously want to reassure parents. Many cases of autism have been undiagnosed early because of the "wait and see" approach many docs have.
I'm not trying to scare you, but I haven't met your child and think that, while it's true boys talk later than girls AND my son's situation sounds similar to your son's, there may be more to it and you should really seek honest opinions from those who know him. I hope this is coming out right. I, too, had concerns about my son's progress (at one year old, he didn't say Mama, Daddy, didn't point to objects, rarely made eye contact and walked on his toes) so I did what I suggest to you. The ped. insisted he didn't have any developmental problems, especially not autism, but was understanding and gave me a referral to a local program that screens for autism. The lady who tested Jack knew from the moment she met him that he was perfectly normal but, to ease my concerns, she did the full test on him anyway.
Oh, that reminds me: her first interaction with us was a home visit (testing came a couple weeks later at their building) and she surmised that, at one year old, he was behind his peers in speaking because of me. : ) She was very loving about how she told me and I took no offense because she explained that, because I knew my son so well, I knew what he wanted before I let him say it (grunt his own little sounds for specific requests was more to her meaning, I'm sure). lol She suggested that I wait to let him communicate verbally so he can practice that skill. Had she not done a home visit, she might not have seen my actions.
Ok, so I've included waaaaayyy more than I expected! lol I hope something here helps you! And, if you're near Dover, DE, and you're looking for a playgroup, e-mail me privately and I'll tell you about my mom's group that has age-specific playgroups. It's awesome! : )
D.