J.S.
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Have you googled "when do babies first verbalize"?
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Hi- My daughter will be 7 months old in a few days and my husband and I have begun to notice that she isn't "talking" as much as other babies her age. In fact, she barely makes any "cooing" sounds at all and is certainly not making any consonant sounds. When she gets excited (usually if she's in her jumper) she'll shriek and make grunting/growling sounds but she really doesn't express herself vocally much more than that. What has me the most concerned is that she was making some (not many...but some) vowal sounds (aaahhh, uhhhh) about 4 weeks ago but she has since stopped. She was also constantly blowing bubbles/raspberries but that has stopped too. When we have "conversations" with her she doesn't make any type of verbal response. She makes pretty good eye contact, although I do find there are times when I can't get her to look at me if I am holding her in front of me or on my lap. She does laugh out loud but sometimes that even seems a little difficult for her; like she can't find her voice. I think she hears well, she definitely knows her name and will look in the direction of different sounds, but for some reason she just won't vocalize. She LOVES to look at baby's faces and animal faces...any toy with a face gets a big smile in return! I called my Pedi and based on what I told her, she thought it made sense to have an EI....which totally threw me for a loop. I thought for sure that she would just tell me she is still young and do give her more time! At this point I have myself convinced that she may have some time of developmental delay or even be showing early signs of ASD. I'd love to hear from other moms that may have experience with this same type of behavior!
Thanks to everyone for their advice. We did end up having the EI a few weeks later. While she socred "low average" on her communication skills (as expected) she was above average in a couple other areas. And sure enough, about a week after the evaulation, she started babbling "babababa" "dadadada' "mamamamam". I think she was focusing her energy on other areas of development instead of her verbal skills...At the end of the day I'm glad we had the EI to put our minds at rest! Thanks again for all the comments!
J. T
Have you googled "when do babies first verbalize"?
Generally the testing for ASD is done around 18 months. unless there is a family history. My son at 18 months didn't have any words, didn't point to ask for things or point and then look to see if you were looking at what he was looking at. These can all be signs of ASD. With treatment the neurologist has determined that he doesn't have ASD, so just because your daughter may have some red flags, it doesn't mean she has it. Give it some time. keep talking to her and mention your concerns to her doctor. It may be worthwhile to have her hearing tested.
I wouldnt worry about it, she is pretty young. But like another poster said, I would not be afraid of EI my son goes through them and the evaluation process is really easy. It doesnt hurt to just get an eval, it is free. But again, she is pretty young so I would not worry about it.
My daughter didn't make a vowel/consonant sound (da-da-da) until she was nine months old. I was worried too, but then right at the nine month mark she just took off with vocalizing. Good luck-I'll bet everything will turn out just fine!
When my son was 6 months old, sure he'd cry, grunt, shriek, coo, laugh but he didn't babble much at all.
He sure had that unblinking staring at you gaze down - when he looked at me it was like he was totally absorbed in looking at my face, just drinking me in.
Some of his first words (he was close to 1 yr old) was Da Da - but he was reaching for me when he said it.
He knew a few words, but his talking really REALLY took off right after his 2nd birthday.
And then it was chatter chatter chatter all the time non stop.
I think worrying about more specific vocalizing at 6-7 months old is a bit early.
Your daughter sounds perfectly fine and on track to me!
Hey there. I don't know what your doctor was thinking in terms of EI, but I do know that the thing your daughter IS doing -- making eye contact and responding to faces -- is a bigger deal than the vocalizing issue. That -- I mean, not doing those things -- is the biggest red flag by far in terms of ASD. I don't have the medical expertise to say what this could be, if it's anything, but it doesn't sound like ASD.
First, Don't be scared of EI. My 2 1/2yr old did the program. It helped him a lot. I think that she is really young..Children develop at their own pace. My 2 yr old started talking later than my 4 yr. He is catching up just fine. Try not to worry (easier said than done, I know) until you need to, if you need to. She may surprise you.. They go through phases.. I have a 6mo, as well. He makes grunts and squeals...and GGGGG sounds.. but that's about it.
Good luck...
J.,
In my opinion getting an evaluation is always a good idea if there are any concerns. If you have nothing to worry about, then you'll know for sure. If there is an issue, then getting attention as early as possible is the key. My son's pediatrician recommended getting an eval when he was 2. I put it off for a while because I thought he was fine, and everyone in our family thought he was fine. He just didn't speak much. I got the eval 6 months later, when it became clear that his peers' communication abilities were way ahead of his. He qualified, was diagnosed with ASD, but is now doing wonderful in preschool. Thanks to Early Intervention and the therapy he gets at school he is speaking, having conversations and playing well with his friends. Eye contact and social skills was never a problem for him, but he would get frustrated when he was unable to communicate. My only regret on this journey is that I wasted 6 months. I wish I had gotten that evaluation right away.
Good luck,
R.
shes 7 months! if shes not verbalizing by a year talk to your dr. not all babies are talkers lol
