My 13 month old son does not stand without support/walk or pull himself to a sitting position. HE is a quite child in front of strangers, more prone to observation that reacting/communicating. At home is is bouistrous, but he is yet to speak an word- ( he only blabbers in baby talk).
I am very concerned about his development. We stay in India and our ped is not very sure about anything himself, although now and then he keeps hinting on agetting an MRI scan done, but has asked us to wait till our son is at least 15 months old.
I am very concerned. HAve any of you experienced these problems with hyour kids? what did you do? do you think I shld go in for a second opinion?Kindly advice
A really concerned mom.
I have a friend whose son had low muscle tone and did not learn to walk or pull himself up until he was 15 months. At 22 months he's no different than my little one who started walking early. That being said, I would definitely get a second opinion!
I would definitely see what you have available for evaluations. Here we have Child Find and some others. The recommendation for the WHO is great. Your son sounds like he is definitely struggling and could benefit from OT/PT and speech therapy. If your doctor won't help, I would go for a second opinion. I have a delayed child, and it really does take Mom having a fire to get some doctors moving. My doctor has been very supportive even when I've gone against his gut feeling. So far, I've been right on every count for him. You feel he needs further help, start on your own or find a doctor who will help you.
Definitely find out what kind of developmental help there is available in your area.
My son had very similar problems due to complications when he was three months old. We had a group come out and they helped him more than anything I could have done on my own. My son is now thriving and above average in most areas.
I don't know whats available in India but find out. They can work miracles with children. Good luck.
T., you have a right to be concerned. it is not so much the lack of walking that concerns me but, not being able to sit by 13 mo, I believe he would qualify for early intervention here in the states. Here I would recommend a pediatric specialist who specializes in early development or a neurologist. In addition, getting him checked out by a pediatric physical therapist could be helpful. A PT can show you things you can do to help him along. Maybe he is just not real curious on his own and needs a little prompting. If he spends a lot of time in a "device" like a exercaucer or something that may decrease his experiences. Make sure he gets a lot of floor time. For some reason he is a bit behind in his gross motor skills and early intervention is a key. The language does not concern me as 13 mo is too early for most to "say words" and babbling is very normal and healthy.
Get a second opinion.
HI, T.,
I'm a child psychologist. I would strongly encourage you to get your child evaluated. Get a second opinion from another doctor. Ask for an occupational or physical therapy evaluation to look at gross motor development. If your child has developmental delays, early intervention is very very important. An MRI will identify brain lesions, but not all developmental delays will show up in brain lesions. OT and PT evals are critical and much easier on the child. A speech therapy evaluation will also answer many questions. I think it would be best to have this all done. Certainly here in the US, you could have all these done by now.
take care, S.
Yes get a second opinion, with a pediatrician who has more experience and speaks a language that you are fluent in. If you feel something is not right, your intuition is probably right.
I would get a second opinion, and maybe even a third if necessary. Doctors are guides, they don't have any magic answers. Their jobs, as phycisicans, is to answer your questions, treat your child, and calm your fears. If they can't do that you need a second opinion. It is your job, as a mommy, to fight for your little boy. If you think/feel something is wrong, your mothers intuition is probably right. Early intervention is the key to successful treatment.
I absolutely recommend an mri and looking into some early intervention services for these types of delays. the sooner you act, the better off your baby will be. I speak from experience. It's hard to come to terms with the idea that something could be wrong with your child, but you'll regret not finding out and taking immediate action!
Hi T.,
I love India! I stayed in Hyderabad in high school. I recommend looking up the child development information on the World Health Organization website. It averages this info. from all over the world. Do you let your child lay on their tummy? The "push-up" movement that they practice helps their back muscled develop and gives them a strong center of balance in order to sit up, crawl and then walk. Was birth traumatic in any way?: ie, was the baby pulled out by their head or shoved out with their head in a weird position. Any of these kinds of things can cause spinal development problems. If you can find a good chiropractor, they can help discern whether your child has some damage that needs to be corrected.
Good luck!
J.
