Toddler not pointing
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Anonymous
| My toddler failed the mchat assessment leading up to the 18 month check-up, pretty much entirely because of pointing with the whole hand rather than a finger. Doesn't point to try and show things; will just reach had toward something to label it. Can isolate a finger to push a button and has a good pincer grasp, so it doesn't seem like a fine motor issue. Has 70+ words, so hard to believe it could be autism or a serious delay...still feeling very worried. Of course will love our child all the same if there is a diagnosis- but it's still a ton of anxiety. Feeling blindsided because child seemed advanced with the large vocabulary. Also failed the question about trying to get you to watch or look. Anyone with a toddler similar around that age- particularly no pointing- how did things turn out? |
Anonymous
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70+ words??? Wow.
What does your ped say? |
Anonymous
| Haven't seen ped yet...just panicked when I saw that about half of kids who fail this test have autism and 98% have a developmental delay. I'm just feeling stunned that this could be the reality for this child who everyone says seems advanced. Granted, the words are mostly poor approximations (i.e. cack cack for duck) that only I can understand, but they're used frequently and consistently in context to communicate. |
Anonymous
| Hmm. Aspergers kids are very advanced with language, could it be picking that up rather than autism? |
Anonymous
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I understand your worries, OP, but try not to freak out. First step is to talk with your ped and see what approach to take. Recognize that 50% of the kids DON'T have autism, even if 50% do. And "developmental delay" can simply mean that the kid is delayed compared to peers, and if pointing is considered a developmental milestone, then if he isn't doing it, it's logical he could be considered "delayed." But that doesn't mean he's ALWAYS going to be delayed or that this is something that can't be improved with therapies.
What is concerning and why this is considered a flag on the test is that toddler are typically engaging with their caregivers. Usually this is through pointing but also through trying to get your attention and make eye contact, which you mentioned was not where the test thought a typically developing child would be. It sounds like he talks a lot -- does he make eye contact and try to interact with you? Does he involve you in his play? The main concern sounds like it's with this, and I would focus on talking with your ped about this -- putting it into context with the things he does do, as well as what he does not do. I'm not saying that this is something your kid is doing, but some kids with autism have echolalia, which is the repeating of sounds they hear. In babies and toddlers, it can sometimes seem like very advanced speaking because they are saying pretty complex things, but it is not speaking to communicate but more of a repetitive imitation of what they hear. I don't get the sense from your description that this is what your kid is doing, but I just thought I'd mention it, as some people can be surprised if they feel like their kid is talking a lot. I'm NOT trying to scare you. Please, relax and keep doing what you're doing, and talk with your ped soon. You'll feel better as you talk with more people and get more of a sense of the bigger picture from people with lots of experience with child development. |
Anonymous
| If you haven't seen your pediatrician, who is administering this test? Isn't the 18 month assessment done by his pediatrician? |
Anonymous
That's exactly what I'm wondering. |
Anonymous
| Did you do this online OP? I seriously doubt there is a "98% chance of a delay" just because he is pointing with his hand and not his finger. That's pretty ludicrous. |
Anonymous
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Did you administer this assessment on your own OP?
It looks like it is supposed to administered by a healthcare professional. https://www.m-chat.org/about.php |
Anonymous
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My DD used her whole hand to gesture starting around 12 months and didn't actually point until 22 months. I really thought she was never going to do it and was worried as well... but she did eventually. It's the joint attention that is the most important - it isn't so much as physically using one finger to request something, as it is that your child sees something they want and tries to get your attention.
Give it more time before jumping to any conclusions. |
Anonymous
| Not pointing is a big deal. More so than other things because as pp said, it shows joint attention. I'd see a developmental ped and a SLP for an evaluation. |
Anonymous
| I was going to say the same thing as PP. The concern is not the lack of the point but the lack of joint attention. The fact your kid does not try to point to show you things is concerning. I would.defiently talk to my pediatrician. |
Anonymous
This is ridiculous. The child is pointing to show things with a whole hand, not a single finger. If that is anything, it is a sign of fine motor delays, not autism. If you are truly concerned, you might consider a physical therapy or occupational therapy evaluation. The fact that a child is pointing but not isolating a lone finger does not show a lack of joint attention. It shows a lack of finger control. |
Anonymous
In a later post she says the kid doesn't try to point out things to her either. That is a concern. I'd talk to my ped about it. From your description, I'd think mild asp/autism (for the pp who mentioned it, asp is a type of autism) was a real possibility. |
Anonymous
| ^^ Sorry, later part of the post. |