Developmental Delays in 9 Mo Old?

First of all, you have an awesome doctor, don't ever let her go!!! There's nothing to worry about since as others have said many children don't hit all of the milestones "on time". The great news for you is that you have a doctor who is going to be right on top of it IF your child ever needs any extra assistance in any area of development. So many times doctors and parents miss these things or brush them off and say oh he'll get there in his own time and it's only years later when a child is struggling with something that they finally get help for the child.

Good luck,
K.

You are luck to have a doctor who is on the ball. I am a physical therapist and many Docs say oh they are ok ...then when they finally decide the child is behind the child is way behind. Have your son crawl alot , play crawling games of him chasing you or puppy, build a fort etc.. Crawling does many things for the back and correct positioning of leg bones when your son will start walking. Try going to a gymboree type place if you can. Play where's the toy, teach him bye bye etc.. have him swim with you, holding him tummy down and your support at his tummy. His head will come way up strengthening his spine. If you want you can get an evaluation for him by PT and speech they will be more specific for his needs. Good luck

Yeah! Finally a doctor who is actually paying attention to what's going on with his patients. It's good that he has made note of what's going on with your son, given you some suggestions on how to help your son progress, and will re-evaluate in another 3 months. If you work with your son on skills during this time and he does show improvement, then that's awesome. If there is not much progress shown during next 3-months, your son would probably benefit from some specialized therapy such and speech and occupational therapy. This doesn't have to be a forever thing and the kind of therapy that he receives will be play-based and fun. The younger your child is when you start working on helping him overcome a delay, the better the outcome.

Keep the pediatrician...My youngest son IS delayed and there is NO SHAME in it...EARLY INTERVENTION is so so so important!!! Yes, by all means do not "worry" or be in a state of oh no what now...and YES milestones are not a set in stone every child will do this on this date ( all kids are different) but for heavens sakes ( and your child's) please keep in mind as much as we all want our children to be perfect sometimes delays happen. My son has had an entire year of at times intense therapy and at the end of that year I was more happy and so amazed at the progress he had made. He MIGHT have caught up all on his own without intervention, but I will never know. All I know is I am glad that it was pointed out to me and we did get the early intervention. Other great organizations that can help you know what is age appropriate and different ways to foster skills is Parents as Teachers and First Steps. The only thing I think is really odd is the table food, we were slow to interduce table foods for fear of allergies. I want to say we were still predominately feeding baby food at 9 months. I am sorry if I come across in an unflattering way, but I am very passionate about early intervention. I am sure your son is fine, it is great that your Ped is so on top of things, and you have the comfort of knowing she will be right there to assist you in the future should you need to be pointed in the right direction should you need help = )

As a former Child Developmental Specialist, I can tell you that your pediatrician TOLD YOU NOT TO WORRY but also told you to work on those things. There is a test called a developmental assessment. If a child is behind in three or more different areas of development, they are considered developmentally delayed. At his age, this is something that he will probably catch up with, especially if he has been sick, but if he does not catch up in all 3 areas by 12 months, he will still be considered delayed. Delays are common and all kids develop differently, but when 3 global areas, like I said, are behind, it is something to be aware of and work on.

Lots of preemies are DD, and then they catch up, or kids that were sick. But sometimes, they don't catch up without therapy. Or therapy reveals that there is a medical issue going on. Please don't be offended or defensive. She is not saying anything bad about your kid or you (I know it is hard to not feel that way!)

Plenty of kids that I worked with caught up with their peers and were just fine. At about the age of 5, if a child were still behind in 3 or more areas, that usually means they have a more serious condition.

I think that you should be very happy that you have a pedatrican who is watching your babies development and obviously understands the importance of not "waiting to see" about possible developmental delays. It is far more common to get the opposite, and to end up waiting too long to get help when earlier intervention would be better.

While it is true that all babies can develop at variable rates, the standards are there for a reason, and if you have a child with a delay, they will look the same as a child who may not really have a delay and will just catch up. Why risk not being on the lucky end of that gamble?

Don't be upset. You have a good pediatrican. Everything will probably be fine even if he has some early intervention.

M.

I agree with Martha that the pediatrician is expressing concerns and is being proactive in discussing it with you (whether or not there's merit) instead of having to address it reactively down the road.

It's very natural to be a little defensive and wonder if the advice they gave you is accurate. Here's a link to what the American Academy of Pediatrics uses as guidelines for development at your son's age:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/p...
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/p...
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/p...

All of what she mentions are things we were doing with our kids at 9 months. We started both earlier than most on solids/table food per our pediatrician's direction because both were consistently at the top (if not off) the growth chard, but each child is different. Mine are certainly different from one another.

Good luck. Try not to let what the pediatrician said consume you - they have your son's best interests in mind, and if you don't agree with their assessment, don't hesitate to seek the advice of a different pediatrician.

Hi! I wouldn't worry, I have a chart somewhere (I think from the Baby 411 book, which I really like), or maybe from the pediatrician? Anyhow, it shows every few months what most babies should be able to do, what some can so, and what very few can do. It really highlights that all babies are different, your son maybe be more advanced in some areas and slower in others- it just shows that he's normal. My son just turned 10 months old and just started clapping last week, he doesn't wave yet (we're trying to teach him), he does all the other things on the list except for the hidden toys- we haven't done that yet but he loves peek-a-boo. He definitely understands object permanence and can pick up cheerios. He isn't crawling yet, but can sit along, stand holding on to something (when we stand him up). He baby-talks alot and sometimes imitates us- but I think that may just be wishful thinking on our part (say, Mommy! Now, say Daddy!) When he replies "dada" or "mama" we're overjoyed, but it's probably us reading into it. I'm definitely not a professional, but our son doesn't do all those things and at his 9 mo. check up the Dr. said he was doing great.

I think you shouldn't worry about it until after the yearly checkup. Every child is different and so the standards they use sometimes aren't accurate. Just try to make sure he has a good diet and is able to explore his food and environment and play safely. Don't try to stand over him constantly, let him experience life as long as he isn't going to hurt himself. Give him lots of stimulation as much as he can take.

Wow! I'm surprised at the criteria as well. My son would've been considered developmentally delayed too if our dr followed that list!!

That is a shame that she said that, I hope you don't worry too much. Your son seems to be right on target based on the other milestones you mentioned.

Every dr is different. I remember at our 12 month appt the dr literally said to me "you need to work on that" in response to my son not talking yet. I was so nervous to go the the 15 month appt and report to a different dr that he had a few words but not to many. That dr said it wasn't a concern AT ALL.

Good luck, but definitely don't stress

My baby didn't do all that by 9 mo. Honestly I think she only did half of that list by 9 mo. Heres what I learned. I looked up milestones and I would find my daughter was doing stuff kids 6 months older then her are doing in the advanced category. Wow I felt my baby was a genius. Then I realized she doesnt do everything the kids her age are doing in the average category. LOL (OK so I still think she's smart but not because of hitting milestones). I think all kids hit them differently and at different times in their life. You also might want to consider another doctor. My baby was 4 weeks early and they took that into consideration with all of her age "things" (shots, milestones, weight/height, formula to milk switch, etc.). if your son was sick and it really knocked him for a loop then he would be slightly behind, and the ped should take that into consideration. I honestly wouldn't worry if I were you though, Good Luck!

I had a similar experience with my son's 12 mnth check up. He wasn't exactly walking great and the pedi suggested I try a program called ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) and I was almost embarrassed... and ashamed like what am I doing wrong with him that he's behind? I got a lot of great advice about the ECI program and realized they can be very helpful but still didn't feel I "needed" it just yet for my child. I wanted to keep trying with him and we soon found out it was his walker holding him back. We had hardwood floors at the time so I hated putting him on the cold wood floors and we used the walker a lot. It was comfortable for the baby and he could move all of the house w/out any trouble but it was keeping him from walking so we had to keep him out of it more and sure enough, he was running before we knew it. : ) My best advice DON'T stress about your pedis advice today. Every child grows and develops at their own rate! Take your mind off of what she said today and if the issues are still there at the 12 mnth check up, then go from there, but until then, don't worry or stress yourself and enjoy the rest of your day!

I didnt read the other posts but personaly i think you should find a new pediatrition my son is 10 months old and he DOSENT clap. wave bye bye, eat table food he eats jar baby food and formula and he dosent repeat dada when i say it, he does say it just when he want to.and he dosent crawl.He does find hidden toys. My pediatrition said he was doing fine at the 9 month check up. I wouldnt worry if i were you.