Standard guidelines for infant development are used to assess whether a child’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development is appropriate for his or her age. While these are guidelines, not rules, knowing what behaviors a child should exhibit and what constitutes normal development can help parents to determine if their child is developing normally or has a developmental delay.
Parents should keep in mind that development happens on a continuum, and a possible delay in one area of development does not necessarily make for a developmental delay. However, delays in some developmental areas can be indicative of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), so knowing what the warning signs are can help parents to secure early screening, diagnosis, and treatment if warranted.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are warning signs of developmental delay, broken down into 3-month, 7-month, and 1-year of age categories.
At 7 months, some warning signs of a developmental delay include a baby who seems to have tight muscles or who is stiff, or one who seems floppy (his or her head may flop back when you pull baby to a sitting position). A baby who reaches with just one hand, refuses to cuddle, or shows no affection for his or her caregiver may have a delay. Lack of response to sounds or a lack of enjoyment for being around people may be indicative of a delay, as may be sensitivity to light or eye drainage or tearing that is persistent.
Babies who do not bear weight on their legs by 7 months may also have a delay. No interest in “peek-a-boo” games or failure to babble by 8 months may also be signs of developmental delays. At this, or any age, a dramatic loss of skills once had may be a warning sign of a delay or disorder.
At one year, normally developing babies should crawl and stand when supported. They should also search for objects that you hide while they are watching, and use gestures such as waving. Babies at this age who are developing normally should also be able to use single words like “dada” or “mama” and point to pictures or objects.
Between 7 months and 1 year, babies are developing an interest in social play and using their voices to express displeasure and joy. Babies can tell emotion from the speaker’s tone of voice and are beginning to understand the word “no.”
Although not all delays are indicative of a developmental delay, if your child exhibits any of the following “red flags” for developmental delay around age 6 months, consult your pediatrician right away:
Baby does not try to attract attention through actions by 7 months
Baby does not babble by 8 months
Baby does not learn to use gestures, such as waving or shaking head
Baby does not point to objects or pictures
Baby cannot stand when supported.
My granddaughter is 7 months old. She has crossed eyes and has had 4 small seizures, which we think may be due to her mother’s breast milk. My daughter took a prenatal vitiman and a dha fish oil supplement at the request of her doctor throughout her pregnancy. My granddaughter was breech and was delivered c-section. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. No one seemed concerned so we don’t think the baby had any problems from that, but who knows! My granddaughter does not respond much to my daughters voice, she does to mine most of the time. She studies our faces and smiles,but she does not seem interested in the things going on around her most of the time. She will also stare off sometimes. She rollED over ONCE,YET she is sitting up unattended. (of course hands are always ready) She tends to hold her head down chin to chest alot. We have just really started doing tummy time more because for a long time she really fused and would spit up. She can hold her head up for awhile but seems to tire easily. She is doing some babble but not much. Does any of this sound like a delay and if so does anyone have any knowledge as to how to help her.
Please read the article, “What’s Involved in a Developmental Screening?” that can be found here on our site. That might be helpful to you and your family as the next steps in meeting the needs of your granddaughter.
This sounds very similar to my grandson. He is 7 months old and does not seem to be on track for his age. At 4 months he would babble but has stopped. He also has crossed eyes and his head has been flat from birth. Neither of his testicles descended. He will NOT do tummy time and screams the entire time, and will not make eye contact with anyone. He does not seem to enjoy physical contact, will arch his back and stare off. He does at time focus on the television if the colors are bright and will sometimes track people in the distance but couldn’t care less for up close contact. A pediatric opthamologist has stated that he seems to see better with lenses but the focus for now is correcting his crossed eyes. His regression as far as making sounds is completely worrisome. He was also a c-section after he failed to descend and he became stressed. He spent over a week in NICU because of meconium in his lungs and his blood sugar repeatedly falling too low. He also was on supplemental oxygen for almost 3 months after birth.
He seemed to ‘catch up’ to his age by the time he was five months old, then stopped, and now seems to be regressing.
Any suggestions?
Strongly suggest that the family talk to the child’s pediatrician and ask for a developmental evaluation.