9 Month Old Developmental Question!!!!!!

I would want to know more about his history. Has he been in an infant chair most of the time rather than placed on the floor to try to strengthen and develop his muscles? Is he able to eat finger foods yet, or has he only been given baby food for the most part? Some skills develop with practice.

I have a great-nephew with a serious and terminal condtion - an - unknown type of leukodystropy. At six months, his head was as flopppy as a newborns, and the MRI scans showed the patches where the leukodystrophy had destroyed his brain.

I am in no way an expert on child development, but know that if it was me, I would seek a second opinion to put my mind at ease, and try to find out if he was getting an opportunity to learn some of these skills.

Those are definitely things I expect from a 9-month-old. Where there any issues with his gestation or pregnancy? Preemie? M. a smoker/drinker/drug-user?
Is he breastfed?
I wouldn't worry too much. If they are already starting him in a head-start program, they should be able catch any delays and work with them.
Good Luck!!

B. M. --

While I am not qualified to speak about developmental delays for a 9 month old, I can share with you our experience in adopting with some delays.

When my husband and I adopted our daughter from China 11 years ago, when she was 15 months old, she was not able to walk yet. She was very small -- only 17 lbs. Within a few weeks after we got her home, she was walking. She was able to pick up every grain of rice that spilled on her as we fed her in China, as I think she was just starved -- not getting enough nutrition in the orphanage. She had a strong will and caught up very quickly once we got her home and was able to work with her and get some good nutrition going.

I know well that adopting is very scary. I just wanted to share our experience. I can't offer much from a medical standpoint. You will probably have to do what is in your heart. Best of luck!

L. L.

This baby needs continued love. It also sounds like he needs to be started in physical therapy. He may have sensory issues as well which is common with other development problems, which can be addressed by occupational therapy. Getting him started early in therapies will give him a better outcome. Also they will be able to detect if he might even need speech therapy. The picking up of the cheerios is fine motor (occupational therapy), but he may also have some texture issues with food which speech therapy can help with.

Hi there,

You got a lot of information!
My son is right now 18 months.

At 9 months, he couldn't sit up either. The Dr said he had the strength but not the balance. Realisitcally, it was my "fault" per sey... I babied him a lot and didn't realize it was time to push him to sit up.
As soon as this was addressed, I started pushing for him to sit up and he was walking by 11 1/2 months.

He also had some texture problems with certain foods, he didn't want to feed himself and he still won't drink his milk in a cup, it has to be in a bottle. He drinks out of a cup all day, but not his night-time bottle.

He is totally fine though and in this case, despite how loving the foster family is, you ha ve to wonder .... Do they hold him all the time? Do they put him in a chair a lot? Does he get his tummy time? Do they feed him or encourage him to feed himself - when they're so young I found it easier to feed them myself - I have 3 children under 2 1/2 yrs of age and was overwhelmed....
So, I would feed my oldest to prevent a mess or make it a smoother transition... She's 2 1/2 now and eats perfectly with her hands, a spoon, or a fork. So does my 18 month old.

Hope that I helped some....

Happy New Year!

My child who has Autism who had delays is still not caught up. I am thinking by 9 mos he should be able to do those things you are speaking of. The Help he needs could possibly be beyond the expertise of the intervention specialists that he is currently seeing. We were not lucky enough to have help that early ourselves, so at least he is on the right track. It could be extremely costly to visit the specialists and emotionally and mentally draining for you and your family to get to the bottom of what may be going on with him. Do you have insurance? Do you guys have any savings to pay for all the stuff your insurance refuses to pay for?

Hello,

My youngest daughter also had some delays. She was a preemie and was diagnosed with hydrocephalus and had brain surgery at 8 months. We went through Early Intervention and physical therapy. Now at age 4, she only has a slight delay in her gross motor skills and has PT once a week at preschool. Now, like someone else said, just because this has been our experience doesn't necessarily mean you will have the same experience. However, my whole concept of "normal" has changed dramatically throughout this experience and I've realized that I will love this little girl no matter what she can/can't do. Even though some times have been rough, God has never failed me and has carried me when I needed it. He will also be with you with each challenge that you might face. I hope this helps some.

J.

I can understand your concern! Yes, kids who have delays early on can develop normally, but some may not and may need extra support as they get older.

You didn't mention his circumstances since birth. Children need to be loved, stimulated, encouraged & given the opportunity to do things. Lacking those opportunities could contribute to his delays. If there was lack of prenatal care during pregnancy, drugs alcohol, prematurity or difficulty at birth. These may all contribute to his delays.

Sounds like he is getting the needed services which can help him. I work for our local Health Dept in the Help Me Grow Program. I have seen many positive outcomes.Sometimes it's also a matter of maturity that can also helps him to develop within his age range.

I hope he will continue to grow & develop with the love & support of a caring family. That will be his biggest help at this point.

I wish you the best in your decision!!!

K.

I have a 2 1/2yr old with developmental delays. He was in physical therapy from 3mos to 1yr of age due to a condition called torticollis. He was born looking to the left and could not turn his head. He also has flexible scoliosis (curvature of spine). He could not sit up on his own until he was about 12mos because of his condition. He is also currently with Help me Grow and early intervention.

As far as the cheerios/puffs concern, I would get him an occupational therapy consult and see if they can help. My son couldn't do the pincer grasp at 12 mos of age. He spent a month and a half in OT and by the time he was done, he could pick things up with the pincer grasp.

My son is currently in speech therapy and another round of OT (different situation this time). This round of OT is because he has a sensory processing disorder (doesn't like texture or feel of certain things).

Hope things get better for you. Hope this advice helps.

We had a friend who adopted a little boy with some obvious health issues, those she could deal with. However there were other issues that were not disclosed which was beyond her means. I would strongly suggest seeing a neurologist, not that you wouldn't love this little guy but you need to know where you are headed realistically. We have a son with special needs and I wouldn't trade him for the world but I don't know if I would have chosen the financial burden that some of the therapy costs.

To know how important these delays are, it would help to know his birth history. If he was born preemie, it could be normal, depending on how early he was born. Preemie's take longer to reach milestones than full-term babies.
I think getting a complete eval before making the decision would be a good idea.
R.

Aww sweet little guy! I loved in your post when you said you were chosen to apopt this little guy. I believe God has chosen you specifically for this little angel because of your capacity to love him. My now 18 year old son was dianosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was 3. He is very high functioning but needed alot of help getting through school. My only advice is to stick to your guns! We parents are our childs best support. Unfortunatly the school system we were in had TERRIBLE special ed services & he fell behind. He is now a Senior, studying for SATs & working. He is not ready to live on his own yet but thanks to his fathers support he is on his way. You'll be in my thoughts & prayers!

Hi there! Are you noticing that he favors either side of his body, or possibly his upper or lower? It could be a sign of stroke. I would definitely recommend a visit to a neurologist. They are the first stop to assisting with any long term or even short term diagnosis.

Hi B.,

I have 4 boys, and they all developed differently. My 4th child developed the latest... he didn't crawl until a week before his first birthday, he didn't walk until he was 18 months old, he just turned 2 this month.. and he's finally saying mama. (mama, dada, and baba are the only words he says) His pediatrician isn't worried, and he's perfect in his own way. I'm not saying that I'm sure there isn't a reason for this baby's delay... but I am sure that every child develops at his own pace, and only his pace. As far as picking up cheerios and putting them in his mouth, my twins (2nd pregnancy) couldn't eat ANY solids... including a simple cheerio, until they were a full year old! They were soooo gaggy! Now they're 9 and eat like men! =)

I use to work for a program such as they one you say this child is in. There are many causes for delay. My guess would be because he has not been worked with or loved on a regular basis.
the truth is if you love him do you really care if he walks at 1 year or 18 months?
does it matter in the long run.
should'nt you care more about if he snuggles with you, smiles at you and loves you.
Yes he make take longer to do things. He can be checked to see if it is medical if that is a concern for you.
He needs supervised floor time on his stomache and encouragement to lift his head

Yes, I have had several children come to my home in that same manner. I am a foster M.. Kids sometimes regress when there is change. You have to be ready though that this could be permenant. You never know. Most of the kids that I have had did fine, but one of them is not. We did adopt him. Just love him and play with him. It helps. D.

B.,

You should be prepared to face very difficult times ahead. Just because someone's neighbor's cousin was like this and is now an honor student does not mean that this child will do the same. It means that some kids do, and those people talk a lot more than the people whose kids continue to fall behind. The truth is that delays are a giant red flag and chances are good that he will have more delays than you see at 9 months. He has loads of developmental mile stones to reach in the future, and the best indicator of his future development is his passed development. Early intervention is his key, but that may only help, not cure him.

You need to know what the cause of his delays are. If he is just slow to develop, that is far different than developmental delays from autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, prater willie syndrome, or many of the other things that could cause this.

To get the kind of information that you really need to make a decision of this magnitude, you need to see a developmental pediatrician, neurologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, speech and language pathologist, and a geneticist.

If it really makes a difference to you that this child be typical in the future, then he may not be the child for you. Take very careful inventory before you adopt; you are questioning for a reason, and you should be absolutely sure why this is nagging you before you adopt. I urge you to get accurate and complete information from experts first and then search your heart with the worst case outcome instead of the best, just in case.

M.

You are right to be concerned. My daughter was late sitting up, but she was very chubby so her weight kept her back, but she had no problem picking up Cheerios, etc. I wold have a detailed discussion with the doctor. Is this efvery normal? What tests can they run now to determine if it is a problem or just slow development? I have known kids that had problems and turned out to be a neurological problem that was a handicap for life, but that doesn't mean this child is that way. Perhaps it is just because of his family situation and the environment he is in.

It all depends on the child. My second son (who I gave birth to) was a big baby. (95% for hieght and 90% for wieght) and he was delayed due to his size. Bigger babies have to devolop the muscle mass to support their weight. Ir seems like the tinyer babies just pop right up. Usually they want a child to sit up at about 6-7 months for short times he was closer to eight. Boys always develop slower than girls. So don't judge him by what your daughter did. Also if he was born premature he will be a little slower. It sounds like you are getting the appropriate help.

My youngest is two now and right on track. He is not able to really staight out run but he trys. But having just turned 2 a couple of months ago, he is as big as the average 4-5 year old.

I know someone that adopted a little girl from somewhere in south america and the little girl had problems walking due to incomplete muscle development and agian she is doing fine now.

As a mother of 5 I ca nsay that each one of my children did something "early" or "late" in their development. For Example my first was text book... Crawling at 6 months, walking by 12 months... My next one seemed to do things slower than the first crawling between 6-9 months walking well after 12 months... They were only a year apart. The 4th baby could climb befroe she walked didn't wave bye bye until after a year, didn't have alot of words until closer to her 2nd b-day. My second one was and still hard to understand at times.
My point is children are very differnt! You might want to check with the nuerologist just to ease your mind but I agree with the failure to thrive. If he is up for adoption at such a young age it's not from the over abundance of love. Love is what gives people the "fighting" instinct. That what gives babies, people the desire to push threw. As you are bonding with him has he been getting better? At least even smiling more, happy to see you?
I think if it was anything more than the baby needed more cognitive stimulation, tummy time and interactive play you would see a lot more symptoms of something lurking beneath than not sitting by him self for long periods of time. He'll get there! IN the mean time prop him in a boppy, place cushions under him, have your camera and kisses ready. It sounds like the cure for him is in your heart!
Take care and goodluck! Let us know how he develops!