Are imitation and speed of development linked?

[newmamalizzy]

DD is 12 months old and has rarely if ever directly imitated anything an adult did or said.  She doesn't repeat sounds that I know she knows how to make, she won't stick out her tongue if I stick out mine....you get the picture.  So, at 12 months she doesn't clap, doesn't wave bye-bye or hi, never started doing any signs... I see MUCH younger babies doing these things, almost always in response to an adult urging them to imitate.  I even think it affects her sleep, as DD has had a devil of a time learning how to fall asleep, making discoveries slowly, very much in her own way.  Anyone else out there have a baby who doesn't imitate?  If so, do you find their developments to be a little different than those of babies who do imitate? 

[gummytummy]

Your description reminds me of a 16 month old I briefly met who could make sounds spontaneously, but not in imitation.  He wouldn't/couldn't imitate facial movements, but made a variety of movements spontaneously as well.  His mom had taken him for an evaluation by a speech therapist who worked with a birth to 3 program in the community who said he had oral & verbal apraxia.  Basically, difficulty with the motor planning needed to do those movements intentionally/in imitation.  I remember that that little boy's mom decided he would begin speech therapy, but I never ran into them again and don't know what came of it all.

I don't know if that might be what's happening with your DD... but, that might be a place to start...

[mckittre]

I don't know if I'd expect a baby to always copy things like sticking a tongue out, etc...  Mine hardly ever copied things like that, but he did learn waving and clapping around 11 months old or so.  And I don't know that I'd say she "never started doing any signs" at only 12 months.  My son was only just barely starting to do 1 or 2 at 12 months, but by 14 months he had over 40 of them.  I did notice that he wasn't as imitative as some babies, but now he's a 2 year old who speaks in paragraphs, so I guess it didn't matter much.  Interestingly, I have always had trouble imitating others myself (especially physical things like learning to throw and catch, dance, martial arts, etc...).  It made me feel like a klutz as a kid until I figured out my own learning style and discovered I just had to have more explanation - couldn't just watch and copy the way others seemed to be able to.

[love4bob]

I think all babies are different and develop differently. My oler DDs did those things much earlier than DD3. She is almost 15 months and just started clapping, waving a lot, making talking sounds(not no real words yet). She doesn't walk yet either. I'm not really concerned, she does other things like shows empathy, tries to put on shoes and clothes, stacks blocks. She is just learning at a different pace.