Babies that are rigid when held.

[lindab13]

I hope this is theforum where  I should be addressing this problem on.. I have a nephew who is 21 months old and when he was a newborn baby and until about 13 months would go very rigid for no reason when he was in our arms. He walked at 18 months he does not speak or point or anything at age 21 months. Now we have a second nephew who is of the same parents,who does the same thing since he was born he is now 4 months old. The doctors tell her she should wait and see? Has anyone out there had a baby who did this and what was the problem? thank you so much

[cameragirl]

Was everything normal with the pregnancy and birth? I am not an expert by far, but it was covered when we were taking classes prior to being approved to adopt. In that situation, it is usually an attachment disorder or issues from being addicted in utero. I have no clue what would be the cause in a normal, healthy infant though. By 21 months he should be talking some, and should be able to point to what he wants. If it were me, I would ask for a second opinion and a consult with a developmental specialist.

[jmd5294]

Could be as simple as reflux with some developmental delays.  Could be sensory issues.  Could be attachment issues.  He could be on the autism spectrum.

I would contact early intervention-- they can help evaluate him and determine if he needs services.  He should be pointing, though. 

If you can find the M-CHAT online, that is a very base level autism screening tool used for 18 and 24 month olds.