For those who have kindly offered me support and advice on my journey with DS "not pointing", I wanted to give you an update.

I did eventually take Peter to the MCHN because the whole thing was playing on my mind a bit and I thought I would just go to put my mind at rest. Hm, perhaps a wrong move!

The long and short of the interview was that she wants Peter to have a hearing test, see a speech pathologist and a pediatrician for a kind of milestone check. Needless to say, none of this reassured me! Her "concern" was one of communication- she also noted that during play Peter did not spend much time turning to me and handing me things and inviting me to join in the play/ show how things worked. She equated this and not pointing as similar 'non-communicative' behaviours.

She did, however, note that he had an unusually high level of concentration for a 16 month old and that he was able to stack more blocks together than she would have thought.

Initially I was a bit freaked out by it all, but in going over it, I think her concern is mis-placed. I know what Peter is like- he was in a new environment with new toys and he just gets involved and completely absorbed by new things (don't all kids?). DH and I are very much the same- we can easily get lost in new things and go into our own world. At home, he hands us stuff all the time and invites us into play a lot, so she really didn't see a proper representation.

And while he doesn't do the classic one finger point, he does reach out to things to make it clear what he wants.

So all in all I was largely able to dismiss what she said and trust my own instinct (which, by the way, is a great thing for me since I am a chronic worrier!).

But the only thing that sticks me with and forms the basis of my question for today is about speech. It startled me that she wanted us to see a speech pathologist. Peter can say 'dada' with purpose, but no other clear words. He imitates animal noises when we show him pictures in books, he says "meow" at the cats, he babbles away, although mainly with one or two main noises (dadadadada and glaglaglagla). He clearly understand words and simple commands ("Peter go get a book", "go get your socks"). I didn't think there was anything unusual about any of this, but can I ask you all when your LOs started talking- ie- really starting to use several different words (not as a sentence).

Thanks for all your wonderful comments in the past everyone!