Is developmental regression in an 8-month-old a concern?

Question

Hello doctor,

My daughter is eight months old, and I want to tell her development history and some concerns. She responds to her name and reacts to sounds. She laughs and is very social with good eye contact. She eats well, kicks both legs actively, brings her legs to her mouth, holds objects, puts a spoon in her mouth, and has good neck control. She is generally very active.

She can currently tripod sit (leaning forward and supporting herself with her hands). My concern is that she is still not sitting herself without support at eight months, hates tummy time and cries immediately when we put her on her stomach, and tends to pull her legs or fold them up when we try to help her stand. She also had delayed hand grasping at six months, although this has improved.

My biggest concern is that she used to be able to roll over but just stopped completely about 6 months ago and has not rolled since. I know that losing a skill you already know is called developmental regression, and this worries me a lot.

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

As a parent, I can understand how scary it may be to notice changes like this and how it is totally reasonable to want further evaluation. Your concerns are worth taking seriously.

A few things are reassuring in what you have described. Your daughter is socially responsive, responds to sounds and her name, maintains good eye contact, has good neck control, uses both legs actively, holds and explores objects, and is feeding well.

All good signs of development, and she is working on developing skills in several important areas. But some of the issues you raised do deserve further scrutiny at eight months. These comprise

Rolling stops after being able to roll (loss of a previously achieved milestone).
Tummy time was not fun.
Sitting independently (not yet sitting without support) delayed.
Pulls legs up rather than weight-bearing when supported to stand. Reluctance to weight-bear or stand.
Better, but a delay in grasping objects earlier.

Whether babies develop at different rates or whether the loss of a skill they had before should always be carefully considered.

It does not mean there is an underlying serious problem, but it is important to understand why it happened.

My suggestion would be:

A full developmental assessment, a complete review of your daughter’s development in movement, communication, social interaction, and other developmental milestones.

Review of:

Muscle tone to see if muscles feel unusually stiff or unusually floppy.
Muscle strength is tested to determine how well muscles work when moving.
Reflexes are automatic responses the body makes that can give clues about the development of the nerves and brain.
Posture to observe how she holds and controls her body.
Motor patterns to see how she moves, how she sits, how she reaches, how she uses her body.

Referrals to a pediatric physiotherapist (physical therapist for children) or early intervention services that assist babies and young children with developmental delays.

Referral to a developmental paediatrician (a doctor who specialises in child development and developmental delays) or a paediatric neurologist (a doctor who specialises in the evaluation of the brain, nerves, and muscle-related conditions in children).

Even if the final diagnosis is reassuring, early support and physiotherapy can be very useful. It is often better to evaluate concerns sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, keep encouraging gentle floor play and movement practice for short periods, without forcing positions she really dislikes.

Also, watch how she is using both sides of her body and look for any changes in movement, feeding, social interaction or newly learned skills.

If you see: seek immediate medical evaluation in person

Progressive weakness.
Other skills or milestones were lost.
Problems with feeding.
Less interactivity or responsiveness.
Abnormal movements (e.g., unusual jerking, repetitive movements, or movements that concern you).
More stiffness or strange floppiness.
Decreased use of one side of the body.

I hope this helps.

Kindly revert so I can assist you further.

Thank you.