# 3 month old development? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2014, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-month-old-development/693444 "2014-07-18T12:06:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-month-old-development/693444/21 "2014-07-19T21:21:53Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > If she can’t hold her head up, that’s another concern-- that would be a sign of something like CP. But I wouldn’t come on too strong. There was no head movement at all. > [@](#): > > The baby of a friend of mine had clear signs of autism to me, and I worked with autistic children and adults at the time, so it seemed really obvious, but he was about four months, and I knew that he was getting regular check-ups, and his parents were pretty well tuned-in to everything that could happen, and there really wasn’t any kind of intervention for four-month-olds. > > When he was a year, he was referred by his pediatrician for developmental intervention, and when he was two, he was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, later revised to Asperger’s syndrome. That’s really early. He’s in a private school right now, is making really good grades, and has pretty good social skills, all things considered. He’s planning on going to college, and probably will do all right. > > They really didn’t need me to say anything when he was four months, and cause them needless worry. Well, I’ll see how she is in a month. If it’s something for which there is likely no diagnostic intervention for, then there might not be a point in saying anything at that time. I’ll just have to wait and see. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-month-old-development/693444/22 "2014-07-19T21:40:03Z")
> [@BrightNShiny](#): > > There was no head movement at all. Did you hold her up, facing you, and did her head fall forward, or could she hold it up? That’s not a definitive test for cerebral palsy, especially when done by a lay person, but it’s something doctors look for, and if there’s any reason to be on the alert for CP (preemie; hypoxia at birth), it can signal that more tests are needed. Is it possible that they already know there is a problem, and they have chosen not to tell the family for their own reasons? ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-month-old-development/693444/23 "2014-07-19T21:51:47Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Did you hold her up, facing you, and did her head fall forward, or could she hold it up? No, I didn’t hold her up like that. I held her in the crook of my arm, and I sat her in my lap while leaning her back against my chest. At all times, I was supporting her head, because I just didn’t feel like she had any neck control at all and she didn’t attempt to move her head in the least. > [@](#): > > Is it possible that they already know there is a problem, and they have chosen not to tell the family for their own reasons? It’s possible, but it’s highly unlikely. That’s just not the way things work in our family. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-month-old-development/693444/24 "2014-07-19T22:39:00Z")
I agree that it sounds odd but not hugely so. Three months is around the age when babies really ‘arrive’ in the world. Before that, they can kind of switch on and off from the world - I’ve had lunch and conversation in a packed, noisy restaurant with my two-month-old on my chest in a wrap sling, fast asleep and oblivious to the action, even though most of the time she was a very alert and reactive kid. But by three months, both my kids would’ve been very much tuned in to what was going on and reacting to it. No more wrap-sling lunches. But like other people have said, some babies do zone out in high-input environments with lots of action and noise. It’s their way of coping when there’s too much for them to take in. If you’re in the same situation again, one possibility would be to carry her somewhere peaceful (no noise, no chaotic visual stimuli, no other people running around nearby) and see if she gets more alert and interactive after a couple of minutes. If she does, then the likelihood is that she’s just one of those babies. Did her eyes seem to focus and track? In other words, was she looking at you and watching the action, or just spacing out? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-month-old-development/693444/25 "2014-07-19T22:40:30Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@DSeid](#): > > Saying “You should se a specialist.” based on brief observations and your past babysitting experiences making you so expert on development is not only tactless and rude; it would be arrogant and stupid. > [@BrightNShiny](#): > > And your behavior in this thread is arrogant and stupid. These comments were posted in GQ, which is a forum for factual answers, not opinions. This is also pushing into personal insult territory. That sort of thing belongs in The Pit, not GQ. No warnings issued, but let’s keep this sort of thing out of GQ, please. **Moderator Action** While this thread can be answered factually, many of the responders are drifting well into opinion territory. It seems to me that this thread will do better in IMHO. Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. Please observe this forum’s rules, especially those relating to civility towards other users. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-month-old-development/693444.md?page=1)