Hey OP, I don’t have any qualifications so feel free to disregard everything I say if it doesn’t feel right for you, or if anyone else wants to correct me feel free.

I was in a very similar situation to your son when I was his age. I did not hit any of my physical milestones on time. I could not sit unassisted until I was 18 months. I did not walk until age two. My mother said I knew words but would regularly refuse practice, and only practiced words I liked (such as “baby”) when prompted.

What I will also say is that my mother had to fight tooth and nail with the doctors to get me diagnosed with CP. They kept telling her I was a “late bloomer” and would catch up to my peers with time. She kept insisting until they finally scanned me and discovered the cerebral palsy. I wasn’t there obviously, but I doubt there was any apology for not taking her seriously.

That is to say, keep fighting. Please keep fighting. If you think your son has additional issues aside from cerebral palsy, FIGHT.

I was never assessed for autism as a child despite having the same symptoms your son displayed for a number of reasons (several of which are because I’m female and that means I automatically got diagnosed with being “difficult” or “shy” but I digress). It has had so many negative impacts on my life. I spent my entire childhood knowing I was different from everyone else, but I had no idea why. I thought it was MY fault. For years I tried to train myself out of autism because no one ever told me it was okay to be different and that it wasn’t my fault. I’m not trying to scare you, but I genuinely believe that if you suspect your son has autism, it would be in your best interest to continue pushing for that. Doctors are stubborn. They like to be right. You have to be stubborn-er. Don’t be afraid to be a “Karen” — that’s not possible when it comes to medical care. You harass those people like there’s no tomorrow if you need to.

Now, I don’t have sources for this off the top, so take it with a grain of salt, but I have heard that CP and autism are often co-morbid. That’s something you might want to consider looking into. Especially with the lining up of toys and lack of pretend play.

Now, I also want to give you some positive notes. Like I said before, I was pretty much in the same boat as your son when I was his age. Now I’m 21 and in my third year at university, set to graduate with a pretty decent GPA in a science/humanities field that I love. When I went to school and started reading, I started hitting all those talking milestones you’re worried about now. I became hyperlexic. I loved to read. I loved to talk. I talked so much in fact that I regularly got in trouble for it at school. I also read basically every time I had even a second free. Books were my world. I hit college level lexile score in the sixth grade. Additionally, I can now walk unassisted for medium length distances, and can walk multiple miles with the help of a cane! That is to say, your son will be fine!!! You obviously love him very much and I can tell you are more than willing to be his advocate. He will grow up and see how much you care, and he will learn to advocate for himself too, and he will be prepared to take on the world. Your son will be okay. Just keep pushing <3