{"h1":"What causes not pointing to show things in young children?","faq":[{"a":"Pointing to share — not just to request — usually appears between about 12 and 18 months. Some children arrive a little later, especially if they're quieter by nature or busy mastering walking. If it hasn't emerged by around 18 months alongside few gestures or words, it's worth a friendly check.","q":"At what age should my child point to show me things?"},{"a":"Yes, and it's a useful distinction. Pointing to request (\"I want that\") and pointing to share (\"look at that!\") are slightly different skills. Sharing-pointing reflects the wish to connect over something together. If your child shares in other ways — bringing toys, looking between you and an object — that's an encouraging sign of joint attention.","q":"My child points to ask for things but not to show me. Is that different?"},{"a":"It can be. Even mild or fluctuating hearing loss, often from glue ear, can quietly slow the back-and-forth that drives gestures like pointing. A hearing check is a sensible, simple first step whenever communication seems behind.","q":"Could hearing be the reason my toddler isn't pointing?"},{"a":"Not on its own. Reduced pointing-to-show can be part of a wider social-communication pattern, but it can equally reflect late blooming, hearing differences or a general communication delay. What matters is the overall picture — and only a qualified clinician can assess that. A developmental check brings clarity.","q":"Does not pointing mean my child has autism?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"what-causes-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-young-children","title":"What causes not pointing to show things in young children?","entity":{"key":"no-pointing","kind":"phenomenon","name":"Not Pointing To Show Things","slug":null},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Communication","value":"communication"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Influence","value":"influence"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Screen","value":"screen"},{"kind":"route","label":"Speech-Therapy","value":"speech-therapy"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Early Clarity","value":"early_clarity"}],"parent":{"key":"behaviours","label":"Behaviours"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-causes-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-1-year-old","title":"Why a 1-Year-Old May Not Point to Show Things"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-makes-not-pointing-to-show-things-worse-in-a-child","title":"What makes not pointing to show things worse in a child?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"can-not-pointing-to-show-things-be-an-early-sign-of-a-developmental-concern","title":"Can Not Pointing To Show Things Be an Early Sign of a Developmental Concern?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"when-should-i-worry-about-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-my-child","title":"When should I worry about not pointing to show things?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"why-does-my-child-not-point-to-show-me-things","title":"Why does my child not point to show me things?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-should-i-do-if-my-child-doesn-t-point-at-things","title":"What should I do if my child doesn't point at things?"}],"summary":"Pointing to show things (joint attention) usually emerges around 12–18 months. When it's missing, causes range from late blooming and reduced hearing to wider communication or social differences. The gesture matters less than the overall pattern of how a child shares attention — and it's checkable and supportable, not a verdict.","answer_md":"*Pointing to share a discovery — \"look at that!\" — is one of the sweetest early signs that a child wants to connect, and when it's missing many parents quite rightly wonder why.*\n\n## In short\nBetween about 12 and 24 months, most children begin to point to *show* you something — not to ask for it, but simply to share their delight. When a child isn't yet doing this, the cause can range from perfectly ordinary individual variation and late blooming, to reduced hearing, to differences in social communication that are worth understanding early. The point itself isn't the worry — what matters is the bigger pattern of how your child shares attention, looks to you, and connects. The reassuring truth is that this is a checkable, supportable area of development, not a verdict.\n\n## What can lie behind it\n**Sharing attention is a skill that develops.** Pointing-to-show (called \"joint attention\") usually emerges around 12–18 months. Some children simply arrive at it a little later, especially if they are busy mastering walking or are quieter by temperament.\n\nCommon, addressable contributors include:\n- **Hearing differences** — even mild or fluctuating hearing loss (often from glue ear) can quietly delay the back-and-forth that drives gesture. A hearing check is always a sensible first step.\n- **Fewer shared-attention moments** — lots of screen time or limited face-to-face play can reduce the everyday chances to practise sharing.\n- **Overall pace of communication** — pointing often arrives alongside babble, first words and other gestures; a general communication delay can carry it along.\n- **Social-communication differences** — when not pointing sits within a wider pattern (limited eye contact, not responding to name, less back-and-forth), it can be an early signal worth a gentle look.\n\nA child who shows you things through *other* means — bringing a toy, taking your hand, looking between you and an object — is already sharing attention, which is encouraging.\n\n## When to have it checked\nRaise it with your developmental team if, by around 18 months, your child is not pointing to show, *and* there is little babble, few gestures, or limited response to their name — or at any age if you notice a loss of skills your child once had. Persistent parental instinct is itself a strong reason to check.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nDevelopmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional., under qualified clinician care — never from an article or an app. We begin by understanding your child's whole communication picture, not one gesture in isolation, and build from there. Explore how we [support early communication](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate), understand [what the AbilityScore measures](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated), or [start with us](/).\n\n## Trusted sources\nCDC \"Learn the Signs. Act Early.\" developmental milestones; American Academy of Pediatrics guidance on early communication via HealthyChildren.org; WHO ICF framework on functioning and participation.\n\n**Next step —** If your little one isn't yet pointing to share, a quick developmental check brings clarity and calm. [Book a screen with a Pinnacle clinician](/).\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-causes-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-young-children","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-causes-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-young-children","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"behaviours","label":"Behaviours"}],"meta_title":"Why a Toddler Isn't Pointing to Show Things","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Make sharing easy: sit face-to-face, follow what your child looks at, point to it yourself and name it warmly — \"Yes! A dog!\" Lots of small, screen-free moments of noticing things together give pointing the practice it needs to emerge.","published_at":"2026-06-10T12:04:00.224892+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"signs","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"why-does-my-child-not-point-to-show-me-things","title":"Why does my child not point to show me things?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"can-not-pointing-to-show-things-be-an-early-sign-of-a-developmental-concern","title":"Can Not Pointing To Show Things Be an Early Sign of a Developmental Concern?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"when-should-i-worry-about-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-my-child","title":"When should I worry about not pointing to show things?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-i-worry-about-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-1-year-old","title":"Should I worry about not pointing to show things in a 1-year-old?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"should-a-frontline-worker-refer-a-child-showing-not-pointing-to-show-things","title":"Should a frontline worker refer a child not pointing to show things?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-developmental-conditions-can-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-child-point-to","title":"Absent Pointing to Show: A Clinician's Signs Guide","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"when-should-a-doctor-investigate-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-young-child","title":"When should a doctor investigate not pointing to show things in a young child?","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"Recognise signs & concerns","total":7},{"key":"causes","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-causes-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-1-year-old","title":"Why a 1-Year-Old May Not Point to Show Things","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"Explore causes & influences","total":1},{"key":"therapy","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-makes-not-pointing-to-show-things-worse-in-a-child","title":"What makes not pointing to show things worse in a child?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-should-i-do-if-my-child-doesn-t-point-at-things","title":"What should I do if my child doesn't point at things?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"can-not-pointing-to-show-things-be-a-sign-of-autism","title":"Can Not Pointing To Show Things Be a Sign of Autism?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"do-children-usually-outgrow-not-pointing-to-show-things","title":"Do children usually outgrow not pointing to show things?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-not-pointing-to-show-things-a-normal-part-of-child-development","title":"Is Not Pointing To Show Things Normal?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-other-behaviours-often-occur-with-not-pointing-to-show-things","title":"What other behaviours often occur with Not Pointing To Show Things?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-a-teacher-support-a-1-year-old-who-shows-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-class","title":"How can a teacher support a 1-year-old who isn't pointing to show things?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-therapy-address-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-child","title":"How therapy addresses a child not pointing to show things","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-should-a-frontline-worker-respond-to-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-child","title":"How should a frontline worker respond to a child not pointing to show things?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-should-a-teacher-respond-to-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-young-child","title":"How should a teacher respond to not pointing to show things in a young child?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-therapy-techniques-help-a-child-with-not-pointing-to-show-things","title":"Therapy techniques for not pointing to show things","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"Explore therapy & support","total":11},{"key":"home","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-help-a-young-child-with-not-pointing-to-show-things","title":"How to Help a Young Child Who Isn't Pointing to Show Things","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-handle-not-pointing-to-show-things-in-a-1-year-old","title":"How do I handle not pointing to show things in a 1-year-old?","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"At home & in everyday life","total":2}],"what_to_watch":"By around 18 months, watch whether your child shares attention at all — pointing, bringing toys to you, or looking between you and an object — and whether they babble, use gestures and respond to their name. Loss of any skill at any age warrants a prompt check.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://www.cdc.gov/child-development","label":"CDC: Developmental Milestones"},{"url":"https://www.healthychildren.org","label":"AAP HealthyChildren.org: Early Communication"},{"url":"https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/international-classification-of-functioning-disability-and-health","label":"WHO ICF Framework"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T12:04:00.224892+00:00","meta_description":"Not pointing to show things in toddlers can stem from late blooming, hearing differences or social-communication patterns. Causes, what to watch and when t","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}