My 15 mo old grandson babbles with real feeling ...

No, No, No, No, do not start that "autism" thinking already with the child!!!  Please, enjoy him, he knows what he is expressing!  The child is most likely a genius.  At least my oldest grandson grew up to be one.  Yes, indeed he did.  He used to do the same thing.  His father was a state champion debator and would practice his speeches and the baby picked up on the expressions and was mimicking his father, so when they took the baby out to a ball game he would jabber away and yell and he was happy to be joining in with the rest of the yelling crowd.  The baby grew up to become a National Champion Forensic/Speech Performer and brought home many many trophies during his career.  He also won many awards as an actor.  So, please let the babe "speak"  He's a charmer! oh and I just remembered, my second to oldest grandson used to sit in my Shaker rocking chair and howl away like he was singing a country song and tears would well up in his big brown eyes.  We didn't understand his words, but he did, and his songs were so very sad.  Today he is an accomplished straight A student with a college scholorship already in his back pocket and he has a year to go in high school.  Let the babies wail away....it's a great form of expression!

I don't think that autism is something you should worry about, especially if you say that he babbles with real feeling. However, I am not an expert. Has he had a check up recently?

It is really difficult to see how you can jump to the fear of autism at this point.  The child is obviously expressing himself.  Enjoy him and let him enjoy being a child.  I am no expert but have seen enough children 'misdiagnosed' because of an overly concerned relative.  We all develop differently.  I wish you the best in the world and hope you can achieve some peace of mind.  My prayers are with you, Rick

Let it alone!

At 15 months, he is just where he ought to be. My grandson is nearly 22 months and it is only over the last month or so that his language skills have been developing fast and furiously.

All children develop at their own pace - so unless his pediatrician feels there is a problem, the best thing to do to encourage language skills is to read to him and to speak to him - and NOT in baby talk or with a sing-song voice, either.

Relax and enjoy him. All too soon he'll be talking so much there may be days you long for a little bit of silence!

Anne,

That's a great question and one many grandparents and parents are now asking with autism showing up more and more on television, newspapers -- as well as the CDC reporting a significant increase in cases.  My own daughter is a beautiful little girl with autism and I am now an autism specialist who helps parents when they first get the official diagnosis.

I would like agree with the other respondents: it is early to worry and it is common for children to begin talking at their own speed. 

When children are very little, I am always more concerned about their RECEPTIVE language, in terms of possible autism diagnosis, than their EXPRESSIVE.  In other words, as your grandson develops, it is more important that he comes to understand what you are saying and can follow your directions than whether he is an impressive talker.  Any developmental chart will give you an idea of what he should be able to understand and do at approximately what age.  I have seen many children who are very delayed in their speech, but will have no problem following directions you give them (running to get their shoes, finding the toy you are asking for, etc) and they eventually speak very well at a later age.  Autistic kids often seem "deaf" early on and seem to have trouble hearing their name (consistently) or following a one-step command (though this is also not a hard-and-fast rule -- all autism is a spectrum).

It is also important to look at him socially.  If he is very into interacting with people, is interested in other children and wants attention when he does something or sees something interesting (called joint attention), these are good signs.

Generally, professionals will be very leery of making any type of diagnosis of something as serious as autism until about the age of 2-1/2.  There are a myriad of things that can be going on with speech that have nothing to do with such a diagnosis -- such as a real hearing problem or sensory processing issues -- so even if there is a concern, don't jump the gun and assume anything specific.   

All states have free testing and provide early intervention for children 0-3.  It never hurts to get a child tested and get a therapist in to work with him/her, so if you become more concerned, don't hesitate to bring up concerns with your pediatrician.