My sleepless son

My son has decided not to sleep these days. Or, I should say, he's decided not to
sleep in his crib. He'll sleep fine in my arms, or the car seat, or on a nice long walk, but the minute you head to the crib he protests (flailing arms, arched back, etc.) and then proceeds to yell and cry for as long as you leave him there. Yesterday, it was from 12:30-2:30am. This is frustrating. I'd like him to be a more self-sufficient sleeper...he needs it, I need it, the cats need it, my spouse needs it, my neighbors need it. But, how do you figure out what a 12 month old child really needs when his only way of communicating is through cries.