18 Month Old Boy Who Hasnt Started Talking Yet....

I would get a hearing and speech evaluation at All Children's Hospital, my son and daughter did not say hardly anything at that age I did not think anything of my daughter cause my son was a late talker and it ended up that my daughter has moderate-severe hearing loss that was not diagnosed til she was 3 when we switched peds, the first one was not concerned with it and the second one immediately ordered speech and hearing eval. Please don't wait.

Hello N., I completley feel your stress!! I am going through the same thing, with my son. Grant it, the age is a little different, but he is attending therpy down in Milton at the Pediatric Therpy Center. I am not sure if you need a referrel or not, but if you live close to it, I would definitly call and find out. I know that right now, my son's services are free because of his age and your son is younger then mine. The Center is off of Canal street. Let me know how things go!!

Hey N.. Your medical doctors are right. You do not need to be too concerned with him not talking just yet. I am a clinically certified Speech-Language Pathologist, but currently staying home with my 3 year old twins. I would suggest you have his hearing tested to rule out the possibility of him not hearing sounds, words, etc....but beyond that, keep encouraging him!

Make sure you are requiring him to use words instead of gestures or grunting, and being so young, help provide him with the necessary words if he doesn't have them, showing him that just pointing to his cup isn't going to work, he needs to say juice please, or cup, or something along those lines. When there's an older sibling the younger sibling often is a later talker simply because the older sibling speaks for them! Hope this tidbit of info helps you out!

K. R.

Ok, here's my two cents... :) The one thing you can do is incourage him to use his words, it's hard, my son used to just grunt and point. So, we all started making him say the words. It was ugly at first but then he started talking. Hope this helps. :)

Our daughter didn't talk either - she would shake her head and point or otherwise get our attention. One day, my husband asked her if she wanted something and she shook her head. My husband told her that if she didn't say she wanted it she couldn't have it. We laugh to this day because she hasn't shut up since. She was talking SO loud that I had her hearing re-checked when she was 3 only for the doctor to determine that I was the one with the hearing loss in my right ear. We know think she began yelling to get my attention from her car seat from the back seat and just kept on yelling every other place.

So long as your son's doctor says he's progressing, I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe he figures why waste his breath when I'm sure his older brother will take care of the verbal part. (:-)

I had the same concerns this past summer with my oldest son. Here's what I learned. There are three things to consider: (1) hearing problems (since he comprehends things, you assume he is hearing fine. But they can have minor ear infections that scar the ear drum and show no/few symptoms - worth it to have his hearing tested to be sure he can hear ALL ranges of sound), (2) developmental delay such as Apraxia (highly recommend reading The Late Talker by Marilyn Agin and Lisa Geng) or (3) just a late talker because they don't feel the need to talk (either older siblings or parents talk for them or all needs are provided for). How can we as parents or a childs regular doctor decide which one your child has? Answer, they cannot without referrals to specialists.

So my suggestion, get his hearing tested (just in case) and have your son evaluated through an early intervention program as others have suggested. Most likely he is just a true late talker. But if you cannot be sure (which is why you are posting this concern), then do what you need to do to "be sure". If he's not a late talker, then you'll be just in time to get him enrolled in the special assistance he'll need to get him back on track before he gets too far behind. Early intervention is the key to success with late talkers. Good luck!

I had a friend who had a little boy that at 2 1/2 he could only say maybe 5 words. After testing his hearing, and going to a speech pathologist, they finally tested him for allergies. Ironically, they found he was Siliac and put him on a glutten free diet. Within 6 months he was talking normally and non-stop! Just one thought. It's amazing how diet can affect your speech.

R.

My daughter did not speak till well after two. She didn't feel like it. She had signals for everthing. I had her eyes checked and her hearing, everything was fine. Then she went from nothing to almost full sentences in a very short amount of time. She is five now and has advanced communication skils.

As long as the doctor says he is physically normal, don't worry, they all grow differently.

D.

Hi..Dont feel bad..our son is 2 1/2 years old and still don't say anything except Hi and bye bye. Not to mention he is still in pampers and still has a binky. The Dr. says he will speak when he is ready and not to worry. The Dr also says we cant really start the potty training until he can at least tell us he has to go to the potty. Only time will tell I guess :)

I have experienced your situation with my older son who is now 7 when he was 2 at his 2 yr old check up he was not doing what a normal 2 yr old should do.. I would take your child to there Dr and have them referred to a speech and Language person if your here in FWB the speech and Language people are the best ###-###-####.. My son still goes for speech cause his speech is still not all that clear but it is way better then it was when he was 2..
There is also VPK-D for children ages 3-4 the D is for disability lack of speech falls under there qualifications
Hope I have helped some...IF you need anymore help you can E-mial me if you like..

HI N.! I DONT HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU, BUT I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU MY SON IS THE SAME WAY. HE IS ALMOST 17 MONTHS OLD AND ONLY SAYS MAMA & DADA, AND SOMETIMES SOMETHING THAT SOUNDS LIKE HEY. I KNOW HE COMPREHENDS EVERYTHING, SO I DONT FEEL CONCERNED THAT HE IS A SLOW LEARNER OR ANYTHING. MY DAUGHTER, WHICH IS 4 NOW, WAS SAYING ALOT BY THIS AGE. SHE'S A HUGE TALKER NOW.....WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, AND WHY ALL DAY LONG FROM HER...LOL. MY HUSBANDS MOM SAID THAT HE DIDNT START TALKING FOR A LONG TIME, SHE LAUGHED AND SAID HE WAS JUST LAZY. HE JUST POINTED TO WHAT HE WANTED AND SAID UH, WHICH MY SON DOES THAT TOO. THE DOCTORS DONT SEEM CONCERNED ABOUT MY SON, SO WHILE I HAVE NO ANSWER FOR YOU ON THIS MATTER, I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW, YOU'RE NOT ALONE. HOPE I HAVE MADE YOU FEEL SOMEWHAT BETTER.

I had the same problem with my daughter and I expressed concern cause she was not saying 1 single word. So what they did was put her through a hearing test with an audiologist and found out that her hearing was fine so then we were sent to Babys Can't wait and they did an evaluation of her and she is going through speech therapy. She went through them until she was 3 and now has it through the school system. Express concern to your Dr. if you are really worried about it and get him tested. Don't wait until it is to late.

Hi N.,

I am a mother of three beautiful girls ages 10, 6, and 18 months. My baby has been in the early intervention program since about she was 9 months old. She has OT, PT, and Hippotherapy. The program is free until the child is three. It can not hurt one bit to have your son evaluated. But do it now while he is still young. It is a great program and they come to your house. If it is nothing THEY will tell you.If nothing else it is peace of mind for you. I have found especially with my youngest YOU have to be your childs biggest advocate ,not the doctors. I completely agree with the other mom that said go with your gut.I hate to babble but here's a Dr. story. One night after my middle daughter got out of the bath I notice she was really swollen all over her body. Took her to the Ped. they said it was an allergy. Took her to the allergist they could not find anything specific. They did all the spot tests on her back. She was not getting any better just more swollen daily. Took her to the emergency room. Nothing. Not one person did a blood or urine test on her. Finally I went back to the Ped. and told them I was not leaving until they did a blood and urine test. Ended up,she has a Kidney disease.
All anyone had to do was a urine test. The moral to this story is the doctors do not know everything and you have to know your child and go with your gut.

Good luck,

S. R.

problem is. Sincerely, J.

Sometimes it's just impossible not to compare! :) As long as he is comprehending what you are saying, and seems to be hearing well then I wouldn't worry about it. My friends child didn't talk for the longest time and they figured out that it was because his big sister did all the talking for him! HA!
Best of luck, Jen

I would ask the doctor to see an occupational, physical and speech therapist right now. The younger children are the better they respond to therapy. The worse is the therapist would tell you not to worry.

When my son was that age, he couldn't speak, either. We discovered that he was having constant ear infections and, since he couldn't hear sounds; he couldn't copy them. He had developed his own little language, but once he was given antibiotics, he COULD hear and did learn to speak "our" language! Also, since he was an only child, he didn't find it necessary to speak, since everybody anticipated his needs and wants and provided them before he had a chance to ask! Check with the doctor to get a course of action...hope this helps and good luck!

This is embarrassing to say, but I did not talk until almost the age of four. Why should I, everyone talked for me. Especially my older sister. She would tell everyone what I wanted and I would shake my head yes or no. It was sort of like a guessing game. Also when I wanted something I would hold my hands out and grunt. That alway got me what I wanted. To everyone's suprise, my reading and speech have always been excellent. But that's my story, hope it helps. Good luck!

My husband and his sister are 18 month apart. My husbands parents were worried about him for a long time because he never talked. They took him to the doctor and they said there was not a reason why he didn't talk. It was just because he didn't want to. His parents were not happy when they were told this and they were still worried. They tried everything. One night him and his sister were supposed to be in bed and his parents heard a conversation in his sisters room. They stood outside the door and listened and they heard him talking to his sister. They were astounded. They walked in and tried to join the conversation but he stopped talking. His sister said he's shy but he'll come around. He's been talking to me. There parents were shocked. He finally came around and started talking. He was just shy and only talked to his sister. Hopefully that is how your son is. Don't worry if the doctors are not worried you shouldn't be. He will start talking when he is ready. Who knows he might be already. If it gives him more attention that might be why he isn't talking. Give it time.

That is about the same age that I talked with my now 2 1/2 yr old son's doctor. She told me not to worry... he will come around. I DID NOT listen. As soon as I got home that day I contacted a program called Babies Can't Wait. They work with children under the age of 3 with disabilities such as speech. Since that time, I have seen a wonderful speech therapist that comes to my house every week. It was been wonderful. My son has gone from not speaking to being ahead of most children his age. He is also getting ready to 'graduate' from the program on his 3rd birthday with no further therapy needed. This is a great program and the children benefit so well!!! You are right to think this as a problem and you need to seek out a speech therapist ASAP, the longer you wait the further behind he will get and the harder it will be for him to get to the point he needs to be!! Feel free to email me if you need any help in your area as I have several resources because of what I do. ____@____.com

I wouldn't worry just yet either. He is following your commands and clearly understands everything, so it isn't hearing, most likely. My son just started talking around this age, he is still only 23 months. One day he went from being silent, but clearly understanding things, to saying large batches of new words everyday. A friend of mine has a little girl that didn't start talking until after 2, but when she did, she was talking in sentences. you can talk to doctors about it, but don't panic. If things don't progress in the next few months than you should really start trying to pin down the problem. I hate going to doctors if I don't have to!

I went through something similiar when my son was that age too. My children are only 22 months apart. Around the time my son was about 18 months, me didn't speak much either and the Dr.'s weren't worried but I was. When my son did say something he never finished a word. If he wanted juice he would say "ju" and he still called me "mama" etc. Well, I'm lucky to have a PPO so my primary Dr. told me if I wanted to I could go see someone without a referral. She did give me a name of those who worked with All Children's, so I went with my gutand took him. There was a lot of tests (hearing, sight etc..) Well he did have a speech problem and EVERYONE was happy at how early we caught it. He was in speech thearpy until he was 4yrs and my son is now 6 in kindergarten and doing great. So my advise is go with your gut.. If you have a PPO you don't need a referral go see someone. Call All Children's they will help you every step of the way. They even help you find a way to pay for thearpy if your insurance doesn't cover it.

You can contact the school board/district and ask to speak with someone that serves children birth through 3 years old with delays and special needs. Explain your concern and see if they feel your child needs to be screened.

I am a mother of 4 girls. Twin soon to be 5 year olds, a 2 year old and a 6 month old. My two year old didn't talk much and the doctor told me not to worry, well how can't I. I am her mother and concerned. This is what I did and I think you should do the same. Get her tested by an early intervention program and see what they say. If therapy is required then they will be the ones to tell you. I did and she needed therapy and now goes to school and has been in school for the last 6 months and it was the best choice I ever made she just turned two in jan and she speaks in sentences does the abc's and counts, knows her shapes and colors. The program has done wonders for her and the program is free. The earlier the better!! Don't wait it's a free evaluation and they come to your home if need be.

I am a mom of 2 (3 1/2 and 28 mos). My older one did not start saying much until 22 months. She did make sounds but not many words. She does not stop talking now.

One idea is to begin sign language with him so he learns to communicate his thoughts and is often then more motivated to speak. One good video I have is Baby Babble. It encourages sound making, some signs and was done by speech pathologists.

Good luck.

It's Normal...don't worry
all children are different and grow at different rates.
if you feel too concerned talk to a speech therapist.
have a great night!

My son did the same thing. His only words at 18 months were cookie and mama. The state of Georgia has a program called Babies Can't Wait and they'll come and do a free evaluation of your child to see if there are any developmental issues and whether speech therapy is needed.

Teaching your child sign language may also be helpful as a tool to begin communicating and reducing his frustration over not being able to make you understand what he wants.

My son is now 2 1/2 half and still has difficulty with communicating his needs and wants, but understands everything very well. Each child is different and if it makes you feel better, children that begin speaking later, statistically do better in school later on!

I HAVE A DAUGHTER, WHO JUST TURNED 19 MOS. SHE IS OUR ONLY CHILD. I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH. THE ONLY THING SHE SAYS IS , "HEY ". SHE DOES UNDERSTAND AND MAKES ALOT OF SOUNDS. WE TOOK HER IN TO HAVE HER HEARING TESTED AND SHE DID GREAT AND PASSED EVERYTHING. THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO THINK IT WAS TOO MUCH OF A PROBLEM. THEY JUST ADVISED THAT WE KEEP WORKING WITH HER AND TO READ TO HER ALOT. I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING. THEY DID SAY WE COULD GET WITH A SPEECH THERAPIST IF WE WANTED BUT THEY DIDN'T FORCE THE ISSUE. EVERYONE SEEMS TO THINK SHE WILL TALK WHEN SHE IS READY. I HOPE THEY ARE RIGHT.

I hear this is common in children and have had some friends with this issue. One of the things that worked well with them until thier child could talk was using sign language to speek with them. You can check out free sign language videos for toddlers from the public library. They are contemporary and the kids love them. They are called "Signing Time" (with Alex and Liegh). A mother made them because her daughter was deaf. Check them out, maybe it will make communication easier for everyone. They pick up the signs really quick. Good Luck!