18Mth Old Son Not Speaking Yet

He'll get it.
My daughter didn't speak words until she was 2.5 and she only speaks English.
Children in bilingual homes usuallly take longer than those in single language homes.

Hi Mama
We are also a bilingual family.English and french.
My son didn't speak until 2.5 yrs,he had very few words at 2yrs.
Now at 3.5yrs he has fantastic speech.
Don't worry,they say that boys start later.

All the best
B.

Bilingual kids speak later, since their brain has to develop two channels of communication. When he is going to start talking he'll be fluent in both languages. Continue to talk to him in both languages, this is the best gift you can give your child! Bilingual people excel in most domains, their brain is so much more flexible than others. At this age, they are like sponges, absorbing everything. It's awesome that he is being raised in a bilingual family! Good Luck!

Please check out your state's early intervention program. Although it is not unheard of for a child to not speak much at 18 months, he should be able to say something. The EI program (I think in TX it is called birth to 3.....you can look up your states human services dept on the internet and that should let you find it...I know it says I am in Austin but that is because I was asking some questions about maybe moving there) can evaluate him and if he is behind by a certain percentage you can get some speech therapy.....and the earlier you catch it the better. If it is nothing, it is nothing and they will tell you that but if there is a chance he is behind it is better to ask the professionals and get a little therapy now to catch him up.

I am not saying he is like my son cause we are English only but my son had no words at 18 months either and he ended up having a serious speech disorder. It is better to look into it and make sure. Waiting and saying he'll grow out of it....maybe he will, but maybe he won't and wouldn't you rather have done something about it to make sure?

Here is some info on developmental milestones for speech:
http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/12.htm

** Also comprehension of language and expression of it are two different abilities. My son's disorder is completely expressive, so like your son he understood everything....still does, but he can't speak very well. He is a little over a full year behind and has alot of difficulty with consonants. So just because he understands does not necessarily mean nothing is wrong. If you are concerned, there is most likely reason to be concerned and I would definitely have it checked out. You can go to your ped and they will refer you to EI, but some peds with have the "wait and see" attitude as well. You can contact EI yourself.

I'm in agreement with the others. It only makes sense that when you're learning two languages, it takes a little longer. And some children naturally start talking later than others, no matter how many languages you're learning. (Don't you wonder what's going on in your son's head?) I've had friends whose children wouldn't say anything for the longest time, and then when they started went to complete sentences almost right away.

But first, talk to your doctor. You want to be certain that there's not a physical problem. If there isn't, you can still discuss the situation and get some reassurance. If there is, the sooner it can be remedied the better.

My daughter will be 2 on the 20th of this month but she had quite a few words down at 18 months and now says sentences. My husband and his family also speak Spanish to her and I just speak English and she understands both but more English. Maybe its a speech delay? That's good that he understands what your referring to when your talking though. I'm not sure, i would talk to his pediatrician. Good luck.

single language: 9-18mo for first words

bilingual or multilingual : 18mo-2.5years for first words (typically it tacks on about a year to single language milestones until about age 4/5 and everything just clicks and both languages are "separated" not half and half jumbled together, and both languages area accent free.

Woah, momma. The milestones are WAY off on this for boys. My son didn't say a word at 2 1/2. Everyone was telling me to drag him to therapy. I told them to lay an egg. His comprehension was superior. He speaks wonderfully now at 3. A few of my sisters and friends had sons who barely spoke at 3. If your son talks at 2, he's on the early side.
My daughter is 18 months and not talking. She's brilliant. I'm not concerned. And I'm sooooo jealous your child is immersed on two languages. AWESOME!

I was really worried about my daughter because she was not really talking at 19 months (she has a history of ear infections and tubes). I talked to her ped. and they recommend I contact a county department that does free evaluations. They sent out two different therapists to eval. her. They sent a Speech and Occupational thearpist. Turns out she did have a delay (18%) but not enough of one to qualify for their program.
They were able to help me feel better about everyhting because they said that while she was not saying very many words (I think she had about 8 or 10) and was a few months behind. They also told me she was very advanced in terms of what she understood (she was at 24 months +).
Also, I will tell you that she is now 27 months and never shuts up!! :)

ask your pediatrician! when my son was 18 months old he only said a few words and i was really concerned. our dr said not to worry though as long as he's making sounds (vowel and consonant) and understanding us. Comprehension is a lot more indicative of verbal ability than actual speaking. However, since your son doesn't say ANY words, I'd check with the pediatrician just in case but most likely its because of the bilingual environment and he'll be speaking in both languages soon enough :)

If you feel in your gut that something isn't right then get it checked out! Go to an ENT and see if you should get a hearing test from an audiologist. It could also be a speech delay. Or it could be that he is just a boy who is a late talker. I do feel that we have that motherly instinct for a reason. If it ends up being nothing then Great, however you would be kicking yourself if something were found out much later. Sounds like your an on top of it mom. It doesn't matter what other peoples experiences are really, it just eases your concern a little. You know your child best. We as moms on this site can only share our experiences and things we may have read. Every person is different. It isn't going to hurt to see a specialist. It's better than speculation one way or another. Good luck, and I wouldn't stress to death but go with your gut.

My son had one word sentences up until he was 2! I think being a boy that is perfectly normal. I think you should require a response EVERYtime you as him a question. I was very comfortable and new what he needed and always obliged him rather than saying "No, you must use your words". Talk to him often, I would also suggest you making a list of any sounds he is making and get in touch with your doctor about your concerns. BTW my son is 4 and is quite the talker, responder, and has great communication skills...

My daughter would only try animal sounds until age 2. Have you tried them? When I was concerned and asked her pedi, she said not to worry until she was 2.
Just bring it up at the next pedi visit--for a boy, that might not be as uncommon.

Well, all four of my girls had around 10 words by their first birthday, even the two have a speech problem (annunciation.)

However, boys are slower then girls and children raised in multi-lingual homes tend to develop speech more slowly.

If you are concerned you should ALWAYS get a referral to a specialist.

I was not happy with ECI. Although my children developed autism ECI was not very helpful. They do have ECI evaluations for free, though, so it probably wouldn't hurt, I just didn't feel that they were able to properly assess my children. Even when they had a preliminary diagnosis of autism, ECI told me they were fine.

This could have a lot to do with the fact that he's exposed to both languages at the same time. I have read on more than one occasion that children exposed to different languages tend to be later talkers but once they get going, they are better than the rest. If you are concerned, however, you can have him evaluated by ECI. Ask your pediatrician for a phone number, if you can't find it online. They are a non-profit but will want to file with your insurance if you have it. It is a wonderful organization!!

My youngest son did not talk until he was three. Nothing wrong with him, he was just taking it all in. Now at seven, we cannot get him to be quiet. Your son is absorbing like a little sponge. He will talk when he is ready.

He's processing right now. Two language household kids start speaking later. As long as he understands-which he does-then he should be fine. Does he vocalize at all?? Babababa stuff-just making sounds? That's another good sign. As long as he understands stuff and vocalizes, I imagine he will speak when he is ready. Which isn't right now. 18 months is just the beginning for most kids anyway to start with words. Of course, some will speak earlier, but that is a very average time to start anyway.
If you're really concerned, talk to your dr but I think he sounds great.
Good luck!

bi lingual kids tend to speak later than one language houses. i have a hard of hearing child and yours is not hard of hearing cause he can follow directions like getting in the high chair or going to the door to go bye bye. I would just be patient and give it some time if you are really concerned call eci through your school system but I dont think youhave anything to worry about I think from what it sounds its cause the house is bilingual.