I Am Raising a Mime

my little one is very shy and she talks at home but not in social situations -- she was finally diagnosed with selective mutism (which basically means she gets stressed out and won't talk in social situations). this doesn't sound like your guy at all (your subject line was hilarious), but you might want to check things out with your pediatrician, just to make sure of what you're dealing with. we ended up having a speech eval, just to make sure there weren't any physical problems, and i know at the place we went they had a little group called Talking Toddlers that was specifically for kids who were talking late or not at all. the name of the practice is Pediatric Speech and Lanugage Specialists, their number is ###-###-####. They were AWESOME -- even if you end up not going there, they knew so much and were so helpful they could be a good place to start. Good luck!

Hey,its okay...My 2 yr. old did the exact same thing!He understood everything I said.I've even had customers(from work) tell me the same thing from their sons.My girls were easy even using the potty but not my son!And he's almost 4.Mine talks upa storm now.
Your son will do it when he's ready. He's probably just kinda stubborn,lol,I know mine is.Its ok, though....Dont worry,be happy :)

Find a speech therapist.
My son was diagnosed with Speech Apraxia. He wasn't speaking and the words he did say were hard to understand. He was able to get speach therapy and now is in a regular kindergarten and will be going into first grade.

Don't fret. All children do things differently. Then again I am not a doctor so always check with your pediatrician to see if their are any developmental problems. But our 18 month old is the same way. He rarely calls me by Momma! But he also says a few words and gestures the rest of the time. My now 12 yr old daughter didn't fully talk until she was four years old and she has no mental problems whatsoever. I didn't even talk until I was four years old. But my now 4 yr old started talking when he was 8 months old!!! Children walk to the beat of their own drum and we as parents just have to have patience. When they are ready they will surprise you with how much they know and what they can say. Just keep what you are doing consistent and include your toddler in your conversations, and keep reading to your toddler every night it will make a difference. Singing to your toddler helps tremendously as they become interested in repeating the song. Patience and time is the true answer if everything is medically sound. Best of luck to you!!

My son did not say more than 3 words at 2 1/2 years old. He said "mom" "dad" and "bob". We were fortunate to have lived in Colorado at the time, where the state pays for in home speech therapy once a week until the age of three. Insurance also paid for a speech therapist. They agreed he was quite bright but was a perfectionist and did not like to speak unless he was satisfied with how the words sounded, and he signed for most everything he needed. Then pediatrician detected nothing wrong with him. He had speech therapy til the age of 3 but I think what was most helpful was boosting his self esteem. He is now a precocious 4 yead old, with a vocabulary of a 6-7 year old. He reads and writes and plays violin. I wouldn't worry about your son's speech unless you detect a medical issue. He might just be observing and absorbing his world for awhile longer than most kids.

A.,

My daughter went thru the same thing around that age,speaking with a doctor I was told that some children just express themselves in different ways,but instead of listening to that I got some alphabet cards with pictures and used those to work up her intrest and interact with her and after a while I had her saying the letters and pictures at less than two years old and this sparked her change.She is 4 now and she is quite advaned for her age group and her speech and vocabulary is phenomenal! I have a feeling this might work for your son.
Good Luck!!!

Hi, I am also raising a mute child. Just some advice: contact Arizona Early Intervention Program. They will give therapy to children under 3 yrs. of age-- free of charge. They have really been beneficial for my child. There are a lot of other benefits that you can take advantage of through their program.

PLEASE take your son to a developmental pediatric psychologist for an evaluation. Doctors do not know how to diagnose developmental delays, TRUST ME, I learned the hard way. One out of every 166 children born between 1992 and 2003 have been diagnosed with being somewhere on the autism spectrum (they're not all Rain Man). My three year old daughter is somewhere on the spectrum and if I had her tested earlier, she could have received speech/occupational therapy earlier. Developmental delays CAN BE overcome with early intervention, my daughter's developmental psychologist thinks she'll be mainstreamed into a "normal" kindergarten by the time she's 5. She is a new little girl because of all the therapy we get, through private insurance, but if your child has a delay, you can also get services through the State.
It may be nothing, my friend's son didn't say anything until he was 2 and he's just fine. However, for years I listened to all of my family and friends telling me that my daughter would just "grow" out of her behaviors, and now I kick myself for that! I am an attorney and was possibly paying too much attention to my career to follow my gut. I have now quit my job and am a full time stay at home mom. Please take your child to a psychologist, don't be afraid of labels, children can always "lose" their diagnoses, they're not necessarily labeled for life. But if your child has any type of delay, a developmental psychologist will be able to pinpoint it and recommend treatment (non medical, of course). If you treat developmental delays early, your child may never ever have to set foot in a special-ed class when he's older.
Email me if you have any questions. But have your pediatrician refer you to a developmental psychologist -- make sure your concerns are NOT ignored.

Good luck, K.

Hello!

I have a degree in Communication Disorders for Speech Therapy/Audiology. Not knowing or having met your child, I truly believe your child is fine. If you feel he can hear well and understands (his receptive behavior) what you are saying, then his expressive language (speaking to you)will follow. Some children or slower than others in expressing themselves for various reasons or for no reason at all. Usually what happens is all at once he just starts chatting away, as if someone flipped a switch. You mentioned reading to your child, which is great. Some other suggestions would be to have more play time than tv time (this isn't always easy). By interacting with him and asking him questions will help to drive him to speak by answering your questions. What color is this? What does the dog say? When he does speak it usually is short and choppy, so it is best to restate what he is trying to say...Mommy more. Ok, child's name, I will get you some more milk. Also, if he isn't in some type of social group, you may want to look into that as well. The libraries usually have free storytime during the week. Hope this helps to ease your mind! Take care...