Seeking Help from Moms Any Location Is Fine but I Live in the Bronx

Hi V.,
I live in Yonkers, if rthat helps you. I have a two year old daughter. I think that what the other moms are saying is true; that each kid develops at their own rate and it only causes you more worry if you compare them. Often, when kids are the youngest, like your 18 month old, the older siblings are doing the talking for him. What Cher said to do was great; have him respond with words! If he continues to struggle, then maybe talk to your pediatrician about referring him for a speech evaluation.

Hi V.,

I have 3 yr old and 21 month old daughters and I too was worried that my youngest daughter wasn't talking at 18 months because my oldest daughter did everything early. I had my youngest daughter evaluated and she passed with flying colors. The speech therapist told me that her own daughter didn't start talking until she was 22 months so it is more common that you might think. She's 21 months now and she is talking more and more everyday.

hi V., my name is M. i have a 20-month old lil girl and two nephews. The oldest of the two boys is autistic.....honestly my best advice to you is to just keep reinforcing the fact that he has to answer you back and just keep repeating words and maybe associate a picture with it and if he wants something repeat back what he has to answer you with i know its a lil time consuming but in the end it will all fall in place.. the youngest out of the two boys is 2 years and 2 months old and he is just starting to say words and answer back.....every kid is different and they will all develop at different ages.....my sister had gotten the youngest one evaluated because of his older brother with autism and the evaluations came back saying that he is perfectly fine he doesnt need any speech or anything so just be persistent with the words and i guarantee you you will have a good outcome...good luck to you and nice meeting you....take care and god bless

hi V.,

My name is S., I too, live in the Bronx and have a 3 yr old boy. Some children take their time to talk and walk. Remember, each child does things at his/her own pace. We must try not to compare to the others. Perhaps your son may have a speech delay. If you suspect that your child may have speech delay, you can always contact Early Intervention for a free evaluation. They will recommend speech therapy if they see that he has a delay. All Early Intervention services are free of charge. My son receives speech, physical, occupational therapy and ABA. He gets all these services free of charge at home. I hope this helps. Best of luck.

S.

It's really common for a second or third child not to develop linguistic skills until a little later. Not to worry. They often rely on thier siblings to do the talking and they develop non-verbal skills (like pointing) for what they want.

Both of my sisters had this same problem, both their first two kids talked early on but the third still was hardly talking by 18 months and one by almost 2. There wasn't anything wrong with them they just didn't need to talk. There were plenty of people around talking for them. Older brothers and sisters, even mom and dad, all of them fullfilled his needs with him needing to talk. One of my sisters solved the problem by making him talk. For example, if he didn't say what he wanted he didn't get it. If he still refused to say it she would repeat the word for what it was as she gave it to him and try again the next time. My other sister got her son a speach therapist and once he was a little more isolated from his siblings he would talk up a storm. He knew all the words and could talk all along he just didn't have to. There were a couple of letter sounds that he had some problems with just because he hadn't been using and practicing them like the other kids. The therapist gave them little word exercizes and games and he won't shut up now.
Good Luck!

You have to remember that everyone of your boys are different believe me when he learns to talk he will not be quite. I have a great nephew that all he did was point and make noise when he wanted something, and now he is 7 yrs old and he is so smart. So dont rush, he will definately be alright. Hope this helps and God Bless you and your family

HI Valarie,

I live in Brooklyn. I have a 20 month old daughter. She too was only saying mama and dada, but she understood what things were I told her to get her shoes and she got her shoes. I was worried about her speech her pediatrician said at 18 months, they are expected to say 15-20 words. So she referred my dauhgter to a speech therapist. A teacher came to my home to evaluate her. She said she is fine, some kids develop faster than others. I mean my daughter started walking when she was 9 months and she is so energetic and smart. Now she is saying words and saying a few names of people. So don't worry.

Hi V.... my name is D. and this same thing happened to my nephew. He was the same as your son, and I noticed it and when I mentioned it to my brother and his wife, they became angry with me and denied anything was wrong.
It just so happened that I knew his pediatrician personally and made a call to the doctor and explained the situation to him. He assessed my nephew at his next visit and referred him to be evaluated for possible speech therapy.
He began receiving speech therapy and he began to talk fine and is doing excellent today at 11 years old. I think what happens is that piece of skin under the tongue was too short and it makes it difficult for them to learn how to express words, but after therapy, they learn how to do it.
The doctors were from Montefiore Medical Center, so look into it... before it is too late. It is great that you caught it now!!!

Good luck
D.