Speech Question

My first daughter spoke so much that when my second daughter didn't do much but babble at 12 months, I was worried. I know I shouldn't compare, but what else do I know? Anyway, we did baby signs with her, and now she is talking up a storm! The logic is that they have a need to communicate before they are able to verbalize it. My (now 18 month old) now has more signs than I can even count, but is also speaking maybe more than my first did by now. It really accelerated her development. We didn't buy any books or go to any classes, we just learned the easy signs that she seemed to want/need to communicate and she picked them up well. In fact, I tried to document all her different sign before he speaking completely eliminates her sign use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ee9SofrZPc

Good luck!

First off, the pacifier is NOT changing the shape of her tounge or mouth. So do not stress over that.
My eldest child did not have one, my two youngest did and all three had mouths that were normal looking and tounges that did as they were supposed to do. HAHA

My first child spoke very early and put 2 word together by 12 months. He though didn't walk until he was 16 months old!

My sencond child did speak any words except dada and then would babble at 12 months. He though was walking and climbing on furniture at 10 months of age. He started talking around 16 months. And he spoke very clearly when that paci was in his mouth! He didn't walk around with it 24/7 as most kids don't.

Youngest did walking and talking right at 12 months.

So see.....all kids are different! They work on one set of skills. Maybe your daughter is walking already, or maybe she had great fine motor dexterity. At 12 months, as long as she is babbeling and responding to you when you talk to her and read to her, pointing at objects, etc. She is fine.

If she loves her paci and you don't mind her having it then let her have it.

my second was the same way! his brother would "read his mind" (how do they do that?), & speech for him all the time. No worries! She'll catch up & then she'll never stop!
If you conitnue to have worries you could have birth to 3 come to your home and elvaluate her. The screening is free, and they will let you know if she qualifies for any services.
Good Luck to you.

From my teaching experience it is normal for a 12 month old to babble. I would keep on talking to her, reading and singing as you are and if she gets frustrated with being unable to communicate with you then I suggest you teach her sign language. A good website is www.signwithme.com and be sure as you sign you say the words to be sure to encourage her to talk also.

I wouldn't stress yourself out over it. Both of my boys were late talkers, but turned out perfectly fine.
Keep in mind that if your child is ahead in one area, such as walking or something like that, then the other milestones are later. Children will focus and try to perfect their milestones individually, so if they walk early, they may talk later than others and so forth.
I wouldn't worry unless it becomes obvious there is an issue.
Good luck!
raelynn @ http://www.kidzcomfort.com

Hi Stacey,
First of all, your doctor should have told you that all babies learn at different levels. While most are right in the middle, some learn faster and others take a little longer. I have babysat for many children. They are all different. Does your baby say mama and dada yet? It will all take time. Before you know it, they talk so much that you can't get them to stop.

first off, using a pacifier will not hinder her language skills. usually dr's are looking for a child to have a vocabulary of about 50 words by the time they're 2yrs old. don't stress about it. your angel will most likely be talking very soon. in the meantime enjoy the quiet. ha ha

My son is 15 months and still pretty much just says "Da-Da".... everything is da-da to him. Once in a while hell say something like HOT or NO, but i think its just in our heads and hes really just making noises. Our pedi said they expect 3 words by 18 months and not to worry about it. Some kids just dont feel like they need to communicate the way we do i guess.

I agree with the other poster, a lot of kids don't talk at one year. The NIH has a checklist of things your child should do at different ages here:

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/speechandlanguage.a...

Here are their 12-17 month milestones:

12 - 17 months
Attends to a book or toy for about two minutes.
Follows simple directions accompanied by gestures.
Answers simple questions nonverbally.
Points to objects, pictures, and family members.
Says two to three words to label a person or object (pronunciation may not be clear).
Tries to imitate simple words.

You'll notice that, according to this, it's still fine to only say two or three words at 17 months so your daughter is probably right on target for 13 months.

if you suspect a speech delay, call your local early intervention program now.. it takes a while to get things set up.. but I wouldn't panic yet.. it's still very early and second babies tend to talk a little later.. keep an eye on it but make the appt (it may take months before you get one). you can always cancel it. goodluck

There is a huge range of normal. At 12 mos my DD had a couple signs but just babbled. At around 16 mos I started to wonder because I saw posts about what other babies were saying but I wasn't really concerned. At 19 months she started talking as if a switch had been turned on and her language growth has been positively exponential. At her 2 yr visit her doc asked if I thought she had 30 words.

So if you think there is a problem, call EI as others have said, but it's probably perfectly normal for your baby.

It is so varied when kids will begin to talk. I don't think there's cause for concern just yet. What did her ped say? However, you can always have her evaluated by early intervention for free and they can tell you how she's doing. It certainly can't hurt. I have to say at this point though since she is babbling I wouldn't worry just yet. My just turned 1 year old son doesn't have any real words. He does make sounds for things he wants and will say mama and dada, but they aren't actual words. For example he says mmmm for more. I encourage him to do that when I'm feeding him and I want to know if he wants more food. So when he makes his mmmm sound I'll say something like okay more and really emphasize the word I want him to say and then give him the food.

Hi Stacey,

Having three children with forms of communication/speech delays, this is something with which I am very familiar. Your daughter could be perfectly fine, or it could be the start of a delay. If you are concerned (no matter what the pediatrician or anyone else says--trust your maternal instinct), I highly recommend getting her evaluated using your state's early intervention services. You can find the NH link for Easter Seals here:

http://nh.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=NHDR_e...

If they are anything like the CT Easter Seals, you will love them :) Call to make an appointment for a developmental evaluation. Tell them your concerns. The professionals (usually two) will come out to your home or her daycare, assess all her domains of development (some aspects, like social development, require your input) and score her using various scales for typical development. If her scores come back with any significant delays and/or areas of concern, you have the option to set up continuing services where EIAs and various therapists (speech, occupational or physical) will come and do visits, depending on your daughter's needs.

I highly recommend early intervention services. As a mom, I can tell you it makes a big difference and the kids love it; as a preservice teacher, I can tell you that the more people you have working toward your daughter's education, health and well-being, the better. I highly recommend Easter Seals, too; they are kind, professional, and my kids all love them. My four-and-a-half year old still asks me to visit his teacher Todd, who stopped seeing him regularly when he turned three!

Good luck!

--M.

My oldest didn't start talking until past two years old. We were really worried about him but then all of a sudden he was saying everything! He is almost 8 now and I swear his mouth opens before his eyes do in the morning. He is a VERY intelligent little boy and we still find it hard to believe that he wasn't saying much at 2. One is VERY young. Don't stress about it, you'll drive yourself crazy. Personally, I would wait at least until 18 months. In the mean time just talk to her constantly. She will be fine. If you don't notice any change by 18 months you could always have her evaluated. Good luck!! Before you know it you'll be asking her to quiet down! Lol

No paci at all. You are changing the shape of her mouth and her tongue development. Get rid of it asap. When she screams for it find another routine to help her self sooth. A bedtime dvd played during the napping process, massage, read books to her...anything but a paci. She will soon forget it. At your one year check the doctor will check with you on the childs speech development. My second had a speech delay forming sentences. Her tongue needed therapy. Good luck.

good morming. Im a toddler teacher and I get this question all the time. What Weve been told is that by one they should have a few words some as many as twenty some as few as 8or10. Every child is different. What I tell my parents is that if you are concerned concact early intervention in your town and they will come out and evaluate her. They do a series of tests and determine what the next move should be. DO what you feel you need to do . Some people just like to wait it out. Good luck and best wishes.

My pedi said about 3-4 actual words at one year and 8ish at 18 mo. My son did not so we hooked up with Anne SUllivan early intervention. AMAZING! I highly recommend them. THey come to your house once a week the same girl so the kids are comfortable and they learn better.

I wouldn't worry at all if she's not talking at one. You've got months before you need to be concerned. My little one would nod yes & no and she also said Mama, Dada, meow, kitty & hop (for bunny) and that was about it until 17 months. I never worried much because she knew what we were saying and had great comprehension, she just didn't say much herself, but she did gesture a lot. Then, between 16-17 months, she just exploded with her language. We started counting for about a week (I made a spreadsheet of all the words she was saying to keep track) and we stopped counting at 120. I would not stress over it at all. She's 18 months now & just started stringing things together too the other day. Yesterday, she peeked behind a sheer curtain and said, "I see you!" and laughed hysterically. Have patience - it'll come and you won't be able to turn her off! Ha!

Zero words is just fine for a 12 month old. As long as she is trying to communicate with you, pointing, babbling, etc., it's okay for now. You are doing the right thing by not answering for her to encourage her. Keep talking and reading to her, and naming things every where you go.
My daughter had just dada at 12 months, but is now a talking machine at 18 months! She had a big word spurt at around 14 months, gained several words a week.

I have a four year old with speech delays. It's totally normal for a 12 month old baby to not be saying words. As long as she 'babbles' and communicates in other wise (smiles at you, gestures towards or grunts at things she wants) pats toys she's playing with, turns away when she's full, and all the other good non-verbal communication, you've got nothing to worry about right now!