Toddler Not Talking Yet

M., I have a 17 month old daughter that isn't really talking yet either. Well at least not english! At her 15 month appointment her ped. wasn't concerned. He said as long as she could communicate and get her point across she was fine. Every child is different and reaches different milestones in their own time. I really wouldn't worry about it, but I know that is easier said than done!

Hi, I understand what you're going through. My son did the same thing. I've heard a lot of mother's say that boys tend to talk later than girls. My son was about 2 and half before anyone else could understand him. I, also, work in a daycare with infants and toddlers up to age 3. It's very common to see the girls talking non-stop while the boys aren't as vocal with "real" words. Don't worry, but if you do it's always wise to ask the Dr. Good luck, hope this helps.

D.

My son is 16 months and says many words like.. ball, dad, mom doggie, cat,duck, juice also things like stuck, uh oh, thats a.. anyways you get the point. hes been talking since he was 12 months. he also does the sounds to the animals.. I watched twin boys that didnt start talking until they were 2 years old.. every baby starts talking at a different time i wouldnt worry about it til hes 2!

I went through this with my daughter. I told her pediatrician and they said to just keep an eye on it until she turned 2. At her 2yr check up, they refered her to early intervention services and specialist come to your home then and do an in depth evaluation on your child and if they find that he is behind in his speech, then they will have a speech therapist come to your home to work with him. This is all free and will not cost you anything.

My 22 month old was exactly like this. We knew he understood what we were saying b/c he could follow simple directions, but he didn't say anything. Right after he turned 1 he had about 5 words (cat, ball, uh-oh, fish, and ba). By 15 months, they were gone. The doc said it was b/c he didn't feel the need to continue. He'd accomplished that, now it was time to conquer climbing and feeding himself, etc. As soon as he hit 20 months, he started talking. Each day there was a new word. Now he's repeating what we say and trying to form sentences. The most amazing part is he's saying words we know we haven't said to him in awhile. He stored it all up and is now letting go. So just be patient. As long as he is understanding you, he's fine and he'll talk when he's ready.

M.,

My son hardly said anything understandable at 16 months. I could understand what the syllables meant, but no one else could. At his 2 year appointment I brought it up to his doctor and she told me that as long as I (not necessarily everyone else) could understand at least half of what he said at that age he was okay. It took him until about 2 1/2 for his vocabulary and pronunciation to develop enough for the rest of the world to understand him. He just turned 3 last week and now we can't get him to stop. It may just be that he is more focused on developing everything else right now. That was my son's problem. Mommy could communicate with him, that was all he needed at that age.

Jenn

Hi M.:
Don't panic. This happens more often than you might think.
Not only have I seen it in our practice prior to my retirement, but my own brother never said a word until he was 3 years old. When he did start to talk, he spoke in full sentences and was very clear and understandable. My father (a physician) said, maybe he just didn't feel like he had anything important to say.
If it troubles you to badly, obviously see your pediatrician. But, as long as all of his other developmental skills are on target or early ... I wouldn't worry just yet.
It is my opinion that what a lot of the other Mom's had to say is very good input. Things like identifying items when he looks at them with the proper word for them ... when he is ready he will talk.
You have mentioned some things that are red flags, the attention span is one, this could be just typical for your son at this age or could be an indicator of some form of ADDHD, it would be too early to diagnose especially in a child of this age.
In closing, I would recommend you see your pediatrician. We are all Moms on here, some of us with professional training and some of us with OJT. Either way not one of us is with your son. You are his Mom, and you are a good Mom. So make an appointment and calm your fears.
Take care and I hope that I have been of some help.
God Bless You and Yours,
J. T.

I had in all my 3 children a delay in speech. My daughter was the hardest and my oldest son needed tubes in both ears. I would get your child checked for hearing and see if child is hearing the sounds currectly. Also my pediatrition said for me to talk and name every time my child wanted something from me I would say cup?. If you just keep giving too child they will keep making the noices without trying to talk.
Good luck,
Kim in Ridley

Both of my children had only a small handful of words in their vocabularies at 16 months old. Most of the words had specific meanings, though it took a while for us to figure out what they meant. My son, who will be 3 in June, was also active and didn't really begin expanding his vocabulary until he turned two. My daughter is 20 months old and seems to be following the same pattern.

A few months before my son's 2nd birthay I mentioned his lack of vocabulary to his pedatrician. She told me to keep track of any progress he makes before his 2 year check-up, including new words, facial expressions, hand gestures, and understanding simple directions. His check-up was not long after his birthday and I was able to report that he had made positive progress since I last talked to her.

If your son exhibits any of those language skills, he may simply be a "late bloomer" and could soon be talking your ear off. However, if you feel your son isn't making any connections between words and objects and doesn't exhibit any of those language skills I suggest talking to your pediatrician about it so he can be assessed for possible delays or hearing impairments. Good luck!

Your son will talk in due time but untill he does I recomend talking to him as if you were talking to an older child so that when he does begin to talk he uses the right words and does not sound as though he is talking baby talk.

I have heard that every child develops at their own pace and not to sweat too much. Have you asked your ped?

Hello, I know this sounds alilttle weird, but he's fine!!
When he's up and moving and you see him focusing on something, (even if it's a window) say that is window, what is that a window. or ball, what is that a ball. This woeked for my son and he was premature and has had a very hard time and he is now two and will be three in November and he just started out of no where talking words that I didn't even know he could say... Do a little simple things everyday(even if you feel you're doing the same thing over and over again) until you get a response of what the object is....
It works...
So good luck.

When you are talking to your son, repeat yourself. Try getting him to repeat some words that you have said. Like, That is a ball. Ball. Can you say ball? Also try using pictures to show him what objects are.

My daughter was delayed in speaking. She received speech therapy up to last summer.

Hey M.!

I know this sounds harsh, and will grate your nerves, but don't let him get away with point and cry. Say "would you like a drink/your sippy/your cup/your juice" and then hold up the cup and repeat (whatever your word is, we say juice) "Juice?". and then do not give him the cup until he says something similar to what you want him to say. If he uses a pacifier, have him remove it to try to speak. Also, this sounds like commomn sense, but talk..all the time...it will seem like you are the crazy woman talking to herself, but the more you talk "I am getting your blue pants and red shirt out of the laundry basket, I am getting your diaper, Arms up, Mommy will take off your shirt, good job! Ok, let;s put on your red shirt, diaper off..." you get the idea, the more you talk the better his vocabulary will be. the more he hears from you the better he will imitate.

Good luck!

I have 2 little ones and both were very different in language development. We did baby signs with both. My son was a talker from the beginning. He would do the signs, but learned to use words so quickly that he often learned the signs as an afterthought. He basically used them for emphasis or if he wasn't getting the response he wanted. He still does. My daughter took the signs and used them very well. She was not very verbal which some older generations attributed to the signs, but I think it was just her personality as she is still shy. She didn't really start to do a lot of talking until nearly 2 and at that point she jumped right to sentences. She did communicate however - just nonverbally. I think that is really the key to determining if there is a problem. If they are communicating verbally or nonverbally, they are developing the same parts of the brain and learning to interact with others. If your son doesn't appear to be doing this, then I'd consult the ped. Can he follow a simple instruction to find a given object or familiar person? If so, then he must be making at least some connection between words and objects. He should recognize plenty of words/labels for familiar people/things. Again, if he doesn't do that, I'd consult the ped. The ped can give you a referral to the next step in your area. There should be an early intervention program available. They would do an assessment and if they determine that he needs some extra assistence, you'd receive services in your home.

your son will be just fine...however, since he will be older when he begins to talk i would recomend using the "real word" for things like "cup, tub, etc." and don't just give him something right away because he whines and pants for it. try to get him to say "cup" and then maybe follow it with a "please", and if he still won't do it,then give him the cup. but be consistant with doing this everytime. children are rezilliant and are like little sponges. he's very, very bright & why should he talk if he doesn't "have" to?

My son (now 2-1/2 )went through almost the same thing. When I became concerned about his lack of verbal expression - at 22 months he only said "Ma" and "Da", I talked to our pediatrician who recommended I contact the Early Intervention group in our area (I'm in South Jersey) They came to our house and did an evaluation and he qualified for treatment. A therapist comes to our house on a weekly basis and works with him. It's been 6+ months since we started and now he talks non-stop, although much of it is hard to understand! I think the therapy helps but primarily I just think he is a late talker (my understanding is many boys are). He still has some issues with enunciation and we are working on that. Either way, you should check with your doctor and find out about an Early Intervention Program in your area. The fee is based on your income/family size so it is affordable if that is a concern. Good luck!!