Worried Mommy

that is very possible. good for you to take notice and want to take action. call early intervention ( I believe through the easter seals? ) and they will send someone over for an evaluation and get him free services, then he will be chattering away all day long!

Bring him to an Ear Nose and Throat Doctor immediately! My daughter had a similiar problem and we almost lost her hearing to all the fluid in her ear. We put tubes in and it was a miricle. Make a priority and good luck!

You should try Early Intervention. http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=31183 It is a state program that evaluates children for development delays. My friend had an 18 month old that didn't talk and was evaluated as needing speech therapy by EI. Her sons has made great progress with the therapy. The best part is - the cost is based on your income so it can be free. Hope that helps!

You should check your area for any early child development schools/programs, etc. I live in Michigan and had my daughter screened for possible speech delays. She talks, but she is very difficult to understand. Almost everything is dit dat dee. Lots of D and B replacing words. Anyways, she was screened and was found to be behind. Now she is attending a free preschool program funded by the state that helps her. It is technically considered special ed. They bus her to and from school, and it is at a real school, where she most likely will be attending kindegarten. Big improvements so far, and it has only been a couple of weeks. My daughter didn't have ear infections though. I think her shyness played a big part in the delay though.

Have his hearing checked. The ear infections could have affected his hearing. My son had a lot of ear infections also and his Dr. put him on antibiotics for 6 months to keep him from getting more so that it would not affect his hearing. It appears that his daughter has the same issue. We are dealing with back to back ear infections. Have his hearing checked to make sure that is not the problem.

First of all, you are not alone. Many kids talk later and catch up just fine. My niece didn't really start talking until she was almost 3 and you wouldn't know now that she is 6. I think having his hearing checked is a GREAT idea and they actually require it as part of Early Intervention. My son did speech therapy through Early Intervention this past summer and it was a great experience for him - his therapist was great and they had a blast "playing" together each week. He had his language burst at about 2 years 3 months. Now he is talking in full sentences. I think the Early Intervention program is only until age 3 though????

Hi A.,

I am a Speech Pathologist and yes, ear infections can definitely cause a speech delay. My advice is to contact Child and Family Connections for your area-they offer free services until a child is 3 -they will come out and do an evaluation to determine if he needs speech services. Don't worry too much. I have seem plenty of children who had speech delays who talk nonstop now! Feel free to email me back if you have more questions.

M.

There are lots of reasons for why he might not be talking. It could be that he's just an introvert, or that he's shy, or that he's got audio sensory issues, or a whole host of other things. Have you talked to his doctor?

I know 2 people whose babies didn't talk till they were 3 and both for totally different reasons.

The first one it was a sensory problem. She couldn't really talk (but she did begin to learn by age 3 and now she's 9 and totally normal) but did communicate with baby sign language so that was something-- I recommend it! The reason girl is ok now at age 9 is because her mother found out about her sensory problem and worked with therapists. Now she's totally fine. Life's good.

The other kid just didn't talk till she was 3 because she's a really thoughtful person and doesn't like to speak before she's considered everything. She didn't need to talk most of the time because while she was thinking about what to say, her siblings, parents, and others would speak for her. And even when that didn't happen, speech just didn't interest her. But she's totally a normal (and huge chatterbox) kid now at age 12.

I'd say definitely talk to your doctor about it. The doctor could run tests or just ask you questions about her. Like my friend whose kid had the sensory problems, the way she discovered it was that her daughter had other foibles-- like she hated sun that was too bright, textures like in foods and the tags on her clothing, jeans-- all bothered her skin... so it was more than just speech. That told her it was an audio sensory problem. But I dont think a normal mom would think about those things, so it's important to ask a doctor.

Our son did not really talk til he was over 2 years old. He had lots of ear infections also but ended up getting tubes at about a year and half years of age. After the tubes we had him tested for hearing problems and all was good. We do believe that the ear infection did effect his hearing prior to having the tubes put in.
If I were you I would have his hearing checked. If you live in McHenry County, you can have his hearing checked free of charge a SEDOM in Woodstock.
Good Luck

go to your local public school and find out when they are doing screening, its free

Yes, When is the last time you had his hearing checked by a doctor? I reccomend taking him to an audiologist. Even if he responses fine to claps or your voice. There may be fluid built up behind the eardrum which makes sound audible but not clear enough for speech. My second son had several ear infections and needed tubes in his ears. We caught it quite early and he still at age 11 has speech issues. (not sever) but still. I would check it out if nothing it will rule it out as a possibility.
Best of luck
Peggy feel free to e-mail if you have any questions.

Angela,

Our son had ear infections very frequently from 6 months to 1 1/2 yrs. We ended up getting ear tubes for him, which have been quite helpful. He is now just past 2 yrs old and is picking up words quickly. He's starting to speak in phrases like 'pick me up' so we are really excited. I would suggest going to an ear specialist recommended by your pediatrician if you are able. They can check his ears, and even hearing if they think that is needed, to talk over any needed treatments with you.

At home, just be sure you are taking to your son as much as possible. If he will sit still, you can put him in his chair at the kitchen table while you are cooking / cleaning and just tell him what you are doing, ask him questions about his day and so on. The more he hears and see his family members talking, the more he'll start to understand and hopefully speak too. Good luck!

I'd have him screened. It is possible he cannot hear very well due to the ear infections or other fluid in the ears and has not developed his speech. I have friends who had this situation. Those that jumped on it quickly had shorter time in speech therapy. Those that waited a little longer have struggled through years of therapy and some irreversible speech issues. Talk to your pediatrician aboout a screening or call your local public school, most screen children as young at 2 1/2 and start speech therapy before they are school age. Good luck!

Hi A.,
I would definitely get his hearing checked ASAP, you can ask the doctor for a number. There are state programs, I used one called Family connections and it is free, they will evaluate your child and see if speech is needed. Good luck!

Call Early Intervention today. I can't believe I waited as long as I did to call, and the evaluation process was incredibly easy. I went through Clearbrook Center, and this is the same one you would use in Arlington Heights.

Call the below number and leave the message that they ask of you. It's a long, detailed message! You'll get a packet in the mail and then a phone call to schedule "intake" or a meeting to arrange the assessment.

Once scheduled, a team of therapists will conduct an assessment of your son's motor skills, social/emotional skills, language skills and overall development. The hearing test is separate. All of these things will be done FOR FREE. We had three ladies come to our home, and they were really friendly. It didn't seem like an assessment at all... the team just played with my son and asked some fun questions. If he qualifies for services, there will be a cost associated with your household income. Plus, medical insurance may cover some costs if you carry insurance.

After the assessment, which took about an hour, the team will review some of their findings with you. They can give suggestions for you and your son right then, like different ways to play, how to handle certain situations, etc. You'll receive a large, detailed report in the mail about two weeks later.

CALL:
Clearbrook Center (CFC 6)
Child & Family Connections, North Suburban Cook County
Early Intervention
1835 W Central Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Phone: ###-###-####
Toll Free: (800) 585-1953

I wish you all the best!
B.

If you are concerned, it doesn't hurt to do an evaluation, particularly if hearing issues may be involved. I would start with your pediatrician to rule out medical issues and go from there. They will point you in the right direction. Also, it wouldn't hurt to set up a preschool screening with your local school district as soon as he turns 3.

Hi A.,
Dont worry! My son will be 3 beginning of May and we were in the same boat. He wasn't talking at all for the longest time. The last few months he started to a little bit but not even close to other kids his age. I was concerned. The doctor told me nothing is wrong with him, and other told me that some boys it just takes longer. My brother didn't start talking till he was 3 1/2.
Now, in literally the last 3 weeks his speech is exploding. He suprises us everyday and is starting to put sentences together.
Is your son in Daycare? Ours started daycare 3 months ago and I think that helped, but in the first couple months he couldn't communicate with the other kids his age. I think he was the only one there that wasn't talking.
So hang in there, I know it's frustrating! Let me know if you have more questions.
Good Luck!

M.

I can't agree more with the other responses - get in touch with early intervention - he may qualify for in-home therapy until he's 3, then you can see about therapy within his preschool. Call your closest Easter Seals & they'll tell you exactly what to do. Good luck & bless the little one!

You may want to find the local Child and Family Connections in your area. They can assess your baby. It is a little late to start early interventions but they can help you with getting enrolled in the local school at age 3. You may also want to have a hearing test done to ensure things are well.

I don't know what school district you are in, but all the state programs for things like speech therapy end at your child's 3rd birthday, and they transition over to services provided by the school district. You should start looking right now into getting your child an evaluation by the district's early childhood office so that if he needs speech therapy it can be up and running as soon as he turns 3. In the meantime, go see a pediatric ENT (ear nose & throat) doctor, who can do a hearing check. Good luck!

A. - just want to tell you that my youngest didn't starting talking until after the other kids his age. He had some words but he wasn't putting together small sentences or anything like it when he was turning 3. He was bright and developing "normally" in other ways and could even read words. I had him screened in preschool they said borderline. we did nothing. He's 6 now and totally caught up to the others. He's doing very well. Go ahead and screen him but just know that they all develop differently and comparing your son to others is of limited value right now. Good luck!

Call early intervention. They will come out and do a whole evaluation for free and get to the root of everything. You can get the number from your doctor.

Hi A.,
The ear infections could totaly be a problem with his not talking. My son did the same thing about 8 months ago. Once we got that under controll his speech took off. Now I cant get him to stop talking. Talk to your doctor about it. Keep your hopes up. Remember dont talk for him and encourage him to "use you words".(also works wonders when hes throughing a fit)

C.

When I was a toddler, I had ear infection after ear infection, and yes, it did influence my language acquisition skills as I couldn't "hear" clearly.

I'd have your son checked out. But I wouldn't worry too much about it. It took me some time to catch up to my peers, but I have a Ph.D., so it didn't hurt me any, and in fact, language is my strong area!

The speech delay could be due to the ear infections; however, you won't know for certain until you have him checked out. Speak with your pediatrician. If he/she refers you to Early Intervention, get your kiddo an eval ASAP.

Good luck!