Delayed speech or not?

[Mynyel]

Ok so I am a forum junkie..kinda :) I get on websites and look up things (that can be bad) and it seems according to some that my 19mo is behind in speech.

You would think with him being my 3rd that I would know but alas there is 6 years between my middle child and this one. I don't remember what my other two were saying, if anything, at 18-19 months! :confused:

I remember that by 27 months my first was talking, we took her to daycare then and I know she could talk, my middle child I just can't remember (that is horrible sounding).

His motor skills are great! Again according to charts he is ahead in motor skills.

So any other moms out there want to share? Thanks!

[mom to 3 boys & 1 girl]

I don't have any advise for you, but I am going through something similar with Katie right now. She is also 18.5 months. All three of my boys were very early talkers and had many more words at her age. However, they were all late walkers and she has been walking forever. No one else seems to believe me that she may be a bit behind. Everyone seems to think that she is right on track and the boys early talking is the reason I think she is behind. Isn't it amazing how even a fourth baby can make us feel like we have no idea what we're doing? :tongue_smilie:

 

How many words is your son saying? I was looking this up the other day and the website I was reading said that they should have 20 words (and mama and dada don't count). I'm not sure how many words Katie has but I know it's under 20. It was also talking about the difference between expressive language and receptive language. Reading that made me feel better because Katie understands EVERYTHING I say. She also does a great job of letting me know what she is trying to tell me. DH is always teasing that Katie and I have our own secret code.

 

Sorry I can't help at all, but I wanted you to know that you're not the only mom who feels unsure about what is going on. :grouphug:

[Parrothead]

How often does someone in the family "talk" for the baby? How often do you hand out a juice to one child and the baby comes toddling in with an outstretched hand and you give him one too?

 

If that happens often enough in your family the littles learn that although they have the ability they don't' really need to ask like the oldest ones did.

[Liz CA]

Speech development is not set in stone. My ds was way behind by most standards but has no problem talking now - he is 18. :lol:

 

Some kids take longer to process speech in their brains before they express it. Also, I've heard that older kids being the "interpreter" can slow things down because they don't need to speak up for themselves - like Parrothead said.

 

Unless you are afraid of hearing issues, I would not panic! 18 and 19 month is still very young.

[Mynyel]

I don't have any advise for you, but I am going through something similar with Katie right now. She is also 18.5 months. All three of my boys were very early talkers and had many more words at her age. However, they were all late walkers and she has been walking forever. No one else seems to believe me that she may be a bit behind. Everyone seems to think that she is right on track and the boys early talking is the reason I think she is behind. Isn't it amazing how even a fourth baby can make us feel like we have no idea what we're doing? :tongue_smilie:

 

How many words is your son saying? I was looking this up the other day and the website I was reading said that they should have 20 words (and mama and dada don't count). I'm not sure how many words Katie has but I know it's under 20. It was also talking about the difference between expressive language and receptive language. Reading that made me feel better because Katie understands EVERYTHING I say. She also does a great job of letting me know what she is trying to tell me. DH is always teasing that Katie and I have our own secret code.

 

Sorry I can't help at all, but I wanted you to know that you're not the only mom who feels unsure about what is going on. :grouphug:

 

I know he says less than 20 words...umm hot, dah (dog), bum (boom), dat (whats that) and ut-oh....he can sign please, more and thank you.

 

He does have code and we know what he means, he will go brrum-brrum for his toy truck, he will make a whooshing noise with his mouth and point in the sky for airplanes and when he wants to watch the shuttle launch (he loves watching the shuttle) and he will also make singing noises and move his head left to right to watch teletubbies.

 

He does other things but those are the main ones I can think of.

 

He also understand everything as well, if I tell him to get something he will. Just this morning we lit a candle (good smells :D) and he saw it and said "ot" (for hot) I said yes! good! it is hot isn't it..he nodded...I asked him...do we touch it and he shook his head no. So he is understanding but well just not saying it I guess!

 

How often does someone in the family "talk" for the baby? How often do you hand out a juice to one child and the baby comes toddling in with an outstretched hand and you give him one too?

 

If that happens often enough in your family the littles learn that although they have the ability they don't' really need to ask like the oldest ones did.

 

I have thought of that but I know of others that have done that same thing so I have made my kids and husband (and me) from birth, not speak for him. We ask him what do you want, and he will point or take us to it.

 

I have tried to get him to say things like "nurse" figuring he can say nah or whatever is easy for him but he gets mad at me when I try to make him.

 

Maybe I am being a worry wart. I was worrying about my 7yo a few months ago because his reading wasn't going as I wanted it too (he has vision issues +650 in the left and +550 in the right) however we took a few week off over the summer (family visits) and when we started again he took off like a shot!

 

So perhaps I am worrying to much? Another FYI is my sisters daughter was speech delayed, she is 2.5 and is finally saying simple sentences but at 2 she could barely say a handful of words.

 

Anywho, thanks ladies (and gents for those out there!) for any insight, support, and/or help!

 

:grouphug::grouphug:

[Mynyel]

Speech development is not set in stone. My ds was way behind by most standards but has no problem talking now - he is 18. :lol:

 

Some kids take longer to process speech in their brains before they express it. Also, I've heard that older kids being the "interpreter" can slow things down because they don't need to speak up for themselves - like Parrothead said.

 

Unless you are afraid of hearing issues, I would not panic! 18 and 19 month is still very young.

 

When you say hearing issues...your not talking about selective hearing are you?:D

 

He hears just fine and knows when to ignore..the little twerp ;)

[Tidbits of Learning]

Ok so I am a forum junkie..kinda :) I get on websites and look up things (that can be bad) and it seems according to some that my 19mo is behind in speech.

You would think with him being my 3rd that I would know but alas there is 6 years between my middle child and this one. I don't remember what my other two were saying, if anything, at 18-19 months! :confused:

I remember that by 27 months my first was talking, we took her to daycare then and I know she could talk, my middle child I just can't remember (that is horrible sounding).

His motor skills are great! Again according to charts he is ahead in motor skills.

So any other moms out there want to share? Thanks!

Don't panic and don't google. Talk to your pediatrician at your 19 month old's 2 yr. old checkup. Until then, just talk a lot to them. Talk as you bathe, talk as you fix them a drink, talk,talk, talk...If they grunt for a drink, say would you like a drink and try to get them to say yes or something to that effect. If they can't or don't, just repeat yes, you do want a drink when you hand it to them.

I have had 3 kids with delayed speech and only 2 that I did speech therapy. My last child was not talking as many words as they are supposed to at 2 and what he did talk was not clear. I talked to the Dr. about it and we agreed to let me have a go since I had seen the therapy done with the other 2 and our insurance doesn't pay for speech therapy now.

Long story short, I started with baby signs. It helps to eliminate frustration when I child isn't talking yet. It is wonderful and engaging. At his 3 yr old checkup, he talk great with long sentences clearly articulated. The Dr. was surprised when I went to put him on the table and he said, "I don't want to be checked by the doctor now."

So don't panic and just talk more. IF you are still concerned at the 24 month old checkup, talk to the Dr. about it and ask for suggestions.

[duckens]

Everyone has given such wonderful feedback to the op so far!

 

We had the same issue with dd3.

 

At 20 months, she was only speaking a handful of words...or less. At 18 months, the pediatrician sent her to the audiologist to test her hearing (and to test for autism). She passed both. By 20 months, we had been referred by another professional to the local group "ACCESS" that tests FOR FREE and provides services FOR FREE for these sorts of things. Does your community have an organization that would be similar for testing?

 

ACCESS sent two ladies who put dd through a battery of a gazillion little tests. For example: they gave her a horse, and a page with six animals on it; dd put the horse on the proper animal. Another test: they wound up a little toy and set it off to run down; dd watched this, then brought the toy back to them to rewind (which meant that she passed the test).

 

The ladies determined that dd passed everything with flying colors, but they were troubled that she spoke less than the five words that 12-month-olds are expected to have. In truth, she spoke 4 and MAYBE 5, but had a wild vocabulary of baby sign language. They conferred with their peers and offered to provide speech therapy services in spite of her borderline situation.

 

Loverboy and I were comforted to know that dd was doing everything else well. For this reason we were happy that we had had dd tested. We knew that we were providing a loving and stable home for dd, too. After a lot of discussion, we decided to pass on the intervention and just give dd a little more time. We also asked ACCESS if they would telephone us in six months to see if dd was speaking. After all, a 26mo not speaking is much more worrysome than a 20 mo not speaking.

 

Sure enough, Loverboy and I both noticed the same day that dd started talking. At almost 25months, she just picked a day and started talking. She added 4+ words/day for the next several weeks. It was very similar to when she learned baby sign language. This was the second of many indicators that dd's personality is such that she will do things when she is good and ready, but do them very well.

 

One advantage of dd's delayed speaking (confirmed by other mothers of late talkers) is that we skipped the unintelligible babytalk babbling that most children go through. Now we are a year later, and dd (JUST turned 3yo) talks on the same level as her little friend C3 who I babysit. Oh, and she also started to read sentences a couple of days before her 3rd birthday, too. *shameless bragging by mother* This indicates that her language skills are doing just fine.

 

Our story had a happy ending, but it doesn't always happen that way. I do strongly recommend that you have your child tested if it is possible to do. It may put your worries to rest, or it may point to an issue that needs intervention sooner rather than later. Do a little research and then go talk to your pediatrician.

 

Good luck to you and your family.

 

--Laura in Iowa

[momtoboys]

Okay, i have not read all the responses. And every child is different. . however. . .

 

My two boys did not talk much at all (as in, not even more than a few words), until they were around 2.5 years. When they started talking, they automatically began to speak in complete, adult-sounding sentences. Why? I have no clue!

[The Governess]

If I'm remembering right, a lot of kids have a word "explosion" between 18 and 24 months. They can go from 10 words to 100s within a matter of a month or two. I think it's too soon to worry yet. If his vocabulary hasn't grown much by his 2 yr checkup I would ask his pediatrician. :001_smile:

[Quad Shot Academy]

The standard is 200 words by age two. I would work with her as much as you can and if she is not even close to 200 by age two, I would have her evaluated. Here is our story:

 

My oldest was evaluated by the school system at age 2 and was given free in home therapy for 1 year. He was totally mute at the evaluation, but they told me he was "only" in the bottom 7% of the population. Only the bottom 10% qualify for free services. I asked how a mute child could only be in the bottom 7% and they said it was because he had normal physiology and an extremely high receptive language. We had the option of sending him to free preschool at age 3, but chose to pay for therapy for another 2 years ourselves. His speech is fine now.

 

My youngest daughter was tested at 2 and was so "off the charts" according to them, that they did not even complete the evaluation. My pediatrician was angry as she only had 4 real words and about 30 sounds she made for words. She did make all animal sounds, and they counted those as words. He wanted us to pay for therapy ourselves. I went back and forth on whether I should pay for therapy out of my pocket. (I had a very ill new born at the time, loads of doctor appointments and large medical bills, is the reason I kept putting it off.) When she started reading, I realized how big of a problem we had. We started therapy, but I feel it was far too late. Her lack of speech ability is greatly interfering with her reading and I really regret waiting so long. She is also having problems with her verb usage because we couldn't understand her, so didn't correct her and now that we understand what she is saying, she is getting so many words wrong. The therapist just discharged her from therapy, but it is going to be an uphill battle.

[Punks in Ontario]

Small children are so variable. My one son had only a few words at 24 mo, but we knew his comprehension was fine. We were not worried. He was what is known as a watcher. By 2 1/2 he could talk in sentences just fine. Even today, he is more of a watcher and listener. For the record, he has a hard time spelling.

 

My last child was not talking at all at 20 mos and had passed a couple of hearing tests. This time I was worried - more of a gut feeling that this guy wasn't getting it. He did need speech therapy, and even at 6, he has some residual speech issues. For the record, dietary changes made a bit difference to this fella. When we removed dairy, sugar, and food colouring, he was so much more alert, that he could attend better. I had been suspicious that he had hearing troubles despite passing a few hearing tests. When he got his adenoids out a few months ago, he suddenly was that much more understandable.

 

If you're concerned, I'd echo other posters who've suggested following up with your doctor. If there are reasons for a delay, you want to address them while he's still young.

[Liz CA]

When you say hearing issues...your not talking about selective hearing are you?:D

 

He hears just fine and knows when to ignore..the little twerp ;)

 

:D No, I meant potential problems with his hearing. My ds had a lot of ear infections during his first 6 years of life. It does not seem to have any long-term effect, however it could have contributed to his speech delay if he could not always hear clearly.

[Rosie_0801]

My daughter will be 3 in April and barely uses two word sentences. She understands what is said, follows directions (when she feels like it) and has playground skills that make most 5 year olds look like sooky little babies. I guess she is too busy climbing stuff to concern herself with language acquisition.

 

Rosie

[Denise in Florida]

I agree with previous posters, don't panic. If you are concerned talk to your pediatrician next time you go in.

 

I only have BTDT advice (I'm not an expert). My oldest was an early talker and reader (taught herself by age 5). My youngest allowed my oldest to be her spokesperson for so long that I had to start separating them to get the little one to speak at all. :glare: Then when I started homeschool with the little one she would not read until 3rd grade. I had her tested, the evaluator said 'she can, she just won't', turned out big sis was doing the reading for her. :glare:

 

They are still very close at 18 and 16 and I still have to remind the 18 yo that I am the 16yo's mother. :lol:

 

Don't panic, have fun, enjoy your kids.

 

ETA: I understand your worry, I had the younger one's hearing tested at age 1 1/2 (it was fine) and eyes checked at age 6 (just fine) and reading evaluated at age 8 (again could but wouldn't). Turned out she was just a stubborn little cuss.

Edited January 8, 2010 by Denise in Florida

[AnitaMcC]

Okay, i have not read all the responses. And every child is different. . however. . .

 

My two boys did not talk much at all (as in, not even more than a few words), until they were around 2.5 years. When they started talking, they automatically began to speak in complete, adult-sounding sentences. Why? I have no clue!

 

This is how it went with our twins. They had maybe a 12 word vocabulary at 2 yrs old. As they are twins and a month preemie, they were evaluated at 18 months old... they measured at 9 months in speech but normal at receptive. Then suddenly almost 3 yrs old they started talking in sentences and at 3 1/2 yrs old they were re-evaulated and tested at 7+yr. They didn't even have twin language... they just didn't feel a need to talk until they wanted to. They were absorbing language skills and when they wanted to talk.. they did it without a hitch.

 

Our youngest was a different story. He failed his newborn hearing tests and had surgery at 10months old. His hearing issues were noticed from the start. He was caught up in speech by the time he was 5yrs old.

[Terabith]

I called early intervention when my oldest was 15 months because I was worried about her speech. I was sure I would be reassured that she was fine, but I was worried. Her pediatrician told me she was fine. Turns out, she was in fact significantly delayed.

 

I am SO SO glad I called early intervention. The most wonderful speech therapist came to our house once a week for a little more than a year. She had some oral motor problems. Her receptive language was pretty good, but she had a hard time making sounds. We started with signing (thank you Signing Time) and because her signing vocabulary was so advanced, by the time her oral motor skills had some degree of resolution she jumped to above age level around 2.5. Speech therapy (and later occupational therapy for sensory and oral motor) was a ton of fun for her. I loved having another adult come in and tell me what a good job I was doing. Well, I also loved seeing another adult. :D It was fascinating, and I learned a ton. I really don't see ANY downside to having an evaluation from early intervention.

 

It is SO much easier for them to catch up if they start therapy before they are two. There is just less distance to cover. Anna got therapy till she was around 2.5, and again for a few months when she was 3.5 to cement and review some sounds. I have her screened every couple of years to make sure she is keeping up with the articulation standards for her age. I have no doubt she would have had a lot more difficulty if we had waited.

 

Watching the evaluations is so interesting. I had my younger daughter evaluated too, less because I was worried about delays but to make sure she was fine and to get information about how she was developing. The early intervention evals, unlike the ones from the public school, don't follow them at all. The program is completely voluntary. So if you are wondering at all, I suggest asking for an evaluation. They're free.

[LibraryLover]

Receptive language is more important than speaking at this point. If you ask her to get her shoes, can she find them, or go looking? Does she scan the floor? If you say 'Where is kitty?" can she point to it? Will she hand a toy to you if you ask her? Lift her shirt if you ask 'Where is your belly button?" If she can do that, I would not worry about speech issues at 19 mos. If receptive language is good, there should be verbal language explosions in the next few months.

[mrs.m]

If I'm remembering right, a lot of kids have a word "explosion" between 18 and 24 months. They can go from 10 words to 100s within a matter of a month or two. I think it's too soon to worry yet. If his vocabulary hasn't grown much by his 2 yr checkup I would ask his pediatrician. :001_smile:

 

This is what happened with my baby! We have Parents as Teachers here and the educator suggested that we wait until he was 2 for testing because some kids really take off in that period.

 

He did something funny before he could talk. He would talk all kinds of jibberish using intonation and gestures. And he look at us like we should respond! He had his own language and his older brother seemed to understand it because he would tell us what he's trying to say. :lol:

Edited January 10, 2010 by jannylynn