Would You Be Concerned?

[WistfulRidge]

I am posting this question at the request of DH. In fact, his exact request was "Well, could you ask that homeschool forum with the zillion other moms on it?"(:lol:)

 

DS will be 20 months (!) next week and DH is concerned that he's hardly talking at all. Well, he talks when he wants, just not in understandable English. He'll say words once or twice, in a very deliberate manner (as if to prove that he *can* say them) and then refuse to use the word again. If we insist that he uses words to ask for something (like a drink) he'll either decide it is not worth it and walk away or use "this" and point to it. He does have a (very slowly) growing list of words and phrases that get used on a daily basis.

 

I'm convinced that DS simply doesn't see a need to talk yet. He was much the same way with crawling - he crawled a few feet at 5 months and then absolutely refused to even get on his hands and knees for more than a second until he was almost ten months old. When he did crawl you could almost see the conscious decision "I think I want to investigate over there instead of staying where mommy put me" and so he did.

 

When talking to my grandmother she told me that her youngest was the same way. He refused to use more than a dozen or so words and phrases until he was almost three and then overnight he went from not speaking to saying things like "Can I have a drink of water?" "Where is dad?" "I need to go potty" etc.

 

Other than the talking thing he is developmentally fine and ahead in some areas. Sometimes he is downright scary with his smartness. He's been able to pick out both my mom's cell and home number out of mine, and DH's, contact lists since he was 13 months old, and will alternate calling them until he gets his grandma. He really loves helping me cook and bake - last week I was making the bed and came out to find that he had pulled a chair up to the counter and pulled down a mixing bowl, had un-baby proofed the cabinets and gotten out the sugar, flour, and chocolate chips, and he had stuck them all in the mixing bowl with a spoon.

 

He has plenty of exposure to language. DH and I make a real effort to talk to him a lot - explaining what we're doing, pointing out objects and naming them, and reading to him (lots and lots, he loves books!). He also shows an excellent understanding of words and can follow complex, multi-task directions. I'm not concerned (like I said, I think it is just a matter of he'll speak when he decides that he wants too), but DH is and I'm pretty sure it is because this was the big milestone that he was looking forward to. DH never had any experience (at all) with young kids before DS was born, so even still he is less than fluent in "Baby" and "Toddler" speak and I think he feels left out sometimes because of that. I think he also gets concerned because I am quite crunchy, and by default that has forced him to become crunchy (when before he was probably as far from crunchy as you could get). We get a lot crap/judgmental comments from well meaning neighbors/church members/ and family and I think at some deep level he comes back and wonders "Are we screwing our kid up by doing x instead of y? Is that why he's not talking as much as [enter the handful of 18-22 month old kids that he knows with a larger vocabulary than DS]?"

 

So... long post (sorry) to simply ask: would you be concerned?

 

For reference, in case anyone is wondering, he'll say these words and phrases on a daily basis:

 

Mama

Daddy/Papa

Ummma (grandma)

Ampa (grandpa)

Nick (my brother, but he holds the i out for several seconds and usually adds the ending sound as an afterthought)

Meow

My Meow (in reference to both his favorite stuffed animal and a picture of the kitty that he has deemed his)

Tales (Veggie Tales)

Love you

Ta-dah! (used for any/all reasons he deems celebratory)

Ball

Yeah

 

Words and phrases he uses at least a few times a week:

Eww, bum!

My up (wants up, usually to get at something)

No

Tory (story)

Hi!

This

There is (typically while playing hide and seek or peek-a-boo)

 

Words that he's said a couple of times and then refuses to say again:

Shoe

Balloon

Drink

Bath

Out

Done

train

milk

nurse

bye-bye

bed

truck

[laundrycrisis]

When DS2 was a toddler, he would secretly, quietly try out a word once.....and then not say it again for most of a year. He knew he could say them - he was saving them up. When he finally started talking, he went almost immediately to putting them all to use in sentences.

[OLG]

Well, sounds like our ds who spoke at 24 months. I wouldn't worry about it, each child develops at different rates and it sure sounds like he is smart enough and inquisitive enough to know when and how to get what he wants/needs. Once he does start talking, watch out! You will likely wish he had waited a bit longer:D

 

Mary

[Margo out of lurking]

In fact, his exact request was "Well, could you ask that homeschool forum with the zillion other moms on it?"(:lol:)

 

LOL!!!

 

I'm convinced that DS simply doesn't see a need to talk yet.

 

This.

 

overnight he went from not speaking to saying things like "Can I have a drink of water?" "Where is dad?" "I need to go potty" etc.

My bet too, this will be your son.

Other than the talking thing he is developmentally fine and ahead in some areas. Sometimes he is downright scary with his smartness.

 

It seems that most kids have something they are early at and other things may take a little longer to click. My dd was a late crawler and walker but she spoke in complete sentences at a very early age. My ds had no need to talk but couldn't keep still. It all evened out in the end.

 

He has plenty of exposure to language.

 

So he has no reason to talk because he's busy listening and everyone else around him is making lots of noise!

 

We get a lot crap/judgmental comments from well meaning neighbors/church members/ and family and I think at some deep level he comes back and wonders "Are we screwing our kid up by doing x instead of y? Is that why he's not talking as much as [enter the handful of 18-22 month old kids that he knows with a larger vocabulary than DS]?"

 

He'll feel more comfortable when #2 comes along!

 

Have you addressed your dh's concerns with your ds's pediatrician?

 

.

[nono]

Check out the book The Einstein Syndrome by Thomas Sowell. See if your child fits the profile of later talkers.

[Liz CA]

Don't worry. Speech seems to come later for boys. My ds did not speak coherently or consistently until he was well past 2yrs. Let me assure you, now that he is almost 20yrs, he has absolutely no problems speaking. :001_smile:

[sibbis]

My little guy was the same way. The "Parents as Teachers" lady warned me that if he wasn't saying more by 24 months then she was going to recommend an evaluation. To which I smiled politely and promptly dismissed. I honestly think my daughter talked SOOOOOO much he just figured he couldn't get a word in anyway. By the time he was 2 he had started saying more words but to this day he still just is not the chatterbox that my daughter is. Which is fine with me because my EARS ARE TIRED! I think some kids are just quieter than others but if it makes you and your DH feel more at ease then there is nothing wrong with investigating.

[rwilliams]

My son had this level of speech at 2 and then at 2 1/2 exploded with language. When a toddler is learning to walk it will put off learning language until after that milestone is mastered. He sounds fine to me. If he is not talking well by 3 talk to your Dr. but I think for boys his language sounds fine.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Nope, not concerned at all. When our son was OVER TWO years old I became concerned because he wasn't saying ANY words. None at all. I took him for his wc visit at 2, mentioned it then and she sent us for a hearing test. His hearing was fine. He started talking around 2.5 and hasn't hushed a day since. Now he sings, tells long stories, etc. (he just turned 6)

[WistfulRidge]

Thanks so much! I'll definitely send DH the link to this. Seeing an outside opinion of experienced moms will probably make him feel quite a bit better. Like I mentioned, prior to us having DS, DH had absolutely NO experience with dealing with kids under the age of 10 or so, and he doesn't like being inexperienced in anything, lol. I think a large part of the worry stems from DS 18 month appointment were the Dr mentioned "Most kids I see are saying a bit more by now, but given how stubborn he was with crawling I'm not concerned." I'm pretty sure all DH heard was "Most kids are saying more than my son, be concerned" (sigh). Add to that to the fact that the only similar age kids he knows (through church) were all earlier talkers, I think it just makes him concerned that somehow he's broken his kid.

 

Check out the book The Einstein Syndrome by Thomas Sowell. See if your child fits the profile of later talkers.

 

Thanks so much for the rec! Just glancing at some info about it online and it looks exactly like something that would not only soothe DH a little, but that I want to read!

[gardening momma]

So... long post (sorry) to simply ask: would you be concerned?

No. He says tons more than dd5 did at that age. At 2 yrs old, she was saying, "Nuh!" and pointing to what she wanted. That was about it. Ok, she could say maybe 5-7 words if she wanted to. She did go to speech therapy starting around 2.5 yrs old, and she was done before age 5. She speaks fine now.

 

When I was 2, I was able to talk, but then quit talking altogether. From what I've been told (and my mom sure does like to tell the story), I let my older sister speak for me. She would even turn and look at me as if listening to me, and then turn back and translate to people for me. I refused to talk for several months. Then one day we were at a restaurant--grandma, mom, my older sister and myself. I wanted a cracker (probably pointed at it or something). Grandma wouldn't give it to me unless I would say the word "cracker." I said it clearly, my first word in months. From then on, I talked. :)

[Kate CA]

My son did not speak much at all until he turned three! He would say what he really wanted or needed to, but he had two older sisters that handled it all for him. LOL I was not worried because he could hear and did say some things, but he just had no interest. It was pretty exciting when he decided to start talking more - we got to know what was going on inside!

 

I would not worry at all.

[petepie2]

Your DS is doing much more than mine was at that age. I had him evaluated when he was 27 months old. At that time, he would only say about 10-15 words and those were in his own language. He's now in speech therapy through the early intervention program in NC and he's made great improvements in his articulation. He'll be three next month and he's still not putting words together on his own. In his evaluation, he came out average or above average in his receptive language skills. He knows most of his colors and shapes and some numbers and letters, he just doesn't talk well. There are many people in our church who think he can't say anything. Many times in the nursery, he is completely silent or he will occasionally whisper.

 

Boys do talk later than girls and in all likelihood, he'll get there all on his own. I probably wouldn't do an evaluation until he's at least 2 yrs old. He may make great strides over the next four months.

[ocelotmom]

My DS was a late talker. What our doctor said was that if his receptive language was age-appropriate (responding when his name was said, following simple directions, looking at objects when they're named, and that sort of thing) and he was socially interactive, it wasn't a big concern.

 

He did eventually talk quite normally, but it took until at least 4 before he really caught up. I look back at records I kept of how he talked when he was 3ish, or video from that time, and I'm just thankful he was our first kid and we didn't have anything to compare him to!

 

He is a relatively late reader as well - I'd say he's at the low end for his grade level, and it's just in the past few months that he's really caught up to that point. I'm pretty sure this is related.

 

(I haven't had him formally tested, but he is, at the very least, of normal intelligence. He quite definitely does not have global delays.)

[PinkInTheBlue]

Both my 12 year old and 4 year old were late fallers. My 12 year old was a very late talker but is now active in theatre locally. My 4 yr old wasn't even saying "dada" or "mama" at 2. Immediately after that he verbally explOder with talking. Now he amazes me and everyone else with his vocabulary. I've never had a talker like him. It's a bit odd how mature his conversation and vocabulary both are. :)

 

With a list like yours of what he does already say on occasion, I wouldn't worry at all.

 

P.S. My 4 year old is also reading at a late 2nd grade level now. Another thing I've never had happen with a child. Anything to do with words, he just gets it. My late talking 12 year old read at a completely normal speed and level.

Edited February 5, 2011 by PinkInTheBlue

[LeslieAnneLevine]

My son only said a handful of words at that age, fewer than your son. He didn't gain language overnight but he did progress gradually and had occasional bursts of improvement. He started having sessions with a speech therapist at age 8 for articulation issues but has otherwise developed language just fine--in two languages.

He actually has quite an ear for expressions, figures of speech and precise vocabulary. He is always coming out with funny sayings and interesting words.

 

ETA: late reader here too.

Edited February 5, 2011 by LeslieAnneLevine

[Hwin]

My son had half as many words at 20mos (including signs) and was evaluated shortly before his 2nd birthday. In our case, the evaluation and subsequent services were a blessing, as it was more than a case of late talking - the in-home speech therapy was best for training us, the parents, to be better at understanding our kid and using language, though. It gave us tools we didn't already have. I would even go so far as to say that my experience with Early Intervention was painless and positive - and I hate to say nice things about The System.

 

If my husband was concerned, I would get the evaluation for his peace of mind; although, if he is willing to take the word of "a zillion moms" then perhaps his mind is already at peace ;)

[Halftime Hope]

while I wouldn't necessarily be concerned, I would keep this one data point in mind as you watch him develop and see if other things which perhaps deviate from normal ranges show up as well.

 

Looking back, ds's "few words" were probably the first clue that we could have had to his language processing difficulties, which include dyslexia and written expression disorder. While the label is "written" expression disorder, I can tell you that it includes difficulty pulling *verbal* language out of his brain as well. This is a kid who is extremely intelligent and scored in the top two or three percentile points on the tests that measured vocabulary, comprehension, and language mastery, yet in what we would, as laypersons, call composition (verbal or written) he had a huge gap in the scores.

 

The tester absolutely adored him, loved his wry sense of humor and congeniality, and said how much she enjoyed his very *adult* wit. (Yeah--that's homeschooling for ya!)

 

Interestingly, she was befuddled because, in general, kids who have language processing (reading, primarily) issues do *not* have great comprehension scores. I believe that aptitude was due to the hundreds and hundreds of hours we spent reading aloud classics and complex, adult-level nonfiction and watching documentaries. He might have had deficits in reading to overcome, but his auditory skills were well-developed and we discussed things by the hour.

 

So, that's my word of caution--be watchful, and if other concerns begin to arise, see if it fits a pattern.

[Dawn in OH]

My third child, Owen, now 3 1/2 only knew a handful of words and never said more than two words together until he was about 2 1/2. Once he turned 3 he was a total chatterbox, speaking in complete sentences and talking ALL THE TIME. The child hardly ever stops talking.

 

I was concerned at first because his older brother and sister were talking much more at that age. But since his hearing and comprehension were fine, I decided to wait longer and see what happened.

[Sophia]

My oldest was content with grunting and very few words until he was almost three.

 

When he was 13 we put him in a Speech and Debate club because he now will not stop talking, lol!

 

Always has something to say...

 

Don't fret, he'll talk when he's ready.

[Celia]

Don't worry :)

[Jayne J]

My youngest didn't say more than one or two words until she was 2. Our Dr. was watchful but not concerned, as she could follow instructions and point out objects when we asked her to. Around 2 she started talking more and now at 2.4 yo she is absolutely normal. I would only start to be concerned if there was no progress by the time your child is nearing 3 or so. (BTW, our neighbor had a boy who didn't speak much until he was almost three, and what he did say was unintelligible to anyone but the family. His pediatrician recommended an evaluation if he was not improving by the time he was 3. He did improve, and by 4 or so you would never have known he was delayed. I will add that he was an immensely physically gifted child--he could run and throw and shoot basketballs at 3 yo like an average 6 or 7 yo.)

[regentrude]

My son did not talk much until he was 2. I would not be concerned.

[iona]

you have a lot of replies already, so why not throw mine in there too.

 

ds 1 started talking a lot right at 20 month (right after ds2 was born)

ds2 started talking a lot at 30 months

ds3 just started talking a lot in the last two months he is 28 months

 

your son is well within the range of "normal"

 

i'll just echo what a pp said, just be mindful of his progress. kids at his age will be across the board in verbal ability and all end up being "normal". what is more important is that he is progressing as he goes along (sometimes this seems like nothing for ages and then an explosion of words overnight, or something so gradual you almost don't notice)

[happypamama]

I don't think I'd necessarily be concerned. My kids have been all over the map with various skills, including talking. My DS2 crawled for about 5 months before finally walking at 14 months but at 27 months has been using the potty pretty well for several months. He also has really good fine motor control -- was doing the pincer grasp thing crazy early. (Even earlier than DD, who walked at 9 months and who has always been very well-coordinated in the gross motor department.) But at 2, he still didn't talk much. He did sign a fair amount though and could communicate. He has picked up a lot of words in the past three or so months, but he still uses mostly one or two words at a time, three being rare, and they're definitely not the full, complete, intelligible sentences that DD was using well before this age. He also follows multi-step directions very well, better, IIRC, than either of my big kids did at that age (and sometimes still better than DD, who is easily distracted). I think he's just been focusing on different things than talking, and I'm guessing your son has as well. There's nothing wrong with talking to your pediatrician if you're concerned, but he does sound like he's in the range of normal to me.

[----]

I wouldn't worry. He's still really young.

[Jenny in Florida]

But, in case it makes you feel better, here's what happened here.

 

My now-16-year-old daughter began talking--really talking--by about 9 months. She was speaking in complex sentences by age 2. For a while, my husband and I kept lists of the words she used regularly, just to prove to ourselves we weren't crazy. She was that far off the charts.

 

Then, three years later, our son was born. By almost age 2 he had yet to say "Mama" or "Dada" discriminantly. (In other words, he made the sounds sometimes, but they didn't seem to actually mean anything or get used consistently.)

 

I had him at the pediatrician terrified, certain there was something terribly wrong with him. After our daughter, the fact that he didn't speak seemed really scary and weird.

 

The doctor kind of brushed it off, telling me that, if he still wasn't talking after he turned 2, we'd start checking for any problems. I wasn't happy with the answer and went home to start calling speech therapists. I finally got on a waiting list for the one our insurance might cover, with an appointment something like three months away.

 

In the meantime, we had started trying to teach him some sign language. Within just a few weeks, he had a working vocabulary of about 10 signs. It made me feel a little better, because it was clear he understood and wanted to communicate, just not verbally yet.

 

And, within just a few weeks of that, he said his first phrase. Like one of the other kids mentioned here, he went from nothing to sentences within about a week.

 

He's now 12, every bit as brilliant as his big sister, and routinely scores off the charts for vocabulary. He reads faster than I can keep him in books and talks nonstop.

 

Needless to say, we skipped the appointment with the therapist.

 

So, I guess it was just him working on his own timeline, like kids insist on doing. Boy, in particular, seems to be later to talk than girls.

[MeaganS]

Thanks so much! I'll definitely send DH the link to this. Seeing an outside opinion of experienced moms will probably make him feel quite a bit better. Like I mentioned, prior to us having DS, DH had absolutely NO experience with dealing with kids under the age of 10 or so, and he doesn't like being inexperienced in anything, lol. I think a large part of the worry stems from DS 18 month appointment were the Dr mentioned "Most kids I see are saying a bit more by now, but given how stubborn he was with crawling I'm not concerned." I'm pretty sure all DH heard was "Most kids are saying more than my son, be concerned" (sigh). Add to that to the fact that the only similar age kids he knows (through church) were all earlier talkers, I think it just makes him concerned that somehow he's broken his kid.

 

 

 

Thanks so much for the rec! Just glancing at some info about it online and it looks exactly like something that would not only soothe DH a little, but that I want to read!

 

Wow, you guys are my family 6 months ago! My husband is the same way. He constantly thinks something is wrong with our daughter, but really he has no clue, and we have a few early talkers in our group as well. Our daughter has had some significant delays (not rolling over by 8 months, not walking/crawling until 18 months, failure to thrive), but I know she's just fine now. Our daughter didn't start talking until the last 6 months and now is well on her way to fluency. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you.

[Lady Florida.]

Don't worry, but keep an eye on it. As a pp said, plant the flag of awareness.

 

My niece has boy/girl twins. The boy was talking like yours at that age, and he was evaluated and watched closely which, in retrospect, was probably unnecessary. Because they were born early, they were watched for developmental delays. As it turns out, he just wasn't ready. He'll be 3 in March and talks up a storm.

 

OTOH, a friend had a third child, a daughter, who wasn't talking. She just thought it was because as the youngest, the others talked for her. They finally had her evaluated at age 4, and it turned out she had a mild physical deformity in her mouth. Mouth exercises and speech therapy worked wonders, but my friend says she wishes they had looked into it sooner.

 

So just watch. It might not be a problem. But don't completely discard the idea that it might.

[sbgrace]

He sounds like a smart little guy. He is talking. The flag is no words by I think 18 months (he has words) and no unique combinations of words (ie go out or big ball) by 24 months. If either of those are missed, they haven't been yet, I'd seek an early intervention speech assessment. That's because many kids with speech delays will catch up but a few won't. You don't know what you've got until a little down the road. But if you get to 2.5 or 3 and realize you've got a child who does need some intervention in most areas it's school system or nothing (or privately paid) at three years old. Prior to three, in many areas, it's free therapy in your home. It doesn't hurt to start therapy and then find out you didn't really need it. It's not great to delay and then find out you shouldn't have. So doing a therapy assessment is no risk.

 

That said, you don't have those flags at this point. I would seek assessment and start intervening if there were signs of spectrum stuff. I don't see anything in your post that makes me think this but you didn't mention the things that are indicators and it's possible your husband's concern is from that angle as many people think not talking indicates autism (it more often indicates other stuff and, of course, many spectrum kids talk right on time). So, not talking alone isn't at all diagnostic but it's good to have the signs as it is something that benefits early intervening. Signs:

1. not consistently responding to his name (my son would at times but nothing like a typical child; I'd say his name "Andrew, Andrew" and he would keep playing but then if I went ahead said "let's go outside" he'd smile, jump up, and grab his shoes) He could hear me. He just didn't realize you look at people to let them know you hear them. Typical kids (and adults..) instinctively look up when they hear their name. Spectrum kids are far less likely to do that.

2. Delays in or lack of appropriate nonverbal communication. Typical kids should be pointing to show you stuff they find interesting (a plane for example) as they look at you by 12 months. Spectrum kids typically do this late or not at all. If your child is pointing things out to you, shrugging his shoulders for "I don't know", shaking his head yes/no, waving, etc. I would be unconcerned and wait. If these things are atypical or missing-if he isn't a good nonverbal communicator-I would seek assessment. My son started the pointing things out around 15 months (so late). All the other pieces came in late, atypical in presentation, or not at all (yet).

3. The presence of joint attention and referencing. This would look like show him a cool new toy--he looks at toy, looks at you, looks at toy, looks at you. Typical kids do that and spectrum kids typically don't. The pointing things out and looking at you is another sign. My son did this but later than normal. Typical kids, when uncertain (say they come to a closed door somewhere and aren't sure it's safe) will look at your face to see whether it's ok or not. Even 6 month old babies do this. Spectrum kids are far less likely to reference their parents in this way.

 

If you don't see any of these signs, he seems typically developing in the nonverbal communication and social stuff, he has some words at 20 months but doesn't talk consistently or much, I'd feel ok with waiting at this point. If he's had a lot of ear infections or you have any suspicion of hearing issues I'd probably do a hearing test. Wouldn't hurt to do it anyway.

Edited February 5, 2011 by sbgrace

[Ravin]

With DD, we had her evaluated and got her speech therapy. She wasnt talking at all really at 20 mo. Your son is far more advanced than she was, both in his receptive language and in the number of words in his vocabulary. Most importantly, his not talking isn't frustrating him. DD was very frustrated and threw tantrums over her inability to communicate more effectively--it was really the catalyst for us getting her evaluated, rather than whether or not she knew how to say X number of words.

 

I don't think I'd be worried about your DS at all.

[joannqn]

He's fine.

 

My 18 month old GIRL (most people say girls talk more sooner) says nothing but mama regularly. She has said a few other words a few times but refuses to repeat them. We are not worried because she obviously understands what we are saying to her and can communicate her wants and needs quite well without words. She also babbles, which is a form of early talking. It's the kids who don't understand you and/or can't communicate non-verbally that you need to worry about.

[MelanieM]

My youngest is almost 20 mos and has about the same number of words as your little guy. He knows how to make himself understood, certainly understands whatever we're saying to him, and seems happy enough with the number of words he can say. Not even a little bit worried about it here... definitely in the range of what is normal from my experience.

[Flux]

I haven't read all the posts, but will comment anyway. I could have just about written your post. Except my son said FAR fewer words than yours. He would say something and then just refuse. Obstinate stinker. I made myself sick over it on numerous occasions. I would wake up and go to the bathroom so no one could hear me sobbing. Even though it would sometimes make me sick with worry, I KNEW he could say the words because he had done it before. Also, he knew the sounds of the letters. If I pointed to a ball and asked him to say it=nothing. If I wrote ball on the magna-doodle and helped him sound it out, he would say it, but only if he read it. He clearly understood everything I was saying and it just seemed like he didn't want to. When he got to be 2 1/2 and refused to say even 10 words the doctor said I had to take him to speech therapy. Couldn't afford it and even if I wanted to go through state aid, the waiting list was nearly 4 months away anyway. He wasn't going to talk for someone else, if he wouldn't for me, he is such a momma's boy. It was a really hard decision to make, but I decided to give him time. He just turned 3 in December and had a language explosion in January. 37 months! From 0 to 100 mph(this better not be an indicator of what I can expect from him in his teen years!). I mean he sings songs!

 

Ultimately, I can't suggest anything to you, all I can do is offer my little story. I know how hard it is, because if something is wrong, you want to DO something about it. You guys know your son better than anyone else, start from there. If you really feel it's a problem explore it. From my perspective it looks like he says quite a few words. If he seems happy and isn't throwing huge tantrums, I might relax a little. Sorry for the rambling, I can't edit what I wrote at all, because I need to go be mom.

:grouphug: though; I hope he doesn't make you stew in worry much longer!

[elinnea]

My oldest ds did not talk until he was 2 years old. Now he will not. shut. up. :lol: My niece is about your son's age and doesn't speak- just babbling and pointing.

Lots of kids talk "late" and my personal opinion is that if there was something really wrong with your child then you as the mom would sense it.

[SnowWhite]

My ds will ALSO be 20 months next week and he says fewer words than yours. Funny thing, everybody talks about how smart he is! He is saying more than my middle boy did at this age. He says:

 

"ball ball"

"vroom vroom"

"dog"

"that"

"No"

"bye bye"

"Hello"

"Mama"

"Dada"

"pee pee"

and more rarely:

"drink", "tangerine", "bar bar," "bean bean," "meat".

[LibraryLover]

In our hsing group there were (and are), many under twos who didn't/don't speak much. They are all wonderful, and I can't think of one who is not a chatterbox now. I would not be concerned. Enjoy him and don't fret.

[Audrey]

No. That wouldn't concern me. If he were a year older, it might, but not at his age.

[Tree House Academy]

When ds, now 7.5, was 2 - the only understandable word he could say was, "Muh" and it meant "milk."

 

We enrolled him in speech therapy for a year, and by the end of the year, he was talking so well, he no longer qualified for the ST. Now, he never shuts up.

 

I would be concerned in that I would start considering ST or at least and ST eval. However, my ds had absolutely NOTHING wrong with him at all. He doesn't have any disorders, no other delays - he is actually very bright, well spoken, and read ridiculously early at a high level. So, the only concern was just him being able to communicate and ST took care of that for us.

[WistfulRidge]

Thank you so much for your responses. I've been reading them to DH off and on throughout the day and he admits that they make him feel much calmer/better about the situation. Since I pointed out the first dozen or so responses when he got home from work I've seen him relax so much more with DS. He's not insisting on "you must use words, this is [x]" like he has been the last couple of weeks. He has instead reverted back to just normal talking, reading, and playing with him. The fact that it is not just me saying "He'll be fine", but voices of many other moms with similar experiences has made a whole level of tension disappear from him and our home.

 

Thank you so much ladies! :grouphug:

[SonshineLearner]

I wouldn't worry about it. I found out that our son could talk around that time, because he was singing the song about "squishing up the baby bumblebee" with the cd that was on. From then on, he was busted. All four of his big sissies who were 7,10 and 13 made him talk for whatever he wanted... He still had a paci, but he had to ask for things... say please... etc... they were the "mamas" that consistently made him say what he would like for them to do. So, he knew it... and started just... talking :)

But... until at least 2.5 yrs... as long as there are some words coming out... I wouldn't worry :)

[Parrothead]

I think he is fine. He sounds like he is busy doing other things.

[Lovedtodeath]

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2404289&postcount=72

 

Here is my thread about my son, posted in May 2010. I never did speech therapy with him and he is vastly improved. I really don't have any worries about it now. Since I already have the programs, I will go ahead and see if we can improve. He is just now ready to cooperate a little bit. I couldn't really get him to do anything before.

[Heather in Neverland]

I wouldn't worry. At 24 months my ds wasn't doing anything except babble. I took him to a speech therapist who told me to stop worrying. He started talking at 3yo and he hasn't stopped since...I mean he NEVER stops talking! :D

[kmacnchs]

So I see EVERYONE has an opinion - just thought I'd give you one of these :grouphug: :) My ds is 22 mo and just last week said, "What's that mamma?" Before that, he would ONLY speak when prompted and even then sometimes he refused. For example, instead of whining & grunting, I would make him say 'mamma' to get my attn before I would give him what he wanted. He would sign all done, please, and milk but would grunt if I wasn't looking at him. Now (and this is within the last 2 weeks) he says his favorite sentence, along w/a new SLEW of words and phrases (he just randomly said 'lady bug' this morning and began to sing along w/the leapfrog magnet when it sings the ABCs).

 

I would say (b/c this is what I have thought about my son all along) that as long as he is understanding what you tell him and has no other delays or areas of concern, it will come! :)

[JessReplanted]

If his hearing is ok and the Dr. is not concerned, then you probably shouldn't be concerned.

 

My son had terrible problems with ear infections (tubes 3x) and was a very late talker. And then we had to do speech therapy for a while (when he was 5/6) but it really didn't help at all. At one point he developed a 'disfluency' (seemed like a stutter), and it was terrible. Praise God - the disfluency is gone, and his speech is much better now. The issue we deal with these days is sentence structure and matching verb tenses, but at least that is a bit more on target for his age, and we have seen real progress!! (again, Praise God!)

 

All that to say, that at 2 my son did not speak many words. My Dr. was not concerned, and I wish that I had been more concerned.

 

Probably due to all of the speech issues I've gone through with my son, I was very concerned with encouraging my younger girls to 'use their words'. Nobody gets anything around here unless they ask correctly and appropriately! :lol:

[tex-mex]

Don't worry. Speech seems to come later for boys. My ds did not speak coherently or consistently until he was well past 2yrs. Let me assure you, now that he is almost 20yrs, he has absolutely no problems speaking. :001_smile:

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[silliness7]

My son had this level of speech at 2 and then at 2 1/2 exploded with language. When a toddler is learning to walk it will put off learning language until after that milestone is mastered. He sounds fine to me. If he is not talking well by 3 talk to your Dr. but I think for boys his language sounds fine.

 

Sounds just like my oldest as well. My 2nd son was born 17 mos. after my first and I joked about them talking at the same time. It really did happen that way. My oldest was 30 mos. and my 2nd was 13 mos. Isn't that bizarre?

[AnitaMcC]

You can have him evaluated for speech but honestly he sounds fine.

 

My twins didn't speak more than a handful of words(and never combined the words) until they were almost 3 yrs old. They also did not speak "Twin". They were evaluated at age 18 months and their speech was measured to be at age 6-9 months but they were age appropriate for receptive language. They just didn't have a need to speak so they didn't. By the time they were 3 yrs old they were speaking in full sentences and very very clearly... People were often surprised that Dd and Ds spoke so well, not at all like "3 yr olds". When they turned 5 they were evaluated for speech (Ds had a tongue thrust thing going on when he drank), and they were evaluated at age 9-10 speech level.

 

Youngest Ds though did have speech issues. But he had hearing problems since birth. He had surgery at age 10 months and first time passing hearing tests he was 14 months old. He spoke no words nor made sounds until after he was a year old. He started speech therapy at age 24 months and by age 3 he was nearly fully caught up. He also didn't learn to crawl, stand, walk until he was 14 months old after he started physical therapy (he didn't have any balance coordination).

[rootsnwings]

My ds10 is a perfectionist by nature. He didn't want to do *anything* until he could do it perfectly. Which means he *could* talk at an early age, but chose not to until he knew he could speak proficiently. Same thing with walking/running, riding a bike, skateboarding, coloring, writing a sentence, etc, etc!! He's just like that. He didn't "talk" until 29 months but he started with politics & religion!!! ;)

 

My 2nd ds was also 29 months when he really started talking but I've been more worried about his speech because it seems to take him a while to really master a sound... he'll even say, "I don't have my sounds right" :( BUT he's realizing his sounds are wrong and is actively working to correct himself without any real prompting from me. SO--so long as he continues making good progress on his own (and he is)--I'm not worrying.

 

My advice for you? Do not worry about "late" speech--that's completely normal for boys. If and when he does start speaking fluently, watch for his pronunciation. The fact that he has the vocabulary he has going for him right now is proof that he's on the road to speaking. So long as he understands you at this point (and responds), he's probably completely normal. :)

 

HTH!! :D

Edited February 6, 2011 by rootsnwings