My son is a little over 18 month. He understands just about everything you tell him however he will not talk to you. He will say mama, dada and a few other words he knows once awhile. Doctor can't tell anything is wrong with him. Any one can give me some advise? Thanks. N.
Thanks for everybody's response. About a month after I posed the question, my son start to talk. He can say about 15 words now. I am very happy. Thanks so much!!!
My 16 month old just said Ma Ma for the 1st time a couple of weeks ago, before that it was only Da....Da....Da-Da...
We do work with ECI for other issues and they explained that if a baby/toddler is trying to learn something new, like walking for example, speech will G. right out the window until they learn that new task. Only one thing at a time is what they said to us.
Good Luck!!!
I was wondering the same thing regarding my 18 month old. She is just starting to surprise me with a vocabulary that I didn't know she even knew though. If he is saying some words then I wouldn't worry.
My son didn't really start saying real words until he was about 2 1/2. Sounds normal to me! :)
Don't worry about it, both of mine did the same thing the oldest way above his age group in reading, writing, etc. His kindergarten teacher told me he was "to slow", I wish she could see him now! Second child is in first grade and a "social butterfly! The day will come when you can't keep up with everything he tells you :)
If you really want him to start expressing himself taking somewhere like an art museum, zoo anywhere you can ask about his toughts on what he sees. He won't start talking over night, but he will learn to verbally express his toughts and feelings. Besides it's a lot of fun
yes, very normal. I have a 24 month old son and he's JUST NOW starting to repeat what we say, yet my friend's daughter (who is the same age) says 3-4 word sentences.
My son's doc said (at his 2 yr appt) as long as he's understanding what you're saying and has STARTED to say 2 word sentences, you're fine. my son's first sentence was 'bye-bye pee-pee'! :)
Hi N..
My son hardly said anything at 18 months. I even had him evaluated by ECI Denton County as a precautionary measure. They said boys do often talk later than girls. Also, they just told me to offer him choices in everything. Like, if he wants something to drink, you ask him "water or milk" and "blue cup or red cup", etc. They told me this would help and it did. Soon, he started responding verbally to me. He is now 3 years old and talks all day long! If you are really concerned after trying that, call ECI. They are super friendly and certainly put my worries to ease. Good luck!
M.
I wondered the same thing and when we went to the doctor she said that they should be able to say 10 words. I was supprised then when I went to count the words that he said. I think that we may have hit a whole 15. Now just 2 months later he is jabbering on a whole lot more.
I posted a very similar question about my 14 month old a couple of weeks ago. If you look back at the messages you'll find good advice. From what I have learned lately, it is pretty normal. Just keep reading and talking to him. You could call ECI for your own peace of mind, but it doesn't seem necessary yet. One thing I have found with my little one is that if I try to work with him in his playroom he just isn't interested. I guess there are too many distractions. Now the best place to get him paying attention is when he's in the bathtub! He has started copying us and saying a little in there more than anywhere else!
If he knows mama, dada and a few other words and understands what you're saying and follows simple instructions, he's completely fine. There is a broad range of "normal" for speech development, and boys typically talk later than girls. Some kids are putting two and three words together by 18 months and others just wait until they're 3 to let you know what they're thinking! It has no bearing on his intelligence either. In fact, he's probably busy developing visual/spatial skills so he can't be bothered with talking.
I would just make sure he is steadily increase in his words. My friends son was like this and now at 3 years old, he still is like this. He goes to speech therapy now.
It could be normal, but a professional evaluation would be the safest bet for the sake of your son.
ECI only works with children under the age od 3, they come to your home and the service is free. They will teach you as parents some speech playing skills and evaluate him to see if there is any need to G. to speech therapy.
"An once of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure."
http://www.dars.state.tx.us/ecis/index.shtml
This is ECI's website. Good luck and don't worry! :)
This will be quick, but I have 2 year old b/g twins that didn't start talking until they were 25 months. I had them tested at 18 months because they weren't talking and they told me that as long as they understand commands to not worry. Now that they are 27 months they are talking all the time!! Don't worry, I think too many people put too much pressure on talking. All children G. at their own pace. When your son turns two and still isn't showing any signs, then talk to your pediatrician, until then don't worry!! Good luck, and enjoy it being quiet!! :-) S.
It is still normal for him to not talk very much. Keep encouraging him to speak and let him figure it out. If by two years old, he is still not speaking very much, you could have his hearing checked just to be sure.
N.....Please do not listen to anyone who tells you not to do anything!!! It may be he is a late talker but then it may not be and early intervention is the key. If he does have some speech delay and you waited to do something , you will kick yourself. If nothing is wrong then it didn't hurt anybody to get help. You can call Callier Center or ECI and get it checked out. Its better safe than sorry. Take it from a mom who was in your shoes 5 years ago!!! I listened to my gut and thank God I did. I saved a lot of time and it only benefited my child.
L.
Dont worry at all yet. Although my daughters both talked clearly by then, I do know that boys develop that ability alittle later. Also, he might be the type of child that wants to feel sure of himself before he tries things. I have cared for a boy since he was 14 months old, and I was alittle concerned about him not talking by 18-20 months, but by 2 years old he was talking in sentences. Everyday it seemed like he learned 10 new words. I think that if by 2 he is still not talking, ask about speaking with ECI, they will come for free to evaluate him and see if there is any speech therapy needed. Best of luck! ~A.~
Sometimes it is normal, especially if you have older children who speak for him. My youngest daughter did not really start speaking until she was about 2 1/2 or 3 years old because her older sisters would speak for her. My doctor told me that we needed to "force" her to talk by not allowing others to speak for her or not allowing her to point at things she wanted. For example, if she wanted milk, he said that we should say "This is milk. Say, 'I want milk please.'"
Hope this helps.
