My son turned 15 months old about a week ago. He is very affectionate, makes great eye contact, plays, laughs - he is perfect! In every other way he has met all of his developmental milestones, but I am worried about him because he has yet to say his first word. We can occasionally get him to mimic "mama" or "dada", but I don't believe he's ever used these with meaning. He understands and follows simple commands (e.g., will run to the stairs for "bath time", will go pick up a toy when asked to). He gestures (points, mostly) for things that we wants to eat, drink, or play with. He does a lot of vocalization, but often with his mouth closed; sort of a grunt, I guess. We are very interactive with our kids, he goes to a wonderful daycare a few days a week, our tv is rarely on... I feel like we're doing everything right, so I am wondering at what point I should go from worrying about his lack of words to actually doing something about it. I've read a lot about early intervention services - does anyone know at what age this is a wise choice? Thanks!
I am sorry if I am repeating this fact, I didn't read through all the post.
Did you know....
Albert Einstein, known as having one of the greatest minds didn't start talking until he was three.
K.-
If this is your first child, it's really easy to get caught-up in what other people's kids may be doing. We were obsessed with developmental milestones with our son. He didn't talk until he was close to 2 (he said single syllable words from about 17 months until after his second birthday). We'd repeatedly ask our pediatrician who assured us he was fine.
As long as he's engaging with you and letting you know what he needs in his own way, I think you're fine.
But, if your instincts tell you to worry, there's nothing wrong with making a call to your pediatrician or mentioning it at the next appointment he has. Your concern is the best well-being of your own child - no one can fault you for that.
Here's what the American Academy of Pediatrics says about development at his age:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddle...
Hi K.-
My 4-week preemie son is 21 mos old today. He is still not saying any recognizable words. But he continues to develop the capability more & more every day! At 14 mos he was seen by a professional for some eating difficulty and they also evaluated his progress as far as vocalizing. They felt he was doing just fine with his interacting and understanding. If at any time he regressed then they told me to come back in but otherwise they said he was right on track. At no time has he regressed and he just keeps getting better & better. I have started saying the word for everything he grunts or points at and making sure he looks at me when I say it. Plus, I started pointing out body parts on him and then having him point them out to me. Are you reading to him? Both my sons love it! Are you brushing his teeth? That has helped my little one learn what his tongue is and his teeth. Just keep monitoring him and give him a little more time. Talking is hard work and if yours is anything like mine, he will do it when HE is ready and no sooner!
Hope this helps-
J.
He may be just speech delayed like my son was. I would suggest taking him to a speech thereapist start him now when he is young. My girlfriend had a little girl that was 18 months old and not talking pointing to everything she was just speech delayed she is now 17 and she is just perfect as well as my son is .
Hi K.
The earlier you have him evaluated the better. There is a service that will come to your home and evaluate your son for free. they then will tell you if he needs services (they will help reffer him to the right agency) or if he does not. they will tell you what you can do to encourage him to talk. The service is Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley. You can look at there website at frcscv.org When you call to make a appointment just tell them you are concerned about your sons speech.
Most early intervention folks recommend waiting until the child's second birthday to request a referral. Language is tricky and very worrisome due to all of the media coverage surrounding Autism. Early Intervention services are typically governed by county through the Department of Health. You can call there and ask to speak with someone! Usually they are really helpful and will help you decide whether or not it's time to do some testing.
He's still young, so there is probably nothing to worry about, but you may want to start "pushing" him a little. When he points to something, ask him what he would like. If he doesn't have to use the word, he won't! Babies are very efficient. When you are changing his diapers "practice" words and then make a huge deal out of anything he attempts to imitate (reinforce the response). Keep pointing things out and asking him to use the word before handing it over!
My oldest (he is 3 and a half right now) didnt even babble until a little less than a year ago. Everyone (including the pediatricians) kept reassuring me that all children develop at different rates. We are now at a point where he talks a blue mile and is smart as a whip... so I kinda let it all go.
Fast forward to about a week ago when I was in the midst of setting my other 2 children up for therapy services. The woman who does the evaluations through the school was at my house, and as we were going over the babies histories, she asked about my eldest. She started asking me about particular symptoms that I had never really thought anything of... things such as constant repeating, hating to have his head touched (he is a huge kisser and cuddler but head touching is a no go), anxiety in public (was terrible after my husband deployed), he is a pushover (will NOT show anger towards another child, even when hit or kicked), lines up toys... A person (even me) would never pay attention to these things though because it is all pretty camoflauged by how smart and sweet he is.
Sooo.... they have decided to evaluate him for ASD. I am not completely sure what it is completely... and they are not sure of course if he has it... but it is better to be safe than sorry. The early they recieve services, the better.
You just need to follow your gut. If you think you would like to have him evaluated "just to be on the safe side", get ahold of your local Elementary School and ask to talk to someone about Early Intervention Services. Even if it is something that is so mild that they dont feel he is a candidate for services, chances are they will have some great tips to help you get him going.
Good Luck!
It's possible that he is just a delayed talker. It is very good to hear that his receptive language is on target. But, still, I would get the ball rolling with early intervention. It usually takes a few months of evaluating and paperwork before they can actually start services. I'm not sure what state you live in, but in WI the speech teachers will even come to your day care to provide services. Good luck!
Too soon to worry, it all sounds normal! When he starts talking he probably won't clam up. Have fun with him!
Every child develops at his/her own pace, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I once took care of a little boy who was potty trained at 2 years old before he said his first word! He, too, used grunting, pointing and general noises to communicate. This boy turned out to be amazingly intelligent -- he graduated high school a year early and finished college with a double major in 4 1/2 years -- now in graduate school.
I would not worry. He is young yet. My son didnt really start talking a lot till around 2. He would say mama and dada and doggie, etc. a few selected easy words before that but 2 is when he actually started saying more and more. Now at 2 1/2 he is a jabber box and talks all the time. If he understands you and points at things i would not worry at all. He will be talking in no time im sure!
.
My nephew was very like your son at that age. In fact, by 2.5 years he still wasn't talking and as my sister-in-law began to have testing done on his hearing, etc., he finally started talking around age 3! (He was doing that sort of grunting and pointing thing.) At 8, he is now an extremely smart, verbal little boy; it just took him a while to get started talking. I would mention your concerns to your pediatrician but don't get too worried. Language acquisition is probably the most varied in its range of 'normalcy'. Hang in there! I know it's hard to see him not be able to say what he wants to say (and thus hard for you to help him!). Just keep doing what you're doing...:)
