17Mo Daughter Still Not Talking!

I think its too soon to worry. Even at 2 some toddlers are not talking.... after 23ish months, I would talk to a doctor but let her go at her own pace for now.... everyone is different.

Not to helpful, but my almost 20 month old JUST started saying things besides Mama and Papa and Tata (her version of her sisters name). I was really getting worried, because even though she babbled all day, she hadn't learned any real words since before her birthday! Just this last week or two, she has been copying me when I say something (not very well, but she is trying) and I keep making her repeat me when I hand her something "Is this a COOKIE? Say COOOOOOKIIIIIE." That seems to be helping. I also have been doing a few (abc's, all done, banana) with her and she will copy those now too. My situation may be the two languages we use in the house, though her sister did not have any trouble with it, so who knows. Good luck.

Hi V.
Don't worry. She is still young. Some (maybe even most) kids don't start talking until much later. My daughter started saying a few words early but then as she started to crawl and walk the speech fell a bit behind. When she started preschool at 27 months is when I really noticed a difference. She would all of a sudden come home with new (whole) sentences! So, please don't worry.

Hi V.,

I am a Speech Therapist. I am so glad you are aware of your daughter's speech. It sounds like she has an expressive language delay. Many times, pediatricians will just dismiss parent concerns. My rule of thumb is if they are not talking by 18 months, refer. If she is just whining and not producing any words, I would def. refer her. You can get a free speech evaluation and services (if she qualifies) from the Regional Center in your area. If you let me know where you live, I'd be more than happy to get you the number. Again, it's free, through the county, and they will have a therapist do the eval and services in your home!! And don't worry, you are referring her exactly when you should..she will do great and catch on in no time. My nephew at 2 only said "ka ka" and within 5 months of services you couldn't shut him up!! He is 5 now and you would never no his language was behind :)

Yes, as a mother and professional, I would be concerned. I work as a Public Health Nurse and the 0-3 population. I donʻt know what state you are in but you should be able to access an agency and have your daughter evaluated by a professional. If she qualifies for services, she should be covered under Part C of the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and services are free. Check your phone book and your state Department of Health or Department of Human Services. If you are near a university, they may have a professional school. Check with your pediatrician or the nurse in the office for a reference. I have learned that some children need hearing tested, and lots of practice to speak. Talk with them during play, sing songs, sing silly rhyme songs. Do tongue exercises: stick out your tongue, try to touch your nose with your tongue, lick peanut butter from a spoon. Good luck.

i would take her for a thourough evaluation with an occupational or speech therapist-- depending on where you live- there are some great clinics for these evals in the san fernando valley.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. My sister did the same thing. The family joke is that she didn't say a word until she was two and then when she started she never stopped. My family's theroy is that she didn't talk because whenever she needed anything I would get it for her. Maybe the only person she thinks she needs to communticate to is her brother.

My son had speech issues also, pediatricians are no help, everyone I talked to told me don't worry boys are just slow. I refuse to believe this, some kids are slower then others but boys aren't necessarily slower. I finally met someone who also had these issues and told me to contact the school district in my area. You are looking for a speech therapist to test your daughter, they test hearing and sight, and alot of other things, and then either give you ideas to work on or set up classes for her. The younger the better in my book. My son started at 3, he went for 3 years and in the 3rd year we also put him in regular pre-school, with both schools he really excellerated, and when he started kindergarden they released him from the program. He speaks fine and is a straight A student now. Good Luck J.

No, don't be concerned. Each child develops differently. She is age appropriate. She doesn't need to talk since she can convey her wants. My oldest son only had a one verb vocaulary at 2 years and it was all single syllable words: Cook-cook for cookie, track track for his tractor, a slurping sound when he wanted water. He was an "A" student:) My middle son never used any baby talk and just after two year started to speak in short sentences. My youngest spoke earlier. Give her time. She will learn, especially since she has the 3 year old to mimic:)
Enjoy you children!
H.

I think 17 mos is still pretty young and within the average range for kids to start talking. If your daughter continues with late talking and you decide to take action, I have some suggestions and cautions for you. My son is 2 yrs 9 mos and still not really talking much. I used the regional center to get him speech therapy at 2 yrs and have done a whole lot of research since then on bright kids that talk late but do not have other developmental delays. It sounds like your daughter is very bright so may fit in to the category if she is in fact a late talker. There is a book called ‘The Einstein Syndrome’ by Thomas Sowell that I would recommend. Sowell describes a group of late talking but bright kids that are often misdiagnosed and not treated properly. A professor at Vanderbilt University, Dr Stephen Camarata did a scientific study on these types of kids and Sowell describes that research in his book. Dr Camarata also has a website for late talking kids: http://www.latetalking.org/ . There is an online parent’s support group called ‘Natural Late Talkers’ that is very helpful, it’s like Mamasource for parents of late talkers. They have a lot of information on late talkers and also suggestions on how to interact with kids to help them along, sort of like home speech therapy designed by Stephen and Mary Camarata at Vanderbilt. All this may be premature for your daughter and the main advice I would give is don’t panic…but if your daughter is not speaking in a couple of months and you decide to take action, arm yourself with knowledge first with the resources that I have recommended. It took me a long time to find these and I spent 9 mos with a speech therapist that was using an ineffective method that did more harm than good. The books, web sites and groups for late talkers were so helpful. Good luck!

Hi V.,
My husband didn't talk until he was almost 3. His older sister understood what he wanted and would do things for him. When he did talk it was in full sentences. He said he just didn't feel like talking. Your daughter may just not feel like talking but if you are really concerned you should definitely have her evaluated.

Good luck.

Like the speech therapist said, patterns can vary, but speaking as a peds nurse for 20 years, I would consider having your child evaluated if you're concerned, even for just your own peace of mind. And most pediatricians in my experience will not refer, so I would rely entirely on if they are concerned or not.
Also, there may not be a problem at all, or there may be an issue there that would benefit greatly from early intervention. Sometimes it's just a stimulation issue, sometimes it's a motor planning issue, sometimes a hearing problem, sometimes it's nothing.

A child at this age typically is speaking a small volume of words.
My son, now age 4 has been in speech therapy since age 20 months (evaluate at 18 months) He qualified and at the time he was speaking 4 words. He was also adopted internationally and we did allow time for language acquisition. He quickly responded to therapy and his language and vocabulary took off (he now tests at an equivalent of a 6-7 year old) and we're finishing up on some articulation issues (sounds like ending "l", "ch")to further improve intelligibility. Through ST we also found out that he had slight low tone throughout his body (something all of his pediatricians and his mommy never picked up on) and this affected his speech, so he got oral/motor exercises and a few months of PT to strengthen his core muscles to help his balance and his breathing, which also helped his speech.

You can self refer to the regional center and ask for an eval by a speech language pathologist (sometimes they will do a general eval by a PT or OT and if they flag concerns they will refer to ST, but you have a right to an eval by an SLP).

If anything you will just get some good info, and it's free. It can give you peace of mind either way. Or you can give it some time and readdress it if it's still a concern.

Just if I can share an opinion, I think as responders we need to be careful about how we respond. I'm not thinking it's responsible for us as responders to equivocally tell a parent not to worry at all, nor do I think we should immediately respond that they need x,y,and z, and I only say this because some may really take that to heart and possibly not seek evaluations and their child might really need something. I'm not only saying this about this topic, but I've seen this on many websites before and it's just something I try as best I can to be cautious about.

Try not to worry, she'll be fine!

This was actually our first sign that our daughter was a perfectionist. She would not talk until she was positive she could pronounce words to her satisfaction. No baby talk for her! I didn't speak until I was 3. Some kids just don't have much to say at that age.

Your daughter is the perfect age to sign! Contrary to what some people believe, signing helps kids learn to speak sooner, not later. And in the meantime you and your daughter can communicate through signs. YOU WILL BE AMAZED!! There is so much going on inside her head - it will blow your mind.

There is a great video series called Signing Time and it is also a TV series now, too. The key to successful signing is for you to use the signs as much as possible. When I started signing with my oldest daughter when she was 17 months, she was accurately using sign language by the end of the first week. Your daughter wants to communicate with you so badly - show her the way!

Best of luck to you and your precious little girl!

You might want to have her evaulated. I'd start by making sure she's hearing properly, and check in with a speech pathologist to see what they have to share. I wouldn't freak out, some kids develop languate lather than other, but,his is a bit late, and you might want to rule out issues.

Good luck.

If she is making good eye contact with you and with others, point to or holding out objects to show you, and looking at things that you are pointing out to her, then I wouldn't worry too much about her not talking yet. Here's what you need to do though to get those words out and stop the whining:

1. Don't jump in and speak for her when you start hearing her whine or see her reaching and grabbing for something. Give her a chance to get those words out.

2. When she starts whining for something, tell her that you don't understand her and that she needs to "use her words," and then just sit there patiently as she attempts to do so. At first, she won't know what this means, so after she attempts it again, give her the word (e.g., "up," "snack" or "juice") to say and then wait for her to try to repeat it in her big kids voice. Once you get some similance of a word and a big kid voice, immediately make a big hoopla about it and give her what she asked for. For each success, you need to up the ante a little bit and require more out of her.

3. Make sure that you are spending some time sporadically throughout the day playing or reading to her. Sometimes whining is a cry for attention.

Good luck!

HI V.,
My mom says that I didnt start talking until I was 3, and then I didnt stop. I had an older sister that did all the talking for me, and I was shy and just never spoke. I am still shy, but I also love to talk. My mom did take me to a speach therapist back then too.
Good luck,
M.

www.marybethb.myarbonne.com
____@____.com

I am a mom of 3 girls. My second child had an expressive speech delay. She is now almost 3 years old and has come a long way with the help of the Regional Center. I contacted them around 17 months old as my daughter was not communicating with any words. Someone came to our house every week to work with her. We now also go to a private speech therapist as well. She now talks and communicates pretty well, although she does have difficulty with the clarity of her speech. If your daughter does qualify with the Reg Ctr, they can provide you with many different services. And it's free!! So, in my opinion, it doesn't hurt to look into it. Early intervention seems to pay off in so many ways. Good luck!

We had the same thing going on with my daughter. She barely started walking at 15 months and was using babble to talk. Julie is right on this one. Talk to her normally, no baby talk. Once my daughter started using her words, she was a firestorm. I put her in pre-school when she was 3. Now she is 4 and I swear she talks so much! She even talks in her sleep! My second learned much faster. He started walking at 11 months and is talking in complete, perfectly audible sentences. He is only 2. I also have a 9 month old. He is almost walking and he says a couple of words. Oh goodness! Every child is different. Give her time. Are you sure you want 2 talking babies? ;)

My brother didn't speak much at all until he was three. My mom wasn't concerned; he was her first and she reasoned that he probably didn't "need" to say much because all his needs were met. He's now a happy, well adjusted physician with plenty of friends. Regarding your daughter, if it were me my main concern would be her ability to reach out and communicate with others, even if it's on her own terms. She also has a sibling who hasn't been verbal for long, right? Perhaps in her world she doesn't really "need" to talk yet. Good job staying "up" on things, though! Good luck, Mama!

How is her health? Has she had any ear infections or been sick a lot? I questioned doctors about my daughter now 2-1/2 when she wouldn't say more than moma or dada at the age of 1. She had 8-10 ear infections in a year and had fluid built up which caused her equalibrium to be off. She would walk into things, fall off of chairs, and it was constant. So she had tubes put in her ears May of 2007 and they came out on their own June/July of 2008. Our Dr recommended Early Intervention a development program, but my husband did not think it was needed. I really thought it would be worth a shot for her and I was really glad I did it. We have been working with a speech therapist since November 2007. She says 3-5 word sentences and knows what she is talking about. Sometimes when she is tired or upset she rambles and there are words that we still can't understand but you have to learn what to do. Try this, put favorite things out of reach say what it is and if that's what she wants hand it to her but say what it is when you give it to her and that should help her build a word list. Keep a list for yourself as she improves to show growth. It really worked for us and will minimize the crying routine. You enable them to cry and get what they want when they do it so it's almost like retraining your thinking too. Good luck and I hope my info helps.
M.

V.,

I am not a speeech therapist however, at this point YOU are the best judge of her developmet because you see her on a daily basis. My suggestion to you is to keep notes. Is she trying to talk and babble comes out? Or is she not intereseted in communicating with you? Like many others have stated, it could be a number of things. If she is using the same words to communicate what she wants, she IS trying and the words will come. Some kids are shy and take everything in but don't know how to start speaking. Like us learning another language. You understand the second language before you are comfortable speaking it. OR she could have what my baby cousin has: Low muscle tone. He is 3.5 and still only knows about 20 words, and you have to be around him for a long time before you can recognize what he is saying. He is seeing a therapist and it is getting better. If you are getting fustrated with the communication you two are having, have her start watching Signing Time on KOCE (PBS)and she'll learn how to communicate using sign language. It was my daughters first language. Her and I comminicated that way until she learned how to speak then she lost the signing words. I was worried too because they say children should be able to speak 2 word sentences by 24 months. She only spoke one word at a time until 22 months then one day I reprimanded the cat and she repeated me and said "Stinky, what did you do?"

I hope all is well for you and your daughter.

Jennifer

My son did not speak english words until he was around 4-5 years old. They are speaking their past lives languages up until then (some of them). I would not worry if she is mimicking her brother. You could take her to a speech therapist for an evaluation, but I do not think you have to worry. My son was born 3 months premature at 2 lbs. Doctors said he may never walk or talk. He is 20 years old and going to a brand new program at UCLA called Pathway for people with disabilities. He is a great kid.
S. www.healthy-communications.com

V.,

I took my 18 month old for a checkup this week and was told they should say about 20 words at this age. If you have a true concern discuss it with your pediatrician. My son and daughter started talking early. My son was talking super early. My daughter just really started talking a lot. She said a few words here and there, but at about 16 or 17 months she has really said tons. She says a few new ones everyday. I also say a word when we are looking at something so she can associate it. If she's playing with blocks I repeat the word block if she comes and shows it to me (something like that). I would advise not using any baby talk like the others said. I always talk to my kids in normal talk and I think it helps. Good luck!

V.,

Just want you to know that my first daughter was speaking very, very well by 1 year even stringing two words together. In complete, stark contrast my second daughter did not care to speak beyond her basic words for milk, mom, dad, and water until she was almost 3. She learned to speak just fine, though language arts is not her strong suit. So, though it hard not to do, comparing siblings won't really help ease your anxiety.

Good luck.

My middle child, Alyda, didn't say her first word until she was 2! And it wasn't really a word it was a sentence, I'll never for get it, "mama no go wort (work) today me birday (birthday)" Talk about breaking my heart! But she speaks much better now and a lot too, it's funny because it was like she didn't say anything until she really needed too. I am still concerned because she does speak very clearly but I've been to 2 different speech therapists and have asked others (including her Doctor) and they all say that she's still too young to know if there is a problem, but that she is more than likely ok. I feel like I should always trust my instinct, so I make her use her words a lot. I tell her I don't understand a whiney voice, or to please say it in your big girl voice. She's 3 and now much more articulate. Her older sister still talks for her, so I have to be more on top of that. But for the most part I see a lot of progress and think I was probably worried for nothing (and still am).

We'll see, but I'm sure that you're a good mom and that you'll teach her and eventually she'll say what she needs too. But until then just got to be patient and wait.

Have you asked her Ped?

-S. (mom of three little ones)

My daughter did the same. She too is smart, but just does not talk much. She has an older brother and sister and she communicates, just not with words. So...I called the school district and they tested her. She qualified for speech thearpy 2x a week. It has helped a bunch. And it is free. You might want to check it out with you school district. It might take a few phone calls, but they have to help you . Eventhough she is not of school age. Good luck!

Dear V.,

I know how you feel, just waiting to hear her real voice and communicate with her. But, you just have to be patient and wait a little longer. She is not late at all in the talking and the baby pronounciation will be a wonderful thing that will echo in your head for the rest of your life. My son died almost 5 years ago, and we still think of how he pronouced chocolate and milk, and so many other darling baby things that he did. He was 46 when he left us. I miss his beautiful essence and personality every moment. So drink it allll in. You will be glad that you did. C. N.

Is your Doctor concerned? If not, you shouldn't be either. Kids learn at such a different pace. Although she's not forming words, it sounds like she's communicating really well. My daughter is 19 months and fully capable of saying what she wants but will resort to whining sounds. For a while I didn't realize I would give her what she wanted when she whined. Now I ask her to say the word.
If your daughter is whining for, say, milk, you can say, "Do you want milk? Say Milk." Maybe she won't say it at first but it's a start. If I were you, I wouldn't be too concerned because she's attempting to communicate. Just help her with the words she needs because right now whining is getting the job done.

Hi,
You've had a lot of responses, but I don't think anyone mentioned yet a couple resources I am going to mention.
But first, realize your daughter is still pretty young, she might have a "language explosion" soon. She might be just processing everything right now, and stronger with her motor skills than her verbal skills.
I have one son, who talked VERY early, at 7 months he started saying clearly audible words, and he is still very chatty and social. His verbal skills came well before his motor skills.

But I have a younger son, who is now 6, that hardly talked until he was over 2 years old, and I still don't remember how old he was when he spoke in sentences. He is naturally very shy and much quieter than older brother. But he did exhibit more large and fine motor skills earlier, and to this day, is a "natural athlete", and his advanced penmanship is always noticed by our friends. But back to the talking part...As a toddler, he was clearly engaged (making eye contact, and trying to communicate via pointing and grunting), and didn't have any surefire signs of autism, but we still did have him evaluated by the local regional services center, and not surprisingly, they didn't feel his "case" was severe enough to qualify for any services like speech therapy.
But it worried me, because he would learn and say a word for about a week, like "juice", and then never say it again.
We tried "forcing" him to talk, by not giving him what he wanted if he pointed or grunted, but he would just get really frustrated, because he clearly couldn't say what he wanted to say. He knew what he wanted, he was incapable of saying it. WE realized that frustrating him was NOT the way to go, and decided to take a different approach.

I have two things to recommend. Read the book, "Late Talking Children" by Thomas Sowell. I found it very resourceful and practical, without being a "know-it-all" book that throws unnecessary labels on kids.

Also, read up on Sensory Integration Disorder. I am not a "labeler", as I believe God creates each child unique and with their own special talents, gifts, and weaknesses. But some kids ARE just more sensitive to incoming stimuli (my son is definitely one of them!), and it can kind of compromise other things until they kind of mature enough to hopefully filter things out easier. The whole concept is pretty interesting. We had big issues with noise and heat sensitivity with our little one. Older one has touch issues (gags easily, very picky eater as far as texture, needed a lovey at night, prefers to be in flip flops than shoes, etc.).

Anyway, my little one still is not a big talker, but he DOES talk, and has what I would consider a normal vocabulary for a 6 year old :)
He still does have trouble finding "his words" sometimes, but as he gets older, he gets better at communicating. Some kids will just be better at expressing themselves than others.
But as others have suggested, it doesn't hurt to get her evaluated and see if she can get some speech therapy. Just beware of any labels they try to stick on her and enjoy her uniqueness.

Hi V.,

Well I wouldn't panic - but it also wouldn't hurt to get her checked out by a professional. Maybe check into early intervantion or see what your pediatrician thinks. The only reason I say have her checked out is a friend of mine was told that the reason her son was delayed in speech was because he hears two languages (Spanish from grandma English from Mom and Dad). Well it turns out he was Tongue tied (Where the Tongue is actually attached to the bottom of the mouth to much). Anyway now they have to play catch up. He is a bright boy - but he has to relearn how to move his Tongue the right way to get the sounds to come out well. So my vote is have her checked. If a professional tells you don't worry you will feel better anyway. It can't hurt.

Just my thoughts,
G.

I had the same thing with my son and was told to contact regional services. I had his hearing checked - I knew he could hear, but wanted to make sure he was hearing "clearly" and then I contacted regional services. After an very low key evaluation they said he qualified for speech therapy and after only 1 year of going for 1 hour a week my son is talking non stop. Before we started he had NO words at all - not even mama or dada. It was fabulous for us and it's worth a try and the services are free to you until their 3rd birthday. Good luck.

This happened with my son. Don't let everyone freak you out and have you headed to the therapist just yet. People were saying the same thing to me about my son. He wasn't saying anything but Ma and Da until he turned 2. Then, he started just talking. Sentences came fast after those floodgates opened. I worked with him by asking him to say a word when he asked for a cracker or toy. It most of the time just came out a sound, but it helped him a lot with conveying what he wanted. It is frustrating. The whining can send you over the edge. I figured he would speak fast because he has a sister 2 years older. He's turning 5 next week and he's as smart and has just as good language if not better, than the kids around him the same age. So just give it time. She will talk.

Hello--

i didn't read all of your responses-because there were so many. But, next month your daughter will have a 18 mo appt w/ her pediatrician, ask then, Also, maybe there is a concern and maybe not I know everyone is all freaky about autism. I did not speak 1 single word until I was 35 months old. Nothing. No dada mama nothing. And then when I did talk I think I never shut up. So, I dont know what that is worth, but, I went to UCLA...

Hi V.!
I dont think you should be worried yet! She understands your requests and this is important! My son is 23 months and in past 2 weeks he start to saying all kind works and now he is already making sentence!
I think she is a smart lil girl and when she decide to talk will be totally overnight!

Dont worried!
Good luck!
P.

Every child is different. If you think it is a "true" delay in development, ask your Pediatrician.

You can help her communicate, by teaching her sign language. Make the motions and at the same time, make the sounds/word with your mouth... and then have your child watch your mouth as you sound out things... this is a tip which my son's Speech Therapist told us.

As the other posters said, I would not worry at this point. But if at 2 years old, she is still not talking, have her assessed.
Some say to look into it sooner and that is up to you.

My eldest child, my girl, talked before 12 months old. My second child is close to 24 months now, and he does not talk as is "expected" at this age either. But I had him assessed, and the Speech Therapist & Developmental Therapist said he is perfectly NORMAL and in fact he is advanced in his development... he is just not "wanting" to talk like we want him to. He does say things when HE wants... but he is perfectly cognizant of everything and has a tremendous "vocabulary" of understanding for his age. And about 95% of the time he just does not "choose" to talk, but does make other noises. His older sister is super talkative, and well, we always know what he wants anyway, or what he is "saying" as he has a large repetoire of how to convey things.
I'm not worried about him. *I do have the Speech Therapist come to see my son, because in my area they have the service for "free" through 3 years old. My son enjoys it, and it's fun, and it gives him an incentive. Perhaps in your area they have a regional service for this too... your Pediatrician should know about it.

To set your mind at ease, you will see a lot of different experiences here. But you can also just ask your Pediatrician.
All I know is, all babies/children are different for when their skills blossom forth.

Keep in mind, that "babbling" and making cave man sounds are ALL "pre-talking"... this is how they practice sounds, moving their mouth and tongue etc. My friend's child was a late talker as well... but once he started talking.. there was no stopping him and he is such a chatty one now! Some kids are just that way.

Einstein and Mozart, did not talk until about 3 years old also!

All the best,
Susan

I know you'll get a lot of encouraging words from others. I just wanted to add that my son didn't talk until he was 27 months and my daughter didn't speak until 23 months. Both are normal, healthy, bright kids.

If she can convey her wants by using reaching or pointing give her verbal prompting. Ex. she points to milk, say "you want milk?" Have her repeat it. You say "want milk" Don,t give it to her right away (don,t tease her with, just a few seconds)try to get her to repeat after you.
Try to notice if you are allowing her to give gestures to get what she wants and stop getting what she wants with pointing and gestures.
As parents we tend to be in tune with our children's wants so we often don't notice how much we just do without them asking or communicating their needs.

Hope this helps

V.,
I am a speech therapist and although there is a great deal of variation, i would recommend that you consider getting your son evaluated by a speech therapist. Pediatricians almost never refer children for speech therapy, mostly because their training doesn’t include the same in depth coursework in language development as does a speech therapist. You can try for the next month or so doing your own intensive language intervention and then if there is no change, ask your Dr. for a referral for a good Speech therapist or contact the regional center closest to you. If I can answer any more ‘detailed’ questions or if you would like some ideas on how to really boost your son’s language environment, please feel free to contact me.
There are great language development resources on the internet if you would like to do your own research into the developmental norms.
N.
____@____.com

V.,

At 17 months, I wouldn't be too concerned yet but I'd keep an eye on the situation. I have an almost 5 year old who has autism and the ONLY early sign was that he never started talking. He was social, funny, engaged. At almost 5 we know he's not always appropriately social but that is a heck of a lot easier to recognize at 5 than it was at less than 2. If your daughter can point and identify objects (can you ask her to point to the cat in a book and can she do it?), able to follow simple commands and otherwise seems to understand what you are saying, I'd wait another month or two and see what happens. Receptive language develops earlier than expressive language. My 22 month old (who is developmentally normal) didn't start talking until around 18 months (actually he started right after I made the Early Intervention appointment to have him evaluated!) and now at 22 months, he's got a huge vocabulary and he's stringing together 2-4 word sentences. Once he started there was just no stopping him. But at 17-18 months, I was pretty concerned. If you don't see any language development within the next month or so, I'd definitely have her evaluated. They may tell you that she's fine and will start when she's ready and that is cool. It is always better to know for sure. That way you can either get therapy or quit worrying about it (depending on what they say).

:-)T.

Hi V. my daughter who just turned two last week is going through infant developmental therapy and is going to start speech therapy on Monday. I really wasn't concerned at first and a mother should never compare their child to other children. I have a cousin who has a little boy who is only one month older than my daughter and he can verbalize all his needs and wants. He does has two older siblings to communicate with so I'm sure that help him vocalize what he needs. Kind of survival of the fitest at that house lol. However my daughter was running around while he was having issues just standing up on his own. He basically ended up having therapy. I started reading other moms concerns and advice on this topic on this site. Contact your local regional center. They offer a program for children 3 and under to help for any delayed development. I contacted them and they helped us out right away. They got my daughter evaluated and she qualified at no cost for therapy. So far I have seen her make tremendous developement with the infant development teacher (who by the way comes to your home). I couldn't have asked for a more sweeter teacher for my daughter. They also encourage parental participation. I can only hope for even more progress when she starts with the speech therapist. Like all my family and friends have advised me is do what you feel you need to do for your daughter. Your her mother and knows what's best for her. I hope that helps. Good luck!!!!

Was she an early walker? Seems to me that often children who are early walkers are later talkers. I wouldn't be too worried about it just yet. Keep encouraging her to 'use her words' when she whines and practice making sounds with her, like a make an ah sound, and you do it with her.

Hi V., I would not worry to much, I have a 21 month old little boy who says, mama dada, please, thankyou, no yes, and a couple more words, Give it another couple months and see where she is at, but when she whines, don't pay attention, you want her to get to the point that she is using her words, or at least trying, don't baby talk her, use all the real words for things, like blanket, not blanky, 17 months is still young, by 2 she will probably be talking up a storm. J.

At my (third) child's 15 month appointment, her doctor said that she was one word away from "passing". To which I said, "She failed the 15 month baby test?" And we laughed. She said that if she didn't know three more words in three months, to call her and she'd send her for testing. It's three month later, and she knows about seven more words. Phew!!! :) She said that since she has an older brother and sister that she may not need to talk until later, or she may talk a lot because she wants to get some attention.
If you're worried about your doctor, talk to the pediatrician, but chances are, she'll be talking before you know it. :)

It is worth the peace of mind to have a professional evaluate her. The pediatrician may first send you to a audiologist. My daughter didn't talk at all until like 2 despite the fact her hearing was normal. Later I find out she is autistic, but actually hyperlingual. I actually tried to so sign language with her at 8 mos. Then once she started talking she was signing too (but not signing at all until she talked) Then she was talking in paragraphs and was reading a 2.5 yrs. Sometimes there are muscular issues that delay speech. Other times it is just personality. If it turns out to be something, the sooner you get her help the better. She could be caught up by Kinder.

Good luck

You can take her in to have her hearing checked. If you have a battery watch you can hold it next to your ear. If you can hear it, put it next to your childs ear and see if she can hear it. Then take it away and put it far from your ear and see how close it has to get before you hear it. Try the same with her. This could show if she is having trouble hearing. A hearing specialist is the best thing.D.

i know of several friends who's kids didn't start talking until they were 3! but when it came out, it all came out. my first was an early talker and second one didn't talk as early. 17 mo. is early to expect her to say much.

sounds like cognitively she knows what she wants and knows what you mean. when you know she has certain words down, encourage her to use her words and don't give her what she wants until she uses her words.

i've also heard that when there is an older sibling, the 2nd one talks a little later because it's almost like the older one "talks for" the younger one.

you're pediatrician can help you know what's good to expect for her development too.

My son is 16 mo almost 17 mo. He isn't talking either. I have recently realized that he does seem to say a few things that he thinks are words but I don't understand them. We had his hearing checked and no problems but we are going to have an evaluation done by Early Intervention. It is a program offered in each state that helps to evaluate developmental delays in children under 3. They offer many therapies including speech for free if you qualify. My ped said not to freak out too much but get ahead of the game in case there is an issue so we are going to be evaluated. Two of my hubby's kids with first wife talked late and are both very smart kids with no issue. Don't hesitate to get evaluated by a specialist so you won't worry. If your ped isn't giving you a strait answer...get a new one! Your' mommy instinct deserves to be heard!

I know some mom's will tell you to see a speech therapist but give it a little more time. My daughter was exactly like your son. She could get her point across to us and interacted well with other kids but no real "talking". After she turned two I enrolled her in pre-school two days a week and NOW she won't stop talking. It was the best thing we did for her.

Hi V.,
I totally understand the concerns you have with your daughter. My daughter, who is now 3, was not talking at 17 months either. I think she just wasn't developmentally ready to. But just in case, I contacted the San Diego Regional center and they came out and did an assessment with her and they found that she was delayed in her expressive language and so they helped us find a speech therapist close by our house and there was no charge for the sessions. She started sessions when she was about 22 months old. I think the sessions really helped but I mostly think she just was taking all of it in because she literally woke up one morning (she was about 26 months old) and started speaking in sentences. I think it wouldn't help to check into it for your peace of mind. You can learn more about it on sdrc.org.

Hi V.,

I see you've had plenty of responses already, but I just wanted to chime in since I had a similar experience. I've been teaching my son sign language since he was about 11 months old, but he didn't use it too much until in the last couple of months he started whining about everything and I realized that I had reinforced the whining by just giving him what I knew he wanted rather than making him ask or sign for it. Once I started making him do the sign first, the whining got much better, but it took about a week. At his 18 month appointment this past week, I told the doctor that I was concerned that he was talking more at 12 months than he is now (he's had a couple of ear infections since then so that's why I was concerned) but that initially I thought it was because he was concentrating on walking for awhile and I was just giving it time. She said that since he knows so much sign language that he probably just needs more verbal language reinforcement and to try doing with the words what I've been doing with the sign language which is to not let him have what he wants until he says it (or just makes an effort at least). She recommended picking out one word a week and practicing this method. Well, that very day I started doing it and he said three new words with hardly any effort of encouragement on my part. He seemed to enjoy it and viewed it as a game. He still mostly babbles on and on and it's hard to pick out what he's saying, but if I ask him to say a single word, he'll usually at least try.

Also, she told me if that didn't work to try contacting my local Regional Center which gives speech therapy for free. I saw you were in LA so here's the website for the list of regional centers:

http://www.dds.ca.gov/RC/RCList.cfm

my son didn't speak until he was 18 mo old...then he had an istant vocabulary cause he had understood everything we were saying. Be patient, but ask a dr to evaluate just in case.

My best friends daughter,2, 3 in oct this year still is very hard to understand. Very little she says sounds like much out of her mouth. She is coming along however. For me this was very odd, since my 2 children both were speaking quite well around 1 yrs old. Anyways, I think the difference sometimes is just the child for sure, but also how you interact with them. I was always speaking to mine and asking them things and wanting them to respond whether I understood or not. And when I didn't understand, I just pretended I did and responded to them as well. I feel I got much more interaction from them at an earlier stage because of it. I know my friend does not interact in the same way as I did, so I truly feel it, for most cases is what you expect from them and how you go about getting it. Hope this helps.

Hi V., if this is something that is really bothering you, then I would talk to the doctor. I saw some signs up at my doctors office that said if your child isn't talking yet at 18 months, to talk to the doctor about it. Your daughter is just 17 months old so I would wait a month or so and see if she improves if not then I would talk to the doctor. My son would say words at 17-18months but he really started talking a lot this past may and when we got back from my mom's at the end of may he was saying even more stuff. Good luck to you!

Hi. I have a 19 month old. She isn't really talking much yet, but she gets her point across. She mimics and responds to requests as well. She tries to say words, but unless you are around her often, someone probably wouldn't understand her yet. I have a five-year-old and a three-year-old as well. My older one was talking earlier and very well, and the second one really didn't start talking well until about two. I do see her playing, interacting, communicating very well, so I'm really not worried about it. I still think 17 months, 19 months, is normal for not being able to talk all that well. She'll get there.