18-Month-old Not Talking, Not Worried, Would like Some Advice on How to Proceed

You are doing plenty. She will talk when she is ready. My first daughter was talking like crazy at 18 mths. Second one didn't talk til after 2, then went straight to full sentences. My friends child who did sign lang spoke a little later too because they are comfortable communicating that way. Just enjoy her and be patient :)

You are doing everything right by reading and talking to her. One other thing I can suggest is to have her around slightly older (2-3 yo) kids who are speaking a lot. My son loves to do anything his older cousins do and his language is always better after playing with them.

Only having a few words at 18 mo is completely normal and I would avoid trying to push her to hard. Many girls go through a language explosion between 18-24 mo (a lot of the time its later for boys), going from a few words to over a hundred. Just be patient.

Hi Hilary-
I have had 2 friends in the same situation as you. Sounds like a lot of people have-I hope that comforts you somewhat first off.
Both of my friends took their children to physical/occupational/speech therapy; 1 to CHOC and 1 to a private clinic in Santa Ana/Tustin area. After a little help from the therapists, the kids were talking in no time and haven't stopped since. Something to consider as well but it sounds like it comes in time anyways from reading the other responses.
Good luck and don't worry!

your daughter sounds like my son. he is super smart! he did not really do more than basic words and babbling until after 2 yrs old. at 19 months they wanted to send him to regional center, but i wouldn't allow it. he's intuitive and i knew he was smart, so i waited! low and behold, he hasn't stopped talking since!!!!!! my mom took care of him too and what that does is send them into grown-up mode i think. why talk until you can REALLY talk? einstein didn't talk until he was 4 - that always helped me!!! just keep talking to her and try to make her answer in words or a word whenever possible. it will come!!! i promise, you'll look back and say, "oh man, i wish i could go back there!!!"
glad you're not worried. don't be, i promise!!!! ; )

Hello, Is your daughter developing well in other areas? If so, you probably have nothing to worry about. Our oldest granson, who is now 13, didn't talk early either. We were beginning to worry about him as well. Suddenly, he was talking a lot. He is now in all excelled classes and getting almost straight A's except for 2 B's. Also, remember that Einstein did not talk early. It could be that she is just taking in the world around her

my first was saying 2-3 word sentences at 18 mo. my second is 20 mo and says about 12 words most of which are hard to understand and he only started saying them about 2 weeks ago. i say you will most likely have to be patient. one of my nephews didn't say any words till after he was 2. many late talkers have been taught sign language to communicate and they can already talk to you so why learn how to talk as quick. i am grateful for sign language it helped me know my son was not developmentally delayed.

My sons doctor said to read the same book over and over to him and ask him what is on the pages. He just now started to say a few more words and he is two years old now.
Sue

I think you just need to keep up the good work. Eventually, your daughter will talk. Honestly, most children that learn sign language do not talk very quickly because they already have a means to communicate. The most important thing is that your daughter is learning, communicating (through gesturing) and comprehending. At this point, she doesn't need words. One day out of nowhere she'll just start talking.

I could be wrong, but I believe as long as they understand they will eventually use their words. I have twin 17 month old boys and one explodes with words he can say the first 7 abc's can count to three, he tells me "ready to go", "all done", puppy, cookie...etc etc etc. My other son...he understands everything, but says only a handful of words. He is very advanced in his problem solving skills though. I think children develop different skills at different times...so my talkative son is working on his words and language but my other son is buy working on his problem solving skills and I'm sure he'll move onto language eventually. I've heard from some friends that if you want to try to encourage speech you need to really talk things out while you are doing them...for example "we need to put on your shoes...these are your shoes...this shoe goes on your right foot, this shoe goes on your left foot, great now you have your shoes on" etc etc etc. Also try getting really excited when she does say stuff...mine love it when I get excited for them...theyve even started clapping for themselves when they feel like theyve accomplished something.

Hi H., you've just described my son. And I'm not worried about him either. But at his 18-month appointment, our pediatrician recommended we contact the Regional Center of Orange County to have him evaluated for speech delay. It took some time to get all the ducks in a row, but now we have a speech therapist coming to our house once a week to work with him and give us pointers - all at no extra cost to us (besides our tax dollars). One of the things she recommended right off the bat was to get him some easy whistles to blow. This helps strengthen different muscles of the mouth. She also recommended that we cut out the sippy cups and switch to straws. Straws make them use their tongue (a muscle) in different ways than bottles or sippies. It's only been a couple of weeks, but he's already busted out with some new words on his own. I can't wait until our session this afternoon so he can show off... though if I know my son, he'll clam up when we try to get him to "perform." Anyway, sounds like you're doing all the "right" things. Just a couple of other ideas. And if you'd like to get her some more professional help, call the center. The number in OC is ###-###-####.

Hi Hilary,
I was going to ask you the same question as Rita. Try music, I know it helps a lot. I used it a lot for my kindergarteners and now my son. Even if its gibirrish, follow along with her and conversate with her. You can also encourage her by saying it the way she does it. For example, my son called my dog "BUster","b" when he first started talking. We knew what he was saying so we said it with him "b", now and then correcting him. Do this with all the words she says and then correct her here and there, that way she feels she is talking and having a conversation with you.
Another option is to talk to your peditrician and get a referral for a specialist. At the same time, find out what type of services your local school district offers. I know some school districts offer speech aide to students of pre-school age and younger to better prepare them for kinder.
Good luck,

I think signing is great, however it has its downfalls and learning the language is one of them. One way to encourage her to say the words is to make her. She wants some milk or juice she needs to say those words. The words wont be perfect, but its a start. I have seen many times where the children learn to sign and the language is forgotten. Also, is English her second language? My son learned little words in English, but learned sentences in Chinese. Encourage her when you are reading to say the word. It seems as though you are the only one saying the words, not her. Little by little she will start developing. When my child was younger, if he whined or pointed to milk, I wouldnt give it to him. He had to tell me what he wanted. Try that and see how it goes. She might be fussy once you start, but she will get use to it.

You already have a ton of good advice. I just wanted to add that my little girl was the "slow" one verbally in her group of friends, not saying much until about 20 months. Now at almost 2, she has an amazing vocabulary! Obviously I understand some of her words better than others, but she is pretty much caught up.

If you're worried, and it will make you feel better, go ahead and get her evaluated. But I bet with a little more time, you'll be amazed at how fast she starts (and won't stop!) talking.

Good luck!

My daughter was the same way. Good for you teaching her sign language. You mentioned she knows letters and numbers - are you teaching her signs for things she needs, like "milk" "bath" "sleep" "book" "help" and all that stuff? My daughter did not speak until she decided she wanted to, and within a month she was speaking in sentences. I did some sign language with her, which was helpful to get through the day, but I don't think that really encouraged her to speak. (with my second, it was a different story - I started signing with her when she was born and she was a really early talker - who knows if there is a reason or not) We went on a long trip - like for 5 weeks, and she spent alot of time with cousins, grandparents, etc in new homes and after that, she really started speaking. Try exposing her to some really new experiences, and see if that makes a difference. Good luck. I'm sure she's fine.

It sounds to me like you're doing all the right things! Good job!

I have a feeling that your daughter will be one of those kids who will kinda "skip" speaking "words" and all of a sudden start spitting out small sentences! My friend's daughter did that - around 2 yrs old.

If you really wanted to, you could have her do speech therapy (at this age, it isn't really "therapy" - it's more "fun") or you could bring her to some kind of toddler class once a week or something where she could hear other kids talking - that might just get her more interested.

I think though, that even if you don't change anything, she will be fine.

:)

My first son started clearly taking at 18 months. My 2nd son is now 3 and we still have issues understanding him, but liek your daughter he can tell us every number and letter, etc....WHEN HE WANTS TO. My daughter is almost 14 months and she says about 7 words - and shakes her head and yes and no, etc. She is very clear on communication. They are ALL different.

My brother didn't talk, probably because I did it all for him. At one point, my mom walked past a closet and heard him sitting in there talking in complete sentences. She was shocked! She flung the door open and said, "Ah-ha! I knew you could talk!" To which he replied, "Na-ah mommy! and slammed the door shut. ;) He was 2.5 years old.

Don't stress. Our society is so screwed up when it comes to milestones....and SO many other things.

i think your doing just fine. between 18 and 20 months they hit a big vocab leap. i would just continue with what your doing. ask her things like what does the cat say? the cat says meow etc. thats what i did with my daughter. your daughter may just be confused onhow to form her words but she will get there. my 24 month old nephews only say about 10 words but they understand the normal amount for their age. now my daughter on the other hand whos 25 months old has about a 300 word vocad and says 2-5 word sentences. she was saying about 100 words by 18 months. i also did the sign language with her but i have read conflicting arguments on the topic saying that having your baby sign can cause them to talk later for the fact they get used to signing and not verbalizing. i dont think sign laguage is horrible to teach her. maybe do the sign while you talk about the picture. like do the signfor cat when telling her the cat says meow. i also talk to my daughter a lot telling her what im doing. also i name her parts (nose, eyes, mouth, feet, hands, tummy, hair, ears, butt). i think you and your mom are doing great! its up to your daughter now. when shes ready to voice herself she will :)

Dear H.,

If you are concerned, I highly recommend Tova Goldberg, a superb speech pathologist. She is located in Beverly Hills and her number is ###-###-####.

C. Turkell

Dear Hilary,
Enjoy your beautiful daughter...she will talk when she is ready. I just had a 18 month old boy visiting our house over the weekend and he has not words yet, just lots of babbling sounds. My oldest son had a 10 word vocabulary at 24 months and that included "trac-trac" for his toy tractor, "cook-cook" for cookie, and a slurping sound for water. Speaks extremely well now with a super vocabulary. My second son didn't talk and rarely said baby noises, then suddenly about 2 years and maybe 4 or 6 months started talking in short sentences. Yes, they are all different, so relax and enjoy her. After she begins you will sometimes wish you could stop her:)
H.

I think it's good to get checked out. My son wasn't talking at 18 months. He also had some unusual ways to playing with toys and ways of behaving. I had a hard time convincing his doctor he should be checked out. Turns out he is autistic.

One reason I urge all parents of kids your daughter's age to act early is the services for families are usually better for kids under 3 than over 3, especially if the kids have a mild problem. It's because of the ways things are funded. Insurance can be tricky, too.

My advice: don't wait.

you have a very smart kid H..
kids just like adults if they can get their message through with as little communication/effort as possible they don't feel the need to find other methods.
Because she can communicate with you and get her needs taken care of by using sign language, she doesn't feel the need to talk. You might want to challenge her. If you pretend you don't understand her whenever she uses the sign language it might force her to talk to get your attention. That's how I got my son to talk.

I imagine she will begin talking in her own time. It doesn't sound like there is a problem. If she is able to communicate, she probably just isn't concerned with speaking.

We tried Baby Signs with my daughter, who started speaking very early. All of a sudden she went from saying words like "dog" to signing them. We quit doing sign language because I preferred her to just speak the words.
I know many parents who are thrilled with signing - some have kids who talk and sign, some have kids who start talking a little bit later. I also know people who have 3-year-olds who are barely putting together a sentence and don't sign at all.
The point is, you hit the nail on the head when you said that all kids develop at their own rate!

You're doing a great job and your daughter is just fine! She will be telling you about anything and everything before you know it!

Hi -

I think she sounds perfectly normal. My first talked very early - full sentences at 19 months - and I didn't understand why my friends were so amazed. Now I have a 2 year old second daughter and I do understand. She was the same as your daughter at 18 months, started saying two words together around 2 and then at about 26 months started talking in sentences and having conversations. It was like it changed over night. So, just give it time and talk with her and it will all come together!

Hi,
I could have written the exact same email that you just did about three years ago. My daughter is now 5 and is just fine now but basically she had a speech delay. I didn't know it at the time, and I didn't seek help until she started talking and I noticed that she had a hard time with certain sounds.I had her evaluated by a licensed speech pathologist around three and a half and she was diagnosed with a speech delay and we focused on articulation. Basically there were 11 consonants that she couldn't pronounce. This is very common, not anything to worry about and very fixable. After two years of speech therapy, she is a bright, articulate 5 year old ready for kindergarten!
I highly recommend having her evaluated by a licensed speech pathologist. You may want to wait until she turns 2. Some kids do have a language explosion at that age. Another option (depending on your school district) is to have her evaluated at age 3 because, right now the state of California provides early intervention for speech related delays, etc. for free through the school district. We did one year of private and then one year within our school district (Palos Verdes) and she's great! On the flip side, my son, who is almost three, was speaking in full sentences at 18 months. So, all kids are different but if you suspect something, check it out with an expert. Ignore your pediatrician, they all told me not to worry but there was a problem that was fixable and I just wish we had fixed it sooner. Good luck!

I didnt really read through all the other responses, but I thought I would give my input. Obviously read and talk as much as possible, and when I had my son evaluted by first 5 they said some good tricks are to let your child blow bubbles often and use whistles. It helps them use the same muscles they use for speech. Good luck, I am sure all will be fine!
H.

All children develop language at their own pace. By 18-months, your daughter should be pointing, responding to her name and showing joint attention. If not, you'll want to have her checked out by a speech therapist for a possible communication delay. But, from what you have written, it doesn't sound like your daughter has a communication delay.

A common problem that I have seen with parents whose children are slow to learn to talk is that the parents don't know when to start phasing out the sign language and encouraging their child to talk, not sign, or the parents don't give their child a chance to speak because the parent is too busy talking for their child. The signing is good but, right now, you probably need to up the ante with your daughter a bit by not immediately meeting her needs when she signs for something. Say, for example, she gives you the sign for "milk". Don't rush off and get her milk right away. Instead, say something like, "You want milk. Milk." And really ennunciate the work "milk" and encourage her to try to repeat what you are saying even if all she can do right now is the "m" sound. That's a good start for now but what she will be learning from that is that her voice and words have power.

A lot of times I notice parents -- whose children are slow to start talking -- asking their child a question and immediately answering for them. An example of this would be, "Joey, do you want milk? What do you want? Do you want juice? Oh, you want juice. Okay, let's get you juice." This is all done in rapid succession and there's no reason for the child to have to talk because his parent is doing it for him and there really isn't a chance for him or her to even really try. The best thing you can do for your daughter right now is ask her a question and give her a chance to respond. If she doesn't answer after a long pause, give her the word to say and encourage her to try to repeat you. If you give her a chance to find her voice and the power of her words, then she most likely will start talking before you know it.

Good luck to you and your daughter.

Hi H.,
Your daughter is probably just a late talker, especially since she can communicate through sign language. My daughter is in the same situation. She's 19 1/2 months old and still primarily communicates by pointing and grunting. But she's smart - she understands English, Spanish and some sign language.

At her 18 month check-up, I asked the doctor about her speaking. The doctor was very diplomatic - she mentioned that some parents are "so attentive" that the child doesn't have to talk to have his or her needs met. That's definitely true with us - I know (or can guess pretty quickly) exactly what it is that my daughter wants.

You can call your local regional center and have your daughter assessed for free. They'll do a phone assessment first, and then if she fails based on that phone assessment, they'll do an in person assessment. She won't be eligible for therapy (which is free) unless she is at least 6 months behind in her language skills. My daughter is, but just barely. She tested at a 12 month old level for verbal skills but at 1 year 11 months for comprehension. At first they were going to recommend group speech therapy, but I just received the forms last week and they want to send us (the parents) to therapy. They want to teach us the Hanen method for teaching her to talk. It's a lot of training though - they want us to attend 8 two hour sessions plus a two hour orientation session. After all that training, I feel like I should get some kind of certificate. We're supposed to start those sessions in two weeks.

Basically, what both my pediatrician and the speech therapist told me is not to give her anything she wants or needs until she at least makes an attempt at saying a word. She doesn't have to say the full word, but she can't just point and grunt - she has to at least try to say the word. For example, I wouldn't let her nurse until she had said a word - either "bop" for the Boppy pillow we use, or "chow", our code word for nursing. She got really mad and threw a fit a few times, but now she regularly says "bop" when she wants to nurse. She loves to water our plants, but we don't refill her watering can unless she makes the sign for "more". So you can try that - don't give her anything she wants until she makes an attempt at saying (or signing) the word.

Don't worry, she's fine. She's saying more words than my daughter. They'll be yakking our ears off before we know it.

Call your local school district. They will set you up with the right people in your area. (Free).At that age they will do some testing like hearing and talking and site. Then they will have a teacher come to your home a few days a week for 1/2 hour. They are amazing. But please don't be a lazy mom, yes kids develope at their own speed but when it comes to speech the earlier the better, they will have her speaking fast in proper english, if you wait till 3 or 4 then they try for any part of the word and baby talk is exceptable, so they end up going to kindergarden still needing speech.

My son had speech issues and no-one told me anything about speech classes until he was almost 3 so by the time all the testing stuff was done he was 3, they got him to talk baby talk, at 4 we put him in regular preschool 2 days a week and the speech class was 2 days a week. The regular preschool got him to sing. We also had our older kids play the phonix game with him so that he would learn the letter sounds and start to read which totally helped with the baby talk, (woggy to froggy) because he could see how things where spelled.

Kids who start speech therapy before 3 usually don't need help by age 3 or 4. If you can save your child from being the special kid who has to leave class to get speech help then do it, school is hard enough and kids are mean. Good Luck. J.

Hello H.,

Have you tried singing? Try the old favorites or make up your own. It is not speaking but it is still using words. Have fun!

I concur with Sophy C. and Julie P.
They note important suggestions.

For me, when my son was that age, I went to our Regional Center, the Zero-To-Three program (which is 'free') and got him assessed... because he too is delayed in speech. And again, these free services are only available until the child is 3 years old.
They do a FULL developmental assessment on the child... my son in his case, was found to be advanced in every area, but only in speech was he delayed. However, he did not have 'apraxia' or 'dysphagia' or anything else formally "wrong" with him. His speech-delay, was/is like many boys... they are just slower to talk.

I had the assessment done and have speech-therapy for my son BECAUSE (1) as a parent I wanted to formally rule out any other developmental concerns (2) it is free (3) it is very helpful in teaching the Parent AND child actual methods for facilitating speech (4) as a Mom, I wanted to get educated about how to help my son in any way possible...
AND, my son very much enjoys his speech therapy and his Speech Therapist. That is key.

My son, at 2.75 years old now, has progressed vastly in his speech. He is ALSO however, bi-lingual.... and he is vastly improved in BOTH languages. So he had to learn both languages and is very successful at it.

Presently, my son will be done with his Speech Services because he will be 3 yrs. old soon. But I never regretted it and my son loves it... he knows it is to help him talk. He is SO proud of himself.... and he chats away now.

Fortunately, my son has no other developmental concerns. The grandson of my Daughter's Teacher however, who is also the same age as my son, has Speech Therapy as well. But for him... he has other developmental issues in conjunction with his speech delay... and it was ONLY through their assessments that this was found out. For this child, he goes to a preschool... which addresses his speech, and because it was "recommended" from the Speech Therapist, the tuition is "free" for them. So this is an added benefit... of a program like this.

But yes, a child will talk when they are ready.
My son's Speech Therapist, says that 80% of her clients are boys... because it is gender based. For the girls who are speech delayed, they have other developmental concerns, not only the speech delay.
BUT, each child is different... your daughter clearly is bright and has great cognition... so perhaps she is just not ready to talk.
I'm sure she will talk more when she is ready.... but forcing it never helps. Einstein didn't "talk" until he was 3 years old. Lots of creative geniuses were that way, Mozart as well.

Don't worry... your girl is only 18 months old. Just see.. or, you can get her assessed through the program I mentioned. Each State seems to have one. Or ask your Pediatrician.

Keep in mind, that even babbling and singing is considered "pre-talking." No matter how much you talk to her... this will not necessarily speed up HER talking. But, from our Speech Therapist, I learned how to help in my son's articulation and forming his mouth/throat muscles and sounds and how to observe him as they make noises... so that I can help my son.

Early Intervention IS helpful no matter what. My friend, has a son that was delayed in speech as well....she didn't get speech therapy for him and just thought he'd "talk" when he was ready... but he is now 5 years old, and his speech is still not on par with his age and he does not "articulate" properly when he talks and some kids will ask "why" he still talks like a "baby."

But sure, every child is different... some kids will just take off talking when they are ready AND will be proficient at it. So it's up to the Parent to decide...

My son now talks! In both languages, and has great progress.

All the best,
Susan

I heard that physically active babies frequently talk later.
My 20 month old is a lot like your daughter. She could say mama/mommy and dada/daddy for a long while but is only just now really trying to talk. Like your daughter, she understands a lot (points to pictures, follows directions...) but she points and grunts too. just a week ago she learned "this" so now she points and says "this" instead of grunting.
So, keep doing all that reading and talking and be patient :)