18 Month Old Talking (Or Lack There Of)

Sounds pretty normal to me. He's a boy, and they tend to be slower about talking; and he's got an older sibling who probably talks for him.

Yes, every child develops at different rates. Both of my daughters didn't say more than 15 or so words until after age two.

If he has 20 good words at 18 months, that is amazing! My son was 2 and didn't have 20 good words! Boys learn to talk much later than girls do, so you are probably comparing him to your daughter (which is why you are concerned). At his 2 year appointment, your doc will ask you questions about his speech, at that point in time, they will recommend therapy if they think it is needed.

I wouldn't worry about it. My oldest, who is now 4, didn't start saying very much at all until he was about 2 years old. Now he talks ALL the time! My mother-in-law floated around the idea of autism, but it only added more anxiety and was completely invalid. Every child develops differently and at different levels. I would only start being concerned if your child has other valid symptoms accompanying his lack of speech. Otherwise, he's probably just taking his time.

speak each & every word to him.....with every single thing you do! It's as simple as that! As you're doing the diaper, say "diaper", "wipe", "legs up"....& on & on. During mealtime, say "spoon", "carrot", "drink".....

This truly does help! It's noninvasive, it becomes 2nd nature....& most importantly, do NOT force your son to repeat you....just encourage him thru your body language & facial expressions. He will begin to expand his vocabulary & you'll be amazed at the difference. Good Luck!

I have two boys, and neither one of them even said mama till they were 16 mo or so. I could tell their comprehension was good, and they used other ways to communicate their needs. We did use some sign language, which I think really helped everyone's frustration, and by the time they found the words, the signs slowly disappeared. By the time they were 24 to 28 months old, they were both suddenly speaking in sentences of sometimes 6 words or more! I think it is common for boys to develop speech a bit later, especially if they are working on other skills, like running and jumping! I'm glad to hear that your son is on track in other ways and is responding to your questions appropriately. It sounds like the language will come in time. My boys are now 3 and 6 and they are both very verbal and have great vocabularies. Once they started talking they haven't stopped :)

Hi L.,
My daughter is a little over 2 years old now and she is speech delayed. At 18 months she was saying Dada and uh oh and that was about it. When I took her to the pediatrician, she told me that if she didn't have five words that I could solidly understand by 21 months, to go ahead and get her evaluated by a speech therapist. She didn't make it, so I went ahead with it. The speech therapist evaluated her to be six months delayed, but not far enough behind to receive state funded speech therapy. She estimated that she was just a slow bloomer and that she'd make some progress in the next few months. I was concerned because she hadn't made any progress in about six months. No new words, or sounds really.

Well, the therapist was right. My daughter went through a huge growth spurt (she grew like three inches) and all of a sudden she went from a vocabulary of about 3 words to about 75. It was like the block was lifted and all of a sudden she just started trying--before she pretty much said dada to everything. She's still behind other little ones her age, but she's quickly closing the gap.

I guess what I'm saying by telling you my story is to try not to worry. Every kid has his/her own timeline and the range of normal is so broad that it's hard to just look at the averages to determine whether your kid is on track or not. So often they keep their own timelines. If you're worried (which I don't think you have reason to be) just consult your pediatrician or your local ECI or Parents as Teachers to set up an evaluation. I'm guessing that one day he'll surprise you though.

Good luck!
Hilary

Relax - he is perfectly normal. He doesn't have to talk because everyone knows what he wants already - plus his big sister has been talking for him I bet. I raised 4 and the oldest talked at 14-15 months in full sentances - imagine my surprise when the second couldn't say more than 3 words at two. Once she got the hang of it she hasn't shut up in 28 years. When I adopted my grandson he wasn't talking at 18 months and I panicked - his daycare reassured me that he was perfectly normal and sure enough once he started he hasn't quit...!!

Hi there!

My son is almost 18 months old and he doesn't say nearly as many words as your son. He says uh-oh, again, all done, get down. And besides uh-oh, there is no way anyone else could understand those other three words he says. He can make plenty of animals sounds, and those count as words too.

I do not feel nervous because his receptive language is very good. And he can follow simple tasks. He also knows and "sings" a lot of songs. Anyway, I am not bragging, just simply saying that sometimes toddlers practice one thing and become very good at it, and then get on to mastering other things in their own time. I think all the websites say to start worrying if there aren't any words by two and a half? But the best way to ease your mind would be to talk to the pediatrician.

S.

It doesn't sound like he is behind at all, especially for a boy. My daughter was speaking in full sentences and had over 300 words by the time she was 17 months old, but that is not the norm. My son, on the other hand, is 22 months old and has just started to explode with his language within the past 6 weeks or so. At 18 months, he probably only had 10 words....now he probably has close to 50 (he also walked at 9 months old, so I think he spent a lot of his babbling time focusing on motor skills). I think 20 words is fine for that age and I can almost guarantee that within the next few months, he will "get it" and start talking a ton. It just takes a little longer for boys sometimes. Has he had his 18 month checkup yet? What did the pediatrician say, if anything? I honestly don't think I would worry yet, but if you're concerned, you can always ask.

Best of luck!

He is probably just fine. My kids were slow talkers too, then suddenly at a little over two years, they would not STOP talking! He can communicate fine with you now, so he is just waiting until he can articulate really well, then you will be amazed at how much he can say. What a wonderful age!

My girls chatted away at that age, I had a very large vocabulary at that age, but boys usually are not as verbal. Some of our boys were more like 2 yrs. before they talked much so I think that is normal to be where your son is now. If he's doing well in other areas I wouldn't worry. There are a few things you can do to help that I didn't learn until too late to use myself but if you ask what he wants don't let him say 'drink' but he should learn to say " I want a drink", and I did learn that when our oldest had to go to speech therapy. We found out he was just used to me knowing what he wanted so he never had to ask. Try not to do that so he has to use words and later on he'll have to use sentences. I know he's not there yet but just a word of warning. I think it's easy for boys and some girls to just answer in a lazy sort of way and not have to talk if we know and just do or get for them. Don't worry because he sounds very much normal.

Sounds a lot like my kid, here in Wyoming they have Children's Resource Center, we had him tested and he qualified for free preschool. They generally just work with him in the classroom setting, usually he picks up on more by playing. At least he points and tries to communicate, that's what my son does, and it's very good. He's five now and still behind, but getting better all the time, and gets along great with the other kids, they even missed him when we went away for a week or two. Sometimes especially with boys their minds are just focused on other things. My son is very technically and mechanically minded. He's actually ahead of the curve on other things like counting and patterns. Good luck!

Are you kidding?! Your kid is ONLY 1 1/2!!! Do you think he should be talking in complete sentences or something?

Sounds perfectly normal to me , I wouldn't worry.

Your little one sound pretty normal, but remember we are to be teaching them and training them to be caring, giving, polite, obedient and loving. Its our jobs as mom's to train up a child and it don't just happen. So talking to your child spending time saying fun things like the toys he like make it a game for him to say different words, and don't let him point and you guess which one he pointing at, with patients what is it, is it "a cup" is it " a cookie" when you find it help him to say the word before he gets it, at least trying to say the word, and when he make a good try he gets it. It not only teaches the word it teaches him to follow directions, because at times he will get fustrated and mad and turn away from you, don't give in to that and give it to him, he will be back if its something he wants, don't let him control you, let him learn to come back and ask again in a polite way. Otherwise you will be training a child to be a demanding teenager, that thinks you owe them everything. Hope this is encouraging advise.

I had a big problem with my son when he was 2. He had 2 older siblings (you didn't mention if you had older ones') and they did alot of talking for him. So really he only had to point. I mentioned it to my Physician and he brought up the other children. He said from now on have a little talk with them, tell them not to answer for the baby. Within a week or two he was well on his way to talking and never stopped. So if you have others who speak for him, have a little talk with them. Explain they are not in trouble but their little brother won't talk if they talk for him. I wish you the best of luck!!

At 18 months, 20 words that you can both understand and that he uses appropriately (and that he has put two words together) does not sound like a delay. If he had been putting two words together, or if you are noticing that his preference to point and use yes or no questions to communicate replaced his attemtps to use the vocabulary he had, or if he has lost any skill that he masterd, then you should probably be concerned.

He should be screened at age two for developmental issues, and you should keep a sharp eye on him if you have minimalized any of your concerns in this post or are wondering if anything else is typical. It is generally best to get a speech evaluation when you do not need one, than it is to wait and see when you should have consulted a professional. If you are not the kind of parent who worries about everything, then trust your mommy gut and invest in a speech evaluation if you think something is wrong.

It is a myth that kids with older siblings will talk later than those who do not. Never delay a professional evaluation for a suspected speech delay because a child has an older sibling; siblings do nothing more than enrich the environment of younger children because parents talk to them more and the younger child hears even more speech than they would if they were the first born or an only child.

You are the only person who can make this call, trust yourself.

M.

That sounds very typical for his age. I wouldn't worry.

I had a similar thing with my daughter and it turned out her ears were the issue. She'd had several ear infections and we went to a hearing specialist who said she was having trouble hearing. Once we had tubes put in her ears, it was like a spigot was turned on and she started putting sentences together. Before I had just thought she felt she didn't need to talk b/c she had 3 older siblings who would get things for her when she pointed or answer for her, but it turns out she was just having trouble hearing.

No worries. Sounds to me like he's great. Our son was using about the same number when he was 18 months, and usually only ONE word at a time. But, by the time he was two, he was spewing out 10 and 15 word sentences! As they say, "Be careful what you wish for."

relax mine is 23 months and doesn't talk that well. Mine has areason tubes but I would say you have nothing to worry about.