My very good friend has 19month old twins (boy, girl). Well they were born 3 months premature, but they seem to be developing just fine. Other than the fact that the boy won't talk. He never has. He won't say mama, dada, no, yes. Anything as simple as that, he won't say. His sister on the other hand, has a 20word vocabulary. I was wondering for my friends sake, should she be worried? She's never had any speech problems with her 4 year old boy.
Yes, I agree with the first poster. I had a son who was developmentally delayed - ALTA Regional services (Sacramento) is great. They give free evaluations and free services until the child turns three. Once they turn three you can request to have an evaluation done by the school district that they are in.
Hi L.,
I am a mom of an almost 4 year old boy that didn't talk until he was over 3 years old. I expressed my concerns to his doctor who basically dismissed me and told me that boys talk later than girls and to not worry about it. It was extremely frustrating to me because he was not on track with other boys his age. I knew something else was going on, so I sought an evaluation by our local early intervention program. As it tuns out, my son was diagnosed with a speech and language disorder.
While this may not be the case with your friends son, I would encourage her to follow her instincts if she is concerned about it. She may be told the same thing by her doctor, but I have learned that doctor's are not always right. If she's not concerned about it, she could just take the wait-and-see approach.
If she is interested in an evaluation, she can contact her local early intervention program. The evaluation is free, and if they find he needs speech therapy, that would be free as well until he turns 3, and possibly beyond that. I don't know where you live, but in Sacramento you would contact ALTA Regional Services to get the ball rolling.
You're a good friend for being concerned for her.
A.
I would have her take him to have his hearing checked, just to be sure. Sometimes the lack of speech can be because the child doesn't hear. Boys tend to hit milestones a little later than girls, but at this age, he should have some words. I wonder, though, is his sister doing all the talking for him? Maybe he just doesn't have anything to say because she's saying it all??
Though I don't have twins, my daughter was speaking in sentences and able to sustain dialogue by 15 months - A lenghty conversation with a pretty big vocabulary for that age. People always commented on how articulate she was for a baby. My son turned 2 in July and just yesterday said his first, clear as a bell, sentence; "Where am I going?" as I dressed him in the morning. It is hard not to compare, especially if they are twins. Although it does warrant some degree of inquiry, I would also give some thought to maybe it is just who he is.
My brother is 13 months older than me. I didn't speak until well after 2 years old, because my brother said everything for me. I didn't have the need for words, I pointed, he narrated. I know my parents were concerned at times, but when I did finally begin to speak, it wasn't one word here, one word there; the flood gate was opened and I haven't stopped talking since ; )
Good Luck!
