2 Year Old Delayed Speech

Hey!
My now eight year old was not finding many words, or phrases, either. He is smart as a whip and had developed his own sign language - it was so cool! My pediatrician, a very experienced man, pointed out two things. His older brother was talking for him, (perhaps you don't realize you are doing this), and speech is a motor skill, not a cognitive one. He talks so much now, that his brother is always telling him to be quiet! Take care.

Dear L.:
I am a mother of twin boys who were born a month early. One of my sons, Grayson, has delayed speech. He can say words such as ball, Papa, yellow, red, roll, and bar.. But, when he attempts to put two or more words together, it is difficult to understand what he is saying. He is very alert and can follow instructions very well.

Two months ago, he was reviewed by the pediatric therapy center and he has began speech therapy, once week for 30 minutes. We discovered that his tongue does not properly move and he has low muscle tone in his upper and bottom lip. We are doing exercises in conjunction with reviewing words and reading. You may want to consider taking him to pediatrician or makeing appointment at a pediatric therapy center for eveluation. I hope this helps.

I am a preschool teacher and although there are many children who have true speech difficulties, I believe that patience and perserverance are most important. I work with a large variety of children who have all types of speech. I really believe that the most important thing to look for is progress. I have had children who wouldn't speak for months in an understandable way and then all of a sudden, the light bulb comes on and voila!! I can begin to understand them. Case and point, my neighbor's boy. At two, only his mom understood him. At three and a half, everyone understands him. It just took time. That is not to say that there may not be something wrong, I don't know but in my experience, it is usually just a time thing. Don't worry right now would be my advice but keep a close eye on his progress. good luck.

I would not worry to much right now.My daughter did not talk until she was 2 except for mommy, daddy that sort of thing.She started talking a little after she turned 2.I also was very worried and her doctor told me if she understands what you say, speech will come and it did.As long as she understands you she should talk soon.

First off i want to say congratulations on paying attention alot of parents don't wonder until they are much older and say Wow he's starting school and he can't hardly talk. Next don't be so critical he's only 2yrs old and a young two. Most children 2yrs old do these things but they don't wake up at 2yrs old and just start. It takes a little while also children develop at different paces. One thing i would say it don't accept signing or grunting. If he wants something demand that he says it act as if you don't understand what he is getting at until he has made at least an attempt to say it. Alot of mistakes are made by parents when they accept noises or pointing as expressing their wants. If you could go to the store and point and someone would get things for you would you attempt to do more. Why it's easier if you just point or make gestures. Next make sure you are talking TO him not at him. Expect a response. If you say "Do you want something to drink?" Expect a yes. Of course at first he won't just say it you say "Do you want a drink? and than you go Yes I want a drink. So he knows what you expect from him. Get more complex as things go along. They don't know what you expect from them until you tell them. I wouldn't consider him delayed unless he makes no attempt or what he does say doesn't sound right. I wouldn't worry.

I actually took my son to Child Find in Fairfax County with the same concerns you have, when he was about 20 mos. He also seemed to be able to communicate well through sign, etc, so I honestly wasn't worried too much about an actual delay, but I really felt like maybe I was doing something wrong to not promote his spoken language development. I figured taking him through Child Find I could, at the very least, get some direction on things I could do to help him.

Two months after we started the evaluations, his language exploded virtually overnight. I couldn't believe how fast he went from saying maybe 45 words or so to over 100. I am STILL glad we had the Child Find evaluations (we were denied an IEP b/c they found no delays), and I would recommend that you look into their services as well. He had a hearing test, as well, through the program. It really gave me a lot of peace of mind, and they did give me some tools that I could use to help promote his language development, and specifically to help him with certain sounds that he seemed to be having difficulties with.

One thing I can reassure you of -- you're clearly NOT doing anything wrong! You are obviously a wonderful, concerned Mommy who only wants the best for her boy! GL! :-)

He may just need some speech therapy. I would get him evaluated just to get some peace of mind.

Hi,

Our son, now 3, literally would not say anything other than "Dada" and "Mama," for THE longest time.
As you say, people started noting how quiet he was -- though he was always extremely social, outgoing, and understood EVERYTHING.
It seemed we had a language "explosion" from one day to the next. Our pediatrician, the kind teachers at his Gymboree group, etc. all still comment on this.
I must say every time someone would tell me, oh boys can be like that, don't worry, I thought they were just being nice and we'd def. end up in speech therapy, but in our case, our son really was just waiting till he could get it all "right."

M.

My son is sort of the same. And my daughter was speaking in full sentences at 18months, so it threw me off. We just take our time with him. He should be able to enter public preschool next year (in a private one this year) and they should be able to help him more with speech. He has taken more on as he has gotten older and he really can express many things, but sometimes they are unclear. I think it is a good idea to have him seen by someone...not sure if that helped, but I plan on getting my son in to have some speech therapy through the schools and it may help your son as well. Just keep working with him though - he will get it!

My daughter was almost 2 1/2 before she said anything. She really didn't even say mom or dad up to that point. We had taught her many signs to communicate with, so we never had any major communication breakdowns. She actually started "talking" by repeating musical patterns we would sing in the car (not words). She really did catch up quickly soon afterward and now, at 3 1/2 her vocab is very strong even though her social speech is still a little lacking (which points more toward personality that ability). I remember scouring the internet looking for examples of normal kids who speak late, so just wanted to let you know I have personal experience with a positive outcome with a late talker:)

hey, i was worried about this too, my son will be three in july and has only in the past few months started making full sentences and even now he speaks with a lot of baby talk, i've had him in day care and around other children as well. i teach school too, so i know what you mean about paying extra attention to learning delays. this is what i've come up with in my case; my son is an only child just as yours is which means he spend the majority of his time with mommy and daddy since we know them so well we tend to understand them and they therefore aren't forced to annunciate as much for example my baby says: pidermah which is spiderman and i luh you amah which is i love you grandmom, it seems very clear to me but no one else knows what he's saying. i think just give it maybe another half a year and you should see a big difference.

Dear L.,

My son turned three on January 24th and he was 10 weeks premature. When our son turned two we thought that he had a speech delay. We had tested through the school system. The speech pathologist determined that he did not need speech therapy. This was determined by adjusting his age and comparing him to other kids him age. It is hard to diagnose at this age. In the past year, he has made a lot of progress. I believe you should get your son tested to but you mind at ease. If he needs some therapy, it will probably be minimal. Good luck.

Yes I am a daycare provider and I have a 3.5 year old who does the same thing. My child began to speak more when I would place my jaw or cheek beside his face and he could feel the vibration of the sound. He still grunts and points but when I talk to him I make sure that he is looking right at me and can see my mouth and tongue movement or can feel the vibration of my speech and this has helped him a lot. I did potty train him without him speaking because he does understand everything that we tell him. He himself is just not very verable and that is a big concern for him.

I know you have had a lot of responses but you should get him evaluated. Even if he was early he should be getting on track. My daughter turned 2 in January and we have had her in early intervention since October since she was not really talking. They taught us signs to us and also gave us ideas on how to continue to work with her. They have just now started her with speech therapy since she does not talk much. But the concerns is not just that they do not talk but also wether or not they are making the constant sounds and attempting to repeat words and sounds consistently. My daughter will on some days but is very inconsistent with those things and that is why they switched her to speech. It does not hurt to get him check if you have some type of early intervention program in the area. I sounds like you are doing alot of the right ideas to get him talking but they could still help. I hope this helps, she is my second in speech, the first did not speak clearly even though she never stopped talking.

Talk to your school system/county to see what they offer for early intervention services and have him evaluated. My daughter is in the ChildFind program in Prince William County for speech delay (she's 3 now). She started in the PIE (parent/infant education) program for speech when she was almost 2. It has helped a lot. She had other issues than just speech, but speech has been her primary problem. She had a lot of fluid in her ears - so we got tubes put in when she was almost 2 and she's been progressing wonderfully every since.

Hi L., I have a son who will be 3 in June. I too had similar concerns. We had both hearing and speech evaluations done on him in January. Hearing was fine, but he is delayed and he also has trouble forming specific sounds, especially final sounds. He is currently working with a speech therapist. I would say, if you are concerned you should definitely have him evaluated. They may say to wait until he's 2 1/2. Since you are a teacher, you are probably aware of Child Find, and the resources available to you.

Best of luck.

Hi L.
Get your son tested. If there is a problem then he can get the help he needs. My granddaughter has a problem with her speech. She was born 4 week early. We got help for her and within just a few months she was a little motor mouth. There are different things that cause delayed speech. And it is easier on both the child and the parents if they get the help that the child needs at a early age.

I just want to share my 2 year olds development with you. She turned 2 in August and had a handful of words that she used. I was starting to be concerned (she is my 3rd child) but after Christmas time her vocabulary exploded. She now talks in short sentences, talks about things that are going to happen, names everything, etc., etc.

You know your son best. Get him evaluated if you truly think something isn't right. But time may also be all he needs. He obviously understands language. He may be too busy developing motor skills to say too much.

My son was also born early at 33 weeks). My son is now 26 months and has a vocabulary of more than 200 words, some that are clear and some that are not so clear. He ws delayed and I had him evaluated before 6 months of age and has had a case worker ever since. he will be soon to graduate from their programs by the Summer.

Yes, most 2 years old are supposed to be caught up, but everyone is on their own time frame. My son has in some areas like his speech, but still lags in a few others. I attribute his speech to having been worked with the last year and a half.

Please have your son evaluated by Early Intervention. This isn't because of anything you have done or not done. It just is. The evaluation is free and you ahve nothing to lose and maybe everything to gain for yourself and your son!
Good luck, G.

My first thought is to ask your pediatrician refer you to an audiologist a hearing test to make sure there is no obvious physical problem. Also, did he or does he have a pacifier for a long time? This often leads to a speech delay, although not always obvious to some parents.

I would then recommend pushing for all your worth to get a speech therapy evaluation for him. he may have no real problem or only a mild problem, but early intervention is always best. And if it turns out that there is nothing that requires serious or ongoing intervention, then you may at least learn some techniques for helping him express himself. Mostly, trust your gut, it sounds like he is developing well, just a little more slowly than his peers and he is like.y to catch up.

My son was speech delayed at 2 years old as well. I had no idea that it was connected to his chronic ear infections. The pediatrician told me that every time he had an ear infection, it delayed his speech. After 8 episodes in a one year period, we elected to do the surgery to put the tubes in his ears. That actually helped him to hear better, and to progress with speaking. He always had a drooling problem which was another sign of speech delay - inability to control tongue and swallow.

I can totally relate to what you are dealing with my daughter will be 2 in april and she only says mama, dada, nana, here, titty tat, but she knows her body parts will go get toys that you ask for out of her room, she will follow directions and she also uses some signs more, please, thankyou ! I came to this site to find out if anyone else was dealing with this problem. I don't have any answers but if you have found anything out could you please share with me? Thanks N.

Hi, L.. It looks like you have gotten some wonderful advice from many of the moms on this forum. I would like to echo a few. My son, who is now 12, was also slow to talk. When he did speak, we were concerned because the words were unclear and difficult to understand. Over time, he would get very frustrated when we couldn't "get" what he was communicating.

Our pediatrician was not concerned, but I couldn't get rid of that nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right. After some time and visits to a few specialists, we were able to identify a moderate hearing loss. Our preschool was wonderful and worked with him using games to encourage speech. He also got speech and hearing therapy through the school system for two years. Although he was a little behind as during the early years, I am pleased to share that he is at the top of his class academically. He currently wears a hearing aid while in the classroom, and he has learned special techniques for compensating in other environments.

Although I would suggest that you try not to worry too much, your should also trust your instincts. Talk to the "experts", read, play listening and speaking games with your son. Being an engaged, aware parent is always a good thing.

Keep us posted. I'm sure he'll be chatting away soon!

Hi L.,

If you haven't done so already I would suggest that you contact Early Infant Intervention. They will test your son so that you will know for sure if he is where he should be developmentally. I have a wonderful 5 year old daughter who started in EIP when she was around 12-13 months old for a variety of reasons. She is currently receiving speech therapy through the school system (once your child turns a certain age they "graduate" from EIP to the school system for services). The services we have received have done wonders for my daughter. I am a mom of 4 and my husband and I are both happy about the services we have gotten through the county for our daughter. We live in Prince William County. Good Luck!

I had a similar experience with my son at almost exactly the same age (and he was born one month early). As a baby, he rarely verbalized (which I didn't fully realize until I had a 2nd child). He also had only a few dozen words in his vocabulary, none of which were clear, but he understood very well and somehow managed to communicate fairly effectively (at least with my husband and me). I was advised to get him assessed, but it seemed to us that he was developing language skills so we were reluctant; just as we were considering contacting a speech pathologist, he began connecting words -- and hasn't been quiet since. On the one hand, I'd suggest you trust your instincts as a parent; on the other, it can't hurt to have him assessed. If there is a problem you can begin to address, you want to know. I don't recall how it works, but I think every county in Virginia has staff who will assess a child this age for free (or maybe there was a small fee?) and suggest ways to help your son acquire speech -- either through them or a private speech pathologist.

Good luck!
L.

L.,

Boys develop slower in general than girls in many cases. Add to that that he was a preemie and he will probably develop slightly slower than others of his age. Try not to look at it as though something is wrong. He sounds very intelligent and Im sure he is since youre doing all the right things. Maybe he just doesnt want to talk yet or maybe he really is quiet. Continue doing what you already are and ignore the idiots who ask you why he is so quiet, the only opinion that counts is yours. If it is still a concern in a couple of months put him in speech therapy to help him along. Love your baby for who he is and enjoy this time as he is not talking back! good luck!

My son is not 2 yet but I noticed a delay in his speech. His receptive language was fine but it was his expressive language that seemed to be developing more slowly. In MD we have a program offered thru the board of education and the county health department called early intervention for infant and toddlers. It is a FREE, as long as you pay your taxes, program and anyone can refer a client to them. I called about my son. They do a free complete evaluation and then if they think there is a problem, they provide the specialist to help with it. It is all completely free and it done in your home. It has been great so far and I already see an improvement in my son and we have only had on visit.

Hello,

My son was also speech delayed and just turned seven and will not be quiet. We got him involved with early intervention and did basically the same things that you do with your son now. We did incorperate sign language and did not encourage grunts. It sounds like you are doing a very good job working with your son. Get him involved with a speech therepist and they will work with your son on different levels. Some people might tell you that he is too young. ALl I can say is the younger you start the less problems you have in the future. Also every child develops or talks when they are ready. Just keep doing what you are doing and get him evaluated just to be on the safe side.

L. A,

I also have a 2 year old son that does that. It's normal. Preemies often developed late in all stages up to about 5 years old (or at least so I'm told). My son has a lot of words, but just doesn't always say the sounds. It's not that he can't talk, it's just that he hasn't gotten the words out the way you want him to say them yet. Just curious, is he still getting his molars? Sometimes teething can delay speech a little bit. One huge milestone at a time. Give it a little time. If you are really getting worried, talk to his pediatrician and see what he says. Getting him tested won't hurt anything. Hope this helps. God Bless.

You already got alot of responses but if you don't mind i will give you my two cents too. Both of my kids started talking around 2 1/2 years of age. A little late but for that both of them speak so clear now, better than most other kids there age. I know there are so many charts out there that tell you what your kid is supposed to be doing but every child is diffrent and should be going on his or her own pace. I would give him at least a few more month before i would worry.

I feel like I could have written your post!! I have the exact same scenario with the exception that my son was born on time. He'll be 2 in June but expresses himself the same as your son. It's worrisome to me because my 2 daughters spoke had a much larger (and clearer) vocabulary by this point. I've mulled over taking him to a speech pathologist. I'm looking forward to hearing what other mothers have to say. I was going to wait until his 2 y check up before taking action. Is that detrimental? I have no reason to think he is autistic or has a learning disability; he is very bright. Thanks.

If you are really concerned you can always get him evaluated through your city's PIE program (Parent-Infant Education). This is the school districts program for children birth to three. I do these evaluations through Alexandria as an Occupational Therapist.

my son turns 2 years old on Saturday and is still not up to 20 words at, at 9mouths he started saying mommy and daddy then we migrated to the united states and it all went down hill from their his mommy and daddy just went to mommy and with all the books and cd programs that we have just wont help i fell so sad cuz back home i had a good job and could afford for him to spend time with other kids his age but for that first year he had little or no contact with other kids.
now he only says mommy when calling his dad or myself i try to get him to say daddy but he just wont, now he says mommy, juice,yes, no,this,baby,and other words like food thank you, please,dontae(his name),dont all sound like they have an "s" sound to it when he speaks or try to say them.....i really dont know what else to do since i cant afford the speech pathologist fee and i worry that if he doesnt get help soon he'll lose the little that he has

My son has a speech delay we noticed around the same time you are that he was very hard to understand. I was having to repeat everything he was saying so other people could understand him. My husband even had a hard time. Like you I have a background in early childhood and knew the importance of getting help early.
My son started seeing a speech therapist right around the time he turned three. He now sees one in school, but would not be this far if I hadn't started so early!
Good Luck!

You got a lot of responses but...since NO ONE is qualified here to really answer you the best answer is to get him evaluated. It could be something...it could be nothing. I would turn to a professional. I do not konw where you live in VA but as you know you can get a free evaluation through your county. Good luck!
PS. I had a speech delayed son and early intervention is absolutely critical!

Hi L.!

I too am a teacher. I teach Special Education k-2. I like you know the value of intervention and early evaluation!

I have a now almost 4 yr old daughter (she'll be 4 in April). I noticed before she was two that her speech just wasn't what it should be. I waited gave her until she was 2, then I got her evaluated through Early Intervention. She was delayed and began services. She now is talking soo much, but still not quite where she should be. Her expressive and receptive language still needs work. Now that she is 3 she gets services through the pubilc school system. She goes to school for a half day pre-school program. I am hoping she is able to do their collabrative full day program next year.

I am very thankful that I went ahead and got her evaluated at 2. The doctor did not notice, nor did I ask them. I just went and found out who to call and did it myself.

If you have any questions just contact me and I will share with you!

Good Luck!!

Oh my little girl LOVES books and being read too as well.

I know you already have a ton of responses, but figured I would also write. My oldest was similar. He understtod everything, but did not speak much at all. Actually until almost 3, and then it was a wave of words, sentences, and all. Now he is so talkative that I usually get notes or calls home from school.LOL (he is 10) I asked the dr, and he basically told me I was too responsive of a parent. That when he pointed at something, I did not make him vocalize, and he got what he wanted. It worked pretty well for the little guy. Well needless to say, I have my 3rd child now, and things certainly have changed. I make them vocalize everything now. Sometimes a little quiet would be nice. LOL They all develop at different rates, as you know. Best of luck.

H. in Chesapeake

Two of my three sons had few words at two years old. They also missed the milestones for babbling in consonants and had mostly breathy Eh sounds. They had large comprehension vocabularies. Our pediatrician referred the youngest to our county screening process to evaluate him for delayed speech. He failed all the tests because he had only one or two words but was denied services because he was so cheerful, followed instructions well, and clearly understood everything. By three years old, both of the boys could speak. They do have some auditory processing issues which make learning a second language more difficult and they learn better from books than a teacher's lecture. They did have some speech therapy to work on a few sounds in elementary school. Before you worry too much though, they are both outgoing and talk nonstop. They are both actors so you never know how things will turn out. Enjoy the process - reading and talking are great ways to teach speech. Good luck.

Hi L.~

I know your concerns... my second son turned 2 in February. His older brother, now 4 1/2, started naming colors and talking at 18 months, so when we went to the little guy's 2 year appointment, I asked the Dr. about his language... I thought he only had about 20-30 words and she recommended an audiology consult and testing through the county for speech delay.

That night... no kidding... he put three words together in a meaningful way and I made a list of all the words he was using... about 40 at that point. The following days, he added words to that list, and I stopped counting at about 60. The Dr. said he should have 50 words. I decided not to do the testing.

Part of it was that I hadn't done my "homework" before the appointment... he was using more words than I estimated and he was in the middle of a language explosion. I, too, am a teacher, and I have a step-daughter who is low functioning autistic and that raised our concerns as well. Now, a month later, he's really starting to use more words each day and we won't be doing the testing.

My only advice would be to wait and monitor the words he uses... make a list - I think you already have... ;) and if you feel it isn't progressing as you would like, have the testing done. It can serve to ease your worries or get the help you need at the right time.

Good luck.
~J

Don't worry about it too much - I didn't talk till I was 3- I felt comfortable with my 'form' of communication - I didn't need much, so I didn't say much. That may actually be a good sign. Also, my DSD had a lot of issues with speaking - partly I feel due to her biological mother allowing for too much tv at a low volume, so when she reproduced the sounds it came out muffled...she would try to form words, but keep her mouth shut and she replicated those muffled, strange noises...my MIL put her in speech class during her pre-school year (she did not attend pre-school) and this gave her some tools to work with (I also attended speech class in K). I think sometimes our brains process things in a different way and if he/we are more visual learners, we may need different things to spur our understanding of how to say things. But, the good news is, we have NO issues speaking now (she is almost 8 now). She is also being evaluated for the gifted program and gets straight A's. Your son could need speech class in a couple years, but for now just enjoy the silence...haha.

I believe the bottom line is that at very early ages, you cannot tell the difference between a late talker and true speech issues or developmental delays, and the earlier the intervention the better. (It turned out that signing helped my son more than anything else...)

I live in MD. At 18 months my son had no words, not even mama. My pediatrician said to wait until he was 2, but I got him evaluated by the infant and toddlers program in my county. (In Maryland, kids less than 3 are handled by the county program, then at 3 they are handled by the school system.) Also, he started to say a 2 words right before speech therapy started right around 20 months. He seemed to hit a maximum of 3 words- until we started signing in the spring. (He was almost 2- his birthday is in May.)

He was indeed more than 25% behind, and qualified for speech therapy through the county. My son will turn 3 in May. He still has a hard time with some sounds, but his speech has skyrocketed...speech therapy ended in December. Actually signing helped us more than speech therapy. Even the the speech therapist said my son is the poster child for how much signing can help speech. He was only behind in talking.. his receptive language and all other skills were fine or ahead.

When we quit speech therapy, the therapist said if he still has problems with sounds he should be able to make. In a year or so, I may want to have him re-evaluted in the school system.

Hi L., I apologize for just responding to you. I tried looking over some of the responses to see if anyone suggested this. But I am a child care provider in MD and I had a child who also didn't have any speech around this age. I suggested to his mom to have his ears checked because there could be a build up of fluid in his ear which is hindering his speech. Many people don't take into account the fact that your ears, nose and throat are all connected and if there is a buildup of fluid it will greatly affect how he hears and thus speaks. You may find that he needs to have tubes placed in his ears to drain the fluid. Once you have done that then I would suggest you see a speech therapist to help him catch up. The child that had that issue had tubes placed in his ears along with regular visits from a speech therapist. He has made tremendous strides so much so that we have dialogue as if I am speaking to an adult. I hope this helps and it all works out for you and your son.

My neighbor's daughter was the same. In fact, she had even less words at that age and wasn't repeating sounds or attempting to repeat words when she turned 2. She could understand speech and was within normal development for everything else. My friend figured that she was just a little slow with her speech and that she would talk when she was ready, but decided to have her tested just to be on the safe side. She ended up getting speech therapy through the county schools for about 4 months. Now she's just over 2 1/2 and has an appropriate vocabulary and is starting to put 2 words together.

County services are great and they certainly can't hurt. If you are very concerned, just have him tested- it won't hurt anything. It sounds like he's within normal limits to me ( I was a special ed teacher and now stay home with my son), but it's hard to tell through an e-mail. Most kids don't start putting words together until they're 2 1/2 or older. It sounds like you're doing everything you should be and that he'll get it in time. Honestly, the speech teacher who helped my friend just had her do the same things: read, repeat words, encourage speech. It was the same advice I had given her, but it made her feel better to have professional help. You may want to give him a little more time, but do what works for you.

My son was a preemie too and learned some things a little later, but by 2 1/2 was talking my ear off and hasn't stopped since! I made a tape of him talking when he was that age and when I listen to it now, I wonder how I knew what he was saying. Speech really blooms during that 2-3 year.

Some kids are just observers too. They watch and learn and then talk when they're ready. My friend's daughter has now surpassed many of our friends' kids who are the same age in her speech. She's just an observer and doesn't do anything until she feels like she can do it right.
Good luck to you and your son!

My son is 24 months old and also has speech delay, he was also 2 months early not that I think that is why he is delayed with speech.

I'm a child care worker so I have seen many children his age at many different levels of speech delay. But when it's your own child you feel like it's your fault and something you are doing wrong as a parent.

My son is very clever , he knows he's colours and always understands what he is asked to do.

Now that he 2 I'm worries he will start to get frustrated by the lack of language skills he has and will act out with bad behaviour.

You are doing everything we seem to be doing with our soon .
The speech therapist told us , it's very common in 2 year old boys to have speech delay, I'm sure our boys will talk when they are good and ready.

Not sure if I have been a help but it helped me to know some one else is in the same boat as me.

cheers K.

Hey L.- My daughter Abigail also just turned two on the 9th and was 7+ weeks early also. I took her to our pediatrician last week for her 2yr old check up and every thing was fine in terms of her speech development. Abigail is also in pre-school 2 days a weeks so she has learned some sign language (more, please, food, thank you) and she can say her name along with other words (dog, cat, meow, wuf, etc) and she still grunts. Honestly, I think your little boy sounds right on track!
Also, he's your first, isn't he? My eldest (who also was pre-term) was the same way. Now she's 4 and we can't get her to be quiet! She even talks in her sleep!!!! My husband was very concerned about her (their) development and I reassure him that they are both doing fine. It has been my experience that first born children speak more words together, later. And second born children speak later in general because the first one is usually doing all the talking! Again, this is normal behavior.
I have to keep reminding Abigail not to grunt and to 'use her words' to speak to me even if it is just one word like "owie" or 'no'. She's gotten REALLY good at No :)
I'm not criticizing but I think you, because you are a teacher, are more aware of speech and development in young children. You are doing all the right things! Keep reading to him, give him puzzles like alphabet puzzles with pictures, hand him a letter and ask him what picture it goes to, ie: M is for Monkey. I do this with Abigail and she can do almost all the letters on her own. She doesn't know all the letters by sight per se but she knows that 'I' goes with Ice cream and "W" goes to Whale and she can say whale. Xylophone is the only word that tricks her up still.
I hope this helps :) Wait until you have baby #2 :) It's a whole different ball game :)
~E., mother of Fiona & Abigail

I would get him evaluated. sounds like he needs help and confidence building exercises in producing sounds....That was the case with my son. Make sure also to get his hearing and ears evaluated by an ENT ASAP....Could just have fluid behind his ears.

Trust your instincts, you are not overreacting!

Hang in there!
R.