21 Month Old Still Not Talking

Hi S.,
my son is now 29 months old and I remember him not talking very much at the age of 21 months either. He said a few words, but compared to other children it was just not the same. At about 24 months he didn't only say words but full little sentences! My son grows up bi-lingual, which could be a factor. I have heard of other kids that age though, who didn't speak much either. I think I would give it a few more months and see what happens and then decide whether a speech pathologist would be the right choice. I wish you all the best!

I'm a mother of 4 boys and my youngest, who is 26 months old, only says between 15-25 words. He mostly grunts and points. His pediatrician is not worried, so I'm not going to worry. If he's pushing 3 and still not talking much, I'll start worrying then. They're all different and learn at their own pace.
K.

Don't worry! I have heard from many people that their 2-yr-old doesn't talk much, and they are worried! But they are fine, and will talk in their own time. Just keep teaching words to him and he'll pick them up. He'll be just fine.

Hi, S.- you need to contact your areas early education intervention asap- if ur little boy is only just saying his first word, there is something wrong... the sooner you get help, the better!!! Yes, you need to be concerned... I dont want to scare you but you need to just be made aware that there could be something wrong- have you talked to your sons doctor about this? I am a nurse as well as a mother of a special needs child... a child should be saying first words around 12 months of age... As for all these other responses that are telling you not to be concerned, they are wrong- your son should be tested- you can get free testing through the school system, get your son to his pediatrician soon to get a referral. if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.. Kim

Have you considered taking him to an audiologist or speech pathologist? My son went through the same ordeal and we noticed by the time that he was about 20 months he wasn't talking much or responding to a lot of things. He had chronic ear infections and by this time I had had enough of taking him to the doctor all the time so I inquired about tubes for his ears. When this procedure is done a mandatory hearing test is set up and we discovered that he had moderate/severe hearing loss. He passed all his hearing tests when he was born so I didn't think twice about it. It might be something worth looking into ~ if it hadn't been for the ear infections I probably would have been in your shoes.

The average child really is speaking more than this by this age. I don't this it is necessarily a cause for alarm, because as we know, all children develop at their own pace. That being said, I do think it's wise of you to look into this further, and seek professional opinions to help you decide if he needs help or will progress on his own.

In our area there is a (state funded) program called Birth to 3. It is for children birth to 3 years old and they help with development, speech, physical development, etc. You do not need to have financial need to participate in the program, so regardless of your income, you can get help for your child if it is deemed necessary. For speech, they will send a speech therapist to your home to do an evaluation with your child and then visit with you privately to tell you the results. Then, if he needs help, they will provide someone to come to your home a couple of times each week to do speech therapy and work on making the sounds needed to start saying the basic words. If you sit in on these sessions, then you can learn alot about how to help your son, as well.

To find out if this program is in your area, look for the place where you would contact Head Start or contact your local school district (you'll want to speak with someone who works with speech...) to see if they offer this.

S.,
I am a pediatric speech language pathologist (ages birth to three) through the county. Typically a child of your son's age would be able to imitate many words and have many words on his own..he would also be putting together some phrases by now. Keep in mind that there is a broad range of "normal" but since he is not really talking at all yet..it doesn't hurt to get a speech evaluation. Usually you have to get a script from your pediatrician, and you can get a speech evaluation through the county you live in. Ask your doctor where to refer you. After a speech evaluation, the therapist can give you some suggestions of things to work on at home and if he qualifies for therapy, a therapist will typically come to your home, or his daycare, etc to provide direct intervention. Early intervention (birth to three) is very family-friendly..and it really does make a difference at this young age. Good luck!

I was glad to see your request. Well, you are not alone. I have a 21 month old as well that says maybe 8-10 words inconsistently. Has your child a history of ear infections? How is your son's hearing?

Consider having his ears checked. I know several children that had hearing problems that was the cause of late speech development. The earlier you catch it the better. In all but one case I know of, all that was required was tubes in the ears...a very simple procedure that lets fluid drain freely from the ear. Then the kids started talking.

Hi S.-
I realize you've had LOTS of responses to this, but I needed to add my own 2 cents! My daughter didn't say a WORD until she was 21 months old and then it was mostly grunts and a few things that sounded like words for the next few months. It didn't occur to me that something might be wrong cause she communicated with us just fine and understood what we said to her...she just didn't speak. Then, almost to the day that she turned two she started talking in full sentences.
My point is, trust your instinct. Do you sense that something is "wrong" and that your child isn't able to communicate or is struggling in some way or not responding? If you have him in a group with other kids of the same age, can you notice something distinctly different (and not just the normal differences in development)? Do what YOU think is appropriate. If you have a nagging feeling that something is going on, definitely get him checked as no harm will be done if you do. The services and testing that are available are there for a reason and you should definitely do it if you feel that is the correct move - and don't worry about him being "labeled" in the future. But if you're confident that all is well, give him a few months. And don't put too much weight on those crazy charts that say what your child "should" be doing at a certain age...they cause more agony than anything else, I think!
Good luck with your little guy and keep seeking advice and input when you need it!

One question I have is are you a SAHM or does he get much interaction with other adults & children? I ran into this with my oldest as well, I was a SAHM and didn't get out much because we moved quite a bit and were constantly in new places. I pretty much did all the talking for him because all he had to do was point and make a grunt and I knew what he wanted/needed. He was almost 2 1/2 when he finally started talking and that's because I finally went back to work PT and he went to a sitters. Then he took off.

We have a neighbor who has a little girl that is almost 2 1/2 and she as well doesn't say a whole lot either and she has an older and yonger sister. Her mother began being a SAHM when she was born and the girls aren't around other kids very often.

My suggestion would be to get him around other children and adults as much s possible so he is forced to say what he wants because someone else has to understand him. Is your doctor concerned? Some school districts have a free pre-education service that will come to your home and work with children one on one with speach. I'm not sure what it's called but it might be something to look into.

Hope you get some great ideas, once he starts talking you won't be able to stop him.

Not all pediatricians will hold to those milestones. I had one who insisted my son should be saying 50 words at 12 months! All he had was one child, so he didn't realize that the third child doesn't need to speak. The speech therapist that he forced me to see asked why on earth I was there before we even got to her office! He pointed and babbled all the way back, and she said he was fine.
However, years later he still wasn't talking. And at 4yo we had to do speach therapy. There wasn't anything that could be done back then, nor any way to know he would have all the speech delays there are, lol.

I suggest getting some sign language videos for babies and kids from Signing Times. My nephew could hold a conversation with sign language long before kids his own age could speak in one! There are videos of him on youtube with his mom.
Sign language offers a great way of communicating before a child is able to master vocal communication. It eliminates frustration for both of you, too. I wish someone had suggested it for me back when my son was having trouble, because all we could do with him was wait out the delays. My family is starting sign language now, and we do all have to learn it, but the videos are fun and easy, and it is concidered a foreign language in college!
Don't get too caught up in milestones, but let your pediatrician know about your concerns at his next scheduled visit and see what happens.

L., mom of 7 qtpies

Hi S.,
I have a son that was not talking like your child. I went to my doctor and here in South Dakota is a program called Birth to Three. What it is, is a program that is based on the childs needs. They tested him because when he was 9 months old, he could only roll around, he couldn't sit or crawl, so they brought in a physical theripist in to work with him. Once they were able to get him moving. They had a speach theripist come in and work on that. He stayed in the program until he was three, and then they test him again to see if would qualify for Head Start. They and I worked so well together with him that he didn't have a need for Head Start. I don't know where you live but call your Doctor and see if the state had a program called the Birth to Three and see if they can get you set up. It was wonderful

Omigosh--I wouldn't worry yet! I think everyone on here has well meaning opinions--and I agree--get his ears checked and if they are fine I would chalk it up to him being a boy. (for a little while longer at least!) Although--- is mama the ONLY word he's saying?? If that's the case you may want to get it checked out. Otherwise if he's at least TRYING to imitate more words I wouldn't worry. My son exploded in language at 2 1/2 years (and I thought he was way behind other friends of his) Now he talks the same or more than all of them and sounds like 5-6 year olds at 3 1/2. The above mentioned issues aside--all kids develop differently!

all children are different and learn at different times but as a mother it's okay to be concerned. does his hearing appear to be okay? my second thought would be to call your local school district and speak to an early childhood special education teacher and ask him/her what his/her opinion is. i have 21 month old twins. one was born with a cleft lip/palate. he has been receiving school services for about a year and a half now and it has been great. i feel that he hasn't needed much of the services for quite a while but will again when more speech comes in to help with the sound of his words. right now my kids know there alphabet, colors, numbers, and shapes. one thing that we found essential was signing time videos. my boys were able to 'speak' in sign before they were actually able to talk. sometimes the school district will have those videos to maybe borrow or they can possbily be found at a public library. they are great! good luck!

Our oldest child loved to move around and found language secondary in her life. Our next child loved words and caught up to moving around as she grew. Each child is different. Just continue to model speech and perhaps make up some games or songs that include one or two words as a response for your child to continue to learn.

Gosh, you've already gotten so much great advice and it certainly wouldn't hurt to have him evaluated, especially if you have any concerns about any other developmental delays, but just so you know all kids can be so different and boys especially tend to become verbal later than girls. My oldest son started talking suddenly at 19 months. My youngest son didn't talk until 23 months and he went straight from "oh-oh" and "dada" to complete sentences within the course of about a week. At the time my pediatrician told me not to worry unless he still wasn't talking by 24 months. I hope it turns out that he is just developing at his own pace!

My middle child was not talking at that age either. At that point he had an ear infection each month for 10 months in a row and had been on antibiotics each time. We self-referred to an ENT and had tubes put in his ears. I believe he had water on his ears and couldn't hear us speaking well enough to repeat it. A child can have water on their ear(s) and not have an infection. I took him to see a speech therapist to work with him (free through the county school district). That helped, too, but it seems like once he could hear, he rapidly caught up. Have you had your son's hearing tested?

My daughter is 23 months old. Two months ago all she said was "mommy", "Daddy" and "NO!". We also were very concerned about her speech. She seemed to understand us well and followed simple directions so we knew it was not a hearing issue. Our pediatrician told us not to be concerned until she was 2 and we could have her evaluated then if she still did not have more words.

Well, here 2 months later, she is talking up a storm, 3 and 4 word sentances. It all of a sudden just seemed to click for her about 2 weeks ago.

My now 5 year old son was also slower to speak. He had no words at all at 18 months, but by 21 months he was talking full sentances and very clearly.

So I guess my point is just wait a few more months and see, unless you see other areas of concern. Our pediatrician really stressed for us that if our daughter seemed to understand us and interact well that we shouldn't be too concerned. Kids will just start talking when they are ready. One thing he did recommend though was to talk to her a lot (even about nothing, "we are driving down the road in a van, crossing the street, there are people on the side, blah, blah, blah") and look right at her and speak slower and clearer.

You are his mom. We know things - even when people tell us otherwise. So, if you think something is wrong it is not hurting anything to take him to a speech pathologist. If your insurance will not cover this, check with your local school district. Some schools have Early Prevention programs that will test your child for developmental milestone delays and if they think he needs it they will provide a speech pathologist for you and many times with in home visits.

With my second child he did not walk until a week before his 1st birthday [my older son was walking at 8 mo], my second child did not talk until 3 ½ [my older son could tell you every letter, number and was reading storefront signs by 2]. I knew something in my heart was wrong, but I listened to everyone tell me that I could not compare the two, that each child was different. The pediatrician would say it was a cardiology problem [he was born with a narrowing in his aorta and was under supervision of a cardiologist] and the cardiologist would say talk to the pediatrician. I did not get any answers until he started kindergarten and he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome [it is on the Autism Spectrum]. He is now 12, in 6th grade and on the honor roll. He is doing well, but I always wonder how much more he could accomplish if I had those few years of early prevention.

I am not that your son has autism, or that anything is wrong. I am just advocating for early diagnosis, IF something is wrong so that your child might have that few extra years of early prevention. It never hurts to check.

In the meantime, sometimes just having him being around other children talking might help him. My mom babysits several children and a few of them came to her not speaking one word, and just a few months later were talking non-stop. They learn by example.

K. D.

Hi! I have four children. The first 3 started talking at the usual age. When I had my fourth child he was pretty silent until a week before his 3rd birthday. Then, instead of saying a few words, he started talking in full sentences. Maybe some kids start when they need to. Do you make him ask you for things or do you anticipate his needs? I feel like that was part of it for my son. He had sisters that were quite a few years older who waited on him like a little king. He didn't have to ask for anything. Therefore, he didn't have the need to talk. I hope this helps. :-)

J.

I had my 2nd son tested for speech at that same age. He was saying about 10 words. He didn't qualify for any services at that time. If a child has at least 10 words then that is considered normal for that age. The speech pathologist called him a late talker and predicted that by 2 1/2 he would be talking up a storm and sure enough a couple of months after he turned 2 he was talking a lot and it wasn't a slow progression. He went from saying a few words one day to talking in sentences the next.
If you're worried then go ahead and have him tested. It's better to get him help if needed than to worry about him being "labeled".
M.

You could take him to a speech theripst but it may be that he is just being lazy. One of my old friends finally took her son to get checked when he was 4 because he just never talked. He went twice, and after the second time, they told her that he was just lazy and told her not to just give him something when he pointed or looked. My friend knew what he wanted with out him asking so she just gave it too him.
I would really ask your child's doctor about it as well. Maybe he has a hearing problem, you might just want to get it checked out.

My 24 month old can only say a few words. His pediatrician (at his 2 yr physical) referred him to "birth to 3" for an immediate assessment. Money is not a concern for us, so I tried to get an assesment independent of birth to 3, but you need a referral from your physician and she prefers birth to 3. We have not had the assessment yet, but I would agree that his speech is delayed and am looking forward to the assessment and any recommendations they have. I wish I would have started the process much sooner, because he's starting to get frustrated with his inability to communicate. He uses signs, but he doesn't have enough of them to keep up with his expanding vocabulary in his mind.
I recommend a call to birth to 3 right away. There's a bit of a lag time getting started and the services are only available to they turn 3.
Feel free to e-mail me if you want to talk further.
I didn't read other responses, sorry if this is a repeat.
I'm a 47 year old mom of a 5 and 2 year old. :)
K.

My daughter is in the same boat.. she is 19 months and hardly saying anything except for the occasional mamma, dada, ball.. that's it. She is extremely intelligent and is developing above and beyond in all other areas. Her doctor is not at all concerned. Is your son developing in other areas besides speech?? Do you see him behind in other things as well?? You could pay attention to those and always talk to his doctor if you are worried. Every child is different!

No, there may be nothing wrong- but YES- take him in to a doctor and start tests to make sure. Do not let your doc tell you some children are slower to start speaking- that is very true- but if you wait, you may lose valuable time. I was told not to worry about my twins when they were not speaking at the same age - only gutteral sounds. It went too far and at around 3 I finally got them the care they needed. By then they were so severly speech delayed that no one could understand them. They were tested and found to be in the 11th percentile for speech. It has been a long and arduous road since then. Please go to your local health services agency and find out where to start. (the local WIC office is a great place to find government and city resources for children) We were in Florida and most states don't do much unless you REALLY push before they turn 3. At 3 the Schools system is required to eat the cost, under that the state is- thus the red tape. Don't give up. If you need more help, let me know. I have tons of resources and the federal guidelines for what they MUST do to help your child. Praying you just have one waiting to burst out with full sentences...
J.

Hi S.-

Not to worry! My 27 month old nephew is not speaking in sentences and hardly talks now as it is. He has been to see speech therapists and counselor and everything. No problems. He is learning more and more and he is a completely normal and wonderful little boy. If you have covered all your bases and still need answers, go with your gut instinct. You know him better than anybody! Good Luck!

M. B.

Remember that those are just guidelines.... have you had his hearing checked recently?

I just read an article on speach aids that recommended children at any age be introduced to sign language as a form of communication as it helps the neural pathways develop much faster. It allows babies/childrend to communicate with sign if they are unable to speak, and it also helps them learn to speak if they are having trouble learning. Visit: www.signingtime.com (Watch PBS t.v. for the program if you have access, it is supposed to be available there.) You may need to take your child to a speech pathologist... but also remember, Einstien was a late talker too. ;-)
Best wishes!

Hi S.!
This can be a confusing situation, and you will probably get a huge range of advice from "wait it out" to "worry a lot," most being along the lines of the former. I don't think parents take speech delay seriously enough. My advice is to have an evaluation.

Occasionally, it is only a case of a child going at his own pace, but you shouldn't rely on that chance. Most milestones have built-in ranges--a 21-mo-old w/no words is not in the range of normal. It isn't just his words, though, which is why you need a broader evaluation. Speech development involves many things: the child's non-verbal communication, his receptive communication skills (how well he responds to you, follows simple instructions, etc), how his babbling developed (by 8 mos.?), whether he has his own words/sounds for things (associations between object and label), whether he has a wide range of sounds/mouth movements, whether he imitates animal sounds, etc.

It's complicated, but from my experience over the past 5 years w/my own children and the children of others, I can tell you that I think you should have an evaluation.

Birth-to-three is a nation-wide program provided by every county (though certainly competence and quality vary from place to place). They give free evaluations and you can refer your own child--you don't need a doctor. They don't diagnose anything--they just tell you if his delay is significant enough that they can/should help and if there's anything else going on (fine motor, gross motor, sensory, etc.).

Maybe they'll say it's nothing (though as I said, they aren't qualified to diagnose, and knowing the variation in competency, I would continue to watch my child over the next few years), and maybe they'll say he qualifies for help. You could also get a more extensive evaluation by someone who does provide a diagnosis, but I don't see a reason to do that as yet--you just want to know the extent of the delay and how to help.

If you could get him talking sooner, and if there might be other areas in which to support him, why not get the help? You can discontinue it when he starts talking if you think he doesn't need further support. It won't travel w/him throughout his life or anything.

I know many parents who do the "s/he's fine thing" and wait it out, but I haven't seen that be a successful strategy as their children get older. One family I know didn't bother to do anything until their son was 3 and the preschool said, "we can't understand him--you need to do something." He's in kindergarten and still getting therapy b/c the teacher can't understand him, and I see many other things going on that the parents aren't seeing. He could be a much more successful child if his parents were more proactive.

It never hurts to get an evaluation--it gives you peace of mind and could make a big difference for your son (and you'll learn a lot about speech development that might help you help others).

Best, J.

do not let this concern go by..don't let people talk you out of it. Mom instinct is HUGE and you know when there is something wrong. Please hassle your pediatrician about it / contact Birth to Three or whatever early intervention program you have near you to talk to a speech therapist. It is a SMALL thing to do that could make a huge difference and will NOT HURT!!

Please do what you can while you can for your peace of mind and to help your child .

Our pediatrician did not listen to my concerns about my son not speaking and he was 5 before he was finally diagnosed with a form of autism. I'm not saying this will be the case for you, but you do not want to waste time on this.
good luck!

S.,

Have you had your son's hearing checked? If you look right at him and say a word, does he respond?
My daughter had fluid in her ear canals...but never any ear infections...so we had no clue that this was muffling her hearing. Once her tonsils and adnoids (which were blocking the tubes) were removed and tubes were put in her ears, she was speaking better that every day!
She was 3.5 at the time. Her speech improved dramatically and she caught up to the rest of the children her age.

Just a thought to consider!

My son, (who is our third child), was also a very late talker. And even though by the third child I knew that each one does everything at their own pace, the first two were also different from each other and from him, it was still hard to not sometimes wonder if there was "something wrong". I took him to the doctor and everything just to be sure. Of course they didn't seem concerned. And then one day, I'm not sure how old he was, I just realized that he was saying so much more than before. Like in a couple weeks he had a huge language explosion. Before I had always gotten excited over each new word, and could count how many he knew, and I then realized that suddenly I didn't even know what all he knew, because it was so extensive. He is now 33 months and is pretty much up to date with his peers. He's definately not advanced in language, but he has other area's he excels in, as I'm sure your son does. I wouldn't worry, he'll get there.

I have a daughter who was delayed in speech as well. I talked to her Pediatrician who got me in touch with a Nerologist and a Early Childhood Screening center with a speech specialist. Thankfuly they just said she was going at her own pace and to keep practicing with her all the time. Now shes speaking full complete sentences and its so clear its like shes been doing this forever.
So keep on practicing but do bring it up to your pediactrician see if they think theres a worry. And go from there. Good luck to you both and best wishes

Shelly, HI I just wanted to send you a message as I kinf\d of know what you are going threw. See I have a 4 yr old nephew who did not talk unitl about 6 weeks after he turned 4. They had him checked and yes he doies he has some type of learning problem, but it will follow him as his parents tend to baby him with it and let him get away with not talking. I also have 2 daughters and my youngest is 8 and I can let you know she did not say her first words till she was 3. The reason she did not talk though is because her older sister who is 20 months older would talk for her, she would also grunt and point. I finally got to the point where I would tell my oldest to stop talking for her sister and then I would tell my youngest to use her words. She learned after a couple days that if she grunted and pointed she did not get it. She began to use her words. Hope that helps. :)

Does he at least understand a lot of words? My daughter barely says anything but she understands about everything so I'm not concerned. And she sure won't say anything when you try and make her "perform", it's only on her terms which seems mostly be be with grandparents. If you are really worried, sure call the speech people or whatever. But I'm planning to wait til my daughter is 3ish as she probably just needs time.

I know that you have gotten multitudes of information from a variety of people. And who knows what will happen over the next several months...but, as a speech-language pathologist, I would recommend having him evaluated.
Contact your local school district - the early childhood program will send someone out to your home to go over developmental milestones and help you to decide if further evaluation is necessary. Another option is to go through your pediatrician or contact a local pediatric rehabilitation department. Depending upon your insurance, your child may qualify for services.
I have provided services for children at early ages within the clinical setting - I currently work in an elementary school. There are several issues that could be affecting his ability to communicate verbally - and the earlier that intervention could be initiated, the better. If nothing else, an evaluation would put you in contact with a professional that, if therapy is deemed unnecessary...could provide you with some ideas to implement to encourage communication.
Good luck with everything. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions!

All children develop at different rates, however if you are concerned you should really call your doctor and ask to be referred to someone who knows about developmental delays. Does your child have any other delays such as walking, showing affection, motor skills issues? If you want to ease your fears talk to a professional about it. If it is something to be concerned about, such as autism, the earlier you know the better. Hope this helps.

D.

S.,

I would hold off until the 24 month appointment, you may just have a late bloomer. I took my baby #2 in to the 18 month appointment with a 10 word vocabulary and they told me to see a hearing then a speech therapist. We did that for almost 2 months and saw absolutely no improvement. Then we moved. The new pediatrician said it was ridiculus to send an 18 month old to speech therapy and he just needed a little extra time. Sure enough, just before he turned two his vocabulary jumped to almost 100 words.

He just turned 5 and has taught himself to read, can do my daughter's 1st grade math homework without assistance, and scored very high at his pre-Kindergarten screening.

Bring up your concerns with his pediatrician at 24 months.

Good luck,
S.

I went through this with BOTH of my children (2 and 6). It ended up they had heavy metal toxicity. We have spent the last 10 months trying to get the heavy metals out of their little bodies. Some (a lot of) children can NOT chelate heavy metals and that causes speach delays, learning delays, emotional delays etc... It would take 10 pages for me to post everything we tried and worked here... but I talk about it in debth in our family blog www.bitzs.com

Hi S.,
I had the same experience with my daughter and was about to take her in for a speech eval when she suddenly went from about 10 words at almost 2 years old to 4 word sentences in the span of about 4 months. So, try not to worry too much. Watch for other signs: does he understand what you are saying to him? Is he pointing out pictures in books? Is he babbling and imitating? Is he trying to communicate his wants to you in other ways?

You are doing a great job being on top of this and do not hesitate to take him in for a speech evaluation if you feel you should. Do NOT let your dr. or school district try to tell you that you shouldn't worry or do this until he is 3 or 4. That is absolutely incorrect! There are many speech delays that can be easily addressed and worked on now to prevent more issues later (like frustration at not being able to be understood). By the way, my 4 year old has Down syndrome and Apraxia (speech diagnosis) so we've been to speech therapy with him since he was 22 months old so we've learned a lot. I wish I had taken him in at a younger age, but listened to the school district who said to wait until after 2.
Good luck!
K.

Yes, by this age, your son should technically be saying that many words, and some sentences. However, every child is different. I would suggest going in to talk to your pediatrician. Assuming your son has had checkups along the way, your pediatrician should have been noting his development. You might ask for your son's ears to be checked. It could be that he doesn't hear as well as other kids, so it is taking him longer to even "realize" what to say.

It is possible that nothing is wrong with him. I have a young friend who didn't say a single word until she was three years old. Then she wouldn't stop talking and is now an honor student at the U of M.

Testing might be in order... but he might just be the quiet type.

I have 3 children and each one of them talked at different times!! I have an 11, 8 and 2yr old. I would say at his age to give him a little more time. When my little guy turned two he started talking more and more. Each month they mature. Be sure and use words often--when he wants milk or juice repeat the words when handing them to him etc. Eventually he'll get it. Just so you know my 8 year old didn't say too much until he was about 2 1/2. Also boys are less verbal than girls. Try to remember all of this and not worry too much at this age. You'll be taking him for his two year check up soon so be sure to raise your concerns at that time. (make sure he's hearing O.K.)

Hi S.,
There may be a number of reasons for this. Does your son seem to understand what you say and communicate in other ways? You can check with your pediatrician for advice and a speech and hearing evaluation might put your mind at ease. If there is some sort of problem, the earlier it is addressed the better. Children develop at certain rates so it is good to check things out.
The best thing, I've found is to trust your instincts as a Mom and get some answers that will put your mind at ease. I had my children after 35, too.
G.

I have a friend that had a 3 yr old that was not talking. He had ear infections quiet a lot. They finally put tubs in his ears and now he is learning new words everyday. They doctor told her that having the water in the ears all the time he was not hearing what people said right, that it was ditorted. He also had started seeing area 13 ( a group in our area that help childern with speech issues) and they had started teaching to sign. He is also in a special needs preschool and now is almost up to speed with other 3 yr olds.

I was told if you automatically STOP giving him what he wants when he grunts and points, he will learn to talk.
He doesnt have to talk now because you do what he wants, so why should he. Babys are alot smarter than we give them credit for.

My son did not start talking until he was 3 1/2. He is a regular chatter box now and fine. I went to doctor after doctor and had a bunch of test done to no avail. The biggest test I would suggest to ease your mind is his hearing just to be on the safe side. Other then that all I can say is he will talk when he is ready. Other people told me to withhold stuff till he told me what he wanted and that didn't work other then to make him frustrated. Just keep repeating your words and he will talk when ready. I hope this at least eases your mind a little. I understand the concern.

All children grow differently, but by now your child could probably use some extra help. Contact his doctor about your concerns and he/she will help you get the evaluations your child needs to find someone to start working with him (speech pathologist, etc.). My niece turned 2 in November and is in the same boat. She is recieving sign language training as well as vocal coaching as part of the county's intervention. Good Stuff!

I know you already have a lot of responses but I just wanted to add to them to help you feel better. I have a 25 month old girl who only says about 15 words clearly. She mostly points and whines to get what she wants. I was concerned so at her 2 yr appointment I talked with the doctor and she refered me to the school district speech/hearing testing site. This is a free service and what they did was evaluate her hearing and communication skills. What I was told was that her hearing was fine and her communication skills were fine. Eventhough all she mostly did was point and grunt, this was okay. We were told to just keep up with talking to her in short sentences and work on her repeating words. Her vocabulary has improved and we are now working on putting 2 words together. As long as your child is able to communicate what they want and they listen to you and can follow simple directions then there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

Don't stress out about this - I know it is frustrating especially if you see other 21 month olds talking. (my niece who is 5 months younger than my daughter is already talking in sentences) but don't let it get to you. As you can see from the other responses your child is not the only one. Check with your doctor at your next appointment to help you feel better and to make sure there is nothing wrong with their ears/hearing and if there is nothing wrong just let you child develop at their own pace. If there may be a problem then you know and can start to work on it before it gets worse.

Good Luck

Hi S.

Yes i would be concerned. While it may be nothing, catching a problem early is always the best.

There are 2 things that come to mind. Hearing problems can delay speach, as they do not hear the words. If something drops or a loud noise occurs, does he jump or turn to it?

Another prevalent issue today is autism, rumored caused by the mercury put in vaccines. There has been much discussion about this recently, and it seems to affect boys more than girls. Counselling, therapy, and special diet, as well as chelation therapy or other means to remove body toxins have been suggested. I have a nephew diagnosed with this. This can be quite devastating. Delaying or reversal is best caught early, from what i hear.

Bring this up to the pediatrician, or nurse practitioner, or someone in counseling that specializes with children, if for no other reason, you get peace of mind.

Good Luck

J.

Hi S., I'm in the same boat. My son is 20mo old and only 'says' a few words. What I mean by that is that you know what he is trying to say, ex. kiee for kitty, da for dog. BUT he understands A LOT more then he tries to say. And just in the past couple of days he has been trying to say more things. When I've been to my Ped., she wasn't concerned. As long as he understands AND is being vocal. And he sure is vocal. He seems to carry on whole conversations with himself at times. He also mimics talking into the phone. I also have a friend that said he son didn't say anything really until he was past 2yrs. I think they more at their own pace. I wouldn't compare yourself to others since all of our children are so unique and special.

I had the exact same problem, my kids were about 2 when I finally decided to do something about it, so I can at least tell you what I did. I contacted the ECFE (Early Childhood and Family Education) for my school district and told them that I would like to have someone come out to do a speech assessment on my son. It turned out that both of my boys, though one much more than the other, were speech delayed. The good thing about ECFE is that it doesn't cost you anything and at least in my district they will come to your house for speech therapy, usually once a week. My twins have been in ECFE for a couple of years now, and they actually get to go to preschool a couple days a week and ride a little bus, so they think it's a lot of fun! It did really help my kids, my little Ethan does still need some help, but the therapy really did help!

My son is also behind in his speech. I called Early Intervention which is through the state health department and our school district. The do everything for free. We have had our first evaluation and will have our second in 2 weeks. If you can't find their number feel free to pm me and I can give you the info. They were a big help and I am very excited to be getting the help my son needs. His doctor was absolutely no help, I did go to him first.

I shouldn't worry. As long as your son seems to be communicating in his own way or trying to immitate sounds, it doesnt' matter that he isn't saying "real" words yet.

My son didn't talk until 2. He just babbled until then. Suddenly, he started talking and hasn't stopped since. He is now 3 years old and talks from the moment he wakes up until he goes down for a nap or bedtime. At ECFE, the infant teacher had a philosophy about this. She said that in America, we really value oral communication (we tend to equate it with intelligence) but what's really important is your child's comprehension. As long as the child is healthy, the oral speech will come.

Talk to your Pediatrician. Every child hits developmental milestones at his/her own rate. You Pediatrician is one of the best resources for discovering if your child is developing "normally". Write down all your concerns and questions before you visit the doctor and bring them with you. You won't forget to ask anything and you can take notes as you go. Good luck!

I have a 28 month old boy who only has four words in his vocab. He was 6 weeks early and spent almost a month in the NICU with a feeding tube. He has always been behind. I called our local school district last Sept. when his not talking was really starting to bother me and they had him tested. He has a speech delay and now receives services from our school district. A speech pathologist comes to our house once a week. He will attend summer school in June for a month twice a week. He will then start preschool in an intensive language classroom in the fall for four days a week. I'm really excited that our school district is so proactive. I would suggest calling yours and taking him in for a screening. The worst thing that can happen is he will qualify and receive the attention that he needs. If he doesn't qualify, they will be able to give you some guidance on how to work with him at home. Hope this helps. Also hope this doesn't worry you more. I'm a teacher myself, and have had a new world open up to me now that I'm sitting on the "other side" of the table, so to speak.

Take him to your pediatrician and get his/her opinion.

All kids develop at their own rate, so there may be no reason to worry. I babysit a boy who is 18 months old and has zero words and his mother is not concerned because her older one did not talk until he was two (although he has a few speech probems currently). My 19 month old has participated in the Birth to Three Program for a year and has only 13 words. Follow your gut feeling. I just knew there was more going on with my little guy and had the B-3 Program evaluate him (at that time speech was not my biggest concern) and he has had therapists coming to help him for the last year. The great thing about the B-3 Program is that they come to your house (or where ever the little one is) for the appointments. The evaluation is free and there is a sliding scale fee for services. My experience has been great. If you have a concern I'd say it's best to have an evaluation done now because it's easier for kids to catch up now than when they are in school.

A lot can happen in 3 months and boys, in general, are slower to talk. My son didn't say much and then started talking in 7 word sentences out of the blue. It wouldn't hurt to have a screening done, though, if you are concerned.

It is perfectly normal to be concerned at this point. While some children do talk later than others, some children actually have a speech problem. I have a little over 2 year old boy who does not really talk at all. No mama no dada...but says things like happy and ow. So we know he can make sounds...just not sure if he can mimic them. Currently he has speech therapy every other week. It never hurts to be proactive and have your little one checked out. The best case scenario would be for the professionals to tell you he is fine, but if not then you will be glad that you started as soon as possible. Please message me back if you have other questions on this issue that I might be able to help with. I know how frustrating and frightening this issue can be. Thanks. T.

I think that you should definetly have your son evaluated as soon as possible, the sooner he is evaluated the sooner he can get some help with speech. A good friend of mine has a son with severe speech difficulties, he is 4 now and has been getting speech therapy for a year, the improvement in his speech is remarkable! He is like a different little boy, he no longer crys and throws tantrums at every disapointment because he can finally communicate to his mom and dad what he needs or wants with words! Their family was also able to qualify for free speech therapy, not everyone can get therapy for free of course but if you can not please realize that it is so important to invest in your child now, it will pay off so much in the future.