22 Month Old Boy Doesn't Talk Much ...

My friends son had the same problem and it ended he was having problems with his ears, like having infections that were not painful, so she never knew and one day the doctor put ear tubes in and he has been fine ever since.

A., I would talk to your pediatrician and see developmentally where he is. A friend of mine, had a daughter that wasn't talking very much, she called the school system and her daughter qualified for free in home service! She made tremendous progress and is no longer needing the help. I would not wait to get help because if it's not a speech issue... it could be his hearing. Keep asking for help until you get it. He is almost 2 and I believe his vocabulary with some help will greatly improve. Good luck! As for not saying Mama, be patient, with the right assistance, He'll be saying that before you know it!

Hi A.,

My son will be 2 1/2 next month and he still doesn't talk that much. We had tubes put in his ears and that has helped tremendously! Has your son had a hearing evaluation done? They are free at Lincoln Public Schools. I still wish he would say more, and it does still worry me, but since the surgery, his vocabulary has quadrupled. He had the surgery right around his 2nd birthday. I am following up with a speech therapist to see if he can have some therapy to catch him up to his friends.

As far as for not saying mama, don't worry about that. I was just talking to my cousin today and her son, who is almost 2 will not say it either. He has a pretty good vocabulary, and says daddy, and tons of other words, but just calls her "ba". As in your situation, he knows who she is when asked to point to mama, but she longs to hear him say the words. From what I've heard kids usually say Daddy first. I would think nothing of that at all. As far as for the speech, my advice would be to call LPS for a free hearing test and evaluation. They were great. Good Luck!

A. D.

Don't fret about your son not saying mamma yet, he will. My son would laugh at me or say dada or baby anytime I would try to coax him into saying mamma, ma, mommy, anything! He also would point at me when asked "where's mamma?" but no attempt to even try saying it. I understand the feeling of a broken heart over it. I even caught on to the fact that when he wanted my attention, he was saying J., not just random babbling as I assumed. That really hurt! I mentioned this to my daycare one day to which she responded, "Really? He says mamma all the time when he's here!" I thought, Oh my gosh, he thinks his daycare lady is his mamma! However, in the last week he started saying it at home and now refers to me using mamma, mommy, mom all the time! Just be patient, your boy will say it when he's ready to completely melt your heart, and trust me, it will! It's well worth the wait!!
Take care,
J.

I have 21 month old twins who maybe say 2-3 words apiece-
"backpack" (from Dora)
their own form of "I love you"
the "t" sound for "tea" when they want a drink out of our glass,
and one says "mmmmaa" for "more"

They seem to get whatever they want though, as they have no trouble telling us what they want-= I think twins are just further behind speechwise normally anyway- we will give them another 6 months or so.

Regarding the post about Chiropractic- just wanted to say that Activator is a great low-impact method of adjusting, and there are also many other methods of low-impact (non-popping) adjustments that Chiropractors use. Activator is a tool. The science behind Chiropractic and the doctor who does the adjustments are what to look at- the activator is a method, or tool, and there are many ways for them to do a low-impact adjustment as well. We may look into that as well for our twins, as my husband is a Chiropractor as well, and does use the Activator method often. I will have him check those temps and do the research on this science! Thanks!

My youngest didn't talk until he was over two years old and he was fine. Some kids don't talk right away. I wouldn't worry until he's closer to two and a half. It surprised me on how fast my son started talking in just the six months from the time I was worried. Try not to worry. I'd get his ears checked because that can be causing him not to talk as well. My next door neighbor and my sister both have kids the same age and they don't talk all that much. I wouldn't worry. Good luck!!!

I am a mom of three children and they all said "dada" before they said "mama". Does his father or any other caregivers encourage him to say "mama" when you come into the room? If not, ask them to do so often. I have found with alot of other parents (I am a daycare provider as well), the same situation occurs. If your child is with you most of the time, it is natural for you to ask him to say "dada", therefore, he learns that first. It is hard for some youngsters to understand that when you are saying "mama", you mean "you". It is easier when someone else, other than yourself, encourages him to say it.

You also want to encourage him to make every attempt at speaking to you to communicate rather than say "grunting" noises or pointing. If he wants milk, even the attempt an an "m" sound will help with his development. The more you talk to him and encourage him to talk to you during play or meal times, the faster you may see results.

Don't fret. He will get it. If you are truly concerned about his development, contact your pediatrician and they may recommend he be tested.

Good luck.

Hi, A.. My son did the exact same thing. He had some words, and he definitely seemed to understand words, but he didn't talk that much. He is probably just taking his sweet time. In the meantime, read to him a lot, talk to him, and just point out objects that might be interesting to him. That will help. And of course mention it to his pediatrician at his next appointment to make sure there's not some other problem.

As for his not saying Mama yet, that is frustrating, I know. With my son, "Mama" came later, after words such as "Elmo," unfair though that may be. All I can say is that when he finally does say it, you will be the happiest woman in the world.

My experience was that the talking was like flipping a switch -- all of a sudden, he was babbling like crazy.

Hang in there!

B. (Mom to Jack, 28 months)

My son was four when he finally pointed at an apple and said, "Apple". It wasn't until I had him in a preschool Bible School that I noticed he was behind. The doctor never caught on because they only see them for a few minutes every few months or so. My son babbled too and many times people would look at me and say, "What did he say?" And I knew exactly what he had said but no one else did. I took him to the school system and they put him in early intervention classes.
You should worry and you should have a professional evauate him.
My 9 month old says DADA all the time but no Mama but he never makes the m sound so I am not worried. But if you are worried, ask someone. Sometimes doctors will just tell you to wait a few more months and see and that's all they tell you.

A. - I wouldn't worry too much yet, he's still very young. Does he have any older siblings? I have found in doing daycare that the ones who have older siblings usually develop vocabulary slower than those that don't - because the older siblings do the talking for them so often! Also, you might just take a look at whether you make him use his words or not. What I mean is, if he points and whines or mumbles for his cup, do you give it to him because you know that's what he wants? I used to do that and finally I switched to saying, "I don't understand you. You need to use your words." and then when the kids would try to say "cup" I would ennounciate it back to them very clearly "Cup?" and then give it to them. It seemed to really help me - hope it helps you! K.

We thought that our son might have been a late talker. So we checked into the AEA Speech assessments. They do a free hearing test and will come out to your home and assess your son. Then they'll meet with you again (a separate time) to discuss the results and whether or not he should be involved in some sort of speech activity. It's all free. There's a playgroup that also meets. Up until age 3 they'll do in home visits where 1 or 2 people will come and basically play with him, They are actually looking for specific communication skills. so they'll bring a bag of toys. Once they turn three they are no longer eligible for in home visits but can go to one of the groups that meet at a school.

Our son now has actually gone for the last 6 months to serve as a model for the other kids.

The person that was "in charge" was Gail McKean. However, I think she might be leaving. I don't know who would be taking her place.

I found the number on the www.aea11.k12.ia.us website. It called EARLY ACCESS. look under the assessment tab on the left side.

As far as him not saying "mama", if he identifies you, then it's probably more that he's working on another aspect of speech so he's just busy and forgets to say it. If you help him remember by saying something like, "yes, I am your mommy" giving him hugs for it...emphasizing "mommy". A lot of the time, it just means they are very comfortable with you. Will he say other "M" words, if not, it could be that those words are harder for him to say because of the way the letter forms, and in that case, a speech group would help that. My dau. replaces "T" words with "D", so Thomas(Tommy) comes out Dommy.

My son is 21 months and doesn't talk much yet, but he understands quite a bit. The advice that I got from a therapist was to wait for him to try to say what he wants, instead of doing things for him automatically.
Example: Instead of handing him a snack right when we get home, I should have him try to say what he wants first.
The therapist said that letting him get a little frustrated with the communication might push him to talk more. Also, talk while doing actions, like narrate what's happening when your dressing him. Hope this is helpful.

A.,

Give him a few months before you worry too much.

From a Speech Therapist.

Children will slowly learn their first 50 words. Then they go through a spurt. This should happen sometime between 18mos to 30 mos. Sometimes kids will wait until they are more familiar with the language and then just sponataneously talk.

One reason that your son may not be saying momma right now, is that he is focused on learning other things. It isn't anything personal. He already knows he can say it, so he has moved on. It should come back.

I would recommend an evaluation if you continue to feel stress. or if your son starts to feel stress about the language. In my experience, pediatricians don't always understand the developmental speech mile stones. I have had several parents bring me their children, worried bc of something their ped said, but everything was normal and there was no delay.

Sometimes, we can catch a delay before the age of 3. It just depends. Usually, children at the 3 or older are easier to evaluate. Plus, children usually grow out of most of their speech issues. (Some sounds aren't considered delayed until after age 8)

Relax. If he's still having a hard time in 6 months...have him evaluated. Your doing a great job checking to see what he understands.

Make it a game. Ask him to pick up .... Then touch..... then taste..... If he is understanding what you say, then his hearing is probably fine.

I would be very concerned if he had been speaking and then he stopped or was responding to touch negatively.

Keep us posted.

My son is 22 1/2 months and is very talkative. I am a SAHM & work with him. My next door neighbors son was 2 in Oct and never really spoke. She found out he needed tubes in his ears. He is now starting to speak more than he did, but still not as clear. Another friends son who's 4 has a mild case of Autisim, and didn't speak until he was almost 3. I think I'd at least make sure he doesn't need tubes in his ears if he's had lots of earaches. Best of luck!

Boys are not as quick to talk and most kids cant talk and walk at the same time. My kids were all earlier talkers, so they didnt crawl until they were almost 1 and walk until 18 months. Are there older siblings at home? My baby brother was almost 3 before he started talking because we older sisters spoke for him. He has some words, and if you are still concerned at his next well baby check, talk to the doctor. Ask your doctor to check for fluid build up behind the ear, which is hard too see and if they only look when he has an ear infection, its very hard to see. Is your hubby a quiet guy? This could be a factor too, maybe your son is just he quiet type. I hope some of this helps. Good Luck!

Here is an artical I wrote...

Speech Language Pathologist vs. Chiropractor
How long do you want to wait?
by L. Bitz

I first noticed a speech delay in my son Christian, at 12 months, when he was not yet saying “4-6 words”. I mentioned this to our pediatrician at his 12 month check up he suggested that we get him “evaluated”. UGH A mother’s worst nightmare. All kinds of hopeless thoughts were going through my head. We had him evaluated and he was “significantly delayed in expressive language“. He understood and could follow directions, receptive language, but was not able to put words together to speak, expressive language. I have always felt that in our society your intelligence is judged by how well you speak. (I found that be very true over the next 4 years). We started speech therapy and sign language so that he could communicate his needs without screaming tantrums and having mall security called. It was embarrassing to say the least. We made slow progress over the next 4 years. Then a couple months ago his Kindergarten teacher told me that she didn’t think she would be able to pass him onto the first grade and we needed to have a meeting with the Principal to talk about his special needs in her classroom. My heart sank. I just didn’t understand. I wasn’t in denial, I got him help early. We had been in speech therapy for 4 years.

As my daughter Alexandra was approaching her 12 month checkup I noticed that she was at the same point that my son was at 12 months. So, I immediately called my sons case worked and said we need to have my daughter evaluated as well. She had the same diagnosis, “significantly delayed in expressive language” everything else registered on target or ahead of the norm, just like my son. OH no I thought. I am going to go through another 8-9 years of speech therapy for her too.

Then one day my husband didn’t get “the memo” that he was suppose to come home from work and baby-sit while I went to my chiropractor so I had to take my daughter Alexandra with me. Dr. Matthew Bandstra, DC asked me if Alexandra was always this quiet and I said yes, she doesn’t talk. He asked why and I explained we don’t know, no one seems to know, but my son has the same thing and he is almost 6. He continued to ask about her and then asked if he could take her temperature behind her ears. He said her temperature is 2 degrees different which means something is blocking pathways to her brain. Dr Bandstra says, “The best way to describe the process is that if the brain isn’t able to communicate with the body via the nervous system because of interference to the nerve supply, the body will not be able to function in its optimal fashion and could be affecting her speech. We can use the Activator to adjust the spine in order to remove the interference and allow the body to operate the way it was designed to”. I said, “Let’s try it!”

One week later Alexandra was talking all the time. I didn’t understand most of it but she was talking. Two weeks later she was talking and I understood her. I thought Woooo, if it worked for my daughter it could work for my son too. I took my son Christian to see Dr. Bandstra right away. A month later Alexandra was putting two words together, next she started singing the alphabet, counting and saying the Itsy Bitsy Spider without me!! Within 2 months of Dr. Bandstra using the Activator on her she was speaking within the “norm” for her age.

When I took Christian to see him a month and a half ago, my son’s temperature behind his ears was 4 degrees off. He used the Activator on him as well. My son was consistently getting 30% on his weekly speech assessments then 6 weeks after the Activator he was consistently getting 100% on his weekly speech tests at school and his teacher said she will definitely be sending him on to 1st grade.

I am so glad I met Dr. Bandstra and that he asked me about my daughter during my appointment with him. I just wish I had met him 5 years ago! If your child(ren) have a speech delay and you are seeing little or no progress there are other options to consider. The Activator also works with behavior problems in children, learning disabilities and many other problem areas and it usually only takes ONE visit.

"What exactly is an Activator and how does a chiropractor use it?
Invented nearly 40 years ago, the Activator is a unique hand held tool that provides patients with highly targeted spinal and joint adjustment with a minimum of force. No more cracking and popping. The Activator is used and taught throughout the world and is the number one instrument adjusting technique in chiropractic today." Source: Activator Methods International, Ltd.

Dr. Matt Bandstra
6901 Hickman Road
Urbandale, Iowa 50322
Telephone: ###-###-####
Fax: ###-###-####

I have a 17 month old little boy who is also being very stubborn in the talking area. I think that he could talk if he wanted but he likes to be difficult. :) Our pediatrician said that by 18 months he should say 8 words and at 2 years old he should be saying atleast 18 words and putting a couple of them together. Like I mentioned my son is 17 months old and only says mom, dad, ball and cup, ao he's only up to 4 it makes me worry about him and sad at the same time. He goes to the pediatrician next month after he turns 18 months so I guess we'll see what she says then. I just try to encourage him to talk as much as I can- for example I make him say cup before I give it to him since I know that he can and when he wants things I tell him what they are and try to get him to say them. Keep me posted I'll do the same.

Have you had his hearing checked? My son was about 20 months with about 6 words and would "go to mom or dad" or "get his shoes". He had fluid behind his ear drums. He ended up needing tubes to drain them. As far as I knew he never had an ear infection. He had speech therapy through "birth to three", a wonderful in home play therapy. between the tubes an speech, he was talking like a normal 2 yr old or even better within 6 months. I had no idea he wasn't hearing me clearly. He would go where I said and turn toward me. He just had a muffled version. Otherwise it could just be developmental. Kid develop at different rates. Either way it wouldn't hurt to have his ears checked or evaluated by "birth to three". These are the most difficult times to make up if it is a true problem. They can test him and if he doesn't need it at least you wouldn't have to worry. I want to say the doc's office probably has the info on the program. :)

Hi A. T,
Have you brought him into the EENT specialist? If everything is ok there, then bring him to a speech pathologist. They can give you suggestions on how to help with his development. Let me know how things turn out.
Sincerely,
46 yr old granny of 10,
D.

My son seemed to be behind with his talking, but I think he just had his own language. He would babble on and on, gesturing with his hands, and using a lot of facial expressions. When he finally did talk, he was amazing with his ideas and thoughts that he expressed. He ended up being a very intelligent student. My daughter came out talking....still very intelligent, but not as imaginative.

My daughter (second child) did not talk until she was well over 2 years old. She called her brother ( 4 years older) "DA"-his name is Parker. She called my husband "YA YA" for months!! It drove him nuts!!! I tried not to stress over it too much and even tried to teach her sign language just so I knew what she wanted. She was very good at trying to tell me what she wanted. Like, if she wanted a drink-she would run to the fridge and show me. I knew that the time to speak would come. That is what everyone kept telling me. She has a May birthday and I sent her to 2 yr preschool in the fall after she turned 2. She finally started talking during Christmas break that year. Don't be too concerned. Just keep talking to him in a normal voice and trying to teach him new words and their meanings. He might know that you really want him to say "Mama" and therefore he won't. Be careful what you wish for-my daughter is now 5 years old and will not stop talking!!!

My daughter also didn't speak much for a long time, she's now 38 and I really do miss those times. She also didn't walk until she was 15 mos old. Unfortunately the reasons for both slower developments was me....she didn't have to walk as I carried her everywhere, and she didn't have to talk because I interpreted all of her grunts, squeals, noises and gestures correctly. She began speaking clearly and in complete sentences when I would insist that she say the name of the item she wanted (together with please) before I would hand it to her. Also, refer to yourself as "Mama"...as "Show Mama what you would like." "Give Mama a kiss." Also, talk a lot and ask a lot of questions.

I have a 4 year old that has a very advanced vocabulary for his age, he amazes me with the words he says! He didn't start talking until after his 2nd birthday. it was really freaking me out. The pediatrician told me to get his hearing tested. That came up fine. So then we went to a speech therapist for about 6 months. His language did improve. Then I went back to work and he was going to a Montessori School the days I was working. I think that's when his language really blossomed. My point is is that I'm not sure if the speech therapy or the school helped him. All I know is that he is talking just fine for a late bloomer! Hope that helps