Hi mamas - hoping one of you can shed some light on this for me.
Devon will be 16 months on Monday and has been hitting his milestones on time with the exception of one - which he was on the early side for - speaking!! He has about 40 (a guess) words he can say (and say and say) and has been "speaking" (baby way of speaking, the kind where you hear the word and it's almost the word - and you can get what he's trying to say) more or less since he was about 8 months old. He started with "up down" (said together), "all done", "more" and progressed to saying Grandma (this one he said fully), gorilla, downstairs, light, moon, star, bunny, elephant, avocado (sounds like ahkado)...not entirely easy words to say. Anyway, about a week or two ago his usage of these words went about 80% away and now almost everything is "dada" (he has about 15 different things he's taken to calling dada - including ME) or "muh" (for more, movie..etc.). I asked him point blank who I am this morning and he said DADA.
What gives?
Is this verbal regression normal or should I be concerned? He's not (to my knowledge, although, who really knows) mastering anything too new right now. He has been walking since 14 months and in daycare since he was 3 months, and has 8 teeth with maybe another one on it's way., he has had a bit of a cough/cold going on for a while, but it has waxed and waned and not presented any fevers, so i don't think it's health related..and nothing has changed at home.
To give a little more insight, he's never really been big on saying mama/mommy (dada was his first word) - he has always liked saying dada better (we also have a cat named Dante and he calls him Dahday. I know that d's are easier to say than m's, kind of - but he says more and monkey and stuff, so it's clearly not an M thing.
Should I be concerned about his lack of saying mama - esp since I've always been and am there just as much, if not more than daddy.
Hmmmm. I'm starting to feel a bit shafted. Like - where's the mama love, you know? Although, he's always been super sweet to me and lovey and clings to me more than my hubby.
???
Thanks moms.
I would get him evaluated pronto. I have a son with autism, and that is one way that can manifest. They have skills and are verbal, and then lose them. It may be a phase, but if it is not, the sooner the treatment starts the better. For what it's worth, my son always said dada and never mama. And I was the one with him all day. But more attached to me to the point that he could not be left with anyone else, except his Dad and grandparents.
Autistic children have these signs of language regression. Early intervention is needed! Make an appointment with the dr, sooner rather than later. Have him tested. If he is austistic, you can then start helping him. If it isn't autism, then you will have a opportunity to talkt to your dr face to face and see if he/she has any ideas. Good Luck!
Because his language is so developed, he may be "taking a break" and working on learning more complicated sentences. Definitely ask your pediatrician, because that will give you more peace of mind, but it is not uncommon for babies to change the amount they speak, backward and forward.
Best wishes!
I wouldn't get too worried unless you see some other things. My son, now 2.5, went through the same things. And they were all phases. He had some awesome words at 14-15 months like yellow and yo-yo and by the time he really spoke (as opposed to being prompted to parrot) these words were no where to be found. And Yellow was the last color that he learned!! LOL!
And the confusing mama and dada thing happened to us. Meanwhile our son was speaking in full sentences and telling us whole stories by the time he was two.
Keep your eye on it, and give it some time.
My daughter was saying about that many words around 18 months, and started to read around 3 years (so be ready for that). If I remember correctly around sixteen months it is expected for a child to use between 3-10 words... so from what you said your son is way beyond that and is doing great. It is around 20 months that they are saying 30-40 words (where your sons seems to be) and then by 2 years they are starting to hold a very short conversation.
Oh and about the mama, it could be that since you are around more he just gets excited over dada, or it could be that he and dad already have the special male bond. I think a child always leans towards one parent, but in time your little one will express more love towards you and saying mama and so on.
It has only been a week, maybe he is focusing on something that your not really aware of right now. Give him some time before you jump to conclusions. Play with him-do things he likes to do, and you might just spark some conversation. Much luck
I would definitely get it checked out asap. As some of the other "posters" said, the drop in vocabulary is one of the signs of Autism. Good luck! Have a great holiday!
You should talk to his doctor, as drastic verbal regression is one of the key signs of autism. I will think good thoughts and hope that there is another explanation for what's going on. It's definitely worth looking into sooner rather than later. If there is a problem, the sooner he gets help, the better.
As for not saying mama, do not be concerned. I know plenty of kids with good vocabularies who omit a major word like mom, dad or sibling's names. It doesn't mean anything at all!
M.,
I would make an appointment and take him to the pediatrician. Ask the pediatrician and see what he/she has to say about it. I would request to have him tested to see if there is anything wrong, or if it's just him. I would not be concern with the M's, my oldest son had severe ear infections when he was little, amazingly some of them with no fever; but this affected his hearing and speech. Although, it was funny that he could say 'mama' but when asked his name he would say 'atthew' instead of Matthew, and his brother's name 'arcus' instead of Marcus, but he could say more, mama, mami, and other m words.
So, just try to get him checked by a specialist so if there is a problem it can be addressed now that he is young.
Blessings
He's fine. This is common.
Don't take it personally.
A great book is: "what to expect the first year" which you can find at any bookstore pretty much or online.
Also, as a baby/child develops, their brain is focusing on certain things... not all at the same time, so sometimes, a certain new skill/ability will become more pronounced or not... not ALL skills being prominent at the same time or all the time.
But as the Precious poster said... you should ask your Pediatrician... because any questions a parent has, or gut feelings... needs to be addressed.
All the best,
Susan
My son first said Da da da da, but he was reaching for me when he said it. 'D' is just an easier sound to make than 'M'. My son knew words, but was way on the quiet side until he was just over 2 yrs old. Then all of a sudden there was no keeping him quiet. Even now he still likes to watch, observe, absorb information before he joins into anything. Every year for first teacher conference they tell me how quiet he is. The rest of the year they have a hard time shutting him up.
You might want to make sure he has no ear infections or fluid in his ears which might be making it hard for him to hear. I'm sure he'll be talking your ears off before you know it.
