Baby Boy Not Talking!

Because he has receptive language, I wouldn't worry but see what ped says at 18 month appt. Being a boy and 2nd child, he just might take longer. Lots of reading and singing helps.

My little guy was a late talker too. He is now a few weeks from 3 and NEVER stops talking :) even in his sleep!!

My son said "dah" until he turned 2. At18 months he had a handful of words - used very infrequently. He is just now 26 months and has learned like 200 words in 2 months. I know its easier said that done, but if he is understanding and can identify stuff by pointing try not to worry. It WILL come. :)

Give him some time. Some kids just are not talkers. If by 2 y.o. he is not
talking then have him evaluated.

I am sure he is "fine" but I would still call Early Intervention because what if he not? Then do you want to question yourself as to why you didn't call when you were first concerned? He really should be saying more than dada at this age. How do you know his hearing is fine, did you take him for a hearing test? Good luck!

if hearing is normal dont sweat it. mine is hard of hearing and when i read the question before the ps i thought hearing was normal cause he can follow directions so to speak. call eci if your real worried but I don't think you have a problem.

Sounds like one of my neices. She was so quite and didn't say anything at all. The first time we heard her speak was in response to a question at about 18 months of age a few weeks after getting a clean bill of health from the doctor. She was tired of being in the high chair and began to climb out. My mother asked her what she was doing (not expecting a response). Her reply was, "Getting down." We were all shocked. So we asked her again and her response with attitude and clearly was, "I'm getting down."

We haven't been able to keep her quiet since.

She is the smartest of all the kids (13 in all). Can't wait to see how life plays out for her. She is 18 and really can do anything she puts her mind to. It's a little scarry.

Hope your boy is the same. He may just not have much to say or communicates so effectively without words that they just aren't necessary until they are necessary.

When we asked her why she never talked, she said she didn't have anything to say (this was when she turned 2 we asked she answered). WOW, really where do you go from there?

Hi Sylvia,

Boys traditionally talk later than girls. My nephew didn't say anything until he was three. He had an older brother (3 yr old) that did all his talking for him. He is grown and a very successful businessman, Vice President of Sales of a major sporting goods company. Some late talkers do need some speech therapy. Go ahead and have him checked to see if you can speed things along. The more you research, the better you will be prepared for what comes next...

God bless,

M.

totally normal! I don't know why everyone wants to compare their kids to those that are verbatious at 5 months... Both my boys really didn't talk at all till they were over 2... then full non stop sentences!
As long as he comprehends and communicates in other ways Don't stress yourself out about it!

My oldest didn't say anything until he was almost 3, then literally started speaking in full understandable sentences and is a highly intelligent child now at 8.5yrs old. My middle child was speaking 2-3 words together at 10 months old, and you could hold a conversation with him at a year. He's much more active and chatty chatty chatty. LOL

I had a similar sit w/ my boy. A few hints...I was told to talk "Neanderthal" basically really simple phrases. Break down words into syllables, work on even the beginning sounds of words. And get on his level when talking so he can see your mouth when you talk. There is no harm in getting early intervention. It helped us so much and now my son is talking very well. But he was over 2 when that happened.

There's a huge range of "normal" when it comes to talking. His understanding is a positive sign!

My oldest (autism spectrum) started saying words right after his 1st birthday. My 4yo (seemingly normal) didn't speak a word until a few weeks before his 2nd birthday. My niece has been speaking in sentences since about 17 months.

Sounds a lot like my boy. He's 19 months, and over the past fews days I have seen him trying more words, but up until now he's made a few sounds for things, but not much. Hopefully we're starting now. To compare, my oldest daughter (he has two big sisters) could say happy halloween at 16 months, and has always talked your ear off. It's really hard not to compare!

K.

I would have him checked out by a speech/language pathologist at your local children's hospital or call and have him evaluated by your state's early intervention services. They are the only ones who can appropriately determine if he is just a late bloomer or may have speech issues that need immediate attention. I would also encourage you to read the book "The Late Talker" by Marilyn Agin which can help explain the difference between a "normal" delay and one that needs to be addressed with speech therapy.

My son has been in speech therapy since he was 12 months old due to other issues (feeding challenges). At 16 months old, he was still not babbling, talking, etc, and his speech therapist (with early intervention) started to suspect that he had Childhood Apraxia of Speech, which is a neurologically based speech disorder that affects a child's ability to form words. Children w/ CAS understand what you are saying (receptive language) but are unable to express themselves (expressive language). With frequent and appropriate speech therapy, most children can fully recover.

Yes, boys do tend to be late talkers in general. I have several good friends who had concerns with their sons' speech around the age of 2. They had them checked out by the school district and were told they would be fine. Sure enough, they started talking and haven't stopped. However, if there is any chance that something may be going on, the earlier you start addressing it, the better his chances are to fully recover.

Feel free to send me a message if you have any additional questions...

I recently asked my doctor about this at my son's 15 mo. checkup, he has no words and is now 16 mo., the doctor said he wasn't concerned especially since he comprehends most everything I say to him and is otherwise developing normally. My first son was a late talker as well and now never stops at 3. I'm sure your son is fine!

Is he your first? Sometimes we give first children no reason to talk. My oldest learned to talk after the second was born, we are talking over two years old. Nothing wrong with him it was just that once I had my daughter I couldn't just give hime everything he wanted without him ever asking for it.

I would definitely encourage him to talk as much as possible (if he wants a teddy bear off of the shelf... don't just grab it when he points to it... instead say "bear? do you want a bear?... say bear..." and so on... If there is a rattle on the shelf too... ask him to say "rattle or bear?" rather than just pointing. He may start speaking more if he doesn't always get what he wants right away with other forms of communicating.

Beyond that, mention his lack of speech to the pediatrician. they may want him to get tested, and even if it isn't that big of a deal... people who work with kids with delays often have a lot of tips and tricks that can help kids who are "on time" as well. Having a delay does not mean necessarily that your child has a disability or anything.

And if the ped. says he is ok, just keep encouraging him to USE his verbal skills and looking for signs of improvement. Many late talkers end up very successful in life... so while a 17 month old who doesn't speak is a very valid reason to be concerned, it isn't a reason to panic!

Good Luck!
-M.

Longtime childcare provider opinion: your child is fine. Just wait until he starts talking...he's not ever going to stop again!

Keep talking to him. His receptive language sounds fine. Some children have to build the connection between 'knowing' words and actually employing them. The mouth must learn to form them. The brain must learn to organize them. Your kiddo's going to have a lot of work to do, and he'll do it in his own time. I've seen children who didn't use expressive language until well after they were two. And they are *fine*!

I had this exact issue with my little one around the same time. If I'm remembering correctly, at 17 months, all she was saying was dada and uh oh. Most kiddos have their language boom around 20 months and mine just didn't. But she could follow directions, her hearing tested out fine and she seemed to understand everything just fine. She was just on her own time table. Right around two years old, it was like something unlocked in her brain and all these words just started falling out of her mouth. By 2 and a half, she'd caught up with all of her friends. But it was like she wanted to absorb as many words as she could and build up her own personal dictionary before she decided to talk.

It sounds like your son is probably just on his own timeline as well, but it wouldn't hurt to talk to your pediatrician about it. Also, take a look at what you're doing. If he wants some milk, for example, make sure you say and over-enunciate "Milk" before you give it to him. See if you can get him to say the "Muh" sound. Any sound relating to the word is a step in the right direction. You can also do things like if he wants Cheerios, make a big O over your head with your arms and say "Ohhhh." He's a little young to start doing a bunch of this stuff now, but try challenging him to say something related to the word. It'll be incredibly frustrating for both of you if he's anything like my daughter, but that's when I started seeing progress. I wouldn't give her whatever she wanted until she made an effort to say something or give me a sound. You can also try sign language.

If it makes you feel better, my little one was tested by ECI when she was a little younger than two (when dada and uh oh were the only words) and she didn't qualify because of her comprehensive language. They told me she was just a late bloomer and to be patient. I know what it's like to have to wait and wait to hear your baby say something to you though (I didn't hear "mommy" until after 2!)...it's so hard to be patient!

Good luck!
Hilary

Not to make light of your question but is your first child a girl? or does the first child talk non-stop.

Maybe he feels he can't get a word in. We did think that of our son he was a late talker. When our oldest finally started school and was gone most of the day that is when he found his voice.