Has Anyone Had Problems with Their Child Talking?

Get him evaluated by First Steps. My son is almost 23 months and he only has 2 words. He just recently was diagnosed with SCAS (suspected childhood apraxia of speech). He has all the symptom of apraxia, but since he is still so young they really can't fully diagnose him yet. You can never be too cautious. Don't let anyone tell you, he will talk on his own if you feel something isn't right. Early intervention is the best way to go. It can only help him. Better safe than sorry. Good luck!!

I didn't read through your responses. My son was 2 in June, we realized he wasn't talking, we had already ruled out hearing being an issue. I would call Parents As Teachers, they will be able to give you an evaluation and possibly a referral to First Steps. My son recieves Speech, ABA therapy and also developemental therapy. I would not let this stress you out, he is young ( Boys are Notorious late talkers!) If you feel like there are other Major red flags, then you can be worried...but honestly at 2 they can't tell you much/ won't diagnose at this age...but early intervention can not hurt. My son is talking more now, but there is no way of knowing if it was the therapy OR if he just started talking in his own time= ) Lots of luck...PAT is free, First Steps is income based...

My oldest did not talk until she was about 26 months old. She was also very shy so would talk more to me then to anyone else. Our PAT rep told me that as long as I was hearing words from her and that she was adding new words on a regular basis, there was nothing really to worry about. The light bulb will just come on one day and you will starting hearing lots more words and then sentences. If he hasn't had lots of problems with his ears in the past, no infections or frequent colds, then it probably has nothing to do with his hearing. My daughter is now 4 and you would never know that she didn't start talking until later then most.

#1 rule for encouraging speech: do not ask yes/no questions to your child. Learn to phrase your comments to him in a way which will encourage his response. Instead of "do you want some milk?".....ask "would you like some milk or juice?" Give the child a choice, & then #2 rule: patiently wait for the response. That's the hardest part for most parents....we're busy & we tend to ride right over the child....without even being aware of it. Siblings also tend to do this...& also they tend to answer for the little one!

Soooo, that's my recommendation until your appointment! Wait for his response, encourage him both verbally & thru your own body language. I usually repeat the word I want to hear....oh, several times to encourage the child to say it. I also "say" everything....while I'm working with the children. Simple, single words: diaper, zipper, cup, ...I "say" it all & wait for the response/parroting back. ..........I know I must sound like an idiot to the other adults & older kids in the room, but it truly does work!

I have an MPH, my mother is a speech pathologist and my uncle is a doctor--and, I'm a mom. So, I have LOADS of backup in saying this: THIS DOES NOT MEAN AUTISM! Autism is actually quiet rare and over diagnosed. Boys tend to develop later than girls in speech, but develop faster in gross motor skills. Listen, he's humming tunes and he's got mama and dada down. He cuddles, kisses, looks you in the eye, right? That's not autism. Might simply be a few things:
1) frenulum (the piece under the tongue) is too short (oral surgeon could easily fix)
2) hearing could be an issue, but if you haven't noticed hearing issues before, I wouldn't suspect this. The speech pathologist should refer you to a audiologist if he/she suspects anything, but I think you would have noticed by now.
3) the part of the brain that strings the sounds together to make actual words isn't connecting...hence, the speech pathologist!
Please don't worry...I have friends with boys (I have a girl) who have had less communication than your son. Six months with a speech pathologist, and all is well. My BFF always laughs and said, "once I got the speech pathologist in and my son was talking, he wouldn't shutup...maybe I should have thought twice". ; )
My mom says that if a parent isn't educated in speech development, they usually don't understand their child is communicating words and phrases to them...example, my daughter was saying "Mmmmmba" at 6 months (and mama and dada). I was on the speakerphone and my mom (being a speech pathologist) heard it and squealed...she wants a bottle!!! Low and behold, I finally understood she was communicating and I'm figuring out what she's saying, I just slowly correct her (I say, "Bottle, you want a Bottle") and her eyes light up. This is a technique my mom taught me. So, I wouldn't bat an eyelash at the autism question...I'd focus on the fact that he sounds very bright, active, and needs a little help forming the words correctly. Congrats, you might have a little musical genius on your hands.

Yeah, I'd recommend also checking with an ENT to have his ears checked...I went through 4 peditricians and 2 army base doctors before a Speech Therapist suggested I see an ENT because he thought my son had fluid on the ears. A pretty common problem with kids that age but it will cause all sorts of speech delays (sometimes ear infections, sometimes not) because basically what they hear is the equivilant to being underwater. I can say I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Pamela Nicklaus at Children's Mercy in KC...she is awesome and her staff ROCKS! Drop me a line if you want to chat more.

My youngest son was slow to start talking. He always knew what others were saying, but his vocabulary was limited to single words. After he turned 2, he slowly began to add words and putting them into sentences. And, like another poster said, he hasn't stopped talking since. That was about 25 years ago so his dad and I didn't think about taking him to a specialist, but I think it would be wise to have him checked. When my son started kindergarten he was seen by a speech pathologist because he had problem pronouncing certain sounds. But he learned quickly and hasn't had any problems since then.

Hopefully, that will be the case with your little guy too.

C.

My first was a jabber box, my second didn't say anything! We actually took him to a speech pathologist which turned out to be a great thing. He had so many ear infections as a baby that what he did hear when he was trying to learn to talk was muffled. We started baby sign language with him and speech therapy. He is now eight and literally NEVER shuts up! Everything will be fine...God gave him to you because he knew you would be the perfect mama for him!

You are doing the right thing, and the peace of mind you will gain from checking into this will make it all worth while.

I agree with an earlier post, you may have a wonderful little musician here! Good luck!

Good Morning C., I am having the same problem with our youngest gr son Zane. He will be 2 next month and he doesn't talk well or clearly either.
Mama, Daddy, Nana, Papa, Shooes, Train, Cheese (camera time)Yes, No, Baby .. Everything else sounds like Stuck..
Drink sounds like Gunck. He understands everything we say but he won't repeat words or sounds, he does sing
(humming) and dance to alot of different types of music. I am excited to see what other mama's have done or suggest. His brother was speaking in sentence at 18 months. So this is very disheartening to us all.

God Bless you C., hopefull we will both find out the answers we need
K. Nana of 5

My youngest son had the same issue. His older brother was talking in sentences by the time he was 18 months, so we were baffled as to why the little one was not talking at 2. He was also having some issues with eating, so we took him to an occupational therapist and a speech therapist. Both recommended he see an ENT and immediately he was able to diagnose fluid in his ears and oversized tonsils and adenoids. He had surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids and get tubes in his ears and he started talking within weeks. He is four now and talks constantly. Someimes I wonder why we paid for speech therapy :) He has had no speech delays since and is very easy to understand. You are on the right track by having him checked out now by a speech pathologist, but you might want to see and ENT, just in case it is a hearing problem. If he is making eye contact, following directions and generally sociable, it is highly unlikely that it is autism.

Seeing a speech pathologist should ease your worries. Our youngest son had speech issues and received assistance for four years (age 1-5). He is now in kindergarten and speaks fluently without any speech specialists. Early intervention is the key!
Good luck! Before you know it, your son will be chatting away fluently!
If you ever want someone to visit with about it, I'd be glad to talk to you about our son's experience.
K.