Language Development - Phoenix, AZ

My son was is a slow talker. He understands everything and communicates in other ways but doesn't talk. Its normal. I didn't talk till almost 3 and tehn started with sentances. Don't worry, she'll talk when she's ready.

My son didn't utter his first word until he was 22 months old. After that the floodgates opened. He is 3 now and doesn't stop talking. His vocab and pronunciation are outstanding. Don't worry. I've also got an 11 month old and all he says is da da da too. It's way early to be concerned about speach. Enjoy the silence while you can!!! =)

HI there ,, I just wanted to let you know that i think that it's okay if your child doesn't talk yet. My daughter was almost 3 before she hardly said a word besides mama or dada. I had her in speech classes at the age of 12 months. Only cause i thought that it would help.. At the time her speech was 10 months delayed. And now this year she is going to Kindergarten and she has graduated her classes and she is fine. It was the best thing i ever done was to put her in speech. I know that alot of people don't want to do anything like that. But i think that was the best thing for my child. And she really enjoyed going every week. So what i am saying is that your child is fine is she or he doesn't speak yet. THey eventually will when they want to .. Or you could have them tested and put in speech.. THanks

I think you have some time before you start to worry. If she is following verbal directions from you than she is probably fine. Below is a development chart. Remember that all kids develop a different speeds, this is only an estimate.

12 months: Uses one or more words with meaning (this may be a fragment of a word)
Understands simple instructions, especially if vocal or physical cues are given
Practices inflection
Is aware of the social value of speech

18 months: Has vocabulary of approximately 5-20 words
Vocabulary made up chiefly of nouns
Some echolalia (repeating a word or phrase over and over)
Much jargon with emotional content
Is able to follow simple commands

24 months: Can name a number of objects common to his surroundings
Is able to use at least two prepositions, usually chosen from the following: in, on, under
Combines words into a short sentence-largely noun-verb combinations (mean) length of sentences is given as 1.2 words
Approximately 2/3 of what child says should be intelligible
Vocabulary of approximately 150-300 words
Rhythm and fluency often poor
Volume and pitch of voice not yet well-controlled
Can use two pronouns correctly: I, me, you, although me and I are often confused
My and mine are beginning to emerge
Responds to such commands as "show me your eyes (nose, mouth, hair)"

My son is 13 months (as of this weekend) and he doesn't say any words with meaning yet. He makes a funny noise consistently with "uh oh" like saying it with his mouth closed, same with "all gone" but he doesn't say mama or dada with meaning yet. I think the important thing is that you know your daughter is understanding you and she babbles a lot, one of the milestones I noticed was that they should say a long string of babbles like a sentence and my son does that - and he gets louder if you aren't listening or if you are talking loud (my husband likes to talk to me from the other room...)

We just had a similar discussion on arizonamoms.com and there are a lot of responses if you visit that site.

T

I think it's fine that she just says ba-ba-ba or da-da-da. At Life Sculpting (www.lifesculpting.biz) they actually have a 60 minute class on Babbling and Baby Talk - it helps parents to encourage communication for the baby. My granddaughter is 2 and she just started saying mamma and dada about 9 months ago - clearly.

It's different for every child. My first son addressed me and my husband as da-da until he was about a year and only said a few others at your daughter's age. My younger son is 1 yr and 3 weeks. He says ma-ma, da-da, ba-ba, uh-oh, bye, Elmo, and num-num. If he's anything like his brother, all of a sudden one day he's just going to start saying all kinds of words. I agree that it's tough waiting for your little one to say mama but your daughter will say it when she's ready. If you're still worried in a month, check with your pediatrician at her 1 yr check-up but I think she's pretty normal. =)

Hi Simara,

I'm a speech therapist AND I have an almost 11 month old myself!
She sounds like she is developing wonderfully. There is variation on when kids start talking. As long as she is beginning to understand language and developing social interaction (smiling, laughing, engaging with others), she is doing well. Some normally developing babies don't talk until 2 or 3. "Mama" will come. It came first for us, but now that she can say Papa, she won't say Mama! It waxes and wanes and before you know it you will be treasuring the quiet moments when she is napping! S.

My son is almost three and still hasn't said mama. Every child develops differently and at different rates. I am a teacher (have done special education), the milestones that they set don't fit all children...that is great that your daughter is doing fine on the other milestones and I am sure she will be fine in speech. My sister and I didn't talk until almost 3 years old and my son is going to be 3 on August 24th, so it could be a genetic thing. Just be patient, it will happen.

This is completely normal. It is normal for your child to only have 3 words by the time they are 18 months. You may not hear mama until your baby is closer to two. It is just harder to say. My daughter called us both daddy until she was around 20 months and she has excellent language. Children only work on one skill at a time. I know you are anxious, it will come and then you can't shut them up.

It is reassuring that she seems to understands the meanings of words...so language development IS happening. Local school districts can so consultation and testing for free if you suspect a problem. They want to catch stuff early too. If you review common info (online and in books) on expected language development and still feel unsure, call up your local school dist.

S.,

Your daughter is perfectly normal. Most children do not start "talking" until after one year. The old addive is "they walk before they talk." I am a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Receptive language (understanding the words) comes before expressive language(saying the words) and even if she says Mama now, she may not associate it with you as the owner of that name for a few more months. Just keep encouraging her baba's, dada's and other consanent/vowel combos, and be reassured that Mama is one of the hardest to form and usually not the first word. It is so exciting when they say it and then you will hear it so much so will ask yourself, why did I push her to know that word, lol. Relax and enjoy each stage, it flies by too quickly. K.

Think of it this way-when she does say mama how much more excited you will be. D. :)

Each child is different, as you well know. If the language development is there, then you should be fine.

My 5 YO DD was the same way. She said "mama" and "dada" only a couple of times before she was 18 MO and then completely stopped. After she turned 2 YO she started to talk, and now I can't get her to stop talking! (Heaven help us when she gets a cell phone! LOL) My 2 YO DD is following in the same path. No words until after she turned 2, and now it almost seems that her vocabulary is growing by 5-10 words a DAY! I kid you not!

So you may hear your word soon enough.

Hi S.,
It seems to me that our human nature wants our children to do things when we want them to and not when they are ready. I'm sure you have heard that all children do things at their own pace. My daughter is 22 months old and she is just starting to say words. (She never even said the da da da and ba ba ba words) I have a friend whos daughter just turnd two this month and is saying eveything that you can think of. My son who is five was talking very well too by this age. But the simple fact is, when they are ready to talk and say whatever they want to say, then they will do it on their own time. There is really no set age. What ever she is already doing is normal for her!! It'll happen so fast that you'll be surprised one minute she says nothing and the next she is talking like she has forever!! Trust me, it's worth waiting for!!!!! Enjoy that beautiful gift! Good luck with everything!

I have a few comments. First, it sounds like your daughter is right on cue. Some kids develop faster and others slower, but it sounds like your little girl is doing just fine. Second, she may have said her first word, but you didn't recognize it as a 'word" To her, "badjadida" is banana. Take "words" that she currently says and say stuff like "good. That is a banana! Good job!" Eventually, her babble will sound more like what you are saying than what she thinks she's saying.
Also, babies often say dada some time before mama. It's just harder for them to say. And as I said before, she may have said it before, but you didn't hear it.
With being a stay at home mom, I head "dada" all day. It's not till I'm out of the house when my husband tells me our 13 month old was crying for "mama" the whole time.
:)

Hi S.,

Your babe is still very young, so don't worry. Our son is 19months and still doesn't speak well. He has only said a handful of words once but never again. He loves to babble and chit chats in his own language though - and we've been told that that is a good indicator that he IS developing good communication skills. He has been tested and we have heard that some kids are just slow in speech development, but that they are usually advanced in motorskills or other areas. Also, if you speak more than 1 language at home, that could slow up speech development in general. We've been encourged to hear that most kids catch up and thrive with their own age group later.

If you are still very concerned, do a referal for your child with this government program. They screen for things like autism and other red flag impediments, which is what you may be most worried about. Most of the testing is free.

https://www.azdes.gov/AzEIP/

Good Luck! =)

Make a game out of it for her - the "mm" sound is a little more difficult for babies than the "ba" or "da" sound. Just start doing the "mmmmm" noise and try to get her to do it with you. Both of my kids took a longer time to say "mama" than "dada" - guess that's the thanks we get, huh? :o)

My son is 16 months and still doesn't say mama. It drives me crazy. He was saying da-da-da around 11 months as your child is and in the last two weeks or so and seemed to have learned 10 new words! I found I just needed to be patient. I kept worrying that something was wrong. She'll get there. It is still early. :)

I really dont think you need to worry. As long as she is engaging with you & her environment and progressing, don't worry. (I do have a neice and had a neighbor who's autistic)

If you really want to boost her language development, add simple sign language words. Milk, more, finish, eat, those are easy signs taken straight from American Sign Language. Some others will be modified (like water may be signed with two fingers instead of the 3 fingered "W" hand shape for example. Just like baby talk but in signs)

My son grew up in a bi-lingual home (English & ASL) and we had some neighbors at the time in CA that had girls the same age or a wee bit younger that were also using some baby signs. Well, these girls communicated by the time they were 12 months and my son was over a year old and not signing to me, imagine how I felt! (My husband and I use sign language in the home daily with each other) But now here he is, barely turned 6 and reading at a 2nd - 3rd grade level already.

Hey there. Lots of babies don't talk before they are one. Your daughter sounds like she's doing just fine. My son would not say "Mama" either. He'd say "dada" and everything else too. But refused to say "mama" I wanted to hear him call me "mama" sooooo bad but he wouldn't. So one day my husband showed him his stuffed animal and said "who is this" he looked at me and smiled and giggled and said "mama". Then he pointed to me and said "who is this" and he would giggle and say "dada". So, we discovered that he could say "mama" he was just refusing to call me "mama" as I wanted him to so badly. Eventually he did start calling me "mama". So, don't worry, eventually she will call you "mama", when she's ready to. :)

I was in a similar boat with my daughter - she was about the same as yours it sounds like at that age. She is now 21 months and saying much much more. It took her awhile to say mama and only recently started saying mommy. I think she is still at the lower end of the language development spectrum, but my doctor said because she is developing fine in the other areas - fine motor skills, gross motor skills, understands alot, and gets her needs met - by pulling my hand over to what she needs and what not - it really is nothing to be concerned about. I think also if kids are developing other areas - like social and motor skills - they may just not be putting as much energy into actually talking. I know it is hard though. My doctor also said that kids follow their parents in language development - were you or your husband slow talkers - or you or your husband's siblings? I think that can be an indicator of how fast your child will develop language. My oldest sister didn't say her first word until she was two and she is an extremely intelligent person. So although I know it is hard - try not to worry - just keep an eye on it and I bet she will have little bursts of language development soon. Also, try not to compare her to other kids her age. I know I can do that and it only makes you feel worse. Good luck!

Perfectly normal. Some children dont start talking until nearly 2!

Do Not Worry. Children develop different things at different speeds. I know a child who did not talk until she was four, and just all the sudden started blurting out sentences. By the time they are in school its hard to tell who developed what the fastest anyways. Someday she'll be asking you non-stop questions so enjoy what you can.

For some reason, babies always say daddy first! Not sure why, but I'm sure she'll eventually say mommy. Hang in there. Before you know it, she'll be talking so much you'll want her to stop. Good luck.