My 2 Year Old Is Not Talking!

Is he at home with you all day or does he go to daycare? I have a 27month old boy who says quite a lot. Boys are ALWAYS slower and every child is different. Give him time.....but if he does stay at home I would reccommend putting him in some kind of enviroment a few days a week to get him use to other kids his own age.

Hi S.! Take a look at this article:

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/not_ta...

then you can look at what he's doing and not doing and based on what you've read in the article you'll be able to talk to his doctor about what, if anything needs to be done. I'm not a big believer in waiting things like this out if he would benefit from professional help now. Now is when his speech and language world should be booming. If you as his mom are having difficulty understanding him then he may very well benefit from evaluation. Good luck!

Is this your only child. I ask because my daughter was the same way but my oldest son was not he was early with everything. My son was getting everything for my daughter all she had to do was grunt and point and he would get it for her. I finally had to tell him make her say what she wants so she could talk to him. And not long after she started talking.

L.

Hi again S.,

I agree with the ladies that it's not anything to panic over at this point. I have a nephew that didn't utter a word until he was three. He did learn differently than most public school kids and he did have some speech therapy but it had nothing to do with intelligence. He just learned differently.

He currently works as an consultant to a sporting goods company to turn their operations profitable and prior to that he was the VP of Domestic Sales for an international tennis shoe company. He's speaking a lot now!

Continue to work with him and watch (even document) his improvement so if you do decide to consult a speech therapist later, you will have the information that they are going to ask for.

God Bless!
M.

Hi S.,
i understand you completely!!! My son just turned 2 in december and he only said like 3 or 4 words but he talks a lot of baby talk now. He is the only child in the home. Unfortunaly we can't take him to day care so all day he is w/daddy and at night w/me. But i actually posted a question about this in here and a lot of people helped me out. I'm not sure if you live in florida, but we are in the process of testing my son and get him help w/part c/early steps (google it online, it will come up, sorry don't have the link right now) it's a goverment program for children that they help testing him and getting help if he has any problems.
If you have insurance (which most don't cover it) it will go thru them, if not they will help you out free of charge. I love it, the lady taking care of us came to our house and observed him and started the paperwork. I'm not that much worried because he might not be that behind but you never know. Anyhow, just try to find help you never know and he might just need more children interactions...but hey, before i forget, even though he hasn't started yet w/this program, i have noticed he is saying some colors' names, some numbers (not in order) and some letters just because. So , it might take them time. But good luck!
Let me know if you need anything else!

I had to respond. My son (who is now 4 1/2) was delayed in just about all milestones. He didn't walk until 14 months, didn't speak until he was 2 1/2. So my immediate advice is to not freak out. It is stressful, but he will start to speak when he is ready. The best thing to do is to just keep talking to him, but to get him into a speech therapy program asap. Also have a tympanogram done at your pediatrician's office. My son had a glue-like substance in his ears, so of course, his hearing was minimal (and we had no idea he couldn't hear us correctly). My son had to have surgery to remove the fluid from him ears and had tubes inserted. A few months later he was talking. But the speech will be delayed, even if hearing loss was an issue. Back to speech therapy - do it asap. FL has a state sponsored program and it is free for children under 3 years old. Check out the FL website and you should find state funded child development programs. Have your child tested, and if they find it necessary, your child will get individual therapy sessions, so it is well worth your time. In addition to the therapy, do lots of puzzles, keep reviewing colors, play hop scotch, and whatever you do, do not automatically get things for your child without having them attempt to ask first. I had mistakenly gotten into the habit of knowing what he wanted, and just getting it for him, instead of requiring him to try to communicate. I guarantee that if you have the tympanogram done, get into speech therapy, and have your child communicate with you in order to get what he wants, you will have a child who will be speaking perfectly by the age of 3!
Keep us posted!

My youngest son didn't talk at 2 either. He would say little things like cup or mama or dada but nothing as far as talking. We would just tell him all the time to use your words and when he would want something and he would just point at it we would say use your words cause we don't understand. We even used sign language to help him which he picked up very well, but with that you have to do the sign and then say what it means, so they get it. They eventually start talking when they are ready but if you are really concerned about it talk to his doctor about your concern and ask if they can refer you to a program called "Head Start" or "Babies can't wait" and if you qualify for their program then they give them speach theropy. Good luck and remember to take deep breathes

S.,
Let me share with you my experience. I have a gorgeous daughter. She is extremely intellegent. She is also the oldest and that may have something to do with the fact that she did not talk. I, as the mommy, always knew what she wanted. She never really had to verbalize her needs. Now, at four, she is in speech therapy two times a week and also attending a special preschool program for speech delays four half days a week. We also have a referral to see an audiologist. I never knew that her delay was anything but normal; I had no other children her age to base her growth on and thanks to military health care...issues are not resolved unless you ask questions. To you, I would say, if you are worried ask your pediatrician. Cover all the neccessary steps, keep pushing. I waited too long and I feel I have almost let my daughter down by not paying attention. Granted, now she is four, talking non-stop. Her articulation is still lacking but she will be ready for Kindergarden when the time comes. Good luck to you!
From one military mommy to another!

S. one of mine did not start talking other than the very basics until he was two and he's probably one of the smartest kids (I guess I should say young adult LOL)I know. It was as if he was just waiting until he had it all figured out to put it all together. Not all children do things according to the progress charts :) Most have their own schedule. I wouldn't be too concerned just yet.

S., do not do anything different. I have a grandson four years old he just started talking clear. They do things in their own time.We tried everything. The daycare he attends thought we were lying about he could talk. He would talk to us for certain things but he will not to this day talk to strangers.

Just give him some time.

D. O, Thomasville, GA

Contrary to what another Mom said, boys aren't ALWAYS slower so don't dismiss a potential problem just because he's a boy. There may not BE a problem, but you never know.
One thing to try when you are teaching him to say a word, point to your mouth and say "look at my mouth. See? CUP." and say the word very clearly pronouncing each sound dramatically as he looks at your mouth.
Also, if you aren't talking to him all the time, try it. Every time you do anything, talk to him about it. "come here, (his name), let's change your diaper. See the diaper? Come here so Mommy can change your diaper." Say this as you hold the diaper up for him to see. If he seems to be understanding everything, but just not talking, he may be the quiet type. One thing you could do is have him evaluated by a speech therapist to see if he has poor muscle control in his mouth (a common cause of slow speech development).

Talk to him as if he were 6 instead of two. Sure, he won't understand it all, but it will surely get him thinking!! ~C.

Well, don't panic. Some children begin speaking earlier and some later. You should ask your Doc (make an appt if he's already been in for his 2 yr "well-baby" visit) to test his hearing. That will tell you if you need to do anything "extra". If you want to try on your own, say his name from a few feet away, standing behind him when he doesn't know you're there and see if he responds.... (that sort of thing.. until you can get a dr test done)..
My son spoke early (walked early too, climbed out of his crib early,too) but even though I could understand everything he was trying to say (almost) no men could (Mommy brain on behalf of the women, I guess)... Anyway, if you continue to use correct pronunciation (not baby-talk back to him), then he will get it. Do a lot of book reading with him. Point out stuff and make a game of telling what things are on the page... you do a page, he does a page -- and then repeat back to him what he has said ("Yes! That's an elephant").. Unless he has hearing problems, then it's just a matter of time...
Oh - one other thing. I have a tendency to talk fast... if you do too, slow down your speaking speed (not to sound like a record on the wrong speed, just be aware of how fast you are talking)... and don't interrupt him when he is working on a word.. let him finish it before you "help"...
Best wishes -