My grandson is now 22 months old and he can only say "dada". He also does not listen to you talk but walks away. He had his ears checked by a pediatrician. Is there a problem?
My son did not utter a word (mama or dada), just sounds until he was about 24-months. At that point we had a speech evaluation done. Nothing was wrong, except it was pointed out that I did EVERYTHING for him, to where he didn't need to talk. I stopped and within 1-month, he was using 3-4 word sentences. I would request a referral from the pediatrician for a speech evaluation; it helped ally my fears.
Yes a lot of times, with boys, they are slower in talking. There is a gender difference. It's very common.
My son, since about 20 months old, has been getting speech therapy. Not because he is developmentally off, but simply to help him along with his speech.
You can contact your local regional center (or the Pediatrician should know where to call), they offer this service for free (up until 3 years old), and they come to your home. They do an overall assessment... full spectrum, and then suggest what can help the child. My son was even ahead developmentally in many areas...except for his talking. So since it's free, I figured why not?
There are many ways to approach this:
1) the Doctor is not concerned about it, and that's fine.
2) The mom is not concerned about it, and that's fine.
3) the child is fine...but is not yet talking as compared to others his/her age.... so, you then (a) get speech therapy or, (b) you just continue waiting to see if he, on his own, increases his speaking skills and vocabulary.
Why did I get Speech Therapy for MY son?:
1) it is free
2) It can't hurt... if anything, this will provide him with "skills" to then learn how to form his sounds/his words and increase his "confidence" with talking....as he was shy about it. (I have learned that forming words vocally takes a lot of different coordination of the mouth and tongue and front and back areas of the mouth... which the lay-person would not know).
3) They can provide ME with skills as a Parent to help my son.
4) There are a LOT of tips they provide you and the child with... and I have seen a MARKED improvement in my son... which may not have happened if he was not getting speech Therapy. I find it useful and very pertinent.
5) My son enjoys it, and KNOWS it is to help him talk... he is quite proud of his progress and shows us what he learns. For the entire time his Speech Therapist his here, he listens totally and follows along with the activity exercises.. he knows it is not time to just fool around. He gets a lot out of it too.
6) My son is also bi-lingual... so he is doing twice the work, for just learning to "talk" and sound things out.
For me, I figure, it can only enhance and help my son's ability. He has what is called an "expressive speech" delay... which is what a lot of kids have. It's very common. Now, if I were a Mom not getting assistance with this... then that's fine too. It was not "MANDATORY" that my son get speech therapy... it was "optional" at his level. My Pediatrician was not "alarmed"....but said that it can help, and yes also some kids just will talk later. But, I CHOOSE to do this for my son, seeing many positives about it, and I think it helps a lot. And many women I know, said that their child just started talking a lot from about 3 years old, and they didn't do anything. Just waited.
So, you can approach it in different ways.
Main thing being, that his Mom and/or Dad... decide, and get their Pediatrician's opinion. Many 2 years old do not listen anyway...so this is not an indication of speech.
All the best,
Susan
Have him checked for Autisim. He could be just borderline. You are right to be concerned.
Looking in "What to Expect, The Toddler Years" by Eisenberg, Mrukoff & Hathaway, they say by 21.5 months your toddler should be able to use 6 words. It is then noted, "If your toddler has not reached this milestone or doesn't use symbolic play & words, consult the doctor or nurse-practicioner. This rate of development may well be normal for your child (some children are late bloomers), but it needs to be evaluated." It sounds like the pediatrician you see felt he was fine...you can always get a second opinion. It never hurts! I love our pediatrician in Thousand Oaks...feel free to e-mail me for a name!
I have to agree with the previous poster...it could be nothing, but if you are concerned and so is his Mommy it doesn't hurt to have him evaluated by a specialist like an Pediatric Occupational Therapist...
My late talker turned out to have ADD (ADHD without the hyper part). He also had a hard time focusing various things but could "hyperfocus" on things that interested him. He didn't start talking clearly until he was nearly 5.
But if he's not meeting the milestone markers (I think it was 25 words at 2yo?) then try to get mom to have him evaluated. The earlier he gets help the better off he will do once he reaches kindy.
Best of luck.
D.
First pray. Don't worry. Yes, ask a doctor, but also ask others and read up on anything you suspect. It could be he is self-absorbed (what toddler isn't?); could be he hasn't learned the cue of responding when you talk; could be any range of things. Does he look you in the eye? Does he cry, laugh, hug appropriately? I had a daghter who barely uttered a word until she was 16 months old--then she spoke in paragraphs. Maybe your grandson is thinking about what you said and what to say back. Does he have reflexive language (go get the red car? where is the dog?) and he can repond to those cues.
Best to you. All kids are unique miracles who grow at their own rate. We love them always.
Blessings,
Does he have other skills? My son didn't speak until he was four. We tried speech therapy and sign language - nothing. But he could put together a 50 piece puzzle and build amazingly complicated train tracks etc. So we were not worried about his brain function. If your grandchild is behind in several areas I would get him evaluated. Otherwise use picture cards, signs or whatever helps him communicate. And be patient.
good luck
boys develope a lot slower in speech then girls do. as long as his dr isnt worried you shouldnt be either. my daughter is 22 months old and says like 150 words and 2 ans 3 word sentences. i have twin nephews that are 21 months and they only say a handfull of words. their dr and my daughters dr say its totally normal. good luck
