Son Still NOT Talking!!

M.,
Does your son take in a lot of dairy (ie. milk, cheese, yogurt)? Did he ever have collic or reflux when he was younger? If yes, you may want to find a dairy substitute. I have seen children go from not saying anything to putting many words together. I would try rice milk, almond milk, or potato milk. Do not use the soy because he may have an allergy to it, which will cause the same problem as the dairy--which causes them to not talk.
L.

You're definitely not alone. My son is a little older than 2.5 and has just now started putting 2 words together and still doesn't pronounce his words correctly. I decided to be proactive and we started using sooner start close to a yr ago...something you may want to consider. Good luck - I know how frustrating it is!

Try reading to him, and asking him simple questions. Talk to him in the car.

In the grocery store point to things and say their name. This is my 2 year olds favorite game.

He probably won't answer right away, and then again he might surprise you at what he will say.

I am a speech-language pathologist. I have learned over the years to recommend a child be evaluated when they are not talking by 2 years. It is a good sign that he is understanding what you say. Children's Hospital or Dennis Developmental Center are good options. Boys do tend to develop their language later than girls, but it is important to make sure there are no other factors contributing to him not using words. I will agree with the poster who said she did everything for him and didn't give him a chance to talk. Sometimes that is a factor. It is well-intended, but it can make a difference. Bottom line, have him evaluated by a speech therapist. In the meantime, try not to stress the fact he is not talking. Carry on as normal, but do label everything when you are talking to him. For example, when eating. "Here are your beans. Yum, mommy loves beans. Beans are good for you. Beans." Then drop it. Don't tell him to say it. Just label. Words that he would normally develop early such as ball, mama, dada, eat, bye bye....those are the words you should focus on. God bless!

I didn't read the other posts, so I'm sorry if this is repetitive. My 2nd son is very bright, always has been, but he was very slow (as were 2 of my friends' kids that ended up doing this after I did it and suggested it to them) to talk. Early Intervention is a program that is free and will help. It's a lot easier now than it will be once your child turns 3, so if it's something you even THINK you might be interested in trying, go for it, there's nothing to lose. They'll test your child's speech, and if he's in the lower 25% in speech, they'll talk with you and set up a program for him. They'll come to your house as often as they and you feel is necessary (for a friend is was twice a week then once a week, for another friend it was weekly, and it was every other week for us then weekly - he was just 10mths old when my child started, which is SUPER young...he wasn't even making babbling sounds yet). They also have optional playgroups for them to go to which is also free. Once the children turn 3, they're re-evaluated and put in the local preschool system, which isn't much more difficult to deal with and not as good as the private tutoring that they get at a younger age. I'm a true believer in this program from things I've seen myself with my own child and with friends' children (I've known 4 to be in this), and I've noticed that it works better the younger they are. Just call your ped for the local program that they recommend for your area.

Just a note, I've seen parents just blow it off as nothing and end up with 7yr olds with terrible speech problems and all of the younger siblings with terrible speech problems also because they talk with and mimic the older siblings. Just a thought... It's always better in my opinion to be safe than sorry, I mean, the evaluation takes up about 30mins of your day and it's FREE. If he passes, it'll give you peace of mind, if he doesn't, they'll start getting it worked out now, when it's a LOT easier, than when he's 5yrs old and you realize that something's not quite right with his speech (even the smartest can have speech problems...I see it a lot), and trying to teach older kids to relearn what they already think they've mastered is very hard.

Actually, here's the contact information for your area:
Elizabeth Richardson Center
3917 S. Old Missouri Road
Springdale, AR 72764
Phone: ###-###-####
Executive Director: John Buck
Email: ____@____.com

But, you could still contact your ped and see if there's anyone else they'd recommend if you think there might be other options.

HTH!
K.
SAHM of 4 (8mths-6yrs)

Hi M.,

I wouldn't be too concerned at this point. I had my girls and then my son. He had tubes put in at 7 months. My husband would get so frustrated when Jon wouldn't talk by 2 but would point and make noise. He was about 3 and started immediately with complete sentences. It was like he was soaking everything up - words, meanings, inflections! He is now 27 and is either talking or singing.

I haven't read the other posts...but my son was the same. I didn't really start talking until after two. We had his ears checked because of frequent ear infections and he wasn't hearing well.

No kidding...we had tubes put in and started talking THAT week! My daughter was talking sentences at one so I was freaked out too. The doc said boys are later..which is true...but you might have his hearing checked out.

hello i just wanted to comment on your message. my daughter was 18 months old and still not talking so i had her hearing checked and the drs said it was fine, so i waited and worked with her by talking to her and trying to get her to repeat me but still nothing. finally she was about 21 months old and i took her to the ear,nose,and throat dr to have her checked again well she was tongue tied. the tip of her tongue was still connected to the gums behind her teeth. (its real common)she had surgery to have it clipped a very simple procedure that lasted maybe 30 minutes but it helped. she didnt start talking clearly until she was about 2 1/2 years old. my suggestion to you is to check your sons mouth and see how far he can stick his tongue out and make sure hes not tongue tied. that may not be it some kids just wait to talk until they are older.