15 Month Old Not Talking - Kalamazoo,MI

It is "normal" for a child to say about 10 words at 15 mos. It is quite possible that she is just on the longer end of normal. However, I would talk to your pediatrican and have her hearing checked. My friends son just had tubes placed in his ears at 18 mos. He wasn't talking much and in a week has begun talking up a storm! He couldn't hear before!!

Hi L.,

I am a speech pathologist and a mother of 3. My youngest is almost 20 months and is just beginning to explode with her language. My husband is also a speech pathologist so we do language based activities with the kids all the time. My first started talking at 9 months, my 2nd at 18 months and now her at 2o months. I think they learn that their siblings will respond for them, get them what they want without having to be verbal, etc. It is wonderful that she understands everything that you say.

If you have any questions, send me a message. I can give you some at home ideas.

I think everything's fine. :)

C.

Our last three daughters have taken a long time to talk. The 7 yr old and the 4 yr old have speech delays, but are coming along nicely. The oldest has been in speech therapy at local schools since she was 4. Now they are both in a speech therapy class together once a week.
Our 2 yr old only says four words - "mom, dad, no and Bob (the Builder)". :) However, she understands everything we tell her and communicates with us as best she can. We have taught her some basic sign language to help out.

You can call your local school to find out about speech therapy testing and classes, but you might have to wait until she's a little older. HTH

I'm glad you posted this. My son had tubes at 10 months, but he is now 14 months and doesn't say a word! I have heard mama, and dada a couple of times but other than that, that's it! Please let me know if you get any really good advice on this:)

I had the exact same situation. My older son talked early and often (!!!) and my younger one didn't care to make a peep. He would repeat a word once...then file it away in his brain and never say it again. Like yours, I knew that my child could understand the most complicated set of directions, but wouldn't talk at all!

I am happy to report that I now have a 22 month old son who talks constantly! It pretty much happened in a matter of weeks! As long as you are aware of what she understands, all you can do is wait.

~L.

hey dear some kids just have nothing they want to say and she will talk when it suite her my second daughter did not say many words intill she was almost two and a half now she fifteen and you can not get her to stop talking and she is a grade a head so relax as long as she meet all her other mile stone walking rawling grasping and the other thing like that don't fret to much alot of time second baby don't talk because big sister dose alot of it for them if you are still concerned bring it up at her next well baby check up in 3 mo good luck

Its is ok she will talk when shes ready i have 5 kids my son didnt walk to he was almost 2 i was so scared i took him to doctors we thought something was wrong then one day i was outside talking i sat him down on the ground he got up and took off i mean he was running that day was going to the bathroom a few days later now hes 5 so smart his teacher is amazed im pretty much tryen to say kids do stuff on their own time when their ready i wouldnt worry at all i wish u the best

I wouldn't worry. This is exactly what my son did. He turned 2 in August and it was like someone flipped a switch. Within the month he started using all these words that were sitting inside him. He now uses two word sentences and is a little chatter box.

Also, if her big sister speaks for her, she might take a little longer before she starts. That happened with my two girls. It wasn't that my middle child couldn't speak, it was just that she was happy to let her big sister do it for her.

When in doubt, talk to your peditrician at her next check up.

L.,
Hello - I would just like to be the voice of reassurance for you :) My youngest son (who will be two in 3 weeks) was the same way... I'm here to tell you that in my experience, it will pass and your daughter will be talking in no time. Patience and an understanding that all children develop different skills at different ages is key. My oldest spoke much more and much quicker than my little one, so I was worried just like you. My little guy is a very concentrated individual - he's a focuser and I think he just wasn't focusing on language. But then all of a sudden it seemed to "hit him" so to speak and he is now picking up new words and new phrases even every day! It was shocking to me how suddenly he was talking so well. Keep the faith, she will figure it out in her own time :) Hope this helps!

K. :)

My friend's daughter never spoke a word until she was 2! She is a perfectly FINE and NORMAL 4th grader now. It is very normal for some children to cross certain milestones earlier/later than what is presumed to be 'average'.

L.,
All kids develop at different speeds and paces. I would be concerned if it was a lot later and not. At 15 mos. I personally would not be too worried.

Hi there, if she is understanding you - don't worry. I know thats easier said that done since I went through that also. My daughter (now 4 1/2) didn't start making much sense with talking until almost 3 years old. Starting at 2 years old we had her in a school funded program called TOTE.. The speech teacher comes to your house to work with them and you 2 times a week for aprx 1.5 hours each. It was a nice program, and then when my daughter started daycare just before she was 3, the teacher started going to the daycare for the same amount of time. Just after Emily was 3 she was discharged from the program because she was "right on track".. Now she talks VERY well probably better than some older kids I know. So just give her time and maybe look into that program to see if that have it in your area, if not they'll have something similar. You'll wish she had an off button before long-hehe :)

I know they say girls talk before boys, but both of my daughters were in he same boat at that age. They were children #2 and #3, so the older ones helped them communicate, and they understood anything you told them, they used their sign language, and other than mama, and dada, they just grunted and hummed and made silly noises. Don't worry, she is normal, and as long as she comprehends, you know she's hearing. Give it till she's 2 before you start to worry.

my neice literally didnt say anything until about that age and even then only a few words and a lot of babbling. around 2 years or maybe 25 months she started talking and hasnt stopped. i am sure she is fine. of course, talk to your doctor and if at 18 months or 20 months you are worried contact the MISD and have her evaluated. it doesnt hurt. my son is 22months and went there for an evaluation because he had a seizure and the neurologist thought that he may be delayed. they are suggesting early on but really he isnt delayed, just has a little trouble with some sounds still. anyhow, its a great program and i am learning so much so whether he is or isnt truly delayed, i dont care because i am getting tons out of it!

Don't fret! All children learn different skills at different points. My daughter didn't start talking until she was 20 months, but like your daughter completely understood commands and when she was being spoken to. That right there is the key. If they are comprehending, that's what's important. She'll talk when she's ready, and it will come all at once! When there's an issue with speech there are other signs, and one of them is not understanding or responding when spoken to. Be patient and if you are still concerned talk to her pediatrician, he will probably ease your worries with the same advice. Good luck!

Our youngest was slow in talking - big sister did most of the talking. What she would say was often mumbled. We have a friend who works as a speech pathologist for our local school system so voiced our concern to her. She told us that some kids are just slower. Most of the time, they seem to blossom overnight and won't stop talking. However, if it continued at age three to call the school and schedule a home assessment. Right around 2 3/4 she started talking over night!! Now, almost a year later, she has mastered big words like copestetic and that long one from Mary Poppins (not that she understands what they all mean). Give your child time, it to will come.

If you are concerned that your daughter may be behind contact Early On through KRESA just to get an evaluation. This way if she is a little behind, they can help if needed or give you advice on what activities to try.

A lot of my clients get assessments through them and they are very helpful and do wonders for the children who have even slight delays.

Just something to consider! Good luck with your little girl :).

~K.

When my second child was not speaking as much as her brother was at that age I had her ears checked. She needed tubes in her ears. Just a thought but maybe I would talk to her docter. I hope this is not the case but I would have it checked anyway.
Good luck

Hi L.,

Does your 4 year old talk for her? If that is the case, your daughter will start talking when her sister is not there to speak for her.

If that is not the case then you need to talk to your pediatrion about it.

L.

Fidst of all I have to say "Kudos" to you for recognizing that there may be a problem. I did not want to see that and my 14 & 11 year old still have a few speech problems. I'm not sure what is available in your area, but if you contact the school system, they can test her and even provide services inside the home - if there is a problem.The program that we have in our system is called the Early On program. I would recomend calling the school and asking some questions. Some children are quieter and there may not be a problem, but the sooner you have her tested, the better the outcome and less worry for you as mom. :)

Good Luck!

K.

Some kids are more visual than vocal...None of my kids were talking very much until around 2. They would say a word a couple times then you couldn't force them to say it again. They stored up their words and then when the dam broke you couldn't keep those words quiet...
Look for signs of bad hearing like not hearing you when you are speaking to her from across the room or out of sight. It sounds like she understands what your saying so the issue could just be that her word resivor isn't full yet. :-)
Listen for words and write them down if you hear one. Listen for "pet" words. Things like "wassie" which we figured out to be horsie. You may be suprized at how much she is saying... And the babbling counts.

She is still very young. It's nothing to worry about. My son didn't start talking until he was 2. Now he is almost 3 and he can have conversations with us. He is highly intelligent. I was worried also but I think that Television and magazines make us worried because they make us feel as though our kids need to talk, walk, potty train, etc. much too early. I say let them be babies for as long as possible. They grow up much too quickly. :)

If you are at all concerned about speech development - contact your local school district and ask for an evaluation. They offer this service FREE - the speech pathologist will evaluate your childs speech and give recommendations - if necessary, in the form of an IEP (Individual Education Plan). Any speech therapy would be free of charge. We did this with my son and I'm so glad I looked for the early intervention. My son is now 5 and speaks great!

Looks like I'll say more of the same: My children didn't really begin speech til about 21 months or so, other than the odd word or two. And your daughter sounds absolutely precious. If she is babbling, that's the important thing. She's "talking." :)

She's fine! My son understood just about everything we said too, but didn't really start talking until he was two. He's three and a half now and he talks constantly! If he's awake, he's chattering away! I so wanted him to talk when he was younger and now I wish I could get a minute of peace and quiet! : ) Fifteen months is pretty young to be talking; since she understands you and doesn't talk I think she's probably not physically mature enough to form the words right now. She'll get there! Don't rush her...they grow up so fast! Savor these moments!

Call Early On, the birth-to-three program in Michigan, and schedule a screening to ease your fears that all is okay.
http://www.1800earlyon.org/

She is TOTALLY normal!!!

You have a lot of reassurance because it is clear she can hear you as she can understand commands. My son didn't speak until he was about 2 1/2. The first thing he said, "I want a tomato." No mama, dada....nothing. He started with a sentence! We thought that was strange too, but he sure doesn't have any trouble speaking now! Whew! :)

I was reading what others wrote and I will admit that he had no need to speak either as he had an older sister who waited on him hand and foot. If he grunted she knew what he wanted and got it for him. I guess he spoke when their became a need to speak. :) Maybe I could take a lesson from that! :)

you should have it checked...everything could be alright but she may be delayed and it would be better now to catch it than later when she starts school..
my youngest is speech delayed and head start has great services for that and has helped her alot i finally heard her say i love you at age 3

Hi L.,
I was in your same situation. For me I think it was because he is a second child. My older son and I would always just give him what he needed. We "talked" for him. With my first son I worked so much with him because he was my only child and had alot more time for one on one. Once I realized what was happening I planned out more one on one time with my youngest. He will be 3 in January and speaks in sentances now. I'm not sure if our situations are similiar but it's my story. Good luck.
Chris

Hi L.,

I'm sure your daughter is just fine! Both my kids were the exact same way! My son didn't start talking a bit more until he was about 18 months, and then he REALLY started to talk closer to 20 months. Now he is 3 and talks a mile a minute! My daughter is 17 months and she is following the exact same pattern as her brother. At 15 months she was just like your daughter. 2 months later, she is definitely saying more, even though it's hard for some people to understand her. (Since I know her so well, I know she is saying Bob The Builder when she says "Ba ba ba ba"! It's actually pretty funny.) But she is saying more and more words now like "moon" and "apple" and "juice", etc. She is also starting to babble a lot more now (sounds like jibberish), so I know she is trying. Won't be long now! Oh, and my friend's son didn't start talking until he was just over 24 months old. Now that he is 4, his vocabulary is so extensive, you never would've guessed!

So don't worry and try not to compare her with other kids. I know it's hard; even my husband used to compare our kids with a 13-month old we knew who was already speaking so well! Just wait and see--your daughter will start saying a lot more in the next few months!

D.

i worried about that too at my sons age. He didn't really start talking till about 22 months and even then it was kind of a slow process. She still young. Give her time. Before you know it, you wont be able to shut her up! :)