My 16 month old daughter has yet to begin talking much at all. She OCCASIONALLY says "mama" and "dada" and "yeah" and has for months. She has also (in the past) said 2-3 other words for awhile but then dropped the use of them and never said them again. She follows directions very well and communicated herself by using 3 or 4 baby signs as well as sounds (mostly whining :( ) and pointing etc. Should I be worried? Her pediatrician says he isn't worried but all I hear about speech delays is that it is SO important to get early intervention if there is a problem. Does anyone know of any assessment resources in far North Dallas (McKinney, Plano, Allen)
Thanks for your input!
If you are concerned, then contact your local ECI Here is their website: http://www.eci-lps.org/
They are completely free and will do an evaluation on your daughter. My son (who is 3 now) started his speech therapy through them.
I think you are smart to follow your instincts. Good luck!!
The thing about language acquisition is that it's like a switch. It turns on suddenly. I used to work for ECI and we used to get referrals at 16 months. However, I always took a wait and see approach if they had gutterals, a few words, and were able to communicate non verbally. It sounds as if your little girl is right on target. If, at 24 months old, she still only has 3 words I would be more concerned.
Having said that there are strategies to increase her vocabulary. As Mom's we tend to do things for our children because we know what they want...and we don't make them ask. For instance, if she wants milk does she ask for milk or do you know and hand her the cup? Most Moms do the latter because that's what we do...anticipate our children's needs and fulfill them. However, what you could do instead of simply handing her the cup is to say, "Oh! You want milk." and then, as you hand her the glass you can say, "Milk."
Does that make any sense? Feel free to e-mail me if you have more specific concerns or would like some more (and possibly clearer?) strategies.
FYI...if you decide to go the assessment route ECI is by school district. If you are in McKinney, Allen, or Frisco ISD then you would contact Life Path Systems (http://www.eci-lps.org/). In McKinney the office is a block from the square but they come to your home.
Good luck. Let me know if I can help.
My son is 17 months old and sounds just like your daughter. He says "mama", "dada" and "bye-bye" on a regular basis and that's pretty much it. I'm not too concerned just yet, some babies talk earlier than others. I am keeping an eye on the situation. Our pediatrician said not to worry too much about it yet either, but I am still watching. Here is some information that I found that can serve as warning signs:
*at 12 months, doesn't use gestures such as waving or shaking her head
*by 12 months, isn't practicing using at least a couple of consonants (p, b, etc.)
*by 12 months, isn't somehow communicating to you when she needs help with something
*at 15 months, doesn't understand and respond to words such as "no" and "bye-bye"
*by 15 months, can't say at least one to three words
*by 15 months, doesn't say "mama" or "dada"
*at 16 months, doesn't point to body parts when asked
*at 18 months, isn't saying at least six to 10 words
This information is from the Early Childhood Intervention office in Collin County:
**I'm 12 months old! I...respond to my name
may be scared of strangers
look for an object if you hide it from me, even if I can't see it
crawl on my hands and knees
pull myself to a standing position
walk by holding onto furniture
can drink from a cup with your help
enjoy playing games, like peek-a-boo or patty cake
say 1 to 2 words
**I'm 15 months old! I...
use gestures
like to look at pictures in a book
can hold a crayon in a fist
hand toys to you when you ask me
can point to pictures you name, if the things in the picture are familiar to me
walk alone without help
**I'm 18 months old! I...
like to pull and push things
follow simple directions
pull off shoes and socks
feed myself sometimes
step off low objects and keep balance
turn 2 to 3 pages of a book at a time
can point to one body part
can name one object
like to copy your words or actions
I hope this information helps, I'm anxious to see other mom's responses.
Hi K.,
My son is 20 months old and has about 10 words in his vocabulary. He is an only child and a stay at home baby. My pediatrician also said not to worry but that it may be beneficial to get some play-time with other children his age. We now have him enrolled at the "Reading Ranch" in Allen. It is a private school and is a blessing to me and my family. The classes are very small and the teachers have degrees in child education. Austin attends on Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:30-2:30p.m.- he is learning so much!! Please check them out at www.readingranch.com they also test for learning issues such as dislexia and will address your concerns with compassion and understanding.
Please email me if you'd like my number for more details.
E.~
