2-Year Old Boy Not Talking...

My sister in law and i were just talking about this just last night. She told me that my nephew (who is about to be 3) wasn't really talking at all. and just this week he just started talking and now is talking everyone's heads off. She said that his doctor said the same thing and then he just started. She said that he just started talking when he was ready. I don't know if this helps but she said to me that when a child is ready to do something they will. I hope i helped you.

I know two people that this has happened to. One of my friends little boy was just the same, she read, played, talked and he just had no intrest in talking. When she went back to work she put him in a in home daycare and he started talking more he has been there for a year he is better but he is just not a talker. The other she is still working with him and its slowly getting there she has been just reading more and doing more play dates. Good luck

Hi, I have heard from other girlfriends that it is common for the boys to lag behind the girls in talking. My daughter was born first and was a chater box and it was a joy. And then my son he talked way less. And I remember my older brother (18 months) older than me.......didn't talk until Kindergarten! And then it was very little. Today he is in his 40's! And is very successful. He never talks much, he's very healthy toda and has his MBA! His teacher in Kindergarten want to hold him back, My MOM wouldn't hear of it. So, when this happened with my first son I realized he was taking it all in...... and learning by listening. he is fine now, and just as bright as my daughter. He is very social now, in his teens. So, I hope this helps, and give it time........Thanks!

If you're sure he understands you and is able to communicate non-verbally, chances are your son is just fine. I would hold out and not give him what you know he wants until he uses words for it (even though he's pointing at the milk, you could say, "What? You want the juice?") and make a kind of game out of it. After a while you won't be accepting the one word but a whole phrase. Keep it playful but don't give in until you get him to say what you want. Someday you'll look back fondly on these "quiet" days!

Hmmmm... Mom, Dad and 10 year old brother. This sounds like a perfect situation for a two year old to be getting his needs met too quickly so that he has no need to talk. You may want to do an evaluation of how you are meeting his needs and see if you aren't all overanticipating and meeting his needs without him having to learn to ask.
You also mentioned him watching reading videos. That's ok, but are you sitting down and reading children's books with him? That's one of the best ways to help a toddler begin to develop vocabulary. Don't just read the pages of the book, but pause and give him time to point out things and give him the words for those things pictured and encourage him to try to say the words.
Take walks with him and point out different things you see on the way. Hold a conversation with him, as you go, and give him time to respond to what you say. Sometimes we tend to just keep talking so much that we don't give the kids a chance. When you are out in the car going places, also keep up a conversation with him. Point out things.. stop signs, various vehicles, people, buildings, animals... whatever you can see that's interesting. We have a 2 1/2 year old in our daycare who will point out busses, and tell us what kind of bus it is. He had a real argument with the 3 year old one day because the 3 year old wants to call all busses "school bus" and the younger boy has been taught by his mother the difference between a school bus and a city bus. I don't know a kid who doesn't love trains and airplanes. When you see one, talk about it. Not just "there's a train" or "there's a train" but talk about how big it is, how close it is, where it might be going. For a train, you can count how many cars it has, maybe what colors the cars are, the type of cars if it's a freight train. Point out various things like the wheels and how they go... the possibilities are almost endless.
I have said this before and will keep saying it, we adults often have a tendency to talk down to children or talk over their heads, when what we really need to do is talk with our children, treating them like real people. This means no baby talk ... or at least strictly limit baby talk. When he begins to use words and has his own way of saying them, enjoy the unique ways he says the words, but repeat the words correctly back to him... not as if you are correcting him, but just naturally in your conversation. I like to write down the ways our kids start saying words and even write them again as they begin to say them more correctly. These are special memories to save for the future, but our job now is to help them learn and grow, not to repeat back their mispronounced words to them so that they are reinforced.
I doubt that your son has a problem that will need therapy. If he does, then by all means get the help as soon as his Dr. deems it necessary. But, I do really think that you can have him talking before long. Your next post may well be "how do we get this kid to quit talking so much?"

If you think that it is only speech, do two things. Contact the early intervention program for your state and make an appointment with a private speech therapist. Never delay getting intervention on something so important, and certianly, never delay based on myths and wives tales, like that kids with older sibs talk less, or that boys have fewer words than girls (while it may seem true of some kids, the screen is the same for both sexes and he is missing a milestone) Early is best, and the state is not obligated to provide services that will maximize his potential, which is what you want for him. Get both public and private services as soon as you can!

M.

Sometimes children with older siblings don't talk as early because they don't have to. You said he communicates very well by pointing and shaking his head, etc. You need to stop responding ot his points and head shakes. Tell him to say the word. My nephew didn't talk until he was three because he didn't have to. My sister would anticipate what he wanted before he pointed or nudged her or she would respond to the point or head shake. Once she and her husband split up and she moved back in with our parents, my mom put a stop to that and made the child ASK for what he wanted. He started talking real quick!

Hi! J.: When my son turned 2 he was not talking. At his two year check-up, his pediatrician referred us for a speech assessment. He started speech therapy within 2 months. He was in therapy for a year and then was referred to our school district. He was assessed again by the school district and was then found eligible for a special education preschool. He is now 4 and talks wonderfully!!
I would highly suggest requesting a referral for a speech assessment.

Honestly I think you need to just relax, he is only TWO, a boy AND has an older brother to talk for him. Most kids that are like this watch everything and have very good fine motor skills.
Personally I think parents today put far more pressure on their kids to hit mile stones than they should. If he still isn't talking by 3 and half then I would begin to worry.

Don't just give him what he wants, make him tell you. Tell him to "use your words". My grandson who is almost 2 was doing the same thing. He didn't have to talk because my daughter knew what he wanted. When he was with me, he had to give me a little more help to get what he wanted so he did.

It's actually quite normal for boys not to talk a lot until the age of 3.

Find ways to play with him with that simply involve PLAYING with sounds, using silly words, nonsense words, rhymes. Maybe get him into singing simple songs, and he may start singing the words. The point is to get him to USE his voice. Being able to hear sounds and then manipulate them orally is the precursor to reading. (It's called phonemic awareness)

Whatever you do, do not make communicating with words a negative experience.

I hope that your doctor checked to be sure your son doesn't have a hearing problem.

If he has no hearing issues and the language skills - can follow directions, answer your questions, and understanding what you're saying - odds are he's just a late talker.

My oldest said "ball," just "ball," until she was 3 1/2. We went through Early Intervention and did speech therapy. It didn't do a bit of good. When she was 4 she starting spouting three syllable words and never looked back. So, when my next child wasn't talking at 2 and the pedi wanted me to do the same therapy with him, I didn't. Now he's 6 and speaks fine. My youngest turned 3 in January and talks like Blue from Blue's Clues (he has the sounds but not the complete word). I did speak to a therapist about him and she said it will come. Given the family history we just have late bloomers (not from my side, I started talking at 10 months LOL).

Anyway, my point is if he communicates well otherwise and has no hearing issues, the speech will happen soon. Relax about it, kids can totally read us moms!

I would try magnesium with him.

Not only does it support the nervous system, brain activity, IQ, but it also chelates heavy metals out, which have been implicated in Autism. It is safe, it does not build up in tissues, so what do you have to lose.
There are two avenues, I would do both if it were me.
Magnesium Malate pills or magnesium citrate (drinkable) .....and also rub magnesium chloride (magnesium oil) on his skin daily. the reason I suggest both is that if someone has intestinal absorption issues, they can still get it through the skin.

Milk and cheese products, vit D and calcium enrichment of food, and any extra supplements with vit D , calcium. and iron can all contribute to a Mg deficiency.

I now use watered down cream instead of milk for my childrens cereal as high vit D in milk can create hypervitaminosis D/mg deficiency.

If you are concerned, please see a Speech Pathologist as soon as possible. Your son is probably fine, but I had the same exact concerns and his pediatrician told me not to worry. However, my mother and I are teachers and something did not 'sit' right with us so I made an appointment to have him tested at 2 1/2 and sure enough he qualified for Speech and OT. My son is now 7, talking up a storm and doing well in First Grade ( he is above grade level in reading and math )however he still sees a Speech Therapist. Its important to get early intervention, the earlier the better. In my state, California, all children under three can receive these services free if they are needed regardless of income under regional centers.

Contact the Regional Center in your area for a speech evaluation NOW! do not wait, it may be something as simple as limiting TV time and reading to him regularly, but an evaluation and intervention is best earlier than later. This is a fairly common concern and there are community resources to help you.

Hi!

My little girl went through this at about the same age, not talking much, not stringing words together too much and seemed to be understanding us fine. The first step was to see an ENT doctor and have her hearing tested to rule this problem out. Much to my surprise, she had a 35% hearing loss in both ears due to fluid not draining out. She had never even had an ear infection! She had tubes placed and is now talking fine. Don't worry about being referred because you never know what will pop up and may be easy to fix. Also, call your local school district and request a speech evaluation. They can give treatment or at the very least ideas you can do at home to help with your son's language.

Good luck!

This issue at this age is less about actually speaking than it is about communicating. Does he engage with you?, want to share things with you? look at you and look with you at different things? is he understanding and following directions? Speech is only a part of communication. That said, I would check in with a speech pathologist or a developmental pediatrician for some additional evaluation.

It may just be your child's personality. If he is shy, he probably doesn't feel like talking unless it is necessary. You said he understands, he says some things, so I wouldn't worry. My son wasn't a talker either at that age, but he also was not around kids his age either. Your older son is still "adult' to him and may not be talking much his language either. I had the same worry when my son was his age and after I got him into school and around more outgoing kids, he talks more and now can't shut up. I think he will do so in time. Keep talking to him.

Hi J.. If I were you, I would contact your local Early Intervention services, such as Help Me Grow (here in Ohio). They will come out to your home, free of charge, and give your son a complete evaluation to see where, if any, there is a delay. If your son qualifies for services, they will supply you with a list of contacts for services that you can use to help your son. It is a wonderful service to take advantage of!

We sought help for our son just before he turned 2 and it has changed our lives. He did not talk either, but understood everything (just like your son). Turns out he has a delay with expressive language and has a severe articulation disorder which will require many years of speech therapy. Thanks to Help Me Grow, we identified the delay early on and got help immediately.

I can't stress early intervention enough!!! Good luck!

ahh! please don't refuse to give him things if he won't say the word!! This will make him frustrated and will make a negative association with communication. I'm a speech pathologist- if he understands everything- then it's just a simple expressive language delay. NO big deal! Call your local infant toddler services, and the speech therapist can give you some great ideas/ suggestions to help encourage language at home. Don't wait- early intervention is SOO helpful- not just for him to talk- but will help with social aspects too!
Check out this link:

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/chart.htm
(click on the beginning part of the link- if you click on the word 'development' in the link- it takes you to a mamapedia page lol)

It will give you a guide as to what children should be hearing and saying from Birth through Five years. It also gives some fun suggestions to encourage language.

Hope this helps!!!!!
(I work for an Infant Toddler Service- so I work with kiddos 0-3 years old- it is SO much fun- I love my job- and the therapy is very easy and simple for parents- it is all about incorporating simple strategies into your daily routine! But again, please don't "withhold" things- just model to him the words while you "help" him ask for things ;-)

My 2 1/2 year old talks a lot - he actually suprised his doctor & the rest of the staff at how well he talks. We do baby talk with the kids when they first start babbling, but it ends shortly after that. We do ask the kids (2 1/2, 4 1/2 & 6) to use word to get what they want. My kids doesn't get what he wants unless he asks for it... pointing doesn't get them anything, but us telling them what it is.

I also try to read to the kids everyday - although somedays I just can't find the time to. Also, sometimes they (even the 2 1/2 yr old) tries to read to me. I do like sitting down with picture books & having them tell me what the pictures are, what color the picture is & try to get them to tell me how many items are on the page. The 2 1/2 yr old can count to about 5 w/ help sometimes.

Try getting him to say what he wants - not just pointing to what he wants & shaking his head. I know they are our babies, but talk to them as if they aren't... it doesn't help them to baby talk to them all the time. When you hand him something - actually say what you are handing him & see if he will repeat it.

Good luck!!

Wow - you could be me. I have a 10 year old son and a 2 year old daughter. My 2 yr old has about 3 words - no, yea, and that. My pediatrician said not to worry sense she does understand everything and follwos simple commands. We have taught her to sign, please, thank you, your welcome, sorry, more, cookie . . just for convenience and good manners. My mom, who has a Masters degree, did not start talking until she was 3.

I don't worrry about it anymore.

J.

Well you probably don't want to hear this but our son ended up in speech therapy at the age of 18 months because he did not speak. He would grunt and had about 3 to 5 words. We did not get a formal diagnosis until he was 11, but he has a central auditory processing disorder with mild ADD. In other words, he only process's visually and can't figure out how to make the words. Of course now no one would think there is anything wrong with him. He is in High School, but he is in special education classes. He is a very well behaved student with manners that knows what he is supposed to do, he just can't remember to do more than one thing at a time. Our diagnosis came from a child neurologist. I truly wish that he would have seen this dr. a lot sooner. You are very lucky that your doctor is on top of things like that. Ours kept telling us he thought Ben was normal. He now has seen that he is not. Anyway, feel free to contact me if you have questions. W. m.

Hi J., I can so relate to your situation with my 22 month old son. At his appts I have discussed my concerns with his pedi who is now the C. of Staff at our local hospital. He understands my concerns and has helped me through this. He said, if my son responses to his name, smiles and understands directions, points, non verbal communication, he isn't worried about it. Also, I have a 4yr old son who was above the bar with speech at 18mos. He knew 4 colors, 3 shapes and could count to 5. He said I have high expectations because my older son. I did read to my first son since birth, which is why he was talking sooner. However, my younger son was rolling over at 3 mos, and walked at 7mos. At 11 months he was running and climbing my kitchen counters. He is now trying to potty train himself and was 6 weeks premature at birth. Go figure. He is just now able to sit still and let me read books to him. He has other things to get out of the way right now then talking. So like Cindy D and Helen, we all need to just relax and let our children grow at their OWN pace, instead of trying to "fix it". I think we all feel the need to make sure our children are on track with the "text book" milestones and children have enough pressures in today's world. Look at the books our moms had. Dr Spock. He didn't even have children. My dr said he would check in with me at his 2yr check up and at 27 mos we will decide then what we need to do. Hang in there and all you mom's, pat yourself on the back for the great jobs we all do.

SAHM, 41yrs old with 2 amazing, funny little boys. 4yrs & 1yr. My life moves at the speed of light and I love watching my family grow.

My daughter was in speech therapy with Babies Can't Wait at 18 months. She had a feeding disorder when she was a baby, and that later led to speech problems. Within just a few months of therapy, she was talking up a storm. They gave us specific exercises and things to practice that would help increase her muscular strength, etc. It really helped, but takes a long time to get started. You are able to make your own referral though, so if you think it is something you want to look into, I would get started on paperwork right away as there is a lot of read tape! :) Our daughter is almost 3 now and you'd never know she ever had a problem.

I see this question a lot. My son seemed normal, babbling and all, until he was about a year old. Then he didn't say much, although he had a few words (da-da, gaga, baboo, bye-bye, bucai--that meant blue car, in his case, a Cadillac, that he would say every time he saw a Cadillac). He never said mama. Right after he toilet trained at two years and 11 months, he started talking. The first thing he said was "I want some juice." No baby talk except for those few words. He started talking in complete sentences and just kept on. I used to babysit a lot and I noticed that a) boys talked late and b) they usually didn't start being fluent until they toilet trained. I personally wouldn't worry, but everyone is different. My son has never done anything until he can actually do it, so we never see the trial and error stuff.

I wish I had advise, instead, I just feel your frustration. My 2 year old boy (2 in March) says 5 words, ma, dada, baby, yum yum, and papaw, that is it, but communicates great, and understands every word we say. He points to colors, letters, and overall knows loads of information. At his 2 yr check up, our doctor said the same thing. If he's not improving in 3-4 months, we may have to do something. For now, we are going to a local place called Help me grow. They do group therapy with other kids. We haven't gone to the first one yet, but we're looking forward to starting! It's so frustrating! I'm going to assume it may have a lot to do with the older sibling. Our 5 year old daughter communicates for him, so he doesn't have to make the effort. I'm hoping he wakes up one day soon, and it all comes out!!