21 Mo Old Godson Not Talking

I would have him checked for autism or possible ear problems he may not be hearing therefore is unable to make out sounds. Good luck! J.:)

My almost three year old is just starting to talk now. She has an older sister that talks for her. Instead of just giving stuff if he points. Keep repeating it and tell him to copy what you way and take in one letter at a time if you have to. I know it may be very time comsuming but it might work. It works with my daughter. But, whatever you do try, good luck! I know it can be really frustrating.

I would say to get him evaluated. There may be a birth to 3 program in your area or something that is similar that he can get involved in with his parents. Does she ever mention anything to the dr. when she takes him in for his checkup? I would be concerned. I have a child that was speaking but not up to her age level. She is now in 7th grade and is still behind. They say that teaching a child sign language fosters speach. This may help too. I would really look into it.

Hi A.,

I would suggest an audiologist just to make sure he does not have hearing problems. Otherwise, he probably just isn't ready to talk yet.

L. :)

Has this little boy had his hearing tested? Sometimes if they can't hear correctly, they can't repeat sounds. I've known of several small children that didn't speak much and then after they had a thorough physical, it was found that their ears were full of fluid. Once that was taken care of, they started talking within a few months.

A visit with the pediatrician is in order. There could be any number of issues, including he has no need/desire to talk yet, but until you rule out medical things like hearing, etc. you can't do much, other than encourage him.

SAHM of seven

I wouldn't worry about it too much, my oldest son didn't start talking till he was about 2.5 and by 3 he was totally caught up to all the other kids. If you are really concerned about it though, you can talk to his peditrician and she can recomend speach therapy, however, I don't think it is nesassary since he isn't even 2 yet. Good luck!

Hi,
Our daughter was a late talked and I worried, too. It is concerning that he isn't repeating sounds yet. He should be at least imitating and babbling. You should be hearing consonant and vowel sounds, even if he isn't putting them together into words. Our daughter was doing these things and at 23 months, her verbal language just exploded and went to 3 and 4 word sentences in a couple of months. Our older child has Down syndrome and has been in speech therapy for 3 years so we know a lot about therapy and what they can do.

Ask your pediatrician about it, but if your gut tells you something is "off" take him in for a speech evaluation. They are the experts on this. The good news is, that even if he has a speech delay, early intervention can work wonders! It is critical to get them going as early as possible if needed.

Good luck,
K.

All babies are different - I have a grandson who was talking in full sentences at 17 mos., yet my 19 mo. old says the minimum (i.e. mama, dada; I think in his mind he's holding full conversations as he "jabbers" all the time. His father did not speak until he was almost 3 years old as everyone did the talking FOR him.

I have just put my son in a loving, teaching, daycare and he LOVES it! Interacting with his peers will enable him to communicate if he is to amass buddies and be respected as a peer. No worries......it will come :)

J.

have you checked into "baby signing"....teaching pre-verbal babies to sign...my grand daughter signs when she wants to eat to drink or sleep....

http://www.babies-and-sign-language.com/

some kids just are slow talkers....

i assume you've done the sort of hearing tests that can be done at home....call his name or make another noise when his back is towards you and see if he reacts?....does he seem to understand you when you talk to him?

what does his doctor say?

Does he have older brothers, sisters or cousins? Is he spoiled? My son was 3 before he started talking, and then it was just mama, dada, no, baba, etc. He had his older brother and sister to "talk" for him. I ended up bringing him to headstart (a preschool) in the special ed department. He was in the special ed program for 2 years, we found out he was just a stubborn little boy! He is in speech right now, just because he never bothered to pick up some of the sounds and we always knew what he was saying anyway. He's six now and is doing just fine. They have the "norm" as to when kids should start talking, but really, it's up to each kid. Has he seen the doctor to rule out the other possibilities? Have that checked out first, and then just keep talking to him and he'll pick it up. We told our other kids to stop getting him what ever he wanted and make him talk for what he wanted. As soon as he made a sound that was close to a word, we would repeat it and give him what he wanted, but at least he tried. Good Luck

Hi A.,
I hate to say this, but it sounds like a possibility of Autism. Has she taken him to the Dr to be checked out? I have a cousin with Autism and he had the same type of delayed speech. Good luck. S.

It's not unusual for kids, especially boys, to not talk at this age or to not follow the typical speaking patterns we expect to hear. I knew a little boy who didn't talk until he was 4 years old and then he spoke in full sentences!
There are many books in libraries and stores about the "normal" range of various behaviors and you'll see there's a wide spectrum.

K.

Hi A.,

Have they taken him to a Pediatric ENT to have his hearing tested? Has he had earaches/ear infections? My daughter suffered from 15 ear infections before she was 5 months old and had ear tubes put in; she will be in the third grade this fall, and will still be in Speech. Not catching the words and phoenics early, because of ear infections, made it so that she couldn't form/speak the words herself. However, she was babbling.

Regardless, at almost 2 years old, he should be making noise and sounds.

I know the school district, by federal law, must evaluate a child if you bring him/her in, starting at the age of 3; that's where my daughter was diagnosed for her speech problems, and she started speech at the age of 3.

I would seriously start with the ENT and, if his hearing is okay, then I'd look into seeing a Pediatrician neurologist. I think. You'll want to have him checked for any Autism Spectrum disorders. My daughter has Sensory Processing Disorder. We'll never know if her speech problems are due sorely to all the ear infections, or if SPD also has something to do with it.

A.

Hi A.,
I am also a speech-language patholigist, and I'd have to agree with everything Gina mentioned. Also, does he do any non-verbal responding? (ie, if given an instruction, does he follow it? give mommy the ball....he should do just that) if he doesnt attend at all, his hearing should be checked & then get a speech/lang eval.
My neice was the same way & I didnt hear her say a word until she was 25 months, just a late talker.
No reason not to get the eval, especially since it's free through the schools from birth-21.
-D.

Have you taken him in to be tested for anything yet? My nephew was doing the same thing and we learned he was slightly autistic. Typically autism starts showing its signs around 18 months and one of them is not speaking. The sooner there is an intervention, the better if that's what it is.

The State of WI has a program where they will come to your home and screen the child for you to see if there are any developmental delays. I'm sure other states have similare programs...Call your county office and they'll be able to help you!

I have 2 boys and my 2.5 yr old is just starting to string series of words together...so, I wouldn't be too worried, but it might be worth getting checked out for peace of mind.

Does he babble? Has he said anything even once? Is he active or does he stare off into space a lot? I am not a doctor but if he is not talking which is a milestone at about 10 months of age to start babbleing and saying the first word you might want his parents to take him to the doctor for this reason. There are several reasons as to why he might not ne talking. One is Autism, another would be some sort of hearing problem, again there are several different things that could be going on..one could be that he is just not ready to talk. He might just one day start talking and never stop!!!! Like my brother. My parents were very worried about him not talking ..now he never shuts up. I would let the doctors check him out and plan thenext course of action for this little guy.

I went through this with both of my children and are still trying to undo the damange done. Both of my children have/had heavy metal toxicity because they can't celeate heavy metals from thier little bodies we have to be very careful that they only eat organic foods and have special immunizations. Neither one made very many noices until after 24 months and we started speech therapy for both of them at 12 months. Both were on the autism spectrum but not anymore!!! Good luck!

I am a special needs school bus driver. I have 2 kids on my bus that are 3 and 5, both are autistic. The 5 yr old doesn't talk at all. The 3yr old says a few basic words.

My advise would be to have this child checked to see whats up. Autism can be a challenge, but the kids are of extemely high intellect. They get easily frustrated because we don't understand them.

Have you thought about checking his hearing? If he can't hear people saying words to him, he won't be able to repeat them...

Two things:

1. It's time to introduce sign language so that, if he has a problem, he can at least communicate with you. There are baby sign-language tapes and classes - get to one and have his parents get to one (or watch one) right away. By the age of two he should have some sort of communication tool. Sign language has been introduced to babies with good effect.

2. I have a young friend who didn't say anything until she was three years old - literally. Once she started talking she wouldn't stop. She is now a high honor student at the U of M getting a Bachelor's in Science. Although this may not be your godson's case - he may truly have some condition that has not been identified - some kids do wait to talk until they are ready.

The time for testing is around three years. Right now, sign language would help to put your mind at ease. If he is clinically mute, he will be able to fully communicate by the time he is three if you start now.

He should see a doctor. At the least, she/he'll alleviate your fears, and let you know that he's just a little behind. At the worst, she/he'll diagnose a problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

I only know that my son's doctor told me that if my son wasn't saying at least one word outside of Mama or Dada by 15 months, that he should be brought back in for hearing tests. I've, also, heard/read that it could be a sign of autism.

Suggestions: Reading and talking to him as much as you can is supposed to help. Don't talk baby talk with him or repeat his grunts, even jokingly. Try baby sign language.

Edit: I hadn't looked at the other responses before. Jennifer's is very informative!

You might look into having his hearing tested. If he is hard of hearing and is not actually hearing exactly how words are formed, he may not be repeating words because he cannot hear how to.

You may also try exposing him to the PBS t.v. show Signing Time. It is a sign-language based program for children that has been shown to improve speaking and reading/writing skills in children, even at a very young age.

Yes, you should also look into autism. If it turns out this is the problem, I would highly recommend going on a gluten & cassien free diet.

Some children just don't talk until they are quite old... it may just be a normal process, but it would be best to rule out the other possibilities first.

My 22 mo son does not talk yet either. We had his hearing tested, saw a specialist and everything and the Peds answer was that boys just talk later. Only in the last few weeks has he started to babble. He also does not say mama or dada or NO and it really surprises me that he doesn't say any of that too! I think your godson will be ok...atleast I hope so cause my son is in the same boat!!
A.

Hi there, My good friend her little boy is the same age as my daughter and when he was one he was not talking at all, and my daughter talked very well so she thought something was up. then at 18 mths he did not talk yet either to she seeked professional help and sure enough he had autism, which if caught soon enough it can be helped and they got help for him and now you would never know, so make parents check him out, what can it hurt! I would if it was my kid anything to help there future right?

I have read some info in the past about teaching children (especially those that are having problems with starting speech) sign language as a beginner language. Perhaps you could pick up a book on beginning signs and you and the fam can learn some basic things to help with word association in a visual sense. Also might want to consider having hearing checked, and I assume that the mom has talked to the pediatrician (sp?) already but if not it can't hurt. My friend had a child in split custody where the mom and dad differed on what they tried teaching the child as far as speech goes, but when dad started teaching him sign language, he picked it up right away and now talks plenty. Good luck!

Hello, I do have kids and my oldest was like that. I had him tested and he wound up getting speech therapy and went to a group with other kids once a week and they had things there for him to work on. I suggest you have him tested.

My first thought when I read your post was huh...that sounds just like my daughter was at 21 months (she is now 2 and a half and never stops talking!) But when I read the part about not repeating sounds, that might be a little concerning. As an early ed teacher, I would feel out the parents and see if they are concerned at all. I would also for sure want to get his hearing screened. It could be absolutely nothing, but it could also be something that could be fixed a lot better if started sooner! Early intervention is key! Hope this helps.

The very best answer is to get a hearing test done. Even just an exam can help. My nephew's daughter was having trouble hearing, simply because she had a lot of wax buildup in her ears. They started to think she was autistic, but that was ruled out once they found her ear problem, and it was amazing how different she was when she could finally hear. So they have to irrigate her ears on a regular basis so it doesn't build up again. That is where I would start...maybe going straight to the ENT specialist rather than the pediatrician.

I would suggest that if you can have your godson tested for autisum. I have 2 grandsons that are autistic and one of the first things that we noticed with the the boys was that they were not talking or really making noises the older would scream every time someone new would come around and the 2nd one retreated into his world. I know that no one wants this to be the case but it is better to catch it now because their are special ways to help austistic children. our boys are doing fine. the older one is in headstart preschool and has learned to write his name and he will say it not clearly but you can tell what he is saying. he is going on 5 years old in Nov and he still will not talk except for ocassional words but he tries real hard to talk and he does like to be on the computor. the 2nd boy is just started being worked with as he was not diagnosed with autism until this year but he is now more friendly and will respond to people more. he is going on 3.

i hope that this is not what is with your little guy but after a hearing test and eye test this is something that you could look into. I am a grandmother to 4 boys aging from 14 to 11 months. i have one daughter

Hello I work with children that age everyday, has he had his hearing checked, you can ask his dr. to set up a hearing test for him. Also have you been using sign language with him, we use sign language everyday with our children even if they can talk. It helps you to understand what they are talking about and helps them tell you what they want. Try the website www.signwithme.com

My daughter didn't talk until two. We discovered she had enlarged tonsils. We were evaluated by an ENT and saw an audiologist. Tests turned out great. We then were sent to a speech pathologist to be evaluated and she said she was using her tongue to talk because it helped her to get air through due to the enlarged tonsils, which made it very hard to understand her. Early on we thought maybe autism,but as time when on we realized this was the reason for her slow speech and at three years of age we had her tonsils out. She is now 4 1/2 and talks wonderful. We still work on enunciating certian words, but it has been a wonderful blessing to finally hear our little one communicate, because both her and us would get very frustrated. It is worth checking it out or at least being evaluated by a speech pathologist because the sooner the better it will be for him.

Hi A.! Let me start off by saying I have a 5 year old little brother who did not say a word until he was almost 2 and a half. At that time, when he opened his mouth, full sentences came out. Now we cant get him to stop talking! :) I have a 25 month old son who is not talking either. Very rarely he will say Dada or Mama, but nothing like "no, up, dog, baby, etc". I was concerned too and just took him 2 weeks ago to an audiologist, thinking something is wrong with his hearing. He passed with flying colors. His pediatrician said not to worry and gave the example that Einstein didnt talk until he was 4 years old! The doctor said boys tend to talk later than girls and he probably doesn't have anything he wants to say yet. I try to get my son to repeat things after me and he just looks at me like I'm crazy. The doctors response to this is that my son probably thinks just that... "Mom is crazy. I'm not a circus act. I will talk when I am good and ready too." :) So I left it alone and stopped pestering him. Yesterday I went to get him from his crib... he looked at me, smiled, waved, and said "HI!" PROGRESS! I'm sure you godson is just fine!

A friend of mine has a 2 and half year old boy. When I first met him all he did was grunt all the day. I would say to him if you want something you have to ask for it. Grunting is not going to work you will not get it. His mother would run and jump and give him whatever he wanted. So there was no need for him to talk. In a matter of weeks he was talking. Now almost 3 years I can stop him from talking. It was hard because the first few times he went into long crying, but it worked. Good luck hope he starts to talk.