Daughter Does Not Speak.....

whoa! Calm down, mom... there's not necessarily anything wrong with her at all. the fact that she says the words she does say shows that she can hear just fine and as long as she shows that she understands what you're saying (by following simple instructions or by getting excited when you ask her if she wants something fun) she is not showing any type of learning delay.
the first thing you need to know is that there are VERY few situations where speech therapy would be approved for a child under 2. The reason is that it is incredibly common for 18 month olds to say very few words. My daughter's vocabulary was extremely stunted (or so i thought) until she was right at 2...and even then all she seemed to know were nouns (mommy, dog, Barney, bird, Etc...) I was also very concerned but at her 2 year appointment her doctor assured me that it was still too early to be concerned as long as she shows that she understands. A year later my daughter never ceases to amaze me with the words and thoughts that come out of her mouth... it's like she had been saving these things up and just taking all the things around her in until she was ready... now I feel silly for ever worrying at all. I'm not saying that you should feel silly for being concerned but I am saying that you should put so much pressure on her... flashcards worked well for us in the beginning; we had a stack of Baby Einsteins flash card and after a month of doing those daily she could say at least half of the words represented; I just made it into a game. Please don't get so frustrated; I'm sure she'll be fine; good luck!

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I am going through the same thing with my son. He is 17 months this week and he has not said _one word_ yet! No mama or dada or baba. Nada. After his 15 month check-up, his ped decided to get him checked out so we got a hearing test, which came back normal. Next, we are getting assessed by a speech pathologist through ECI, but we are waiting on that to happen. I hear it can take about 6 weeks for those appts. and we are supposed to wait up to 10 business days just to make the appointment! I guess I don't really have any advice on getting her to talk, but I just felt like your situation was so close to mine that I just wanted to let you know that you weren't the only one with a toddler that doesn't talk.

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Do not despair, C.! I have been there and am STILL going through it. My daughter is 21 months old, an only child, and only says four words. Listen to your intuition (and try not to let others' stories scare you). If she points, has good receptive language skills (which it sounds like she does) then she is doing GREAT for 18 months. You are doing great as a mom, so no worries. Kids are tomato plants...just remember they all grow at their own pace and some produce fruit faster than others, but sooner or later, everyone gets a tomato! :-)

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Hi C.,
My youngest daughter (now 7) was the same way... I realized that I was giving in to whatever she wanted without her actually 'using her words' to TELL me. She would point to or grunt when she wanted something, and me being her mother, I always new what she was after and would just give it to her. When I noticed that she wasn't speaking like other kids her age, I decided I had to stop that. She would point to her sippy cup, but before I would give it to her I would make her try to say that she wanted it. If she didn't try, she wouldn't get it. Of course if she did try - she would be praised as well as gain access to her cup...(which obviously would make her want to try to say other things.) This is under the pretense that she understood me (which she did). Hope this helps a bit - of course, if your child is developmentally delayed or something this may not be a good idea. I would just wait to see what the doc says... Good Luck and God Bless!

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Hi C.. If you're really concerned, you may consider your local ECI or EI Early Childhood Intervention. Just call them up, and ask them to come out and evaluate your daughter. They will tell you if she's on track. If she is speech delayed, they will even offer you ST. All of these services are provided by the state.

Hugs,
O.

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I'm a single mom of a 2 year old. My duaghter always had a great vocabulary, but that's because I demanded it. I never let her point at something and just guess what she wanted and handed it to her. If she wanted milk, for instance, she would point to the refrigerator, and I would say, "Do you want a drink?" She would then point at the refrigerator again as if she was saying yes. I would pull the milk out and show it to her and say, "You want some milk?" She'd point again. I'd fill up her sippie cup with milk, but I didn't give it to her until she attemped to say MILK or DRINK. Of course, it wasn't perfect, but I didn't expect it to be. I just wanted her to know that we all communicate and I expect it from her as well. It only took about a month for her to catch on and then for her 18 month exam, she was evaluated at a 21 month level. So, it worked for me. Just don't let her be lazy and think that she can point and get what she wants. Make her at least try to pronounce the words. My daughter turned 2 two months ago and can speak complete sentences now. Her longest one being, "When Mommy come home, she hug me, and kiss me, and take me to park, and zoo." I'm in the Marines and currently in Iraq. Anyway, I hope this helped.

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Hi im Dee. Real quick its too soon to be worried. My 4yo didnt speak til 3 and now wont stop. In fact he speaks like an adult with his vocab and mannerisms...lol Doctors wont prescribe speech therapy til 2 and only if the show they have no ability r wont to communicate. so for now relax because she can feel ur stress and give her time. there is no handbook r timeline on talking, potty training r walking. at 2yo and shes still not improving have ur doctor send u through mhmr eci program and they will evaluate her to see if she is having problems. They wont see her til age 2 though because its too soon. any other info on this u might want i have. ttyl Dee.

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Definitly don't fret. My son is 16 months old and all he says is "go". He doesn't say mama or dad or anything else. However, he jabbers in gibberish constantly. I think the main thing that doctor's worry about in regards to language development. As long as your daughter is communicating her needs to you even if she isn't "talking" you are probably okay.

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One thing I noticed with my child is he had fluid in his ear and continual infections. He finally got his adenoids removed and within a week and a half, he was fully caught up with speach.

Another thing is: You might try ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) We were with them for other reasons than speach. It's free and they come to your home and assess your child and provide necessary services. They will stay with your child until the age of 3 years old. We used them for three years and had a wonderful experience.

I hope this helps.

Deborah

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Hello My name is K. and I am a 33 yr old mother of 2, I have son who is 4 and a daughter who is 2 well my son was talking alot at the age of 2 and my daughter sounds just like yours. I think it might be a girl thing. why talk if we don't have to. But I would not worry about it My little girl grunts at some things and tries to say others. but when they are ready to have the words come out you better be ready cause once they start talking they never shut up... I wish there was more I could do to advise you about what to do but all i can say it to just five her time and she will talk in her own time. good luck K.

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My daughter is 29 months old and is just now starting to talk. She had a very limited vocabulary as well. When she was 18 months old the only thing she would say was mommy or daddy too. When she was a little over a year old she started daycare and I thought that this would progress her speaking and to my suprise it didn't. Within the last two months though she has started speaking alot more and words that I can actually understand. Just give your child time, she will speak when she is ready to.

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Don't worry about it. My 17 year old was about 2 1/2 before she really started talking. They go at their own rate of speed. As long as the words she is saying are sounding correct, don't worry about a speech specialist.

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that's normal. about 2 or a little older she should start putting sentences together.

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Hi my name is R. and my son did not talk until he was over two and i took him to Little work in progress and now he knows the hold ABC's and he can count to 20 and he is three now i really think aboput takeing her to little works and if your insures coves it then GREAT just see if it dose you cahn there and get a free evalve.(they take a look to see what is worng)... They can help.

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C., I can understand your fear somewhat. My son was diagnosed with mild/moderate autism when he was 5 and I remember being scared the whole time before wondering what was going on with my son. Please know that it's probably nothing, but if the doctor says you should have your daughter tested for different things, there are TONS of support groups and other parents out there going through all the same things! My advice is: don't go it alone! Find groups and other people who are going through similar things and get yourself a support network. Believe me, just knowing that there are other people out there experiencing the same things you are is a big relief!

I remember feeling like I was helpless. That there was something wrong with my son and there was nothing that I could do. But I found out differently. No, I can't make the autism go away and there are things we have to deal with, but on the other hand there is LOTS of things I CAN do to help him be successful and have a wonderful life! You're not alone and if you ever need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to email me!

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Just be patient and keep working on it.
My 3 yr old tried to do the same thing and when my 7 yr old grandson came around she got worse because he did it.

Just stand your ground and keep working on those words with her. It will all come together one day before you know it.

C.

I know exactly how you feel I have a 22 month old and he is the same way we were told that he will pick it up and then never stop but we are stil waiting he says a few words bath or more but not much more. I took him in to his doctor she said that he should be saying at least 50 words and should be putting them together. That worried me my son has had lots of ear infections in the past we are thinking that might have something to do with it. We are taking him to a ear doctor today. I think we are going to put tubes in his ears. I can tell you that the doctor told me that since he is a only child he might be a late bloomer. She said that it wouldnt hurt to put them in a daycare or preschool for a few days a week. Let them be around kids and they should pick up on what the other kids are sayin and doing. I hope my advice helps you

Hey girl don't stress. My daughter is almost 18 months and the only words she says is da da, baby, get, sometimes mama. She knows what I am saying but she refuses to express herself vocally. Sometimes it is family history too. My mother-in-law didn't speak until she was 4. Also Albert Einstein was also 4 before he uttered his first words. Kids develope in their own way and on their terms. As long as she responds and has no other problems don't worry.

P.S. They say that babies that have VERY attentive mothers that cater to them a lot get lazy because we hop to when they want something.

I think that your daughters speech is ok. But if you do feel that you would like to get her in to speech then the best way to do it is to contact ECI (early child intervention) they are the best. They work with only special needs kids or kids with learning disabilties. They also will work with your daughter in your home. And you don't need a referal.