Mother Seeking Advice About Daughter Not Talking Yet??

My second one is just 2. She says words but is nowhere NEAR where her sister was at this age. She was speaking in full sentences and saying please and thank you.

I am not worried.

Is she interacting with you? Does she try to communicate her needs/wants? Does she babble? If her hearing is ok- I'd say don't worry.

Try not to worry mommy. Some children just have nothing to say. When she does, hopefully she will speak. How about a little t.v. time with sounding out words? Just her so the sibling doesn't answer for her. Happy holidays.

Hi. At 21 months I had my son tested by Early Intervention as well. I know there are locations in each county...we used the one located in Lombard (Right across from Yorktown Mall.) My son had the expressive language of a 12 month old. He qualified to receive services after testing and our meeting. The thearapist came to our house several times and not only worked with him, but showed me things to do with him. He only received services for a few weeks (we moved and needed to switch thearapists and he started talking a lot by the time we were getting it all set up.) It was like he woke up one day talking. He's now 3 and doesn't stop talking. As a baby he really didn't babble at all. He could understand everything, but refused to label anything. The earlier your child starts to receive services the better off she will be. Good for you for being open minded and doing what's best for your daughter. I'm sure everything will work itself out and a speech thearapist will only speed the process along. Good Luck! :)

My kids are about 2 years apart. Taylor is 6 and Payton 4. Payton did not speak until she was 2~! She had no reason to, her sister communicated for her. She never did the mama, dada, babble either. One day right after she turned two, she walked out of the kitchen and said " I dont want that!" I was floored! She went from not a word to sentences. My mom and I just laughed. We knew she had it in her, but just really never needed to speak. I have heard this is common in children with older siblings! I would not panic just yet! Give it a little more time and dont worry about those who might say that kids should talk by a certain time or walk by a certain time, or any of that, kids develop at their own individual rate!
Hope this has helped!

My daughter is 19.5 mo and her brother is 3, she is not really talking yet either.

Our ped evaluated her at 15mo and 18mo and said it is normal for second children to talk later. Especially because her brother never stops talking! She makes some sounds and attempts to talk. She has less then 5 word though. We will have her evaluated by EI at 2 if there is no improvement. But she is expressive (hugs, smiles, laughs) she plays, she understands complex things (M go get the bear from the other room and bring it to your brother), she just doesn't have a lot of official "words"

Have you tried baby signs? I started when my daughter was 12mo and not talking. She picked up 12 signs in less then a month and I can teach her a new sign a day now. It has really helped her communicate! (and probably eased everyone's fears a bit) We always say the word with the sign and go over the sounds, so its not like we are using it in place of talking.

My doctor also recommended more face time and reading with her as well as not giving in (she is the baby, a princess to her daddy and brother) if she is not trying to say the word and is just pointing and grunting.That has been harder to get the boys on board with, but basically it's working. Like she knows the signs for more and milk and she usually says mmmmm when she does it. We don;'t give her eiher if she doesn't actually do the sign and attempt the word.

I hope this helps, good luck.

In my honest opinion, I think you're on the right track with the speech therapist. Our son wasn't saying anything at 12 months and the pediatrician said that she would refer him to EI if things had not changed at 15 months. Of course, they hadn't so we did the evaluation. He had a very slight speech delay and it was recommended that he had speech therapy once weekly for an hour. He's been doing this since August and his progress is incredible!

Now, I cannot say for certain whether it is the speech therapy that has been the major influencing factor or if it was just the time that has passed that has allowed him to catch up, but quite honestly I wasn't willing to take any chances. There are many moms who freak out because their kid isn't in the top percentile for every major developmental milestone and then flip out hiring the best therapists/counselors, etc. I'm not one of those moms. I want my kid to be 'normal' and experiencing developmentally appropriate growth, which he was not doing at the time. The speech therapy could not have hurt him in any way at all, so we looked at it as 'supplementing' his learning; however, if he truly had a problem and we didn't address it early on, we felt like he would keep getting further and further behind. As a parent, I learned a lot from the therapist too about how to help engage him in speaking, repeating, mimicking, and 'reading'. It's been helpful for the whole family.

Good luck to you and your family!

Hi,
I also had some concerns about my son & contacted early intervention (as other posts below suggested). He ended up not qualifying for services, but I'm glad I called. It certainly put my mind at ease and if he did qualify I would have given him any help he could get. (speech therapy can work wonders if done early)
Sounds like your little one is perfectly fine (as everyone told me about my son), but sometimes it takes a professional to tell you that to put your mind at ease.
Call early intervention, it can't hurt and it's free for the assessment. Perfectly painless, they come to your house & play some games with your child.
Hope all is well.

Do not waste your time on speech therapy. Your daughter is normal. Some kids talk sooner than others. There is no "set date" on which a child should begin to speak. The explosion in speech therapy is a direct result of the taxpayer money provided through the No Child Left Behind act, which should be called the Speech Therapist Full Employment Act! Relax, enjoy your children and stop worrying. And if your doctors are telling you she needs speech therapy because she's not verbal at a mere 17 months, then you should also look for a better doctor.

Don't stress out yet. My neices are two years apart and the younger one did not start talking until much later than the "prescribed" age that kids should begin. Really, it was due to the fact that the older sibling would communicate for her or help her and she did not find the need to communicate as adults see they should. Later in life, my own children did similarly in the speech department. My older son, now 3.5, spoke when he was younger, when my second child was born, he spoke very little. I became concerned that he would never make full sentences and I would have to put him into special classes and such. All of a sudden, he began and will not stop. He is constantly talking, using full sentences and informing my husband and I of just how intelligent and observant he is. Really, just try giving her time. She is making observations about the world around her and just taking it all in. She may not be sharing, but she is definately listening and learning. One day you may ask yourself and her to please stop talking for a moment so that you may have a little quiet. My son is non-stop talking. Give her time. She will begin.

My little brother didn't talk until he was two. THe doctor blamed me (I was four and quite the talker). He said that if my mother made me shutup, my brother would talk. I often told my mother what my brother wanted. He soon spoke in full sentences. I'm not sure that was his problem. His children all three didn't talk until way late. Studies now suggest that late talkers are more mathematically and musically inclined. That they will talka and be very smart. My brother had some trouble learning to read at first (because they tried to teach him through memorization instead of phonics), but he soon learned and finished college with a double major in Computer Science and Math. He graduated with a 3.6 grade point as well. He's very smart (too smart for his own good at times and a little arrogant at times as well, but that's just a sister's opinion).

Unless your doctor can find a hearing issue, signs of autism, or some other developmental problem I wouldn't worry about. My second child didn't walk until she was 15 months old and her older sister walked at nine months. I worried a bit, but she just got up at 15 months and walked across the room like a pro. She did it when she felt certain she could. She's a very cautious child. I guess it just goes to show that they are all different.

Hi N.,
I'm sure speech therapy is the right move, just in case, but from what I've been told by many people, delayed speech is pretty normal. I've been freaking out because my 10 month old doesn't say much yet, not even mama or dada (though recently he's been trying to babble more), so people have been telling me stories about kids not talking at all until they are 3 or sometimes even 4, and then all of a sudden come out and start talking full sentences. I guess what I'm saying is, it is normal not to talk for a while, but like a previous poster said, it doesn't hurt to do speech therapy either.
Best of luck!
-Z

My daughter was not talking either at age 17 months. Her pediatrician gave us a referral for Easter Seals for an evaluation (aka Early Intervention). It is free and they come to your house, but takes awhile for them to get an evaluation. I think I had to wait 2 months. A week before the evaluation, my daughter started talking. I almost canceled the appointment, but decided just to see what they said. Well, during the evaluation, I could see that she did not know a lot of things and actually needed help. Even though she was then 23-months old, the speech and developmental therapists put her at a 18-month old level in development. She now gets speech (the developmental issues seemed to have cleared up) and is about to be phased out. I strongly recommend getting her evaluated. Again, it is free and they only do it up until age 3.

I was trying to understand if she doesn't make any sounds at all or if she just isn't talking in a conversational sort of manner. I am sure the Speech therapist will lead you in the right direction.

you had her hearing checked? If so that is the main worry at that age. If she checked out as hearing fine, responds to you and interacts in appropriate ways then you are fine. If she doesn't interact, doesn't respond or you didn't get her hearing checked then get a hearing test (where they put the headphones on her and actually do sounds and such). Otherwise I don't start worrying until they are about 19 mos old. If by 19 mos she hasn't said any words get in touch with early intervention to have her evaluated.

N.

I have a son who has a articulation delay nothing serious so I do understand your concern . Please remember that children grow and meet milestone at thier own pace , that being said she is could be a late starter .But your doing the right thing about looking into it so if she has any problems she is getting a early start on treatment .

Stay strong and remember your the best advocate for your precious angel . If you have any question please send me a e-mail

Hi N.. I don't think you need to worry. My mother loves to tell the story of how I hadn't spoken at the age of 2 (24 months) and she was worried. My older brother started talking when he was 10 months old. At my 2 year check up, she asked our doctor why I hadn't started talking yet. He said, "Ma'am, her brother is doing all the talking for her. Give her a little more time and she'll be talking circles around him!" I'm guessing that you have a similar situation and when she feels the need to speak her mind, she will! Therefore I don't think you need to woory just yet.

One thing I would suggest is when your 17 month old wants something does she point to what she wants? If she does you or whoever is helping her at the time can say the word associated with what she wants (water, cup, milk, cereal, etc..) I don't know if this happens in your house, but sometimes a 2nd child doesn't talk like the first child because the older sibling will say "she wants..." or just gives her what she wants. Maybe that will help a little. We try to get our kids to show us and then when they start talking to tell us (even if only using 1 word) what they want. When they realize they are able to get what they want by asking for it, it becomes an incentive to "ask". Good Luck!

Looks like you've got a lot of support so far. My son is now 24 months and has been in speech and developmental therapy since he was 16 months. He not only didn't say anything but sounds, he did not have receptive language either. He had pretty much non-stop ear infections starting last Feb. thru April when he had tubes so for him there was quite a bit of time where he wasn't hearing well. However before the ear infections started he wasn't showing signs of speaking/understanding either. He's slowly learning and using new words, so there is progress, but he's certainly not at the same level as many of his peers who are starting to put together 2 or three word sentences. All of this being said, many children at this age progress so much differently and will begin speaking when they are ready. In the meantime repeat, repeat, repeat!!! Good luck!

My second daughter started saying a word or two around 11-12 months, then her brother was born when she was 13 months old and she went back to screaming and fighting and biting with full force. Not a word or an attempt. Between the new baby and an older sister (they are 18 months apart), she had reason to stop trying to talk and no need to since sissy said everything for her. My oldest even makes sure to ask for an extra sticker/treat for Aeryn even if Aeryn is at home! So Aeryn didn't have to talk! I started worrying as the 18 month mark came and went. But at around 20 months or so, she took off. She is now putting words together, asking for things, saying please and thank you, talking on the phone (alittle) and its only been about 6 months! She just had to adjust to having a new brother and learn that she gets more when she talks and doesn't scream! Are there any things that have taken place that your daughter is trying to adjust to? Does your son talk for her a lot?
Good luck!