Speech Development of a 13.5 Month Old

At that age my daughter would call her father 'addy' and only said about 2 or 3 words. At her 18 month checkup, our pediatrician said between 4-10 words are normal. Just keep repeating the words to her and eventually she'll pick them up. My daughter is now 21 months old and she repeats most words and has a broad understanding of them. Just the other day she said spaghetti!

You need to relax. She is a baby. I worked in Speech for 13 years. I am surprised that a SLP would even consider evaluating at such a young age. Maybe at 18 months, but no sooner. Just say each word to her to keep reinforcing the correct way to say the sounds, etc. Give her a chance to develop. Relax and enjoy her!

My daughter is in Early Intervention for fine motor skills and we saught out Speech Therapy but they said as long as they have 5 words by 18 months it is fine. They will need to say them clearly so please don't worry and just read a lot to her. It does make a difference. You will find yourself wishing she would listen more than talk to you in the future. Bitter sweet :-)

I think she is still too young to know. she actualy sounds right on target to me. and I have 3 kids. My 3rd who is 18 mos. is doing what your daughter is. I would wait til 18 -24 mos. alot changes around that time and things get clearer and they take off talking. at that time I would see someone if you are still concerned.
best wishes, J.

If you are in doubt at all - call the early intervention office in your county - and ask for an evaluation. I had way too many people tell me to wait, wait, wait with my son - and he ended up being almost a year behind by the time I stopped listening to the medical community (at 2.5) and got him evaluated. Don't listen to anything other than your gut!! It is my biggest regret with my firstborn. I knew something wasn't right - and I still feel I wasted time and caused him a huge amount of frustration.

Good Luck

Hi A., Some children are speaking at 13 months old. I had 5 and none of them were talking before 2 years old. Yes the sounds you describe. You can have your child evaluated (early intervention) I believe it is free. If there is any advice for you they are professiomals. Most likely they will tell you that your daughter is just fine. Some day when she starts talking you will hear yourself say "why was I trying to rush this?" Your pediatrician will also tell you how many "words" a child should have by this time. All children develop at a different rate. Put your mind at ease and please do not compare with your friends or relatives children. My best, Grandma Mary

My oldest will be 13 years old next week, I had someone tell me she was not aquiring speech the way she should when she was just under a year old, so I let her be tested. I do beleive very stongly in early intervention if it is needed! I did not tell them that my bachelors degree was in Speech and Language Therapy, I just decided not to stay in it. Anyway, I believe in Piaget's Stages of Development-look at the following link-http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm
he has a wide spance on when things are developed so it does help looking at that-it is very individual.
Anyway, the person told me that my daughter's speech was below age appropriate-like she was not forming full sentences ect. I told her what my bachelors degree was in, that she was talking about language development not speech development and that she was never allowed to test my daughter again. Speech is the sounds that are made-some sounds-like th and l are formed later because they are difficult to form-take some time and see how difficult it is to make those sounds.
Language is how they use the words, complete sentences, small work phrases, ect. So, make sure you know the difference and that no one tells you that they are the same.
The hearing test is a timpanigram-not sure if I spelled that right. It makes sure that the ear drum is moving smoothly and correctly so it does not effect her hearing. Behaviroally-she is just over a year old, they all develop differently. If she is behind by one or two months, I would not worry about it. If she is behind by more than 6 months, there is a reason to be concerned.
I would not worry at all until she is 18 months to 2 years old. How much do you talk at home, do you tend to be fairly quiet? My husband and I tend to be fairly quiet so my daughter just simply did not get a lot of modeling-which is OK!!! Get her in with kids older than her and she will pick it up! Still keep an eye on her but also, see what happens naturally.

Take care-N.

uhm....i dont even know what to say here..my son is 13 months and doesnt say more than dadda and mamma and bye bye...and not real well either. i wouldnt worry, they are still babies! enjoy your time with your child, she will talk soon enough!

A.,
Put away all medical books, quit Googling and ENJOY your BABY...My 14.5 month old just said dada the other day. You need to relax...if she's not talking by 2.5 - 3, then talk to your ped...

If you're truly concerned, call your ped, but I can't imagine they'd be worried, she's just over a year old!! Once she starts talking, there will be times when you wish she hadn't!!! LOL.

Relax and Enjoy -
J.

My daughter had a speech problem from 13 months till 3 years old. After a long quest, I discovered it was a reaction to MILK!!!! After all the doctors, speech specialists, etc. it turned out to be milk! (Thhat I discovered on my own!) I substituted milk with orange juice with calcium, yogurt, tums, etc. After only a week, she starting speaking and connecting with people and relatives! It truly was a miracle.
I hope this is helpful.

My children spoke early; one in sentences at a year. This isn't true of all children. I had a sister who never made an intelligent sound until 3 yrs; now you can't shut her up. Don't feel inadequate because you don't know how language is learned and developed in a child. Most speech researchers will admit to the same. I never spoke baby talk to my children and when they garbled along i told them they had to speak English if they wanted to talk to me. Maybe your daughter feels crowded by your efforts. Back off for awhile and give her time to think. Allow her to take the lead and tell you what she wants.

Hi A., First of all, relax! If your daughter understands what you are saying, she is just a different type personality and doesn't need to communicate verbally. My daughters 1st who she had at 22 is now 17 months old and just said I love you the other day after saying nothing at all. Hes smart as a whip, but a very laid back, even tempered, sweetie and knew what was being said to him, just wasn't much of a talker. its kinda similiar to the 3rd child who has older siblings who know his wants and doesn't need to talk until much later. I knew a little guy like that and he didn't talk til he was almost 3!
I have a couple of marble mouth relatives, who spoke so garbled only the family could understand them, they grew out of it when they got to be 10 or so. Speech therapy in school helped them somewhat, but they were said to have a lazy tongue. My nephew is now 14 and is a marble mouth. My sister who is a nurse thinks it was the vaccine he received as an infant. Did you know in Briton they don't give that ddp shot until babies are quite a bit older. My daughter wouldn't let her ped give the shot until hers were older.
Bottom line, all kids are different, thats what makes the curve, curved. If shes intelligent and responsive, shes normal and if she senses your worry that will be more detremental than just loving and nurturing her as if there were nothing in your mind "wrong" with her. Be patient, you waited all your life for this child, just enjoy.
L. D

Call early intervention. They provide birth to three services free (don't require insurance) and by law they have to see you for an initial screening within fourteen days I believe. Your pediatrician or local elementary school should have the contact number for this service. Better yet, everything is provided in your home.

Kind regards,
K. SLP

13POINT5 months old? is that 2 weeks? or 15 days? I know..I sound sarcastic and I meant to. Your baby girl is just fine, its you that needs to stop worrying. Whatever gave you the idea she is speech delayed? Too much internet? Or comparing someone else's little prodi
gy? "My baby walked at 6 months" "My baby was reading at 18 months" "My baby recited the Gettysburg Address at 9 months" I dont THINK SO!!!!!
Trust me your baby is doing just fine. Leave her alone and STOP poking her tiny ears. Why on earth would you think she is deaf? I am old and have 6 kids and 8 grandkids (and they are grand LOL) They all talked and walked at different ages. My oldest didnt walk till she was 15 months, but talked in full sentences before she was 2.
Relax..you have a perfect daughter, because she is YOURS. Whatever she grows up to be will be wonderful. STOP stressing and enjoy her babyhood, enjoy her babble. I adore hearing baby babble and am sorry when they start making sense.Record those wonderful sounds, you wont ever be able to recapture them.

My son is 14 months old and is doing the exact same things as yours. Relax! It's still quite young to expect them to actually talk. My neighbors daughter down the street who is 2.5 years old is just learning as well. I personally think you have nothing to worry about. They're still just babies! L.

I wouldn't worry too much. My mom said I didn't talk till i was 3 and haven't stopped since, lol. My younger one liked purple and called it blue, children develop at different times, and it's not all bad, if there is nothing wrong, just be patient. Also, when my younger one babbled, my older one translated. I always said the word correctly if I knew what she was trying to say. She is now teaching in So. Africa and going to grad school in the spring.

Hi A.,

I love that you care so much about your daughter's language development! I am a speech pathologist and wanted to assure you that 15 words at 13 months is great. Children typically have words like "da" or "ga" that represent more than one word because they aren't able to make the distinctions for so many different words. Kids typically start out with a word made from a consonant+vowel and leave off ending sounds. They will come later.

Now is the time to really encourage her verabalizations. When she says,"kkk" for duck then you say, "Yes!!! that is a duck" and emphasize the correct way to say it. NEVER correct her but model the right way to say things and she will eventually imitate you the best she can.

I have a blog and articles that should be helpful to you at my website www.playonwords.com. Just use the search button to look up "toddler language" or whatever you want.

Good luck and e-mail me if you have any other questions.

Best,

S. Artemenko MA-CCC,SLP

I think you're worrying WAY too ...much! All babies do things at different times. My son is 2 1/2 and he talks like he's 15 years old. Other 2 1/2 year olds don't talk nearly as much. But they can jump with both feet off the ground and my son cannot. Am I worried...no. He'll learn how to jump eventually. My 10 month old isn't crawling yet. Not worried...he'll do it in time.
If I were you, I would stop comparing your child to other children and let her go at her own pace.

good morning, My children all did things at different times Right now I have a 17 month old granddaughter whom only say hi mamma dadda and total gibberish with everything else, children will develope when they want to and we cant hurry them. As much as we would like to get them to do everything early and be giftedwith speech , soon you wiill be sayingI cant believe I was so worried about her not talking because she never stops talking, so it just depends on them. Also does she need to talk or does everyone run when she points or grunts that is a factor also. so I would say she is normal and don't worry. My second child never walked until he was 15 months old because he didnt need to we did everything for him and my third took off walking at 9 months so as I said each child is different

my daughter is going to be three in september. her speech isn't as it should be. i was abale to get a hold of a program called birth to three. they came out and saw my daughter and have been providing speech theraphy for two month now and she is getting much better. the number for them is 800-505-7000. give them a call maybe they and advise you on what to do. but i wouldn't worry. once they start talking they won't stop.

HI A.,

First I'd like to say that when it comes to your kids don't ever think you worry too much. Go with what your gut tells you. I've always thought that it is better to error on the side of the child. I questioned my sons eating when he was first starting to eat solid foods. He would not eat/try any of the "normal" foods like cheerios,bagels etc. He would only eat baby food. I kept asking the doctor and he said "don't worry,he will when he is ready". Then at about 18-20months my husband and I questioned how many words he had that we could understand. He had alot to say,but was hard to understand them alot. Again the doctor said he is probably a late talker but if we wanted we could get him tested. Thank god we when with our gut and did not just wait and see. He ended up having a 48% speech delay at 2years old. He has gotten speech and OT for the food issues. As that turns out he also has SPD(sensory processing disorder). The fact that he wouldn't eat anything but baby food should have been the first clue to the doctor.Unfortunatly for all our kids ,doctors are just starting to learn about SPD as an issue that needs to be worked/helped with. My son is now 5 and is starting kindergarten in September. He will still be getting speech and OT. His speech is better than it was,but he still needs help. The food issues due to the SPD are still a HUGE stuggle and I get frustrated and very upset with it.He has such a limited list of foods he will eat. Anyway....I hope I have helped you ,even alittle. You can always contact me and we can talk if you want to. Just remember that if you question something with your child, don't stop asking until you are happy with the answer. Go with your gut and you will know you did all that you can do for them.

G. H. :-)

I'm calling my boy a late talker, he had some words, but did the same thing as your daughter, they all sounded the same. i tried to have someone see him from ear;y intervention when he was about 16 months old and they wouldn't even schedule an appt. they said they should have 5-10 words by 18 months even if they all sound the same. my son is now 2 yrs old and is finally saying lots of words and communicating very well. if someone is willing to see your child, then go ahead, but it is probably nothing.

Don't worry. She sounds like she's just fine. If she's not then I have problems my daughter is sixteen months and her words all sound similar. She also didn't start saying words til about 14 months. Doc said he wanted three words in context by 15 months I was starting to get a little worried but then she got a bunch of them. Most of them do sound similar like ball and boat. She's right on.

Hi A.-Your daughter sounds alot like my little girl who is just about twenty months. You say your daughter has about 15 words....that's great.! And the fact that she uses the same word or sound for a few things, well that's ok too. I have known several children who barely said boo before the age two. The importatnt thing to remember is that all kids develop at different paces. My older son said his first word at 9 months (it was balloon clear as day) and was speaking three word sentences by 18 mos. It sounds like you little one is doing just fine. Although I have heard of kids with a history of ear infections having a harder time with speech development. Take care, A.

Hi A.! I too am 41 and had my first and only son 2 years ago. At 13 months, he just babbled and it continued until he was about 23 months. Everyone kept saying, "he's a boy, it'll take time," but the mom in me felt differently. Well, we had his hearing tested and then a speech eval. -- turns out he has a speech delay. Now at 2 yrs-old, he is receiving speech therapy 5 times a week for 30 minutes a day. My husband and I have seen a big difference. Not only does he say Mama 7 Dada, but he is attempting others words, something he had not done b/4. The ST told us to practice consonant sounds with him, also signing has helped tremendously. Signing is not the means to an end, b/c he is not deaf, but when you sign along with the word, it helps. Also, we found that alot of repeating helps. Also, we sound out the vowel sounds by letting him "pound" his drum! As a mom, I say, go with your heart, get her evaluated and pray. Your baby girl will be fine! Keep me posted.
-M.

My 13 month does the same exact thing, maybe less. I wasn't worried, should I be? he is the 3rd child so everyone talks for him.
Let me know how you make out!

Hi, In a nut shell. My son didn't really talk until he was around 2 1/2 years old. He hasn't stopped since. Unless something medical comes up that the doctors discover in all your testing of your daughter, be patient. She will talk when she is ready. And PLEASE do not compare your daughter to other children. They/we are all different. You shouldn't even compare one sibling to another. :), A.

This sounds pretty normal. Words are not often clearly understood by others besides the parents for a long time in the beginning. I would not get concerned yet. Many kids take a while to talk, and the fact that she has words and understands when you speak to her and she can respond means that she is getting it. Wait and if you still think she is behind at 2, then I would think more about getting some speech therapy. At this age I really think it is a waste of money. You can get the same outcome by just talking to her, reading books, pointing out the names of things in everyday life.

hello A.-i am an slp and a mom of a 2 and half year old--first thing is ---remember there are individual differences amongst children-what one 13 month old may do another may not etc etc.
Some children at this age produce one word utterances-others do not. As long as she is producing the sounds she hears, and imitation skills are emerging, there is no rigid schedule to speech and language devt that says she must have 15 words at this age-my daughter who is now 2 and a half did not talk at 13 months-only produced some sounds-less than your little one and now Lillian speaks more than some 3 year olds. She narrates stories etc. Please write again if you need more help but clearly this sounds ok---for now. Watch out for imitation skills and differentiated babbling that calls for Consonant vowel consonant combinations too.

Hi A.
your daughter should be using about 5 true words at her age
and should attempt to use voice as well as gestures when she wants something. She should understand new words each week and have the abilitly to focus for about 2 minutes while looking at pictures as they are namend.
If you see a difference in her language and speech development when you compare her to other girls her age you have a wonderful resource available to you called Early Intervention. It is run through the department of health and of no cost to you. THe services are excellent! I am an EI SLP. You can contact early intervention with your concerns and they will come and test her. I would be more concerned with her ability to understand language and her ability to communicate with you (other than speech) and not just her word production.
good luck
A.