Speech Development - Should We Be Concerned?

For you own sake and sanity please do not compare your child to other children. My son did not speak until he was 2 1/2 years old and now he is extremly smart and is gifted in science and math. My daughter spoke at 1 year old and read at 4 and she is an average child in school. Most of the kids caught up with her and some surpassed her. So please do not compare....your child will catch up sooner or later. Now that my children are 12 and 14 I look back and saw how it is so easy to compare and wonder if your child is going to be a prodagy. Be happy when they grow up and they become respectful to all as well as having great social skills and beacome leaders in their group. That is very important that have have these skills as well as academic skills too. Teach them well in all aspects and your children will flurish and become great human beings

I would talk to your pedatrician. my nephew had a speech delay. He only said two words at 18 months. There is free help out there for kids with delayed speech. They even come to your house. It is through the couty. I would talk to your doctor and see what they think.

K.,

I wouldn't worry. Just remember that all children develop at different rates! My son, who is now 3 1/2, didn't really start talking until he was 2. Similar to your situation, a girlfriend of mine had a son only 11 days older than mine and he was speaking in full, clear sentences at 2! He also started walking 3 months before my son. But you know what? My son is just where he should be for a 3-year old now. I don't worry about him at all.

Try to enjoy her while she is little because they grow up way too fast. Make notes of the funny things she says or ways she pronounces words and someday you, your husband, and she can laugh about it. :)

-J.

find a early interventon program in you area and have them test your child for speech problems. my son now 5 was not talking at age 2 he said very few words, he had a speech delay i contacted Infant Stimulation in my are also know as early intervension. He still has speech problems because his Dr kept saying that here was nothing to worry about. He recieves speech in school and is catching up. My 14 month old isnt talkin at all but i caught his problems early and he is getting caught up..

I would have her checked out she could have a wax build up in her ears and is not hearing very well.. By two they should be talking in simple sentences like want juice or mom here....my daughter is now three and she didn't really talk at two her ears were backed up with fluid and wax but she also has behavior issue and odd behaviors and they think she is autistic I am still not totally sure on that yet but after i had her hearing checked and fix she started talking alot more...it doesn't hurt to be sure.

Friends of ours had the same problem .They started to teach their daughter sign language in the mean time , and she picked it up right away ! Also shortly there after she started to talk more ,but now also uses signing to help her comunicate !

Hi, K.!
Oh my heavens, relax. Grace is doing just fine. Remember "Walk by one, talk by two?" That just means using words, not reciting the Gettysburg address. Don't mean to sound sarcastic ... just don't want you to worry. We moms are soooo h*** o* ourselves, especially the first time around.

If you need an expert opinion, check with your pediatrician at Grace's next checkup. Mine had a list of developmental milestones to check off at each well-baby visit. I'm sure you'll find out that Grace is well within the bounds of normal.

Two more thoughts to reassure you:
1) Precocious children don't necessarily keep up their advantage, i.e., children who develop certain skills earlier (speaking, reading) may not always be high achievers in school.
2) Children who develop "normally" -- that is, in the same time periods as everybody else -- may later do very well in school. My kids weren't baby Einsteins, just happy and healthy, and they have both tested as gifted and read well above their grade level.

Enjoy Grace!

W.

Hi K.,

My middle son had speech difficulties when he was 2. (This was my experience) I started to worry too as my 2 older children didn't have any problems and were talking by that age. My dr. said that with each additional child, it takes a little longer for them to talk as we didn't necessarily force the issue of speech. Meaning...if he would cry or grunt, pointing at something we would automatically just figure out what he needed and gave it to him. And not reinforce it with speech...like not saying this is a cup and then have him try and repeat it) BUT, that didn't reassure me. I had a gut feeling that there may be more to it. My son suffered chronic ear infections up until the age of 2 1/2. Never occured to me that this could effect his speech development...and my dr. really didn't tell me this could be a factor. With ear infections, everything the child hears sounds distorted. So when he was going thru that crucial stage where he was learning speech, he didn't hear things correctly or if at all. As it has been described to me it's like hearing things under water. Once we got the ear infections under control, I had him tested by the state(Project Connect) to see if he was considered to have a speech delay. They were very helpful in determining that he was delayed and was able to provide speech therapy services. I saw drastic improvement in his speech the first month of therapy. I don't know if she has any similarities to my son but I would first discuss any concerns with your pediatrican. They should be able to point you in the right direction. And if not, look into the state programs to get her tested for speech delays...I found them to be very helpful. Good luck!

Hi K., I can understand your concern, but as you stated, all kids do develop differently. I have 3 children and all were different when it came to development, I had one son who talked in full sentances before 2, another that didn't talk much until he was 3 and my last child who people always say talk early because of having older siblings didn't develop alot of speech by age 3 but really started speaking well by age 4. so don't beat yourself up. she is probably talented in other areas where other children are not.

Hi K.! My son will be 3 in April and has a cousin who turned 3 at the beginning of February. We were worried for the longest time because no one but me could understand what my son was saying (I spend most of the time with him). His cousing, however, has a huge vocabulary and speaks clear as a bell. At his 2 year appointment, I asked the ped about his speech. She said as long as you can understand 50% of what they say at this age, then it is okay. I don't think I can describe the difference that a year makes. There are still something that strangers can't understand, but my son orders for himself in restraunts and can strike up a full conversation with someone who has never met him or heard him talk. I wouldn't be concerned at all. If next year comes and your are still noticing the problem, I would talk to you doctor. Just wait, now that my son is going, he talks your ear off! :-)

Hi K.,

My first question is are these children in school/daycare during the day. That makes a HUGE difference in how there speech works. I wouldn't worry, my daughter has been talking alot since she found her voice as a baby, and my niece who is the same age started much later, now they seem to be on the same level since they all started preschool.

I have a son that is almost 2 and he isn't talking in sentences yet either. I would talk to the doctor if you are really concerned but i don't think there is anything to worry about. Most health departments do testing to see if children are at the level for their age group and if they aren't they provide services for speech. My oldest son has speech problems and started speech at the age of 3.He will be 6 on sunday and he still takes speech at school.

L. R

I would talk it over with your Dr.. My son has gone through the same thing but it is to long of a story.. He gets therapy 1 time a week and is doing wonderful. I am so glad I discussed it with my Dr.. If you are really concerned, you are his mother and you know best, talk to his Dr.

i have a son who turned 2 in november. he was a little speach delayed. he didn't even say his first word until he was 16monthes. i was VERY worried about him and afraid that he wouldn't catch up to others. it seemed when he tured 2 there was a GREAT improvment in his speach. it's like a new woord EVERY day. and he is starting to put small sentences together. and yes he still has a lot of "jargon" and says things that i don't understand. he has a cousin that is only 3 monthes older then him and she is running around talking in FULL sentences and her words are VERY clear. i got worried too. my doctor however was NOT. he told me that it wsa VERY normal and as long as they are reaching their milestones for their age there is nothing to worry about. like you said all children do it in their own time. so i have let go of being worried about it. but if you do have worries there is never any harm in talking to her doctor. i hope that was of some help.
L.

Dear K.,
My name is S. I am 29 years old and a mother of three age ranging in 10, 4 and 2. Yes they all go at different rates but my first question is do you have any other kids? The only reason I ask is because I found that my 4 year old talks for my 2 year old and she didn't talk much until recently. Now that he goes to school she can express herself alot more. she doesn't have full sentences yet either but short phrases. She does not go to Daycare and I think if she did her sentence structure would be greater but I don't work. If there are other children remind them to let her speak and to tell you what she wants and make her tell you. Example:She says "juice" you say "which one" and it will teach her to explain and broaden her vocabulary. If you are still concerened ask your doctor to me though it sounds as if she is on her own pace.
Sincerely
S.

I am an early childhood teacher, so I wanted to respond to your request. No, do not be concerned. Children develop at different rates, as you said. If her future pre-school or kindergarten teachers are concerned, they will request a speech/hearing screening from a specialist. Her progress sounds fine for a two year old.