29 answers

Worried About Son Not Speaking Yet

My almost 16 month old is not really saying any words yet. He will babble "mama" and "dada" and make a "t" sound for toast, but does not say mama or dada to us. From what I have read most children his age are at least saying a few words by now and relating "mama" and "dada" to the person. I just received an email about autism and it just kind of spooked me a little. He has by far met all other milestones. Just wondering if anyone else has a child who started talking a little later than normal and if anyone has any suggestions on how to encourage him to speak more. We read books, I tell him what things are repeatedly, not sure what else to do. I appreciate any input.

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Featured Answers

Hi S.,
My oldest son did not speak until a little over two. He did say mamma & dadda and a few other words. Looking back now I realize that he would point to things and I would say oh you want a cookie or whatever and he would smile. I never let him try to say the word. We had him tested and he was above where he needed to be for fine motor and gross motor skills. His pediatrician was not concerned. He said some children don't talk until they have something to say. Boy was he right. At about 24 months my son started speaking full sentences and has not stopped yet - some days he doesn't even take a breather! He is now 9. I hope this helps you a little.

C.

1 mom found this helpful

I would not worry too much if no other symptoms. My little girl was the same way and she started talking around 2. She has never stopped. It will come.

1 mom found this helpful

I gained custody of my grandson when he was 18 months old and he didn't talk either, mainly mommom and dada was about all that he could say. I took him to a pediatrician and he referred him to a hearing specialist and they both said they couldn't see why he wasn't talking at the time. I had birth to three come in and work with him and we had a speech therapist come in also. By the time he was 3 though he just started talking and we can't get him to be quiet now, it's like he is making up for lost time. He is 7 now. The only suggestion I have is if you haven't taken him to a hearing specialist, you might consider it for he may have hearing problems, other than that, he'll start talking when he feels like it. Also, I read to him and worked on his ABC's and had blocks and would tell him what the letter was and sound and would get him to try to say what it was

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

Hi S.,

Just wanted to throw another thought out there for you. BUT it is also based on whether or not other milestones are being met ok?
When my youngest was born, he scored a 10 on his apgar. But, as time went on, I started noticing things like not speaking during that "normal" age range. Not walking at the normal range etc etc. Not being able (as he got older) to write anything that was legible, and not being able to REMEMBER how to tie his shoes.He was still needing training wheels (big ones) when he was 7/8. Anyway, All of the teachers used to tell me not to worry that he would get things in his own time. But because he was not my first, I KNEW something was not right. By 3rd grade, the academic pressure built up to a level that my son was falling behind because he kept FORGETTING and handing in sloppy work. We had our son assessed and were told that our son is Dyspraxic, or has Dyspraxia.
Part of the assessment involves taking into consideration if the child spoke on time walked on time etc. testing their balance, and giving them memory tests.
Being Dyspraxic still makes life a little harder for him but at least we know what we are dealing with.
His balance improved to the point that we were able to remove his training wheels this past summer (he was 11) he requires speech therapy twice a week, uses a keyboard for extensive writing in school (because it hurts him to hold a pencil correctly)and being given extra time to complete assignments (because of his memory issues) Dyspraxics are highly intelligent but cannot retain what they are taught all of the time. It really is a double edged sword.
Dyspraxia is also not the first thing looked for since not many people are knowledgable about it, including some doctors. Just wanted to make sure that you were aware that it could be something other than autism.

Good luck to you!

3 moms found this helpful

Hi S.,
We had a similar problem with my son. He was 19 months old and still wasn't forming 2 word sentences, and also had a very limited vocabulary. I got all freaked out when I saw on tv that was one of the early indicators of autism. Of course, you should always ask your pediatrician. But it was nothing to worry about for us. He is 2 1/2 now and he still doesn't speak as clearly as others his age, but I just think his language is developing more slowly than it did for my other kids. I think he will just not be very strong in language skills. But he is more advanced in some other areas, his large and fine motor skills have devoloped greatly. You are doing all the right things, just be patient, he'll come along in his own time. We moms tend to always compare our kids with other kids, but I've had to learn to let that go a little and let each of my kids develop in their own time into the person God made them to be. But do, just to be sure, check with your pediatrician and make sure that his hearing is OK, etc. Hope that helps!

B.

1 mom found this helpful

Hello! As you know.... I will start off by saying every child is soooo different and all children talk and progress at their own pace... All I can tell you is from my own experience... it is not to scare you but just to inform you... i wish i had someone to tell me this at the time... my daughter is now 4 years old and DOES have Autism. She met every milestone on time and was a completely typical HAPPY little girl until it came tim to speak.. she never really started talking she ouwld say mamma and dada but that is it.. she never waived or did any other little gestures or communications that other children her age were doing... BUT THAT ALONE DOES NOT DIAGNOSE AUTISM... do you notice any other things your child is doing... does he have any repetitive behavoirs? does he line up his toys or play with them not in the way they were intended to be played with??? there are alot of other things to look for... WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS... if your child only has a speech delay i would definatley keep a close eye on it but i wouldnt be overly concerned with autism.... you can always take him to a ped. neurologist to ease your mind. good luck and let me know if i can asnwer any more questions...

1 mom found this helpful

One of the big signs of autism is if a child isn't pointing at things by one year of age, so if your son points that is good. Also, autistic kids don't keep eye contact with other people. My nephew has autism. My own son was late talking, and at the time they didn't do any special testing until they were three years old and not talking much, at which time he was evaluated and then had 6 months of speech therapy when he was three which helped tremendously. Sometimes that is all one needs to do, but talking late can be an indication of other issues. It turned out my son has very mild Tourette's Syndrome, and while his tics are extremely minor, he had a vocal tic where he repeated some of the sounds in words. He had speech therapy in kindergarten too, and that vocal tic is gone. We found that learning disabilities went along with Tourette's, and he qualified for extra help at school. He is very smart though, and once he was able to overcome the learning disabilities he did very well, and tested into the gifted program and has been getting straight A's in school. I tell you this because he has been a success story when we had been very worried about him, and so if it turns out that your son talks late and there are some issues, I would encourage you to get help and know that he can do really well.

1 mom found this helpful

I gained custody of my grandson when he was 18 months old and he didn't talk either, mainly mommom and dada was about all that he could say. I took him to a pediatrician and he referred him to a hearing specialist and they both said they couldn't see why he wasn't talking at the time. I had birth to three come in and work with him and we had a speech therapist come in also. By the time he was 3 though he just started talking and we can't get him to be quiet now, it's like he is making up for lost time. He is 7 now. The only suggestion I have is if you haven't taken him to a hearing specialist, you might consider it for he may have hearing problems, other than that, he'll start talking when he feels like it. Also, I read to him and worked on his ABC's and had blocks and would tell him what the letter was and sound and would get him to try to say what it was

1 mom found this helpful

Don't worry too much about him not speaking yet. I have three boys (age 9, 5 and 3) and the 9 and 5 year old started to speak late but now their speech is appropriate for their age. My oldest was 2 and a half when he started to speak and my 5 year old was 4 years old but then he started speak fluently. Just keep reading to him and speak to him a lot and he will eventually start talking and will never stop again.

1 mom found this helpful

My oldest boy, now twelve, didn't say his first sentence until shortly after he turned three. Until then, he would say mom, dad, and other words to get things he wanted, but that was pretty much it. I too worked with him continuously. Just like you, I was concerned there was something wrong.

As soon as he started school, I made sure to get him into the speech program. I couldn't believe how quickly he progressed! After only four months of speech, you couldn't even tell he'd had any problems. He hasn't needed speech therapy since. With him, it was simply delayed speech. He's a completely normal twelve year old boy.

Though your little boy's speech issue may simply be a matter of children doing things at different paces, as with my son, it never hurts to mention it to the pediatrician.

1 mom found this helpful

S.,

other things to look at in context are: does he interact? does he point? and make himself understood using sign language and body language? does he understand and respond to what you are saying? does he react to noises?
If either one of these are not the case, you should definitely discuss it with the pediatrician and have further evaluation done.

But it may just be their personality, too. My two boys only had a VERY limited 'vocabulary' that mostly consisted of baby words like choo-choo and such, until 3 years and 2 3/4 years respectively. However, when they started speaking they started with a bang, with 4 and 5 word sentences.

The older one had some pronunciation problems of a few sounds, but with some practicing he outgrew that soon enough. We did not have speech therapy, simply because it was not that severe that we felt he needed it, and it was not suggested to us. It might have gone faster with professional help, but we managed on our own. We have always read a lot to them, every night for about 30 minutes, and often during the day at least that much. Both have grown to be avid readers, with a huge vocabulary, are very well able to express themselves verbally, and have been on the honor roll all their school carriers, and they're 8th and 11th grade now...
So starting to speak late certainly was no problem for them.

Back then I did discuss it with the pediatrician, and since they are able to do all these things I mentioned above, she recommended to just give it time.

1 mom found this helpful

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