18 Month Old Stuck on Speaking the Same Words

Updated on May 05, 2009
C.C. asks from Lake Forest, CA
23 answers

My daughter can say clearly about 6 words-mom, daddy, doggie, bird, juice and bad dog (she does know that it is when he is a bad dog). She has been saying these same words since she turned about 12 months. She seems to understand a lot of things and can point to things in picture books, but cannot say other words. We read to her a lot too. Is this normal? When does speech develop more?

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J.W.

answers from San Diego on

One day she will begin to talk and you will hear all the words she has stored up and ready. It's ok, she will talk when she is ready, that little brain is working hard to grow.

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J.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

From my experience, a lot of kids have a language explosion somewhere between 18mos and 2 years. It just happens. She doesn't sound like she's doing anything "off target". My friend's son still grunted and pointed to everything at age two. He's 4 now and perfectly normal.

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G.Y.

answers from San Diego on

I am a mom of 5 and also I babysit. I have a child in my care, an adorable 2 year old girl. She also didn't say much for quite awhile. She turned two in December. This past month she started to say everything all at once. Now we can't keep her quiet. :) Children all progress at different stages. Do not worry, it will come in her time, not yours. I know we think they just aren't getting it, but they are. Give it time. She will be a motormouth soon enough. LOL

1 mom found this helpful
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G.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I agree. It may just take her longer than the norm. When she wants something, just keep telling her the word. Try to make it a game or sing a song with it...she does not care if you made it up or something like that as long it is fun for the two of you. I use to do that alot with my kids...they thought it was fun. I would get a tune from some other song and put my own words to it and make it silly and fun but they came along as time went on. But if you see her regressing backwards then you should ask your peds doc. But 4 now she is fine... try those things. Or there are little kids movies that do the same thing every once in awhile you could put on 4 her to hear or see. Good luck

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B.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Early Intervention teacher talking: The rule of thumb is Mama, Dada, and one other word by 12 months, one word per month of age by 20 months, and putting two or three words together to make little phrases or sentences by 24 months. I am not sure "Bad dog" counts as a phrase because she may be using it as one word. So I would be concerned about only six words, and the lack of growth to new words. Keep up the receptive (pointing at things you name) skills, and consider a free assessment throught the Regional Center System to see if she qualifies for free Early Intervention services. A teacher will come to your home once or twice a week and work on developing her language skills, and may refer her for a Speech eval (for additional services, such as a speech pathologist, which you would likely have to see in her office), if warranted. Intake for Inland Regional Center is ###-###-#### (ask for intake). If in another county, ask your ped. for the number. You don't need a referral, you can self=refer. Often if the problem is speech only, it can be resolved before the child ages out of the program (3 years old). If it is something more, the earlier you start intervention, the better the results.

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D.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

i was worried about my son and so was my friend..both not talking much..then another friend that has an older son said..just wait..til right after he turns 2.5 years old..and she was right all of a sudden he was saying all kinds of words..now he's 3 years old and is just gabbing away..sings songs..makes up funny names for his stuffed animals ..we make up bedtime stories together and he helps come up w/ parts..just give her time..i bought dvd's that specialized in vocabulary..Brainy Baby are great u can rent them on Netflix

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P.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

By the time a child is 18 months they should have approx. 50 words and use them unprompted. But let's not worry at the moment. Keep reading and encouraging her to repeat the words. Watch the way she chews her foods she needs a full rotary jaw movement. Also, do some exercises with her like singing, have her blow bubbles (helps the muscles), play roll the cotton ball (have her blow through a straw and try to move the cotton ball). See if these things don't help. If by her second birthday things haven't changed then it might be time for an assessment through a regional center.

Penny Amic
CEO Special Beginnings Inc.
###-###-####

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Barbara L. gave some good information.
Via the free services in my town, my son is receiving "speech therapy." This program is provided in each state.

But keep in mind, speech develops differently in each child, with boys usually being slower in talking.

I would not worry about your daughter, if her pediatrician is not.
Bear in mind, that PERFECT articulation of words/talking is developed over time... not instantaneously. Because their mouth/sounds coordination has to develop too.

If her cognition and understanding of whatever you are saying is appropriate for her age, then that is good. OFTEN, a child's understanding of what is said, precedes their actual "ability" to talk. Even "babbling" or singing is a precursor to "talking." This is per my son's Speech Therapist.

If you want to know CONCRETELY about your daughter's status for her speech development, the only way is to get her assessed....for which Barbara L. gave you the information.
And they can also give you pertinent ways in which to assist your child.

There is nothing wrong with seeing a Speech Therapist... if as a Mom you want to get a concrete answer. For me, I decided to go ahead with it, because at 19-20 months old, my son was not saying much, but his cognition is ahead. They do an OVERALL developmental assessment... and my son was not found to have any "clinical" problems with his development and was even advanced in some areas. Still, I decided to have the Speech Therapy because it is "free"... and I as Mom wanted to learn techniques to help my son. He REALLY loves his speech therapy and it encouraged him to feel real proud of his progress. And he feels so much more initiative to talk. I have seen great progress in him. With the program there is no "pressure" upon you or the child, and you can quit at any time. And along with his age, he is making great strides, both a result of the Speech Therapy and per his natural development. So its a combination of things and factors. My son however, is "bi-lingual." So, this plays a factor into his "talking" development overall.

Again, each child is different. But as a Mom, don't compare your child to others, but go by your gut... if you feel something is a concern, there is no harm in exploring it or wanting to get answers. This is my attitude about it. My Hubby as well, is "glad" that I took initiative about this, and we are all glad about my son's talking situation. We have ALL learned good things about it and gained knowledge. Versus just speculating about it.

All the best,
Susan

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S.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have a theory- you are a SAHM so she really only needs to communicate with one person (you) to get her needs met... and as mommies we are SO tuned in with our kids needs. Especially since you spend so much time with her, she probably doesn't need to do much more than get your attention (mom!) or ask for a drink now and then(juice) I am guessing she says "NO" too when she doesn't want something? If not you are lucky she hasn't learned that one yet! Otherwise you are probably sensing what she needs before even she does, so she rarely has to vocalize.

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J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

yes thats normal. with in the next couple months you should see a vocab jump. its good she understands a lot of what you say to her. thats really good. she may just be having a little trouble forming the words to tell you. i wouldnt be worried at all. my daughter said about 20 words (which is above average) from 12 months to about 18 months then she had a huge vocab jump and said over 130 words now shes 2 and says around 200 and 2-5 word sentences. which is still advance for her age.
what i would suggest is to continue talking to her. point to pictures of animals and say the sound - kitty goes meow etc. good luck!

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M.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I would try your best not to worry. I know it's hard. If you really think there may be a problem, it can't hurt to get her evaluated. I would call Regional Services. They will come to your house, listen to your concerns, and evaluate your child. If they think she may need a boost they will have her evaluated by a speech therapist and see what they recommend - and if they agree she could benefit from therapy then they will enroll her in a program and the best part is... IT'S FREE to you from the state until her 3rd birthday. My son went through the program. He had absolutely NO words at 18 months. They got him talking and now he has perfect pronunciation. They really did a wonderful job for him with only 1 hour of therapy a week. I was amazed! The only thing I would rule out is your daughter's hearing. As it turns out, my son had fluid behind his eardrums that made everything he heard sound as though it was under water and that is what slowed his learning of speech down. The fluid was almost gone by the time we started therapy and they were able to get him up to speed very quickly.
Wish you all the best. Good luck.

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V.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

I completely understand your concerns because I had the same ones. At my son's 2yr doctor's appointment the doctor was even suprised he was not speaking more. That was in September and then one day in October, my son sat down at the table and proceeded to have a full conversation with me. Overnight he decided to share all the words he had been holding in! The more I told this story to friends with kids the all said the same thing, overnight they go from saying nothing to chatty Cathy so don't worry! Good luck! For my niece it happened about 20 months, girls are a little earlier!

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M.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Different kids develop at different rates. My son said his first real word at his 18 mo appointment. He had about two dozen words by his second birthday a few weeks ago. Now all of a sudden he is learning at least one word a day. Usually girls have their language explosion between 18-24 mo, but all kids are different. You shouldn't go by any "rule of thumb". On the other hand, just because kids develop at different rates doesn't mean that some don't have delays. If you are concerned, call your local regional center.

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S.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

At my son's 18 month appointment, the pediatrician highly recommended contacting the regional center to have him evaluated for speech delay since he only has two words. Each county in California has one and the services are FREE. It's been a long process - our final meeting is tomorrow to talk about the in depth evaluation that was performed and to schedule his first therapy session - about six weeks so far. I'm not worried about my son - and wouldn't worry about your daughter - but I want to give him all the help I can. To those that have told me that I should just wait-and-see, he'll likely be fine, I only say what the therapists at the evaluation said... that at two years of age, they start to realize they're not communicating like their peers and often act out through agressive behavior and temper tantrums since they don't have any other way to communicate. That if you wait to bring them in until after that, it's even harder to help since now you've got to correct the bad behavior, too. Makes sense to me. If you're in OC, the number is ###-###-####. I'm not sure if you need a referral or not, since we had one. Best of luck to you and your daughter!

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H.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

As you can see from other responses, children vary. My first son had a 10 word vocabulary at 2 years...and those included cook-cook for cookie, trac-trac for the toy tractor, a slurping sound for water when he was thirsty. After two his vocabulary started to increase.

My second son hardly said a word and then suddenly started speaking in sentences.

I think too many people rush off to speech therapists. You are doing the right thing...working with books and saying lots of words for her. Give her some more time...suddenly you will not be able to keep her quiet:)

H.

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K.M.

answers from Reno on

C C

I have been where you are now. My youngest used to grunt and point, until I had to make him speak. I caught him playing with his cousins and speaking normally, if you want sneak up on her while she is playing and observe her with her friends. If she is speaking with her play time friends then make your daughter ask for what she wants instead of giving her what she wants when she points. She will catch on, don't worry. Good Luck.

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C.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

completely normal. Wait till she is 2 to 2.5 before you worry.

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C.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

My daughter is the same age and I found it very helpful to use sign language with her. She started signing lots of words that she couldn't say, and I think it helped all of us feel better. In fact, there was a "jump" in her sign language too- she started very slowly then suddenly picked it up. We started her several months ago, but your daughter is much older and may pick up on it more quickly. Research seems to suggest that signing helps them develop verbal skills.

L.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

CC,
It's so individual as to when they will begin speaking, or speaking more. My daughter was fully talking for 14 months and able to put together 4-6 word sentences by 19 mos. However, my niece is 29 months and just now starting to say more words (maybe 15), but not necessarily putting sentences together. So it totally varies. What we did was purchase a picture book of 100 things, animals, etc. And we worked on that together quite a bit. By 14 months, she could point to most items in the book when asked, "Where is the ball?" or "Where is the duck?" etc. I think that helped enormously. Good luck and don't worry!!

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K.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

It is so different for every child. My son only had 4 words at 18 months and didn't really start speaking until after he turned 2. He is going to be 4 next month and is speech is amazing. My daughter is 20 months and is also stuck on a few words even though she has said more at certain times. It will all come, just keep reading and talking!

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C.J.

answers from Honolulu on

My now 3 year old spoke at around 13 mo. and took off from there so I was worried at that age when my now 19 mo. old didn't do the same thing.. he had the typical words like your daughter speaks.. well at his 18 mo. check up the pediatrician said as long as you can open a book and ask them to point to the things you ask for ex: cat, dog, fish, apple etc. they should be fine.. also if they can point to there basic body parts as well. We just went to disneyland with the lil' one only knowing the basic words and by the time the trip was over now he can repeat almost everything we ask him to say. The whole 45 min. drive to the airport he kept saying "happy, happy, happy!" It was soooo cute and a welcomed new word. Don't worry.. they grow too fast! Enjoy the non-speaking phase as you will sometimes miss it when they start to talk back!

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T.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

At your 18 mo. check-up, the ped should be asking how many words she is saying - he or she can advise you whether or not this is an issue for concern.

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M.C.

answers from Honolulu on

My daughter did the SAME THING. She even cut down the words she was saying to just 2 words and she used them for everything. I followed the advice of random people and put her through medical procedures to check her hearing, did some speech therapy, etc. and she started talking in "full sentences" when she was about 26 months old. She is 7 now and I now understand that it is her personality. She is a perfectionist, so she just wanted to make sure she had the whole thing straight in her brain before she started talking. One thing that was very helpful was using sign language with her. It is very easy to do, just pick up a book on baby sign language and start with just a few words - the ones that cause the most frustration. For us, it was "eat", "milk" and "help" that we started with. Even just a few signs will make your life easier. If you are concerned about it, you can have her evaluated by your state early intervention agency (ask your pediatrician for a referral) for free. But in our case, my daughter was fine, she just wasn't in the mood to talk.

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