2 Yr Old Doesn't Talk Yet...

hi. my daughter was the same way and i ended up putting her in speech. we just did 3 sessions and it was wonderful. BUT honestly looking back it was very expensive and probably not necessary. he will come around and then you will say i wish i had a moment of silence. gook luck.

Hi C.,
As a director of a children's fitness center we see a lot of kids. Each progress in their own time, I have noticed boys tend progress with the verbal slower than girls, and children that have less social interaction with kids their age tend to talk a little longer as well. I say this because we have moms come in for classes all the time with similar concerns. Also if he points at things or makes a sound and someone gets what he wants then in his eyes why put the extra effort to verbalize his wants. I use to work with a non-verbal, low functioning autistic child and she knew just how much she could get away with and do just that. Sometimes either socializing them more or bringing them out of their comfort zone can be just the key to get the ball rolling.

He is definitely delayed and it should be explored - I had the same problem with my daughter and the state has a program that you can go through that does not cost anything (I couldn't afford the speech evaluations/therapy) - she was speaking more than you described by 2 but was still considered delayed b/c she had articulation issues. After they rule out physical barriers they will likely offer free speech therapy to get him on track.

Ignore her, he's fine. You know from your first child that is the case, just try to blow off her comments. If things don't change by the time he is 2.5, you can look into it more.

Don't let your mother in law influence your decision too much, but I would at least speak with your pediatrician & see if they feel your son needs to be referred for an evaluation. My daughter is 6 & is in language/speech therapy, but the reason for her delays was hearing loss due to persistent ear infections. A relative of mine had a similar situation with her son & his tongue had to be clipped...he hasn't shut up since lol. It could be a number of things, or it could just be he has nothing to say. Talk to his doctor either way. You're the mom, not her.

C., the best thing you can do for him is to take him to a speech therapist and have him evaluated. Speech delay is often a red flag for other things. And early invervention is the key! He could have an expressive language delay.

Your mother in law is right in being concerned. Don't waste time....get him evaluated. It certainly doesn't cause harm to have him evaluated. Will give you peace of mind at the least and be the best thing for him, if indeed there is a problem. Boys tend to have more developmental and other issues than girls so don't compare him to your daughter or anyone else.

He's a late bloomer. Ask MIL to read to him more often. And chill. When he gets through this stage he won't STOP talking!!!

My son, my first child, didn't talk until he was three. He started out normal enough but stopped at about nine words. He seemed to understand what was said to him. I tried to force him to talk by with holding what he wanted, like a drink. He would just give me a disgusted look and get it himself. He finally started talking when he had a new baby sister and suddenly had a lot he wanted to say. He started right off with simple sentences but it did take almost two years to catch up to age level. He has since graduated from the naval academy and is now a successful Navy pilot. Your son will talk when he's ready.

At his 2 year check up, talk about this with your son's health care provider. S/he probably will have some recommendations for you.

my daughter didn't start reaaally talking until she was about 2 1/2 she said the same little words like your son. She's now 3 1/2 and I can't get her to stop- and she has a huge vocabulary! My son will turn 2 on Sept. 13th and it is the same story with him.. he'll say certain things when he wants to but for the most part he is very quiet. I don't stress it- as long as developmentally he is on track and nothing else stands out to you I wouldn't push it. I've heard tha the longer it takes a child to talk the more they're absorbing- looking at my daughter I find this to be true! Sometimes I feel as if my younger one doesn't talk as much is because his older sister s always doing the talking for him.... just a few thoughts.. good luck!

My son did not talk till he was 3. Then he started talking and was right where he should be. He was very intelligent and a good communicator and still is at age 35. It was suggested that since he had 2 older sisters he did not need to talk. It seems to be a "boy thing".
Good Luck and God Bless.

oh I completely disagree with your MIL! My son is 2 1/2 and he is just now really starting to talk. All kids will talk in their own time. I even asked the pediatrician about this and she told me it is far more important that he understands what I am telling HIM (which he does, and it sounds like your son does, too). The only thing she suggested was if we were really concerned was to not give in if he just pointed to things he wanted, but to make him at least try to say the words. Also, we have been watching things like Dora, etc. and that seems to really help. But, honestly, I think your son sounds perfectly normal!

Go to your docter and tell him you are concerned. The school system can test your child to see if he has speech delay and can start helping him. The sooner the better. I waited till my child was and older 3 year old before I got him tested and he is still stuggling with language. He is 6. If it is nothing then you have peace of mine. I don't know where you are from, but Pasco county has a great early child development program.

My son did not talk much until he was over 3... he knew what we were saying and he did talk a little but not a lot. When he finally did it was almost like he always could and just didn't... if you are concerned, talk to your doctor. He is still a little behind but he has made leaps and bounds in the past year and he started Pre-K this year.

Hey, he's talking already. Tell your MIL to relax or chill or... take Sudoku. He doesn't seem to have a hearing problem, has a vocabulary and understands what he is told. He will soon be talking his head off, trust me.

Ignore your mother in law
you are the mother of this child,
she used to have that job w/ your husband- it isn't her job anymore
regards,k

your son is completly normal. I have a 2.5 yr old daughter who is quite smart but doesn't use her words enough because she knows she doesn't have to. I do try to encourage her to use the words that i know she knows how to say (i.e. if she points at the grapes, i know she wants some but i make her ask me for them) try that and before you know it he's going to be talking your ear off LOL

I wouldn't worry about it....my son also spoke late....but when he did speak, there was no baby talk, everything was perfect; he never made a mistake or made up words for things. I think he spent the extra time thinking, so he would get it right! apparently this is more common in boys, who are often less verbal. My son was also a preemie, which would also delay things a bit. He has a big sister, 2 years older than he is, who just babbled away and had her own "language" as a baby....but my son was totally the opposite. Today he is a gifted student!

If you are really concerned, you can go get him checked....your pediatrician can recommend a place for him to be evaluated...but i would wait a few months, in my opinion.

Hi, C.. Well, the old wisdom says that kids who walk early will talk late, and that definitely seems to be the case with your two boys. On top of that, boys usually talk later than girls and have slower social development, including conversation.

Some kids don't feel the need to talk much until later in life. The fact that he is responding to what you say and also asking for what he wants shows that he's not hearing impaired, and it also shows that he understands how to relate to adults and his environment. I wouldn't worry at all about the fact that he's not a chatterbox. Trust me, at some point when he does start talking a lot, you'll long for the days when he was quiet. LOL!

If you still want to stimulate him to talk more, try teaching him songs with lots of words. Sesame Street is good for that. When you see a bus, try singing the Bus Song "the wheels on the bus go round and round," etc. Make sure you point out things around him and repeat the names of the things. You can even make up songs for the two of you to sing. Kids sometimes sing better than they talk. That should stimulate his speech centers in his brain, espectially if he gets rewarded with attention from you and Dad or Grandma.

That's another thing. If Grandma wants him to talk more, get her working on the issue herself. Get her to sing to him and pay him special attention by talking about stuff he sees in the environment.

Everyone has to be patient with him, though. Otherwise, if he feels anxiety about his talking, he'll take it to mean that there's something wrong with him, and that will either make him shut up altogether, or it will give him fears that he doesn't understand or need to have at all.

Make it fun, with no pressure, and everyone will enjoy the process.

Peace,
Syl

the 0-3 program is FREE.
so why not get it checked out?
http://www.refersoftware.com/fdecs/

in the meantime, is he getting frustrated by not being able to communicate? if so, take some photos of common things and put them on the refrigerator w/ a magnet. when he wants something he can point, or even bring you the photo, and then you do as another poster said: you say "oh! you want some milk! ok. let's say MILK. first me (then you say it) ok now your turn! help him say it. make it fun

C.-
Hey there! I'm a speech-language pathologist myself. Yes, it is true, children do begin to speak at different ages. That is why there is normative data for little ones that allow us to compare his/her speech and language skills to others their age. I agree that you should have him checked out by the state's early intervention program. They may assess his skills and say that everything is perfectly normal...and what peace of mind for you! If not, then you know you are doing the best for him to get him the earliest help possible. Worth a shot ...

Make sure he HAS to talk in several situations, then relax. My nephew (3rd of 4) didn't talk until he was more than 3 years old and then it was in full sentences. You may have a "watcher". Kids who observe and retain EVERYTHING! They're usually the brightest. gl hth

My daughter is 15 months and has a vocabulary of about 60 words, some two and three syllables. But I think she is an early talker. At 2 some kids are speaking 2-3 word sentences, but some also only speak a few words like yours. It is not an intelligence issue, only an issue of rate of development. Here's a few tricks to try to help him to develop his speech a little.

1) Try forcing him to say things. Like when he wants a drink, tell him to say "cup" and repeat that 7-8 times. Try to use something he really wants, like Milk, a binky (or whatever you call it);

2) try getting real close to his face and say the words slowly. Point to your mouth and have him focus on your lips. Sometimes this intrigues my daughter so much, she involuntarily starts moving her mouth in an attempt to copy me. But do this like a game with no real expectations. Make noises too. Popping sounds and such. Let him see your mouth moving in all ways to intrigue him.

3) Mostly, let him need and want things. If he always plays with a particular toy, put it out of reach and when he wants it say "what? what do you want? The Elmo or the book? You want the book? Then give him the book. When he continues pointing, grunting, etc, act confused and repeat several times, you want Elmo. If he doesnt say it and starts getting extremely frustrated, give him the item and try with the next thing.

Mothers and mother in laws alike want to be able to help. Sometimes they are very kind and show genuine concern, sometimes they are just critical. So take the mother in law for whichever she is and just concentrate on your son. If you havent been to the Dr for the 2 yr checkup, ask when you go. Im sure he's fine.

There is a free evaluation called Early Steps. It does not hurt to check him out. My son did not talk at all at 2. I took him for the eval and he received speech therapy for year. It is free, provided by tax dollars. It really helped him.

My second and youngest son didn't talk either. I have a few things to say about all of it. First, every child is different and talks on their own schedule. 2nd, have you had his hearing checked??? And I mean in a true sound proof box by an audiologist or at the ENTs office? If not, I would do so. And third - USF sponsors a free program that will have him tested to see if they feel there is a problem - if there is, then they will provide free therapy to him. I think the program is called Fiddlers or something. I used it for my son, but he started at 3 so it was a different program. The referral department number for that program is ###-###-#### - Agnes is who I spoke with, but that was over a year ago.

My step mother is a speach therapist and says that the second child will usually talk either extremely early or extremely late. The early is usually a girl and the late is usually the boy. The reason behind the late talking is because us parents know what the children need before they have a chance to verbally communicate it - like getting them drinks or bottles or food, etc. So they don't have the need to communicate as much. My second was just as you are explaining your boy - he is extremely smart and has been able to follow directions since an early age - he just doesn't talk well - nor did he talk much at all.

Good luck!
Sam

Some kids aren't much of talkers. My older brother was that way and later on was like the other kids.

Also, If your son gets whatever he wants without talking, there is no incentive to talk. Just try and push him a little to talk more. I tell me daughter to use her words - please more juice instead of just saying juice. She is 3.5 and will talk but not to strangers.

Far as your mother in law, just tell her each kid is different and he is only two, doing fine, and not suppose to chatter off her ear yet. Thats in a few years.

Hi there,

My older daughter had only about 6 words until 2 months before her 3rd birthday. Like your son, she understood everything, is very smart, and could communicate via sign language and other means.

Now she is 4 and is totally caught up to her peers and a normal, happy healthy girl.

I'm sure your son will be fine as long as he is not showing signs of autism (disconnected, not communicative in other ways, doesn't show affection).

I would not worry about it. Your mother in law needs to lay off. Not all children start talking at the same age. But do get his ears checked out. My oldest didn't talk much at two and I found she had fluid in her ears and had surgery. After that she talked up a storm. But I have seven brothers and Mom said it's normal if he's not talking alot. Some of them talked early and some later.

yes C., my son is two and a half, and isnt quite were he sould be at his age for talking good either, but it sounds like your son, has a lot more understanding of what is being said to him than mine does. i would personally think that your son is just fine, but if your are really worried, you might want to talk this issue over with his pediatrician, and they may refer you to a speech therapist. my son has a few problems, and we have had, (and are in the process of changing(, speech/food therapists. (if you do get a therapist, (i personally feel an out of home therapist is best because we are switching therapists due to theft, (they were in home therapists.) (just a little warning.) well, god bless, and good luck!

C., my first daughter did not actively begin talking until she was 2 1/2 years old...and my second daughter, not until well past her 3rd birthday. My third child is 2 (in July) and while he is not speaking in sentences, he is saying words. I wouldn't allow your mom in law to convince you something is wrong with your child. Speak to your pediatrician if you have concerns, as comparing your child to other children is not an indicator that anything is wrong. Every child learns at different ages. And yes, children do get "lazy" so it's important to enforce that he at least try to say whatever you try to make him say. Start with the sounds of the alphabet and make it a game for you and your son to play. Read to him daily and talk to him and encourage him to say things like, "This is a cup. Can you say cup?" And, then sound it out phonetically. Every child is different.