22 Months Old Not Talking Much

One little boy who never said a word in his life was sitting at the diner table with the whole family. All of the sudden he says; " pass me the salt please". Everyone at the table was shoked. " why havent you talked before?" they asked.
" There was enough salt."

The bi-lingual is the problem--although not much of one. You will need to explain to doctors who might be concerned that this is the case...but to grow up speaking two languages would have been the only way I could have learned them! Children who have this, do speak as soon as other children, but just imagine the 'leg-up' they have in the long run. I have a friend who is Cuban, married to an American who speaks fluent Japanese. The children grew up speaking all three! They spoke less when they were little, but they are all pre-teens now, and have such a gift!

At that age, I would not worry.
My son,who is now 7, did not talk hardly any and didnt even say 'Mama' until he was 2!! He didnt really start talking good until 3. I took him to a speech therapist at 3.5 because when he spoke he stuttered and she told me to give him another year and a half. He turned out fin. He is in the gifted program now and talks our head off. Also, I have a 20 month old daughter who is 'Chatty Cathy' but she is just now saying more than a handful of words. LEt them learn at their own pace. If it gets to 3 or 4 that is when you need to seak help.
Goodluck.

That's normal for that age. You have to make him talk. If he gestures for something, pretend you don't understand. Make him say the words. He will be frustrated, but it will make him talk a little more.

Don't worry so much! Children in bilingual households typically speak both languages later. They understand more than they speak. If you feel he is understanding you, don't sweat it. It's a huge advantage in the long run. Good for you for sticking with both languages!

Sounds normal to me. My son wasn't saying much at his 18mnt check up so the DR said we'd wait till the 2yr to see his progress. He was talking more by then but still not quite enough. But she said he made a good improvement just in that 6mnt time frame so we would just keep an eye on him. Several factors for him were that I was a SAHM so he didn't have the other kids to try to talk with and he has an older sister that will translate and do things for him!! Who needs words when you have a sister right!! lol

Anyways, he is now 2 1/2 and has phone conversations with the grandparents!! His vocabulary and speaking skills just exploded all of a sudden and people that met him for the fist time think he is 3yrs instead of two from the way he talks now.

As far as the bilingual, if you 7yr old is in school already, see if you can talk to the ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher and get some suggestions then about him and using 2 languages. If I'm not mistaken, it can slow talking down with a child but not by too much.

Good luck!!
S.

When my brother, the youngest of seven, finally started talking (older than yours) he spoke in sentences. I wouldn't worry. When he has something to say, he will say it.

K.

K.,

Not to worry! I was a Cognitive Science major in college, which is the science of how the brain works and how we learn. It is perfectly normal for children in bilingual environments to have what appear to be speech delays. They often speak later and have fewer words than their peers who are only exposed to one language. They are trying to learn two languages after all. Talk to the pediatrician at the 2 year check up to give yourself some peace of mind, but I wouldn't worry. He should eventually catch up to his peers, and when he does, he will speak two languages!

Ha! I had to laugh when I read your post because my babies never talked very early either, while all my friends had children that did! In fact, our youngest one (22 months also, talking about as much as yours) talks way more than any of our other 6 children did. BUT - I'm telling you - don't let it worry you! My oldest daughter has an IQ of 153, so it has nothing to do with their intelligence. My oldest son was fixing vacuum cleaners at age 7. One of my other daughters sped through kindergarten and first grade in just nine months (we homeschool). I've heard it said that Einstein didn't talk early either! So don't let anyone tell you it reflects their learning abilities or intelligence. (Of course, there are medical conditions which would be exceptions to that statement. But as a rule, if your child is perfectly healthy and without other medical conditions, not speaking early is not a problem.)

My brother was exceptionally smart (designing working blueprints used by contractors, building projects, etc., when he only 16), and he did not talk AT ALL until age 4. My mom was concerned he had a disability until one day he walked in the kitchen and said, "Momma, can I have a cookie?" Of course, she almost passed out, because he hadn't said a word until that point.

Also, being bi-lingual is GREAT at this age. Many scholars say the best time to teach a child a second or even a third language is BEFORE the age of 5! Their little brains are just like sponges, soaking up information at a tremendous rate of speed. You wait - by the time your child is 4, he'll be rattling off in both languages.

Not to worry! He sounds absolutely normal. Girls usually talk much more and sooner than boys. I wouldn't worry about how much he says now (age 3 is the "talk more" age). If you are sure he hears okay, he'll talk when he is ready. My granddaughter, who is now 5, hardly said a word until she was 3 and this is unusual for most girls. She has two brothers and just let them do the talking for her. Now we cannot get her to shut up for two minutes. Of course, I love it, I'm her Nana -- but her mother would like a minute's peace and quiet more often.

This might sound silly, but I took my son to a ear nose and throat doctor because he was not speaking either. They checked his hearing and it was fine and they found no other problems. I stay at home with him so one of the nurses recommended that we watch noggin during the day and it has helped a lot. I also read to him several times a day. If you haven't had his hearing/vision screened and you are concerned your pediatrician can refer you. Good Luck.

Hi K.

I too have a 22 month old daughter and her progession with talking is about the same. So don't worry. She does not talk in sentences yet either, she says just as much as your son. I am just enjoying the little things that she is sayings that I can recognize, it excites me!!!
Don't worry just enjoy these precious moments because they grow up so fast. Before you know he'll be saying and asking for everything driving you crazy and you'll wonder where your little baby boy went who was only saying one word or small phrases.

in a biligual house they tend to speak slower but with much benefit b/c they end up fluent in both languages when they do speak. boys also can be slower than girls. even so he does sound fine, it sounds like he repeats and that he uses a good # of consanant sounds. if he understands requests you give him and hears you well i wouldnt worry too much yet. i believe the average at 24 mo is 50 words and starting to use 2 word utterances. i bet if he is aleady repeating a phrase he will do that by the time he's 2. once they start talking is when things really start to learn quickly. kids also will learn a new word and then stop using it some at times in favor of a newly learned word but both the new and old word would count to the vocabulary and youd be surprised how many you can count when you make a list over several days b/c you forget they sayu x or y until something jogs your memory. i'm not one to assume kids are fine b/c i have 1 in speech now, 1 being evaluated and 1 graduate but your 22 mo old nows a lot more than my 2 yr old.

We only speak english is our house and my daughter didn't say much till she was 2, she hasn't shut up since. Boys tend to be slower in talking than girls are so I wouldnt worry.

Every kid develops at their own pace, they don't come with the instruction manual that we have! Also bi-lingual children talk much later than the "norms". My son (not from a bi-lingual household), was talking much less than yours at 22 months. At his 2-year appt, the Dr. wanted me to do speech therapy, but I felt he was fine, he understood us and we didn't have any communication problems with him. Two months later, he went straight to full sentences. He was just waiting until the right time, I guess!

So my point is, if there are no communication problems and he understands you (2 languages, yeah him!) I wouldn't worry. He will talk when he wants to. Just relax. Also, I didn't talk until I was 3, and I have 2 college degrees.

That sounds pretty normal to me. I think the age range for making sentences is very wide. At my pediatrician's office, the checklist they give parents at the 24-month checkup just asks if 24 month olds can say 6 words--i think that is the minimum requirement. My daughter learns a lot of words from flash cards and reading picture books together. I think all kids vary. Some are physically advanced at that age, while others have a big vocabulary, etc. Just like adults, kids find what they are most interested in and focus on it. If you're worried, just ask your pediatrician for peace of mind, but it is my understanding that you should only be worried if they LOSE words. Enjoy the time you have left while your son is not able to boss you around and demanding everything in sight--ha ha!

Ok, I'm probably just going to echo what everyone else has said, but I wouldn't worry about it for another 4 months at least. When my son was about your son's age his vocabulary was very similar (well, possibly smaller). I knew his comprehesion was great, but he just didn't _say_ many words. Right around his second birthday, he began to say more new words and by 25 months he was adding at least one new word a day. Now he just turned 2 1/2 and he never stops talking! Enjoy your little one, this is a fun age!

My cousin was like your son. He didn't talk much and my aunt was very concerned. She said one day he just started talking and they were complete sentences!!! If he is not talking well in 6 months take him in to be evaluated to make sure he doesn't have a problem hearing. If you stand behing him and clap, does he turn towards the noise? If hearing is not his problem then having him see a speech therapist maybe next. So give him a bit more time to see if he progresses on his own.

I don't think being in a bilingual house hold is a problem. Children do figure out the differences in the languages, especially when they go to school. My chinese friend told me her daughter came home from school on day and announced that at school she speaks English and at home she speaks chinese!! Teaching your child a second language is a gift.

Encourage him to talk when he wants something. Don't let him get away with pointing at what he wants or grunting. When he says what he wants, then give it to him. When you read to him, ask him questions about the story like, What is that? Is that a bear? Let me hear you say bear.

Hope everything works out.

Y.

Hi K.,

My thought is that you shouldn't worry. We have two kids (almost 7 and 3 1/2) and we are raising them with both English and my husband's language (Swahili). Both children spoke later than average and had some issues with mixing the two languages. Actually, I don't think they were saying as much as your child before age 2! Both of them also now speak fine (both languages). It just took some extra time for them to sort out the two different languages. I think it is really important to keep using the non-English language in the home because that's the way you'll make sure they can speak it. There's no doubt that they'll speak English because they hear it everywhere; the real question is whether they'll speak another language. Good luck! A.