Concerned About My 22Mo Old Son Having Limited Vocabulary

C., I'm now going through speech therapy for the third time with my last boy. The 2 before him had issues and once I got the help I needed to help them they whizzed through it. You are smart to get help now, don't wait. Kids are fast learners, he will amaze you. You can also call your school district and see if they offer Early Intervention services or pre-school services, they usually offer speech and other services. Good luck and don't worry, in 2 years you will be wondering "why did we want him to talk? Now he won't stop!!" Good luck!

You can contact your states Early Intervention program (it's called different things everywhere: here it's Baby Watch, some places call it Birth to Three, etc) They will come to your home (or where ever is convenient for you) and evaluate your son for free. If they deem him as being developmentally delayed (again, each state has different criteria) they will provide whatever services he requires either free of charge or on a sliding scale based on income.

For what it's worth, my son just turned 2 and has NO words yet. He does one sign, for "want" and points/reaches. He also has other delays physically and cognitively, and has been receiving services for the last year. His speech is the slowest to progress. I'd be over the moon if my son could say half he things your son does. I know it's hard not to compare your two kids, but remember that even though they are siblings, every kid goes by their own set of instructions, and each kid will do things differently. Your older son sounds like he was very advanced in language, where your younger son sounds like he might be later, but he sounds great to me. Still, if you are concerned, get him evaluated. Studies have shown that the earlier a child starts therapy the better their chances are of overcoming their delay.

GL

Children's just accepted our son for speech therapy as borderline. He is a bit younger than your son and not doing as much. Insurance did pay for us. Children's gave us lots of resources that would be free. She didn't mention if they are CO resources, or county resources and I haven't checked yet. Early Childhood Connection handles kids 0-3 with delays. Child Find is another resource, but dependent on income. I'm not sure how they work for evaluations since we went through Children's for ours. GL

My son was behind in his speech from the get-go. When other babies his age were saying all the "babababa" and "mamamaa" stuff, he was silent. I had him tested at 12 months and he was six months behind then, and he qualified for STEP--I am not sure if that is a local thing (I am in Montana). Anyway, he gets help once a week, and he is doing well. He is 18 months old now, and is catching up. He has a lot of words, but many of them are unclear to anyone outside the family. For instance, he says "gok" for milk and "gagat" for yogurt, and he still doesn't have a name for my daughter, even though he can say Mama, Dada, and both the dogs' names. ANyway, your son sounds like he is doing pretty well, if he is starting to put together sentances. My son still gets frustrated and cries a lot when we aren't sure what he wants. I feel bad, because he often wants to join our converations, but has such a limited vocabulary--he'll get my attention: "Mama!" and I'll say, "Yes?" and he'll just say, "tractor!" or "cracker!" or "bus!", even if none of those things are in sight, just because he's trying to join in...it's pretty cute, but I know frustrating to him! Anyway, enough about my kid, I think if you called a local school (or ask where your older son attends) they would know about testing--here, they do free developmental testing twice a year, and they do it at the elementary school.

My son is also 22 months old, and talks about the same as yours. I seriously doubt your son has a speech delay. With my first son, it seemed like he didn't say much by 18 months, and I talked to his doctor about it. He said that usually, if parents sit down and think about it, and write them down, they usually find that their child uses more words than they realized. And I don't remember the actual number, but he said that by age 2, they should use at least 20 words. He told me about another test they ask parents to do to tell if it's a speech processing problem. Before you hand your son something, say, a cracker, hold it just out of reach and say, "Cracker. Cracker. Can you say cracker?" If he doesn't attempt any new words after 2-3 days of doing that with several different items (try toys and food), then they will be concerned.
My son says, "duh-doo" for thank you, and dinner, and lots of other two-syllable words. And up until 2 months ago, he hardly said anything. It's quite funny because, while he doesn't say many words, he knows about 23 of his letters. I don't think it's a problem with smarts!
I worked in our church's nursery, and there was a 3 year old who didn't talk much. I was wondering if I should be concerned, but his mom said that his doctor isn't, because he was the third child. First children get talked to a lot more than subsequent children, and often talk earlier, he said. And second and third children, if their siblings are old enough, often get their talking done for them.
I really wouldn't worry about it. Talk to your doctor about it at his 2 year check up and they can do screening there if they think there's a need.

This sounds soooooo much like my oldest daughter. When she was 4 I had her tested for early failure prevention. It turns out she has a learning disability that doesn't even have a name. She can understand what we are saying, but when the words form in her brain, she cannot get them back out to us easily...it takes quite a bit of effort on her part. Anyway, that's just one small example of what she is dealing with. If I had leaned on what the pediatrician said, she might not have ever gotten the help she needed. I don't know if there is anything out there to test a 22 month old...if I had realized what you are realizing earlier, I would have sought out to find her help back then. I'm just grateful I had her tested at age 4 rather than just let it go. This isn't to say that's what is going on and he very well could be just fine, but I'd rather know for sure!

As a speech language pathologist-I get excited about parents who question their children's speech and language development. I am a very strong advocate for early intervention-as one poster stated, "the earlier you give servcies, the better a child has to overcome them." If you are concerned, what would it hurt to have him evaluated? Your state should have an early intervention program and often these programs give evaluations in your home. It is a common development for a 2 year old to have enough vocabulary to be putting 2 word combinations together and have a number of sounds such as 'p, b, t, d, m' in words. It is also common for many words to sound "similar" to what the true word is. Good luck and if you have more questions-email me!

C.,
I wouldn't worry one bit about it, just keep working with him if it scares you. you must keep in mind each child is an individual and will develope at his own pace, I Have twins that are both amazing but one is talking and the other doesn't care but she is more advanced in other areas. so don't worry. If we all developed the same God would have used only one cookie cutter right. LOL. Ya know. be happy about his other acomplishments and let him be different, it doesn't sound to me like he is behind at all but If you are concerned ask your PED.
HE sounds darling.

First each child is very different and you cannot compare. My son right around 24 mos his vocabulary and sentences took off, non stop talking. Your son sounds like he is doing well, he is saying things the way he can, just repeat the words back to him the right way without really making him know he is saying it wrong. He is putting words together too and that is great! Most boys are slower in this area. Don't worry about testing him, see what your Pediatrician thinks at his next visit but don't worry so much about it. He sounds like he is doing great! My son is 3 1/2 and very articulate now however still has issue with R's and L's sometimes, the Dr isn't worried about it at all and said I shouldn't.