Language Development

Hi K.

My now 4 year old was an advanced walker 9 1/2 months. My neighbors daughter who is 5 days older was a very slow walker 15 months old but could talk by 18 months none stop. My daughter by comparison didn't start talking very much at all until 2 years old.

The second child is always slow to talk as well as they have a sibling to help them get what they want.

It is not unusual for boys language to fall behind that of girls. I would not worry about it....just keep talking to him and reading to him, he will catch up!

Does he make word noises? I think a lot of 19 months old, especially boys, aren't saying a lot of "words." Mine is 19 mos and has just taken off with repeating word noises, so I really don't think your son is delayed at all. (Of course, call your pediatrician if you think he is.) I would think that the fact that he responds yes or no means his hearing is OK. Do you listen to him while he's playing by himself? Maybe he's making word noises but doesn't want to say them out loud yet.

Your son sounds just like my son. Crawling at 5 mths and walking at 9 mths. He just turned 2 on Dec. 8 and he is just really starting to get a few words that he can tell me what he wants. But as far as sentences, I think we are a long way off. He does do little speeches and I have no clue what he is saying but we laugh and call him preacher boy because that is what it sounds and looks like when gets going. LOL My doctor ask me about how many words he is saying and I told her half of them I don't have clue what they are and the other half isn't clear and she says that is fine. I also think when they develop in the physical area they don't focus on the language skills as much. It will come. I'm sure your au pair will have some influence on him but it may end up him learning her language as well and will ask for things from both of you in different ways. Another thing that helped us was baby signing. It helped him from getting so frustrated when he didn't have a word for it. That may help as far as the language barrier for you and the au pair.

Ok....I have 4 boys....and 3 of them were developmently challenged in speech. Don't really worry about it until he reaches the age of three....if he is not speaking by that age then you should go to the public school system and have him tested. If he doesn't test to their specifications, they will enroll him in speech classes. Another thing to look at is his tongue, can he stick his tongue out at all? If he can't have his doctor look at it, he might be tongue tied.
Keep us informed

S.

Is it possible he feels the pressure to talk? Having your daughter speak sentences at such an early age, he might be picking up on some of your anxiety.

Your son sounds very much like mine who is now 2.5. My ped always explained it as limitted growing resources. If you brain is focusing on physical movement the speech will come later. Also my husband is British with a very strong accent and uses different words ie lift for elevator. So I think that can play a role. Furthermore, girls just seem to develop language quicker than boys in general. My mom says girls are motivated to talk and boys motivated to walk. My son has always just made the speech development markers. He speaks in sentences now but they are not elequent by any means nor is his speech annunciation crystal clear. It can be a tough call. Its hard not to compare your childs development to other. It never hurts to get an evaluation. My sons language development was always slow and steady. I was told as long as he was trying and his vocab was increasing I should wait until the negative 2s were over to explore speech therapy for annunciation if it was still a problem. It sounds like you are doing a lot to expose him to language. My son LOVES books even sleeps with them but he was just a slow language developer. I hope this helps

Just a little info about community resources. Blue Ridge Infant Toddler Connection offers a free screening for children birth to 3 years. The number is ###-###-####. If your child does poorly on the screening they will help you with the next steps for further evaluation and services if necessary. In VA every community has an Infant Toddler Connection. THe local one - Blue Ridge - serves Region 10 (Alb, Ch'ville, Fluvanna, Louisa, Nelson and Greene). If your child is 3 years old (or 2 but the specific age for 2 year olds varies by county), you can get a free screening through Child Find which is in your local school division. Screenings typically look at these types of skills; communication, fine motor, gross motor, problem solving, and personal-social. I have found in our local community that some doctors do developmental screenings and some do not. The idea of universal screenings (screening everyone) is gaining popularity because in general the earlier delays are diagnosed the more effective services can be. (I am not saying that I think you should have your child screened necessarily. I just wanted to put the info out to the community.)

i have a three year old that is the same way he does not talk as well as he should at this age. i no in Virginia beach they have program's to help kids with language problems. talk to your local elementary school they should have some one there that helps kids with speech and they might be able to refer you out to someone. good luck.

It sounds like you're giving him exactly the attention he needs -- I bet he'll surprise you soon with a few sentences. My kids tended to suddenly learn in leaps -- not controlled developing inches. My son's language developed MUCH slower than my daughter's and they both ended up in the GT center. I remember how worried I felt at the difference.

If your instincts are telling you that there's really a problem and you're in the Northern VA area, consider checking with Childfind. They do really extensive evaluations and they are experts. I really don't think it's warranted as young as your son is, but it's an option.

All children develop at their own pace, as I am sure you have witnessed in your job. Since your son is reaching his motor skills early he probably has just been focusing on his motor skills and not on learning to talk. If he has an older sister he may not need to learn to talk because he has someone who will talk for him. I wouldn't be too concerned for another year or so unless he exhibits other signs of a developmental delay, which does not seem to be the case. He is being exposed to another language during the day but that is not a bad thing. Most children this age are sponges and he is picking up both languages. It sounds as though he understands you so that is a good thing. He may just not be sure how to articulate his words yet and that will come in time. As long as you and your husband are speaking to him a lot when you are home I wouldn't be too worried. My son didn't start talking until he had tubes put in his ears. He had a lot of ear infections and actually had fluid the consistency of taffy in his ears, hindering his hearing and subsequently his speaking. If this is not the case for your son and his hearing is fine then I would just wait a little longer. Of course if you are still really worried then you could have him checked out to be sure because the earlier they get treatment the better, if there is a problem. Learn the warning signs of autism because if he has any of them you may want to see a doctor. It sounds as though your son is just concerned with his motor skills and will get the language and other skills over time. Good luck!

I really wouldn't worry about it at this stage. Kids develop differently. My 3rd daughter is about your son's age, but she sounds just the opposite; still working on walking, but talking up a storm. I bet by the time they are 3 they will both be walking and talking just fine! There are resources for language delay; if you are really worried I would research on line and ask your pediatrician, but my advice is, keep talking to him and let him develop on his own schedule!

I had a much simliar situation. My daughter spoke clearly very early on but my son on the other hand I thought would never talk. I even went so far as to have him evaluated by an Infant and Toddler Program - he turned out to be slightly delayed but not enough to require their services. So I took matters into my own hands. From 12 months to 15 months he had no increase in the number of words he spoke and between 15-18 he only increased by 5 words. I took him to a mommy and me sign language class. It was awesome!!! We learned simple signs to use on a daily basis and every time we did a sign with him we would repeat the word. The class was really fun - the kids kindof wondered around and became involed when we read a story or sang a song along with signing. He picked up the signs very quickly and by us repeating the words he then began to do the same. We learned about 100 signs and he consistenly used about 20 which doesn't sound like much but it was amazing to see him progress. Then as he began to say the word and he signed he slowly would drop the sign and just talk. Still some of his words are not recongizable to outsiders but we understand him and just repeat what he is saying with the correct pronunciation and he is picking up on that as well. We also began to buy/rent childrens movies that would really keep his interest (John Deere Tractors, Bob the Builder, Diego, etc) and play them regularly and his speech improved dramatically. Now he repeats things from them that we never would have thought he would pick up on. Don't stress - give him time - boys are slower in that area - before long he will be talking your ear off.

At his 18 month appt did your doctor express any concern about his language skills?

My dd talks a little more than your ds but she is also very advanced physically. I was told they can only focus on one thing at a time. Our children are doing the physical things first it seems.

had you not mentioned the nanny i would have said he is developing fine. i still say that considering mine didn't speak in full sentences closer to two and a half years old. actually my second one started in full sentences after she turned three and her pronouncination (sp?) is still off, quite a bit. my kids were helped tremendously by the daycare/preschool environment with kids their age. it is something to think about. as for your son, i'd give it until he turns two. if he doesn't progress (don't expect full sentences) but if he doesn't add new words to his vocabulary then take him for an evaluation. i still think he is quite young.
good luck

Some children, more often boys, develop speech more slowly. I wouldn't worry about it. I have a friend who worried about her first son's delayed speech and had him tested. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him. His younger brothers (and my middle boy) were the same way. When they started 3yr. old pre-school, they spoke very little (her one boy had a vocabulary of 3-6 words). Half way through the school year, all these boys were talking up storms. I have 3 children. My oldest is a girl who spoke clearly and plentifully early. My second is a boy who was slow in speech development and was not as articulate (had the very normal difficulty pronouncing certain sounds-a speech therapist at your local elementary school can tell you developmentally appropriate difficulties). He had someone to talk to, but just wasn't ready (or didn't want to). My third child is a boy, and he developed more moderately (in between my other 2). People will try to say it depends on whether they have siblings, but I don't believe any of it. Kids develop at their own rates. Please don't worry about your son. It is not uncommon for him to not be speaking a lot right now. He obviously understands your words, so it sounds less a problem of having an au pair that speaks little English, and more a case (which is common and normal) that he's going to be one of those children who, when they start speaking,will speak in multi-word phrases or even possibly sentences. If you still don't have peace of mind, or have a gut feeling that's something more is wrong, you can most likely talk to the local school system about having him tested. Our school system (MD, AA county) has what is called Child Find. I will warn you, though, that a friend of mine who used this service got pushed into other services she felt (strongly) that her child did not need. Now her son has a record going into kindergarten, which could possibly bias some teachers.

K.,

My son is now almost 3 and just like yours was very ahead of all the other kids and did everything early except talk. We are a bi-lingual household and eventhough our primary language is english my husband speaks spanish. We realized that he was just listening and learning. By about 2 1/2 his language exploded. Full sentance came out in english and almost full sentance in spanish. If your little one is a fast learner he may be just trying to learn both languages that he is exposed to. I was also very concerned until I talked to our doctor who said she has seen kids like ours not talk until 3ish. I know it is worrysome but he sounds very smart. Good luck.
S.

In my experience in day care and with my own children, boys do tend to develop language a bit slower than girls. I have had some boys in my class at the day care that were still not talking much when they transitioned to the next class at 2 years old. My own son did not say MaMa until he was 16 months old, yet my daughters were (like yours) speaking in full sentences by the time they were a year old. I don't think that his Au Pair would have much impact but if she is speaking her native language when you are not with her, he could be picking up a bit of that too.

If I were in your possition, I would give him until the next well baby check up with your pediatrician and then mention it to them. They can let you know if you should seek help with a speach therapist.

Good luck! And Congrats on the new baby!