Vocabulary

Boys are typically a little slower. I have a 23 month old. He was still saying less than 10 words up until a month a go. When he is supposed to be speaking 50 words by now. My sister informed me of this early intervention program sponsored by the state of UT and put out by the school district. I am working with Jordan school district. I have a speech pathologist that comes out once a month and a behaviorist come out once a month. You might want to look into it. There number is ###-###-####

Nope, not yet. Boys tend to be a little behind girls in learning to talk. Each child does it at their own pace.

I wouldn't worry. My second daughter didn't say much until she was 18 months old. After that her language really took off. It's amazing how quickly speech comes once they get their first few words!

He's probably fine, but you have resources available. Federal law requires states to provide family-based services to children 0-3 who qualify. Every state does it a little differently, so it may take some research from you to figure out how it works in your state. A developmental specialist will come to your home and do a free, complete assessment of all areas of development. If he qualifies, services are free for you. Speech therapy at this age is a lot of fun (I used to do it before I had my own children!), and will only help give him a boost. The early intervention programs end at age 3, then, depending on the state, it can be harder to get services.

All that said, your child sounds absolutely normal. "he has his own words for things," as long as he says them consistently for the object, it counts! In fact we would count the word "bah" if it is used for "ball", and "up" and "Grandpa" as three words. You might feel relieved if you make a list of all the words he says in a day. I bet it's more than you think!

no, you should not be worried. He's only 15mths. Boys tend to be a bit slower at speech than girls anyway. Besides, his way of speaking is his way of learning how to make words with his mouth. When you hear him say something (and you can translate it), say it back to him correctly so that he knows how it is supposed to sound. Give him time. He'll be chatting like a monkey in a tree in no time. Instead of fretting about his language, charish this time with him. He'll grow up soon enough. Your Dr should even tell you that he is doing fine and not to worry. They don't start getting concerned until they are about 2 yo and aren't really talking. He'll be fine.

If you live in Iowa get a free evaluation (and FREE services) from Heartland (you doctor will need to refer you). My son started speech therapy at 2 and is still in it (at 6). My daughter started speech therapy at 12 months and no longer needs it. (I don't think it was just the early speech therapy intervention I think other things are involved too- like I switched to wholistic medicine, organic foods, etc., when I started seeing the same issues developing in her)

Hi K.,

I am a speech pathologist and I really wouldn't be too worried at this point. If he wasn't attempting to say anything or if you knew he meant "mama" and it sounded completely different, then I would be concerned. My daughter came out talking and my son didn't take off until he was 18 months. Boys are typically just later in talking. My 11 month old girl only says mama, but signs "more", "all done" and will wave.

If he doesn't seem to be able to follow directions, babble, or has had a lot of ear infections, I would contact your local school district. Services are free from your local district. Kids 2 and under need to be serviced in their natural environment so the therapists will come to your home.

Good luck! He will do fine. I would have him looked at by the age of two if he isn't progressing. Early intervention is ALWAYS best.

C.

My daughter, who is now 11, did not talk much until she was older. She still is a girl of few words. She had her own words for things, she used the word that described what you did with things rather than their actual name such as shoes were wearies, our horses were rideys. She also called cats lillies and candy was ummy lolly. She is now 11, in 6th grade and on the honor roll. I wouldn't worry too much. It could just be a sign of a very intelligent child.

I would talk to his doctor about it. My son did the same thing. So I contacted are local Area 13 which will come to your home and work with your child on his speech it helped my son and we also learned that my son was showing signs of autism. He was autistic in deed and he is doing very well.

He is fine, my 17 month old only says momma when it absolutly necassery, he can say UP, he loves that word. Yes, although he shakes his head no, dad, Vanna his sister and oph which I believe is woof, for the dog. My know 3 1/2 year old barely said anything until after 2 and when she did, she didn't stop. And know has a VERY large vocabulary. Some just don't talk till they have something to say.

as long as you are working with him on speaking everyday...it will come in time and there is no need to worry. but his learnign to speak is going to reflect how much you speak to/with him. saying things over and over again, as tedious as it seems, will get him speaking very well. at 18 months my son was already saying words like "elephant" "rhinosouraus" and "popsicle" its just aabout how much you work with him and how much he retains from it...he will surprise you!!

K.,

Children talk at different times and some are more verbal than others. If you are concerned, take him to the pediatrician to have his hearing checked. It could be the problem. I would see what the pediatrician says.

L. :)

I've read that Einstein never said a word until he was six years old. When asked why he never talked before, he said that he had nothing to say. If a genius like Einstein didn't talk until then, I wouldn't worry about your 15-month-old child not talking much yet. He will when he is ready. It sounds like he does talk some, so he does have the ability to talk.

Pat

Don't be worried. My sone is 20 months and he doesn't say much besides "Da" We have had him to the Ped and to 2 specialists and they all say he is normal and that the normal talking range for boys extends until the second birthday. Believe me, I know how worrisome it is, but the experts say my son is fine not talking at 20 months. Your son is surely fine at 15mo. The normal age which they begin to ask about language development is 18mo anyways so he is definately fine!

Hope this calms your fears a little bit.
A., Noah's mommy

Don't talk baby talk to him , speak your words to him clearly and if he will, have him repeat them, make it a game. I don't know what your doctor says, but I would think he will get it and be fine. I am a grandmother now, but I took my first born to the doctor so much, that the doctor told me if I thought my son was sick , to take him to my mothers first, and if she thought he was sick , then bring him in. Needless to say the other three didn't go to the doctor very often . The first born will teach you a lot!
Now a little about me, I live in South Dokato, and had 4 children 2 boys and 2 girls, I now have 9 grandchildren, and have seen the fright in my own childrens eyes , when they are thinking something could be wrong with one of their children.
May God Bless you and your family , and I will keep you in my prayers. L. Lee

I wouldn't worry. Each child develops differently. My younger sister talked before I did. I didn't talk until I was about 3, at least that is what my mom tells me!! Just keep talking to him and it will come with time. If you get really worried talk to your doctor. Hope this helps
T.

Don't worry. Keep talking with him and encouraging him to say words. It will come in it's own time. If you are worried about this ALONG with other milestones you feel he is missing, then talk with your doctor. The more you talk and play with him one on one the better.

Hello! Our son has just been accepted into graduate school as a physician's assistant student. Needless to say we are so happy for him. He rarely spoke at all until he was 27 months old. He then spoke in 3 word sentences but even then his words were few. Though others had concerns, his behavior gave definite signs of his ability to process stimuli and respond to it. He is somewhat quiet in nature and also prefers quiet over a hubbub even at age 26. He was evaluated for a speech situation in primary school over the "imperfect" integration of the use of the letter L in his speech ( which shortly disappeared, no credit to the school speech therapist). All I can say is that someone did not have enough to do or perhaps had to qualify need of their job. Our son has excelled throughout his educational and social situations throughout his life. Why is it that we seem to feel everyone has to fit into a typecast mold or something is wrong with them. Relax honey. Your child is only a year old.
Your child may be observing, processing his observations, and deciding to be cautious..............all of which may not take words to explain. It is my guess in the not too distant future you will be hoping for him to be quiet again. My best to you as you raise your little blessing.

Do not worry! That is about all of the words he should have at this point. Wait until he is two, and if he is still not saying much, call your school district and see if you can have them do a developmental screening. At that point, he might qualify for a speech delay and qualify to have services with a speech pathologist. Right now, he sounds just fine! Hope that makes you feel better.

Nothing to worry about... Just repeat the correct pronunciation in your reply to your son. He'll catch on. =)

K.,

You are right to be asking about this. The ability to communicate is crucial. Yes, those who do not become very good at it can still go to medical school, but who among us hasn't 'fired' a doctor because of crappy communication? No matter what journey your son takes in life, becoming expert in his communication skills will serve him well and make him much more successful than he otherwise would be.

First, envision your son all grown up, and a master at communicating. Use that vision to guide you as far as what he still needs to learn.

Start building this way:

1) pick a few things he wants every day, and is requesting without the correct word. For example, a cup. When he wants it, don't just give it to him when he grunts & reaches. Hold it, smile, say "cup! You want your cup?" He'll probably try to do what he has been doing so far, & reach & grunt some more. Pretend you don't understand.. & ask again, "cup?" If he gives you a response that is closer to the right word, then you give it to him.

If he is having success with this method, then this works, and he probably won't require more intensive work/treatment to progress. Just keep tabs on his progress. After he gets his objects down, start making him choose.. do you want the red cup or the blue cup? You can check his understanding of things like colors and numbers by asking him to bring you "2 shoes," or "go get the red ball." Then teach the things that he doesn't know yet.

2). Talk with him constantly. I gave my children a play-by-play on everything. (ie. We are walking to the cupboard, here is the handle, I am opening it up, here is the red cup, now let's close the cupboard. We are walking to the sink. Here is the sink and here is the faucet. I'm turning on the faucet, oh look! here is WATER! Let's fill the cup... up, up, up.. it's full! Now you can have your water in the red cup! Drink your water!

This was a lot of work, but I did it in a playful way.

The effect was that my children were way ahead of the curve in language. Did that make a difference? ABSOLUTELY!!!!

Others took them more seriously because they could interact and express themselves in a more intelligent manner. As a result, both children experienced themselves as "intelligent." This was very noticeable when they were young and people did not expect much from them. After the 'cute baby' remarks, people were surprised to receive eye contact and conversation from the 'cute baby.' As a result, instead of being treated like they were not there as a sentient being, they became part of the social exchange.

I have paid close attention to their language development. This was particularly helpful with my son. It turned out that language was actually very difficult for him. At one point, he was diagnosed LD because of the difference between his IQ and written language. (Should I have carried around a white board? haha BTW, we did read and read and read, that wasn't it). This difficulty did not impact his oral language, I think because of the rich environment I gave him. He never became so far behind that he had to have 'services,' and now in high school, he can still pull off a 'B,' even with the toughest English teacher. Because he can express himself well, I have to remind teachers that writing is more difficult. Otherwise they think the smart kid with the rich vocabulary is slacking.

So, please do work with your son, and make language a priority. We do know that the strongest predictor of success is not IQ, but social skill. Communication is at the heart of that. So, without worry but a sense of purpose, smile and talk with that boy all day long!

K., no worries!
Some very bright famous people did not talk for a long time, and then finally were the smartest-wisest-brightest ones !
My first son invented many words for things, very funny ones, and we use them even now, as they make sense somehow (he is 25 now), but as he was growing, he started using 'right' words. Their world is quite a bit different than ours, and it is interesting to see how they adjust their own world with our regular one. Do you not worry, now!!! All is perfectly fine, enjoy! I'd suggest, start writing down his 'different' words, he will love to read this little 'diary' when he grows up. My kids aften ask me to see that notebook, and read it over and over again (they are 25,23,17). I cannot much share it here, sorry, as it is in Russian, that was our first language.
Enjoy, K., and worry not!!!

Ditto with the other moms. My kid's vocabularies didn't really take off until they were around 18-months.

Let me tell you that I have a 3.5 year old who was born talking, I swear! People stop in their tracks when they hear him talk! Now I also have a 13 month old who won't utter a peep! He is perfectly content to watch life go on but doesn't have any interest in voicing his opinion about it. I know he understands us b/c he will point when we ask him questions (i.e. where is your head, where is daddy) and he signs when I tell him to say please, more, all done. It's just the difference btwn kids, I think!
~L.

Dont worry about your sons vocabulary. It will take of one day out of the blue. I have three sons, the first one had an enormous vocab very early, and the other two hardly spoke at all until they turned 2 yrs old.
Reading to your child will help a lot, but I would not stress to hard over this. It is very normal.

I wouldnt worry about it just now, some kids are slower when it comes to language skills. However if he is still behind as he gets older, make sure you have your doctor check behind the ear drum for fluid build up. My nephew didnt talk about by the time he was 3 and when he did talk, he was very hard to understand. My sister finally took him in for a well baby check and told the doctor about it and they found the fluid behind his ears. Once he got that taken care of, with tubes, he was amazed at all the sounds he missed, like the sound of a clock ticking. He is now a teenager, and diffently doesnt have any talking problems or hearing problems (though I guess he sure does try to have some hehehe) Good Luck!

You probably fo not have anything to be worried about, but you might feel better if you talk to your doctor.

There is also a program called "Early On" that will come out to your house for free and evalutate your child. The number is 1-800-earlyon. They do an overall evaluation, including speech. Furthermore, have you ever had his hearing tested? My daughter had diminished hearing at 15 month, but it wasn't too much of a concern for the audiologist. By time she was 2 years old, she had enough ear infections that our ENT suggested tubes. She has only had tubes in both ears for one month now and her speech has all ready greatly improved. Her speech is still 'a bit' delayed, but she is on her way. Her hearing is now normal.

I wouldn't be too concerned as all children develop differently. However, I had some concerns with my son and asked the doctor and was referred to the Birth To Three program. He qualified and meets with a therapist in our home for one hour a week. He will soon be 3 and out of that program but will be testing to go into the public school system for classes, if he qualifies or if they feel he is now where he should be. This is all free of charge, so I would check with your county/doctor and see what options you may have that way. The organization would probably come to your home to do a few simple tests and would go from there. I know...we all just want our kids to be the best they can be!

My 2nd child didn't speak at all beyond mama & daddy until she was 19 months. My 4th was also a bit slow to talk. However, they both clearly understood the spoken word, & once they started talking, they never shut up! In general, boys are slower to speak than girls, especially if they are quite physically active. That said, you should consider: 1. Does he seem to understand you/follow directions & commands? 2. Have you had his ears checked for fluids, infections, or scar tissue, particularly if he has a history of ear infections? 3. Is he developmentally appropriate in other ways? If you can reply yes to all 3 questions & he checked out OK, then I wouldn't get overly worried about it. Each child develops at their own rate. You may want to spend more time reading to him, helping him to learn names of things & put words to actions & feelings. When he speaks a word incorrectly or unclearly, make sure he is looking at you & emphasize the pronunciation of that word. Does your household tend to be pretty quiet? When your working with him around, describe to him what you are doing. Talk about the weather outside, what is happening around you, etc. As long as he is hearing OK, he is a sponge just waiting to soak it all up. Eventually it'll start leaking out!

I wouldn't worry that is still pretty young to have a full vocabulary. My Pediatrician told me not to really worry about my daughter until her second birthday. My first baby could talk really well and have full conversations by 18 month/2 years, so I was worried with my second. She said a few words here and there, but as her 2nd birthday came around she started talking a little more. SHe is now 2 1/2 and surprises me daily with something new she says. I still work with her and try to get her to talk as much as she can/will (she is very stubborn). As always if you are concerned talk to your doctor, but do give it some time.

K., I am a mother of two (a daughter whose 4 1/2 and a son who is 16 months). My son also does not have a very big vocabulary (mostly mama and dada - occasionally a "sis"). I think children honestly develop at different stages. If it is still bothering you in a couple of months, talk to your pediatrician at his 18 month check up.

Hi K.,
We have a smilar problem. We have 18 month old twins and they say about 9-11 words. At that age they should be saying 7-21 words. Our doctor told us we should think about getting them evaluated (it's free through our county) It's called early on. You may want to look into it around your area, I'm from Lansing. How ever we haven't done so yet because 1 the are twins and do talk at a slower pace then other kids because they have a "twin skeek" or something. But also because they still use binkys and would spend all day in their room with their toys if we would let them. So we moved there room onto the main floor of our house and only let them use their binkies at night time and nap time. Already we have noticed they are picking up more words, also when their older sister reads at night she now sits it their room and reads them a book good night and shows them the pics. So they are not getting that more then just the times I can do it during the day. Before you get to worried I would talk to your doctor and see what they say. But those are a few things that we have choosen to do and so far we are happy with the quick progress they have made. But if you are worried then check to see if there is an early on program in your area. Good Luck
S.

My son is 12 months and at his 12 month appointment the pediatrician mentioned that as long as he is saying words that you understand what they mean, even if no one else does, then he is on track. Most children need a little longer to get the pronounciation down correctly and as long as you keep saying the word correctly, they'll catch up. Hope that helps! I'm a first time mom too, so I understand your worrying!

I have two boys that are in speach therapy, and just the other day I was talking to the therapist about this. I have had many people say that they had a child that didn't talk until they were three or four and then just broke out in sentences. I asked the therapist if that ever happens. She said she didn't believe so. If you are concerned about your child's speach, it is better to be safe than sorry. Get him evaluated. He will be a lot further in life if you start with him now and get him caught up. If he is under three, there should be a state program in your area that will be able to evaluate him, and if he is delayed enough, they will help you get the services that he needs. If you get help now, he may not be dealing with delays when he gets to kindergarten.

My suggestion:
a)don't worry
b)you will worry anyway, about everything, for the rest of your life.
c)so, look and look until you find a group of moms you like hanging out with, and spend time with them. A common topic will likely be, "is my kid normal?" From talking to other moms with kids of varying ages you will find out what you are finding out on Mamasource--every kid is different and there is no "normal." Only, when another mom tells you her child barely uttered a word before age three, and you actually observe her kid and realize that now he talks quite handily, in fact he won't shut up, then you will really relax.

Hi K. -
I understand how you are feeling - I have two boys, one who is 13 months - When Cody - my oldest was that age I worried also - please don't - He will talk beter each month and he will pick things up fast. What I did and what I am doing now with Jordan - my youngest is just to talk to him alot and point out his favorite things and repeat the name over a couple of time - He tries to say them back. What I have heard is walk by one and talk my two - You will look back in a couple of years and laugh that you were worried - You may not get him to stop talking.

Good luck and have fun.

B.

Hi K.! My daughter is 19 months and has just started to say a few more words in the last month. Mostly, she says 'ball' She has said Mama and Dada since about 13 months. I know what you are saying about their own words. She will say something and I am clueless as to what she is saying. I know she is using her own vocabulary, but I would not worry about it yet. The one thing that our ped. checked or thought might be a problem is hearing. Make sure your son can hear. Otherwise, I would say just continue to point things out and say the word slowly and clearly.

I am not an expert by any means, but I do have a degree in education and have worked in daycare with young children. I hopw this was helpful. Have a great day and God Bless.

You should be concerned, but mention this to your pediatrician. All children speak at different ages, but I remember our dr. asking if he could say x number of words at different stages.