You may want to have her hearing checked. It probably isn't anything to worry about but sometimes the not talking is a sign of not hearing very well or not at all.
I could not disagree with Tami M more! Do NOT force your child to speak by depriving her of things. She sounds like she has a speech delay, & this will only make her feel bad. Yes, try & encourage her to use her words, but depriving her of what she wants is just mean.
My daughther is almost 3 1/2. At age 2, I took her in for a speech evaluation & hearing test based on what I told my ped. The hearing test was 100% (which I knew!) & her comprehension was off the charts. She has in fact several times been tested as "highly capable." But her verbal skills were delayed.
The therapist told us to go home & come back in 6 months & we would eval again. I didn't want to wait that long, so after 3 months, we started therapy. After 5 months of weekly visits, we "graduated" & stopped therapy. SO....after 6 months or so, I knew that my daughter was vastly improved, but still was behind. We have been going to therapy for another 4 months now & are making progress.
However, I will say this: My daughter sounds like yours. She is bullheaded & still won't do the exercises at home for me that she will for the therapist! It's so frustrating because I know we could make more progress if she would do more work at home. But what can I do?? I keep trying & make it fun by making it into a game & even if she only does the work once or twice, it's better than nothing. If you let them know it bothers you, it becomes a power struggle & you'll get nowhere.
I would advise a speech evaluation. She could have speech apraxia, oral motor skills issues, etc. Or maybe not! Your pediatrician can give you the referral. If you live in the North end, I have a fantastic one I can give you the info to. I think there are like 5 therapists in the office.
One other thing: The earlier you address the issue, the easier it will be to correct it. It's been proven that children with speech delays have harder times learning to read & this affects their schooling. Plus, you don't want her to get made fun of as she gets older by other kids.
But this one thing my therapist told me made me feel better: Just because she is not communicating verbally yet, don't forget that she IS communicating with you. Her pointing, sign language, & noises are ways of letting you know what she needs & wants. Non verbal communication is just as important & she is communicating to you in her own way.
Children all develop differently. However, I think it is very important to talk to your pediatrician and have an evaluation. There are many reasons she may not be talking. There may be nothing to worry about, or it might require attention. My pediatrician wanted my first to have 50 words at 18 months or she was going to have him evaluated. (He only had 5 words at 15 months. She said she wasn't "concerned" yet, but wanted to watch carefully.) By 18 months, he had 50 words and kept right on going. I say all that only to say you should talk to a professional and get an expert opinion. Especially at 2, kids are stubborn. I would worry you could cause more delays by requiring her to talk to get what she wants. She's going to hold out because that's what 2 year olds do.
First a question -- Do you have an older child? If so it could be part of the issue. My youngest refused to talk until he was 2 because often my older child would request the things they wanted like juice ect.. Then one day he just started talking, in full sentences! He had been learning the whole time, just not using what he knew! Once he got tired of being spoken for, he started speaking for himself.
My 21 month old is not really speaking yet either. She has her own language, and speaks some English words, but compared to some she seems behind. I have been concerned too. My doctor office said to not worry about it. The nurse, a mother of 3, suggested having her drink out of a straw always to help strengthen the muscles of her mouth.
I think if you know her hearing is fine and all else is physically ok, she may just come around. Because I have also been concerned, I have been asking around a lot. My husband didn't talk til he was 4, friends have 2 plus year olds who are not really talking either.
So, I am just watching and waiting. I am considering a hearing test, though I sense that she is fine there too.
Good Luck
Rachel
HI Lindsay,
I would suggest calling your local early intervention and having them do a free evaluation to see if she might have a speech delay. I realize you said she can say words, but some times just having someone else see what you are going through can give you a different outlook as to what is going on... Good luck. I know how stubborn they can be. My daughter is that way too.
Get her a speech evaluation ASAP. My daughter needed speech therapy for about a year. The sooner you are on top of it, the sooner they are speaking and feeling good about themselves. Speech is usually free through the school system. Don't worry!
Lindsay, I totally agree with Heather. Please do not assume your child is being stubborn & certainly do NOT deprive her her of things until you know for sure that she doesn't have a speech/communication disorder. It is not developmentally appropriate for a 2 year old to only have 2 words. She should be saying something more, even if it isn't necessarily intelligible. Many people told me that I should wait it out with my son & that he was just a late talker. This advice can be detrimental to a child since early intervention (before 3 years old) is key for overcoming many delays. With my son I refused to wait - even when the doc told us not to worry. I got a speech evaluation. Come to find out, he has Childhood Apraxia of Speech - one symptom is "loosing speech" like you mentioned with your daughter. For a child like him it is even more detrimental to withhold things until he verbally requests it. Like Heather said, you should talk to your pediatrician, local Birth to Three program, or a Speech-Language Pathologist. Also, this website is a really useful resource for me www.apraxia-kids.org. Good Luck
My daughter went through this same thing at 2- our son who is 2 years older would always speak for her- we took her to a Pierce County sponsored program called "Childreach" they sit down and evaluate through play your child's abilities and it is no cost usually thru a school district. They called us back to do a follow up a few months later and needless to say she is 8 now and only stops talking when she is sleeping!
Two is tough, isn't it! I also deal with this same type of stubbornness on a daily basis. I have bounced between using super-kindness with tons of patience, and the other side which is a hard line of "I don't understand you, when you whine honey!"
When mine says "mama" often the most effective is to get down on my knees, holding my 2 year old's hands (both of them) with mine and looking right at him and saying "What is it, honey". That removes the immediate urge to point and grunt instead of quielty composing words.
Be patient. Their little minds are working on so much! Hopefully you can find a way to resond that feels right to you and fixes the dilemma of the 2-year old. What does your pediatrician say about no words? Any concern? Or just a control issue? Some would say to "remove" the control issue and not create a push-pull. But because 2 is about figuring out boundaries, others would say that it's important to put your foot down and make sure she understands the rules for appropriate communication in your house/family.
You might do your best to get her around lots of other 2 year olds and let he hear them babbling. Often peer pressure at this age works wonders!
Best,
Erika
Maybe it is time to ask your doctor about checking out therapy?
I had a friend who had this same problem. she found out it was cuz his ears were clogged big time and he couldn't hear well so he just ignored evrything. My son was similar,but he had chronic ear infections so we put tubes in his ears.He started talking almost immediately. And no he won't stop. So I know how frustrating this can be to both the parents and the child.
Arianne
My son was the same way. He started off picking up words, then just stopped. We could tell he understood what we were saying or asking, but he just stopped talking. We were so concerned about it and took him to speech therapy, but it didn't seem to help much at all. He turned 3 in October and his speech picked up a little, but not much. Then, we enrolled him in preschool and his vocabulary exploded. He's attending a Montessori school with kids from ages 3-6 years old. We can tell a HUGE difference. My advice, Don't stress on it. She will talk when she's ready. I wish I could go back and enjoy that time more, instead of having been so upset over "why isn't my baby talking?". From someone who's been there, if her hearing is fine, don't stress out about her speech.. it'll come in due time.
I read a similar incident a few months ago, but the reason was not a good one, I would look into it medicaly and do some research on the health sites, I think it was in an old baby issue I got from a doctors office. or think if she has had any trauma such as bad touching experience. As far as I know, it is not normal for children to regress. I have raised 4 and have 2 grands and yes they have different levels of starting to talk and such but don't take it lightly until you know it is not something else.
Hello,
I am not sure if anyone else has responded yet but my husband was just reading an article on a condition called "Selective Mutism". This may be what your daughter has. She may need treatment or therapy and it is recommended that you do not let it go on for too long without some form of assistance. You can look at www.selectivemutism.org for information on this condition. That and talking with your pediatrician may give you some answers. I am sorry but I do not have any personal experience with this or I would be happy to give you more information. I would love to be kept posted so I can keep you in my prayers. Take care.
Sincerely,
Vida
I can only share my story...my son when he was about 1 year and some months, started speaking in full sentences. We tried to contain our amazement and called our pediatrician who said, let's see what happens and don't make a big deal. We didn't, but he probably picked up our first reaction. He continued to talk in sentences for 2 weeks and then quit. He re-started talking when he was 4 years. OMG! With the help of our Homeopathic practitioner at the time who was treating him constitutionally for his whole person, we didn't worry so much and just treated him normal. He's now 22 years old and is just fine. He is dyslexic but he graduated from high school with a scholarship in German! Go figure. Is now a aircraft mechanic and doing very well in his new profession. He was also one of the best students in his Aircraft program! So, baring any wierd diseases, she's probably just fine. All I can say is pay attention and let her spirit speak to you. I also recommend homeopathy and naturopathic medicine to keep the immune system supported and not suppressed naturally. Good luck and keep talking!
I had a simaliar problem. I started talking in a low, calm, soft tone, simply stating, "I don't understand what you want, I need you to use words. Then I can help you". After about two days of this (frequently) I started the same whining after he did, as if in response. I got quite the confused look like, what in the world are you doing? After about the third time I said to him, Do you mean you don't understand me when I whine? He shook his head no, I said well I don't understand it when you do it to me either. And I just looked at him, waited about two or three minutes for him to digest what I said to him. I then said WE both need to use words so we can both understand, OK? I took a few tries (and from time to time we have a lapse) but then the light bulb goes off and he remembers. Hope it works for you. Good luck.
I had a similar situation. I am still amazed that my now 7 year old didn't really talk until he was about 2 1/2. We were always sure he didn't have any real problem: he acted very smart and was "normal" socially. He just didn't talk. Then at around 2 1/2 the child began talking in complete paragraphs. This has turned out to be a part of his personality. He has learned other skills seemingly overnight, but very proficiently. He seems to want to do things "right" before he is willing to do it at all.
So, although it is frustrating, and expecting your child to sign is absolutely reasonable, you may not be able to do much to get her talking. I felt that the more I tried, the more he resisted. He needed his own time and space. I have three other children who all spoke at a much more "normal" time. So this one really through us for a loop... but it passed. So, no great advice here. Just letting you know that someone else has been there, and it might just cure itself.
Lindsay,
I cannot say I have the same problem. I have twin boys who are almost 2, and they do talk (not that I understand much).
However, I did some research...WebMD and other sites. Nothing conclusive came up. Some articles about hearing, stuttering, and general development.
I did run across this link:
The small article was on child development, and some delays than can be expected by some. There were also responses (much like here), and several said to trust yourself as the parent. If you feel that there is a problem seek assistance or guidance. If you do not believe there is a problem, drown out any other voice and work the best you can with your daughter.
Unfortunately,there are no right answers for us moms. you can contact me anytime you need to talk
tara
hey there im with you. ive got the same issues with my son. he turned 2 in the beg. of april and he knows what everything means and he gets his point across but isnt talking. its maddening isnt it?! the one thing ive done which has at times made my little one mad. but if he wants up and is lifting his arms up i'll say up? do you want up benjamin? he'll look at me and say yeah. so i'll then say ok then use your words and tell mama up. sometimes it goes on for a while. i mean if he starts crying actual tears then you know its time to quit and work on it later or work on something else. Also i dont know if youve got a barnes and nobel book store but im sure you could order them online. but i found some flash cards for our kidos age. that are just simple words like, cat, dog, cup stuff like that. b ut good ones and they are also the sensory cards. with soft, sticky etc. they are awsome h e loves them. to put them away i sit and tell him what each one is. and this has become a nightly thing.
good luck