22 Month Od Not Talking Yet

Hi A., My daughte also started talking late and once she started she never stopped. That was many years ago. Now I would suggest you seek Early Intervention. They will evaluate and help where needed. Grandma Mary

I was worried about my daughter's vocabulary at this age too. She is almost 3 (on the 23rd)now and has increased her vocabulary within the last month.

She used to watch the Disney Channel all the time, but we have switched to Noggin. I can't believe how much of a difference her speech has been since then. She likes Wow Wow Wobbsie, Dora, Diego, Wonderpets. and Blue's Clues the best. She is learning so much...quickly.

Nanc

Hi Ann,

This is just my opionion. My son is turning 2 years old next week. God Willing. :) He says only a few dozen words. I think this is normal. All kids develope differently. Check with your doctor, and see what they say. I don't think anything is wrong with my son. My daughter at this age spoke clear sentences. All kids are different. I would not worry at this time. :)

Although I wouldn't worry too much, I would have her checked by your local group. In CT we have birth to three. I used them, ended up getting a non-stop talker now!!! But I would always err on the side of the child. Better to have it checked and either be nothing or start with speech therapy NOW rather than wait and have to deal with it when she is older and maybe realizes that there is a problem which will lead her to being frustrated, etc.

My mother went through the exact same thing with me. I did not really start talking until I was in Kindergarten. Yes the school did put me in speech therapy fir a short time. That was when I met one of my best friends, she too had the same issue. Shortly after we met we were taken out of speech therapy. I guess we just needed someone to talk to... I believe not to push children, you are doing everything right, reading and communicating, she'll get there. I know it can be frustrating my son potty trained late. Hang in there sounds like you have a brilliant motivating child

Hey MOM,

At 22 months or Nearly 2 years old, she should be able to say a few words at the very least,

Since you say she says only the first syllable I would be concerned.

I suggest contacting Birth23
http://www.birth23.org/

They are great, and part of easter seals

Basically they come to your home or to the babysitters and evaluate your child, to see if she is delayed, and if she is they try and asses Why, and then create a plan for therapy,

You already realize something is not quite right , so thats the first step,

Let them come its FREE

You never know whats wrong, it could be her hearing, or some speech, or communicative disorder or delay.

Worst case is they confirm what you already suspect, and create a plan to get her on track, and best case they say she is fine. nothing is wrong.

---

My son didn't roll over at 8 months and i was concerned because my oldest walked at 8 months, and the middle one at 10 months.

Now I knew not every child develops at the same rate, but I also knew he wasn't on track, MY pediatrician said LETS WAIT AND SEE-- But I knew something wasn't right,

I called and Birth23 came, and agreed that he was behind, so the next few months they came a few hours per week and
BY 12 months he was walking.

Good Luck

M

Call your board of education in your town. They will come to your home and evaluate.. and then if they think she needs speech help- they will send someone to your home.. usually 2 morning a week for speech. It's a great help for children that are delayed in speech.. and hay it's free. Go for it. You can also call your dr. and he can recommend someone to take a look at her speech.. but i would go for the school system. good luck. A.~~

Hi Anne Marie, have you had your child evaluated and referred to a pediatric speech pathologist and audiologist? Speak to your pediatrician and ask for the appropriate referrals. My neice did not speak clearly at your child's age either and her mother was referred for early intervention services. It was extremely successful and it turned out the child just needed a little coaching. She is also very bright and social. I hope this helps. God Bless.

Hi Ann-Marie,
It's very possible for a child to have a delay in one area only, such as speech. It couldn't hurt to have a speech evaluation and see if she has any delay/disorder or is just a late bloomer. Ask your pediatrician for a referral.
Good luck!

Hi
My youngest, 33 months old, is still working on her speech. At her 24 month check-up, she really wasn't saying that many words. Her doctor told me not to worry about it, though I hadn't mentioned it to him. (She has 3 older siblings, I've been through it before.)
Then again at her 30 month check, she still wasnt talking much more than her last visit. When I checked in, I was given a sort of "test" for her to check her development. Stuff like can she identify animals, draw a straight line, count to 5, jump over the paper when placed on the floor, pick out a mommy/daddy/baby on the paper, and questions like can a stranger understand her speech, how many words will she put together in a sentence that I can understand. all of this was age orientated, and a few things she was lacking for her age, but others that were listed for like a 3 or 4 year old, she did well.
That was about 3 months ago, in April. Now, I cannot shut her up!!! : ) She talks to a lady who rides the bus with us, nonstop, and she seems to understand most of what she says. Her older sisters, 16 and 18, are noticing stuff every other day. She just walks right up to them and says stuff like "Hi, Annie, do you have candy?" Or Can I have a drink? Phrases that shock them, but I hear them coming all the time, but I do get shocked with some sentences about 2 times a week.
She is growing and learning very fast. Your little girl will too. Just give her time, she'll work out the words on her own, she'll probably start by repeating EVERYTHING that you say. You may want to repeat it after she does, to make sure she says them close to right, then focus on 1 word at a time, but know when to stop before she gets frustrated, or she wont want to play that game anymore.
Be patient

She sounds just like my son! At two, he barely spoke, using only those words that were absolutely necessary. Even though he could say "water" pretty well, he was more likely to go to the fridge door and point than use the word. We knew his hearing was fine (we watched carefully, and it was obvious in his interaction with his older sisters) and he was very advanced physically (able to ride his sister's bike, even using the coaster brakes the summer he was 2). We decided to just ride it out. He is now a totally fine, normal, communicative 4 year old. If you are confident that her hearing is fine, you might want to relax and give it a little more time.

the state has a program, call your pediatrician, maybe they can give you the answer of who to contact. services are provided until 36 months. also, isn't your ped a bit concerned.
is the child active, very active. sometimes when they are working on climbing and things of that nature, speech takes a back seat. i'd check into the program

Call your county's Early Intervention number. They will conduct a full evaluation and provide you with speech therapy if your daughter needs it! Either way you will get some peace of mind.

Hi! I am a speech therapist and want to comment on a couple of things in what you wrote. One - if she is very active - it may be that her gross motor is ahead of other aspects. That is part of why boys are usually classified as more active, but talk later, and girls tend to talk earlier and climb later. Since she has a few dozen words - that is great - At 2 she should have around 50 words and begin combining 2 word utterances (yes- 2 months is a big difference!!! And - these are milestones - not all children are the same!)

But - the one thing I really noticed is that she is only saying the beginning of words. She could have what is called a phonological disorder. Really what that means is that a 'rule' of speech is missing - she is saying the beginning or words, but doesn't finish them. It can sound a lot like a problem with articulation, but requires a different approach to fix. I would actually suggest that you get a speech eval done through Early Intervention. Your Ped would order it - if you feel you want to proceed with it - stress that you really want this done. Truly - the earlier you start - the better for your daughter. If that is what it is - it is likely not a longstanding problem - but she will need help to resolve it. And - if they feel there is nothing to worry about - you will know that too and feel more reassured! Good luck!!

Get her hearing checked. It could something as simple as that. She may need speech therapy though. Don't wait, the earlier the better. Good luck

I could have written exactly the same thing about my son a few months ago. He turned 2 on May 21st. I am an elementary teacher and asked the speech pathologist in my building about the same problem. He left the ends off words too. Everyone told me to be patient and I have to say, he is doing much better in the past month or so. He is finally saying the ends of most words. I would say just model the correct pronunciation and give her lots of new vocabulary to hear, and give it a little time.
Good LUck!

hi A.
Not to worry. My daughter now 4 was the same way..we were all very concern. Each child progress on their own. We always read to hear and pronounce each word to her - within one month we couldn't stop her from talking! (LOL)
My daughter is an only child - this maybe the same situation with your daughter.
Just keep up what your doing and she will be fine!
Hope this helps!
Warm regards.
M.

Call your pediatrician and have them write you a referal for a speech evaluation. (If you need it my insurance did) My daughter talked 40+ words that were clear from 9 months old to 1 year old. ! week after her first birthday she stopped talking COMPLETELY! I freaked! Doctor said no worries until 2 yo. At 2 had her speech (or lack thereof) evaluated and she began speech therapy. Since you are approaching the 2yo mark it can take several weeks (months) to get speech therapy (if needed) lined up. My daughter did it for 9 months and after that talked so much we wanted an OFF button installed! There may be nothing to worry about but it will relieve your worries to know what is going on. We were told that sometimes a childs brain is learning so fast that something has to "give". For my daughter (as could be with yours) it was speech. There little brains learn so fast that sometimes not everythng can keep up. Good luck and if you need more info please feel free to contact me. A.

I think your daughter is doing just fine. A few dozen words is great for her age and they do not need to be clear at this point. And the fact that she has her own "words" is a good sign. It means that she understands how language works and that she is hearing you and responding.
If she can follow basic instructions from you, like 'put the toy in the basket' that means that is able to hear and comprehend language just fine.
You may want to have her hearing checked out, just to be sure she is getting in everything. But otherwise I don't think she needs any kind of earl intervention. Just keep reading with her and talking to her and asking her questions. But, as my pediatrician said, it never hurts to set up an evaluation because 1. it's free and 2. the earlier the better. Of course when my pediatrician told me this I was horrified that something was "wrong" with my little guy, but really pediatricians are not trained in speech development and most do not feel comfortable making a diagnosis based on the 2 minutes they are seeing your child. She said she tells that to every one that asks.

i agree with the other post from the speech therapist. most likely she has just focused on her physical development more so. even so, there is absolutely no harm in getting her evaluated, it can be a great help. i also just want to mention to you to make sure you get her ears/hearing checked. my son is just under 2 and he has had fluid in his ears on and off since he is 9 mos, all winter both winters... very few infections, but almost constant fluid. we battled back and forth about tubes, we didnt do it. he has only had a handful of words, and those are mostly also the beginning. when i say a handfull, i mean under 10 all this time. now that it is spring, the past month or so, his ears are finally clear and his speech is taking off like crazy, new words every day or so. so just make sure about her ears and get her hearing tested as well. i dont know where you live, but at LIJ hearing and speech they do hearing tests on babies/toddlers. and they are wonderful, a pleasure to deal with, and so sweet to the kiddies, the test is fun for them, games and toys and talking animals, things like that.

Relax and give her time. I was in the same boat with my son a year ago. But he had even fewer words, maybe just 5. I had his hearing checked & then had him evaluated by Early Intervention. They said he seemed to be just a few months behind but no need for intervention. They said that the expectations for a 22 month old were very low and to wait until 2 1/2 to 3 yrs to look for articulation concerns. My son is also very physical (he was hitting a baseball & drop kicking a soccer ball for the ladies that did his eval). I waited a couple months and he really started talking much more around his second birthday. At that time we also found out that he had low iron & after taking supplements he really started having more to say. Now he is a regular chatter box & always asking why. Not all of his words are clear but we just repeat them back to him clearly in the hopes that he keeps trying. So I would say that if she understands you & communicates her needs she is probably fine. Kids all grow in their own ways. She was concentrating on physical growth so she didn't have time for speech. If you do want to get an Early Intervention evaluation (it's free) I would suggest waiting until she turns 2. Best of luck!!

A.,

See about getting a diagnosis from an expert - speech therapist - before worrying. What does her pediatrician say?

I know I worry about my son needing speech because his older cousin (whom he mirrors in weight/stature/diaper size) has to go through it.

There are some sounds that are slower to come: L, T, S-combinations, etc. She is naming things in her ability to speak and that is important.

What else is important is that you still go through everything at some point in time and just NAME them for her. Point to bird, say bird (spell it if you are ambitious, it won't hurt! :)

Don't waste time being worried - get your fears put to rest, or get her speech therapy if she needs it.

Good luck!
M.

Hi A.
The benchmark for saying some words is often said to be 2, and for talking is 3. She is not 2 and she is saying words. However, you have noticed that she is eliding the end of the word. That is significant. Call the MD and discuss this with him.
Next having lived in different parts of the country, I realize that accents and speech are different. Is it possible that you say the first syllable more distinctly? Sometimes you can avoid a problem by stressing the part that she is eliding, especially at such a young age. That does not mean I think you should delay calling MD.
As a teen I baby sat for a little fellow that connected the last syllable of one word to the first syllable of the next word. His mom thought when he was younger that he was eliding a syllable. My suggestion comes from that experience, but that was many years ago.
Is hearing an issue? or is it processing? MD can help with that.
Kids are all different so don't compare.
My oldest talked in full sentences so well the K teacher thought he would be in her class the next fall, and he was a few days from turning 2, yes 2. By the way I thought she was nuts. My twins, didn't talk, but they didn't know their own name even when they were 3. Today they are in college with Dean's List GPAs.
Probably old enough to be your mom, have you talked to her about what you see? What does she say? I am sure if she/you are able she would have some fun stories to share.
God bless you with His wisdom
K. -- SAHM married 38 years --- adult children -- 37, 33, and twins 18