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Autism may be something you should look into. It's a big flag when kids talk and then all of a sudden stop talking. You should look into it.

I don't necessarily think it's a boy-girl thing -
I have 3 boys and ALL 3 talked plenty early and well.
It is different for each child.
I know my mom insists my brother didn't talk as early because he had me talking for him!
I personally would start to be somewhat concerned about a 2 yr. old not speaking yet; however, some children bloom a little later than others with certain skills. If it were my child, I would at least address the issue with my pediatrician first- just to rule out any underlying issues and then go from there. He/She may just not be ready yet.

My sisters daughter did that. She had an older sister and because the older sibling did all the talking for her she didn't need to.

Hi A.,

I work part-time as a speech-language pathologist; I am home the rest of the time with my 3 children. I agree that all children are different, yet professionally I am worried about a 2 year old not talking at all. Most children have 50-100 words by age 2 and are starting to combine 2 words in sentences. I would encourage the parents to have this child evaluated by a speech pathologist, either through a private clinic (usually covered by insurance) or through the school district (free). It used to be accepted to wait and see what happens, but now we know how important early intervention is and what a difference it makes over time. Even if they decide not to pursue treatment, they may learn some new ideas to encourage more language. The pediatrician is a good place to start. Great question!

It is definitely okay for a 2 year old not to talk. Kids grow at their speed. It doesn't matter their gender. If you start pushing and prompting them to do what they don't want to do at that moment, they won't do anything for you. Just give him/her time. Not talking has nothing to do with his intelligence. I had a son who did not talk until he was 3-4. His older brother was an overachiever, (all his life actually),starting with his walking and talking at a very early age. Your 2 year old will start when he feels comfortable and then you will not be able to stop him. Good luck-P. S.

I am not sure but I do know that if your baby is not talking at that time then I would talk to your dr. There are also free services out there through the schools that can help him if it's needed.

K.

As a speech language pathologist I would say that you should talk to your pediatrician. At 2 years old kids should be at least beginning to use 2 word phrase and you should able to understand 50-75% of what they say. I agree that there is a broad range of normal, but it is important to rule out any thing that could be affecting normal speech development such as hearing especially if there is a history if ear infections.
It is always best to begin services early rather than late and this will help with transitioning to school also. Counties and school districts offer birth to 3 programs, however sometimes children don't qualify unless that are really really behind. I would also tell you that some clinics and hospitals offer services to pediatrics and usually you don't have to be quite as delayed to qualify for insurance coverage. It's just another option that I think people forget about it.
I hope things work out for you and your little one.

A.,
My first son was barely speaking before he even turned three. We had him evaluated, for free, from the Birth to Three Years program. They told us not to worry. They said he was working on his problem-solving and motor skills rather than his verbal skills. Well, they were right. When he was about 3 and a half he started talking non-stop, and with an incredible vocabulary. He's very smart (He's now 5 and a half) and is at the same level, if not higher, with his peers. - Our second son was speaking by age 2, so they were very different. - And yes, everyone tells me that girls are different than boys!

One thing that we made a mistake with, however, was thinking that since our 3-year old wasn't talking, he wasn't learning as much. Our 2-year old knew all his numbers and letters by 2 and a half. We didn't even think to teach that to our older son because he wasn't speaking.

Some kids don't talk as early as others. If you are concerned, you could check with a speech therapist. I would wait a while and see. Some kids don't say anything, then all of a sudden speak in full sentences.

L. :)

Hi A.
Don't get too stuck on age mile stones, kids do thing at different rates. But I did have a friend who's daughter was not developing in the speech department, it turned out that she had, had ear infections with no symptoms and could not hear. After tubes being placed he could hear and is now talking up a storm (after speech therapy).
Good luck

Are you saying that your daughter was talking and then stopped like she forgot how? I had the same problem with my two-year old. Be sure to take her to the doctor and tell your doctor about the problem. It's not normal for a child to stop talking. We took our boy to the doctor and she told us it was in response to the new sibling in our home, but I didn't buy it. Good thing I didn't because we got a second opinion and pretty soon we had the ball rolling. Our son was diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder, it's a form of autism. Since we caught it early, my son has come a long way in just four months. He is talking again, calling me Mommy again, and functioning at a two-year-old level. I don't want to scare you, and sometimes it is normal for kids to quiet down a little, but it's not normal for them to stop talking like they forgot how. Good luck and God bless.

There is a difference between children. My oldest son talked at 6 months old and was saying sentences by 1 year. My daughter started talking at 8 months old and was saying sentences by a year old or 18 months. My youngest son wasn't saying a lot by the time he was 2 and when he did talk it was a hard time understanding since he would mix up his words Tunnel became untull and his brother Jarrod became Arjud. It straightened it self out as he got older. I even took him to the doctor for hearing tests. Even though he wasn't talking, he was unscrewing all the screws on my kitchen chairs before he was walking. Dang Dad always left screw drivers out. Kids develope at different stages, some develope motor skills early, others verbal skills. As long as there isn't problems with being tongue tied or having a hearing loss or autism, I wouldn't worry to much about it.

My granddaughter is taking after her father, she doesn't talk alot but when she decides to, she can get her words out.

This happened to me years ago and they told me that we were talking for my daughter and so was our son. They are 18 months apart. The doctors said she didn't have to talk, she could just grunt and everyone got what she wanted. We had even gone as far as extensive hearing tests. Hopefully your son doesnt have a hearing problem and it's just the same as me, we talked for my 2yr old. Once we started telling her use your words and working with her she never shut up. My son was talking 8mos and by a year he was talking up a storm full sentences. Good Luck

Hello A.!
I often hear the "range of normal" thing, and it's true kids develop differently. A range, however, indicates a variation in ability--like some kids have 5 words and some have 50. That's a range. No words at age 2 is not really a range. Both my children are speech delayed--I've been looking into this for over 5 years and have worked w/a variety of specialists. There's a good book called "Quirky Kids" by Eileen Costello and Peri Klaas that tells you when to worry and when not to worry--developmental milestones are significant. If your child is months behind in them--esp. if there are other things going on--you should check into it. There are simple things you can do.

The average 15-mo-old has 10 words (you might hear different stats here). Babies start babbling by 6 mos. If a child doesn't babble--isn't developing consonant sounds, isn't labeling things even in gibberish, isn't moving to more patterned "speech" (baby or otherwise), isn't using words to communicate, and esp. if he isn't using non-verbal communication at all--I think the parent should talk to a doctor. An 18-mo.-old at a 9-12 mos. speaking level (or less) isn't exactly in the "range" of normal. Girls may be at the upper end of the range, but it's still a range.

I think part of it, however, is parent personality. I'm someone who doesn't take the "not my child" approach. I'm someone who says, "This isn't working/isn't right--what can I do about the problem?" And I get to work. How would I feel if my child did have ear infections or was hearing properly and I was frustrated and disciplining him for not responding to me? Etc.

I know MANY parents whose children aren't developing typically, but they do the "he's fine"/"not my child" thing--and many of them are still struggling w/difficult behaviors they don't understand and that aren't improving years later. I think the fact that many disorders today aren't obvious--aren't clear in signs like Down Syndrome or a severe disability--makes it harder for parents to see when something is wrong. And many parents are scared by some of the labels around today. Often there may be many different or unusual things going on accompanying the speech delay, but they may not be recognized by the parent.

Birth-to-three is a program available in every county. THey will do a free evaluation if the child has been referred to them (and the parent can refer the child). Where I live, a child has to have at least a 25% speech delay or have something else going on in addition to a speech delay of less than 25%.

I would be hesitant about advising another parent whose child isn't talking, however, unless they directly ask you b/c most parents don't want to hear that something is wrong. Even my doctor--who has 2 "quirky" kids and went through much of what I did w/my first--didn't want to say, "Oh, sleep problems? Extreme fussiness? Sensitivities? Speech delay? Must be a developmental disorder!" So I had an almost intolerable 18 mos. w/my first child before finding help. I can say from experience that a diagnosis might not be as scary as it seems at first, esp. if you only have a casual knowledge of the subject.

I can also say to any parent out there that early intervention helps incredibly--even if it only helps your attitude toward your child (b/c you have a reason for his/her behavior that you don't attribute to the child's intentions or personality) and her attitude toward herself. I think self-esteem is a hidden casualty of special needs kids who go undiagnosed for too long. My son is having an amazing year in kindergarten, and I know he's going to be a successful person. I am not taking steps for my daughter, who is also speech delayed and in whom I can see other things going on (based on my past experience). They're both cool kids, but they don't see/process/respond to the world like others. I would regret *not* doing anything, not the other way around.

Just my 2 cents on this matter...
Best, J.

Be thankful and don't worry about it too much - my oldest son didn't talk till he was 4 1/2. Now he talks nonstop. I would check with the local school district - they usually have something like an early intervention program that would test her to see if there is anything to be concerned about. Also mention it to the pediatrician if you haven't already. Good luck - I miss those days now.

It's ok for a child of 2 not to talk ! I have a 2 year old and he does the same thing it's nothing to worry about they talk when they want too he can say his A, B, C's He can count, and some time he calls upon the Lord's name! and at times he wont say a word What is happening is they are picking up new words to add on to the already words they know! they have good ears ! From E. to A. Marh 9, 2008

I think it's perfectly ok! My youngest (boy) didn't talk much at all at 2 .. but he could understand everything we asked of him, and now at 8 he talks so much you wouldn't believe it! My advice is - If he can understand what you are saying without you using any gestures. Like say "Please bring me the ball" and you don't point to it or anything - just the words .. and he/she goes gets the ball for you, then they are hearing and understanding and that is ok. Also - are they making any sounds ? babbling, etc?
I don't think it's so much a boy/girl thing as a individual thing. My oldest (also boy) talked a lot from about 2 months on .. babbling with rise and fall - almost like sentences.
If it makes you feel better, most areas will have a program where they will test your child to make sure there is nothing wrong with hearing or throat funciton - check through your local school system and they may be able to connect you. But most likely, it's just a variance from the average. :)

There can be huge differences between boys and girls. Of my seven, they fall in two distinct categories. The girls read well, do school well, are sharp and verbal from a young age and tend to be indoor kids. The boys struggle with school but are really physical, not as verbally sharp at an early age, but can take apart things and put them back together again. Now, you may think this is all learned through the culture of our family - but I think it is more intrinsic, since my seven kids come from four different biological families over at least four major culture groups! Personality also has a major effect on when a child speaks and what he/she says. Some kids don't find it necessary to say anything, especially if they come later in birth order or are shy. Check with your pediatrician, and if he doesn't see a problem, don't worry yet. Encourage verbal skills in the normal flow of life and appreciate your children for what they are - quiet or noisy, active or still. Unless there is an underlying medical issue, kids will talk when they have something to say.

SAHM of seven

I'm a mom of an autistic boy and one of the most obvious symptoms he showed early on was that he could talk- learned words etc and then chose to not talk. Almost as if he had forgotten how, or he was simply not interested or motivated to do so. (didn't understand the purpose)

Obviously my first reaction is to NOT brush this under the rug!! Of course this does not mean that your child is autistic, but if there is something bigger going on the sooner you find out the better, and you should never listen to people who say that your concerns are not valid. You're a mom and you have a gut instinct. You're questioning this- you need to pursue it.
ask your pediatrician and if they blow you off- demand that they direct you to someone else. Do not ignore this concern!
If you find out your daughter was being a little stubborn stinker and all is well:) - then praise the lord! hurray! but at least you didn't let something serious slip by you when there was something more you could do for her

good luck

Sometimes! My personal experience is my oldest (boy, now 8) did not talk at age 2. He recieved speech therapy for one year (ages 2 to 3) and has been great ever since. No problems at all. My youngest (girl, now 3) also did not talk at age 2. I assumed she was like her biggest brother. I had the school district come out and evaluate her and she was diagnosed with Autism. If you have ANY question about language skills contact your school district and they will come out and do an evaluation. They will then also decide if speech services or even special ed services are necessary. Early intervention is key for a positive outcome.

I also have an older daughter, now 6, and she was a very early talker. Like you she new her abc's and could even sing twinkle twinkle little star. I have a 22 1/2 month old boy and he is just starting to use words. He needs to continuously be encouraged. Some things we can understand and somethings we have NO idea what in the world he is saying. With that said, I really believe every child is different and that boys can lag a bit in that dev. area than girls. I would discuss this with your peditrician if you really are concerned. Just a bit of advice........the more we encouraged my son to "find his voice" say please, thank you, ball, mama, dada etc...that is when he started to try and communicate and he got it!

I'd be concerned! Not a whine, peep, or sound? Please encourage whoever to get checked out. Autism? Does the child respond to people? Smile?

My son is just 2 1/2 years old now and he didn't really start saying much until just recently. He still doesn't talk all that much but he is slowly starting to say more and more every day.. Everyone always thought something was wrong with him like couldn't hear or what ever.. But He can hear and he just didn't want to talk.. I also had a hard time to get him off the bottle. Got him off that finally about 3 weeks ago or so and now he is starting to come around little by little.. The only thing the doctors told me to worry about is if your child doesn't try to get your attention like ahhh ahhh and pointing for you to look at something. If they are doing that you shouldn't have anything to worry about. And if you think they can understand some things you are telling them. Then I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just what I think.

My son is 22 months and has a very limited vocabulary. He really only says a few words clearly so someone else could understand him. He does have several that people around him a lot can understand though. The doctor didn't seem overly concerned about it yet. He just wanted to re-evaluate him at 2 yrs old. From what I've heard, boys are generally slower in language skills than girls, but I don't know how true it is.

OK - for a different perspective.

My only child is now 3 1/2. I am a stay at home mom and spend plenty of time with my son as well as getting him out to do things with other kids from our moms group.

Before Zeno was 2 he could count to 20, say his ABC's, "read" his favorite books to me, and sing many different children songs.

When we took him to the ped for his 2 yr check up - my son told the doctor that HE has a stethoscope at home, too!

The doctor was very impressed with his vocabulary and sentence structure.

My story is only to say that boys aren't always lagging behind on the learning scale. It just depends on the child.

Also, I'm reading that everyone is telling you to talk to your ped. But my understanding is that YOU have a daughter - not a son and are asking because you probably know of a boy in this circumstance. Correct?

Many of the mothers in my moms group have children 2 - 3 years old that are in different stages of speech. Some kids are non stop talkers, others are in speech classes and some are just delayed talkers. It's a wide mix of everything!

D. in milwaukee

I would bring it up with your Dr. or she/he should be aware of it when your child had their 2 year old check up (that is part of what the Dr.'s are observing at the check up. I had a friend and a cousin who both didn't think much of their children not speaking at 2 but then it turned out they both wound up at a therapist. It depends on what you mean by not talking. Why wait if you have concerns, go to the Dr. Good Luck!

Omigosh! Don't go running to the speech pathologist yet! There is a HUGE difference between boys and girls. Also--I'm guessing that the second child is a boy?? My first is a boy and didn't speak at 2, but could say a few words (at least I knew what he meant!) But he didn't REALLY start speaking until 2 1/2. I've heard this is fairly common for boys. My daughter is 18mo and is saying many words. I've also heard second babies just don't speak as early because the older one is doing all the talking for them. Is your second saying ANY words?? If not--that may warrent a look, but if it's just that they're not talking is sentences--don't worry yet!

I had my son evaluated with a 360 through the Birth to Three program (a free program in most counties) when he was 16 months old because he wasn't really talking at all. He rated at 30 month in interpretive language, motor skills, etc...but in expressive speech he rated much, much lower.

The main concern with children's lack of speech is that they will get frustrated and stop developing in other areas as well. As a result of my son's testing he qualified for free speech therapy. A therapist came to our house twice a week for a year and he now talks nonstop...almost too much! :)

We first started with sign language which he picked up immediately because he was so happy to be able to express himself and be understood! And after just a few months, he was really starting to talk.

My daughter is now 22 months old and she says about 20 words...but I started her in sign language very early so she's able to express herself pretty well too...and beside, she can hardly get a word in edgewise with her chatty brother.

The bottom line is that if you're concerned, then dig a bit deeper or call your pediatrician. There certainly is something to be said for mother's intuition!

I'd need to know more details (like whether she is in daycare 40 hours per week or staying home with you) in order to give you my advice...and whether your child is 2 or 3 (re: the title above "is it ok for a 2 year old not to talk?").

I think if your child is 2 and not speaking yet, and you do the things like read regularly with her and communicate verbally with her regularly, you do not have anything to worry about. My children didn't really start speaking until they were well past two. I think if your child is 3 and not speaking yet, consider the following: 1. is she in daycare all week with other kids who are talking, or is she at home with you? 2. has she been evaluated by a birth-3 specialist and what, if any, are their recommendations? 3. does not speaking seem to fit in with her temperament?

Some kids just need more time to think about their words before they decide to speak, and having a parent who is relaxed and not stressed out about this helps them get to the point where they are talking.

If the boy's family live in Mpls, have them call 348-TOTS. They will come to the house, and do a free screening of the child. If he needs help in any areas of his development, speech or otherwise, they will arrange for a therapist to come to his home, for free, and work with him. My daughter received speech therapy through the school district and it was a wonderful experience. Now we'd never know she had a problem with her speech. If the family lives outside of Mpls, have them check with their local school district. Many districts have programs in place because early intervention helps to assure that more kids will be ready for school when they begin school. Good luck!

Bring it up with your ped. They should be talking by 2, at least a little bit. Boys are different then girls and 2/3 children are different too. They may have a mild hearing problem. My son was a slow talker and it turned out that he had alot of fluid in his ear that was making it hard for him to understand what was being said to him.

But everybody is different. I know one boy who is 2 weeks older then my youngest and he has less then 10 words, where my guy will talk in sentences sometimes and has more along the 50 word range. He's a 3rd child as opposed to a first. Big difference.

This happened to my grandson. It turned out he had speach dysplasia where his brain would not tell his jaw how to form words. He has been going to speech therapy for 3 years now and it is really helping. I am not saying this is what it is, but you should take him to a speach specialist. Take care!

My son was not talking at his 2 yr old well-child check. The pediatrician was very concerned & he started speech & received a sedated hearing test very soon after. It might be nothing but I would suggest at least a visit to a pediatrician.

I have a son that turned 2 in Dec and he doesn't talk very much at all. We have been working with AEA to help with this. He has a problem asking for things and alot of the time he can't seem to say what he wants to say, like he talks in jiberish. I would get a hold of AEA and have him evaluated. It is free and it has helped us alot, they have questioned Autism but its really very early to tell.
I hope this helps and if you find out anything else, please let me know. Maybe I can use it for my own child.

Kids do develop at different rates, but if he really has no words at this point I would recommend an evaluation. Other signs to be concerned about: didn't babble much as a baby, little interest in communicating in other ways (grunts, signing, etc), straining to make sounds but they don't come out well, etc. There are a number of speech issues that kids can have that are easily corrected with speech therapy. My brother didn't speak until he was 3 and then it was full sentences but even then he ended up in speech therapy at the age of 4. He would have been better off getting evaluated at 2 or 2.5 years. There is a good article in Parents (or Parenting) magazine this month (I always get the 2 magazines mixed up). If this is a relative or a friend's child you might want to just give them a copy of the magazine and say "I'm done reading this and it had some great articles this month, would you like my copy to read?"

No I would definately have your child tested for learning disabilities or autism. Most kids with autism don't speak or speak well and it is very imortant that they get early intervention.

Ask your doctor for a referral to a specialist right away

C., mother to 2 kids who autism spectrum disorder

BIG difference between boys/girls and the second or middle child too.

Bring it up to your pediartrican next time your in but it's normal to go to age3 and just start talking.

2 year olds should have a working vocabulary of over 100 words and be putting more than one word together. It is a big concern to have no words at 2. Look into early intervention in your area for a free developmental screening or assessment. Services are available (usually at no cost to the family) for children 0-3 who are not developing typically. The referral doesn't have to come from the family.

The general rule is that kids should be putting at least 2 words together by 2, but your son has big sister who probably does a lot of talking and generally, boys are more verbally delayed that girls. I say that to reassure you that nothing may be wrong, but I would definitely talk to a doctor and perhaps see if you can get some help for him through speech/ECFE.

I have had both talkers and an non-talker. My oldest I was able to spend a lot of time with and was much farther ahead than the other 2. My 2nd was a bit behind but for the first year or so she could only hear muffled sounds so she had more difficulty she is now 7 and when she is really excited or really tired that she doesn't articulate as well. #3 is in between the 2 but was never one to recite the alphabet by herself etc. She is now almost 5and she does great at school but at home she was and still is not vocal unless she wants to do it! I guess if the 2 yo doesn't talk at all there may be a problem but I have also heard that some children are extremely shy and talkign to others causes much anxiety so they don't say anything unless it is to someone close to them.