Is He a Delayed Talker?

Please don't worry!! This is exactly where my daughter was at that age, give it a few months, you will be shocked at how quickly his language skills will unfold! If he was not saying ANYTHING at all, maybe I would worry but probably not to be honest! Just keep reading to him, explain what you are doing all the time...talk, talk, talk!! He is doing just fine!!

He sounds about right for his age so I wouldn't worry , and at this not all words will be understandable or the whole word. This comes later , around age 2 he will start to put 2 words together but again not complete words and they may still not be understandable.

He sounds just like my daughter who is 21 1/2 months. She has a similar vocabulary (including all the animal sounds :-). I have noticed in the past month or so there has been a huge explosion with her words- new words every day. Some kids hit this vocabulary explosion earlier than others- many of my friends kids had significantly more words at younger ages while others talked even later. My daughter can follow commands, but does not link words together at all yet. Each child develops at their own pace. It sounds like he's doing fine.

Call early intervention and have a meeting set up for a date after he turns 2 y/o so he will be properly evaluated for his age. 1-800-692-7288. Hope this helps. Don't be afraid to call them. It can only help your child and it's free throught the state.

Hi R.,

My nephew didn't utter a word until he was three. He is now a VP of Sales for a major corporation.

That being said, there are some stimuli that can slow down speech. My personal example was my youngest and her reading skills. I had been working with her for two years and she was still at a beginner stage and it was starting to worry me. My sister suggested a detox of my home for multiple reasons and I took her up on her suggestion. Within eight weeks my little girl was on grade level reading. She now tells me that she knew the information but for some reason could not articulate it at the time. She was quite frustrated. Turns out the neurological toxins in my consumable items at home were so strong that they were affecting her brain. Pledge and Windex were her two chemicals she used the most to help Mommy clean and both of those have a ridiculously high rate of toxicity. When I removed the chemicals from the house, her behavior changed as well and her ADHD diagnosis was removed.

A detox may not be the answer to what's going on with you but it never hurts. It was a God send to us.

God bless,

M.

My now 8 yr old didn't say anything you could understand until after she turned 2 . It was kind of over night. I wouldn't really worry about speach until after 2.
It's amazing what a difference a couple of months make.

Hi R. - my son is the same age as yours (he'll be 22 months at the end of this month) and sounds like he is at exactly the same place in his speech. He understands everything but doesn't have a ton of words. He has probably around 15-20 words that he consistently says. Sometimes I get nervous because a bunch of my friends have kids right around the same age and they are talking in 3-4 word sentences!!! But then I have to remind myself that every kid does things at their own pace.

At his 18 month visit I mentioned that he only had a few words (at that time mama, dada, more). The dr wasn't worried about it at all because in all other aspects he was right on par. I'll bring it up again at his 2 year visit, but I'm really not going to worry about it.

I think you should have him evaluated. Early intervention is free (eval and services), and also some insurance companies cover private sessions. And don't worry about whether he cooperates with the eval - they are professionals, they deal with shy kids all the time. Let them worry about that.
My son has an expressive language delay, which sounds similar to your son. He has no problem with receptive language, follows instructions, and his hearing is perfect. Anyway, I kept putting off having him evaluated because he is a boy, because he understood so much, etc. It was a mistake. Once you call early intervention, it could be several months before someone walks in the door to start working with him. So, I would get the process moving as soon as possible.
My son finally started receiving services at 2 years 4 months, and even though it has only been 6 months he has made great progress. Would he have eventually started talking anyway? I don't know. There is really no way to know, but I couldn't just sit around and wait. I wanted to do everything I could for him. Here's the thing: kids around 2 start making huge leaps in terms of vocabulary and putting sentences together. If your son is already delayed, the gap between him and the other kids is going to grow larger.
In the long run, your son will probably "catch up" to his peers either way, but if you want to help that process along then call EI. It probably seems a long way off, but if he starts receiving services now then he could catch up by the time he starts pre-k.

I just asked my daughters doctor about the same thing. She is 18 months and only says like 5 words and signs maybe 7 words. The Doctor says she's about average with development.

Updated

I just asked my daughters doctor about the same thing. She is 18 months and only says like 5 words and signs maybe 7 words. The Doctor says she's about average with development.

l would not worry about it too much. I would have him around other little kids his age. This seemed to help when my son was 18 months old and did not speak much more than your son does. The main thing is that he understands what you are asking him to do and he does not have a hearing issue. Does he watch sesame street or anything educational on tv? Now my son who is almost three years old never stops talking and is always on the go. If he was three and not talking i would not worry about it. At least he is saying some words and the full sentences will come later. My son did not do full sentences until he he was over two years old. Remember, every child is different.

I went to school for Speech Language Pathology. Although I never worked professionally as a speech therapist, I have lots of experience with children. The main concern with drs. and speech therapists is that if a child isn't talking a lot by 18 months, that there may be a hearing impediment. However, since your son follows instructions and understands what you say, he doesn't have a hearing problem and isn't the main reason why he isn't talking much. All children develop at different rates. Some may walk early, some may talk early. It all depends on the individual child. My son is 2.5 years old and he doesn't talk a whole lot either compared to some other children his age, especially girls. But he certainly understands everything and follows instructions. Does your son go to daycare? I think children who go to daycare and are around other children constantly tend to have a larger vocab. My son does not go to daycare and I see a huge difference between his vocab and my niece's- she's the same age as my son (she goes to daycare) and she talks up a storm! She talks in complete sentences. Again, it really all depends on the child. My dad didn't talk, not one word, until he was 4 years old and my nephew didn't talk until he was 3 years old. I certainly wouldn't worry. People ask me all the time if I'm worried about my son and I'm not. He will talk when he's ready....and when he does, I know he won't ever stop!!!

My son didn't say a word until after he was two. Like yours, his comprehension was excellent and vocabulary of what he understood was huge. Since lots of my friends sons didn't talk until almost three, I didn't worry. As 2 came and went, I almost considered an evaluation (like you, wasn't sure what good it would do or if this was even a problem) and never got around to it. At 2 1/2, he's speaking very well. He suddenly chirped out little sentences instead of just words. Don't worry at all! All kids are not the same with when they start talking and boys are often over 2.

I think he is talking just fine for his age. However, if you are concerned, contact early intervention services and have him evaluated.

My son didn't talk until after he turned 2. His doctor felt that he was anemic & that was impeding some of his development. I think it was b/c he is VERY shy.
I started giving him a whole-food iron supplement & did start talking a few weeks later. It may very well just a coincidence though! Like I said, he's extremely shy & I think that was the major factor.

my son turned 2 in February and at that point he could only say hoho (for Santa), dada, gaga (cuz he likes lady gaga) and maybe like 4 other words that weren't babble. but no mama. Now he is FINALLY starting to say things and mimic words he hears. There are teachers with Early Intervention that work with him (suggested by his pediatrician) that have been helping him for the past year and it's been good. You can talk to your sons doctor about it. Apparently boys are slower at talking than girls (what I was told). The best advice I can tell you is to keep on him!! Help him with words. And what I did that helped my boy was to make bigger/longer words 'shorter' into something he could learn to say (lady gaga was just gaga, Toy Story movie was just 'story', juice box is just 'box'). And if he wants something and is pointing, or handing me something like say, cookies, I'll say 'What do you want, oh, you want the COOKIES' and stress the word cookies. And I'll hold the cookie near my mouth and say it again in an exagerated manner so he can see the way my mouth moves. It's odd, but it's what his teachers said to do. He still has a hard time with words but just know that your not alone (and your son is alot further than mine was at that age). Good luck.

I can totally relate to what you're saying. My daughter wasn't even saying "Mama" at 2 so I had her evaluated by the state and they determined that she needed speech therapy. That being said...she started therapy and within 10 months she was talking better than kids her age. I'm not sure she actually needed it but it certainly didn't hurt. Your son sounds very intelligent and it is obvious that he comprehends what you are saying...it was the same with my daughter. I found out she knew the alphabet at 18 months. Once she began talking she never stopped LOL so he probably will begin talking at any time now but if you continue to be concerned, then think about getting him evaluated, it can't hurt...but I have a feeling he is fine and just very intelligent.

Continue reading and you can find out more of what he knows by asking him questions about what he sees in the book...he will likely point to what he knows and he might even decide to start talking about it.

he seems just find for 22 months and the fact that he is a boy it seems like he is right on target. imonly speaking from my experience i have 1 girl 25 years old and 2 boys 20 and 19, my daughter walked at 9 monts and was talking in full sentences very shortly after before she was a year old my son who is 20 did every thing on target like all the books said, my baby 19 years old now, was slow at everything talking and walking, but i nerver worrried to much we all babied him because he was the baby, he allways did excellent in school was always at the top of his class, he now is in collefe and has a 4.0 on his way to be a pharmicies.
if you are worried take him to a specilist, but im sure he will be just find,
signed good luck

It may be nothing to worry about and he may start talking all on his own, but I would say to call early intervention and request an evaluation. The nice thing about EI is that they come to your home, so the child is more comfortable in familiar surrounding with Mom or Dad right there holding them. I called when my son was 13 months old, and they worked with him for a few months, he made little progress initially but then all of a sudden he got it and he started in complete sentences before he was even two. Now at almost 2 and a half he tells stories and can communicate easily with anyone. EI stopped coming shortly before he turned two since he graduated. It can't hurt to have the evaluation and if they recommend speech therapy, the teacher comes right to your house once a week for an hour. It is completely free and is for any child under the age of 3 years old, so I would call now since it may take a while to get an evaluation set up. As far as him not talking during the evaluation, they ask the parent most of the questions and just play with the child at their own pace when they are ready. So you will be able to give them most of the info. they need. And it really won't matter if he doesn't talk. They are a wonderful program and helped both of my kids in different ways, my daughter was an early talker talker but had some fine motor delays. Good luck!

he is talking better than my 24 month old. I think he is good. they evaluate him by playing with him. i bet she could get hm to talk but I would say wait. he is young and talking better than mine and I am not to worried about mine. both of my boys were delayed talkers and my second is doing so much better than my oldest was at that age I am happy but have not decided not to do speech it is just to early for me to determine at this point.

I wouldn't worry about it so much right now. My son was the same way and still can be sometimes. My son more or less ended up saying words to just me or to his sister and my husband rather than everybody around him. Now he is a chatter box and he is 30 months old. It doesn't hurt to take him to you physician and see what he or she thinks. It is always better to be safe than sorry but he is talking and as far as I understood it when my son had turned two the physician said that as long as he was trying and you understood at least half (%50) of what he was saying, he was on the right track. I was worried myself but now my son points things out to me but he is still a "man of action" too. Hope this helps!

Hi, R.. :) Honestly he sounds perfectly fine!! I always use the example of my brother (born in 1973), he didn't TALK until he was 3 years old! And back then no one really thought about having evaluations. He is a perfectly intelligent fully-functioning dad of two. Actually he is quite gifted in many areas. I truly believe you have nothing to worry about. Before you know it your little boy will be talking in sentences! :)

To put your mind at ease, I would call the local early intervention programs you have there. They are free and can evaluate him to make sure that things are fine! I would also note to the dr that he has stopped saying certain words. Go with you mommy gut! I was also in that same boat with my daughter. She was actually a bit older and I took her for a soccer for little ones and she was the only one not really talking! I did not worry before because she was so smart, but we had her checked out and I am happy we did! Good luck!!!

He sounds just right to me...every kid is different, but boys as a whole tend to be a little behind on the language. He is hearing and understanding, so I wouldn't worry. They will ask at the 24 month visit, and you can tell your pediatrician, but I think your ped. will say it is fine.

There is a big language explosion between 24 and 30 months. Soon your little guy will be jabbering away. If by 30 months you haven't seen much progress, I would totally get an EI evaluation, but my guess is that he's just fine.

My son was a delayed talker too. I feel like at his 2 year birthday, he could maybe string 2 words together, but that's about it. But like you said about your little one, he could follow instructions, knew body parts etc. Being a first time parent though, I guess I was sort of oblivious! I did get nervous though when I saw other kids that were similar ages and seemed to be able to read books already! An exaggeration, but that's how it feels. Within 2 or 3 months of his 2nd birthday though, my son went through an explosion of vocabulary. All of a sudden he went from 2 words sometimes, to 5-6 words all the time. I've read somewhere that boys don't hear as well as girls at birth, so that's part of the reason boys tend to be delayed in talking. To me (and I am by no means a professional), I think your little one is just a little delayed. He appears to know quite a bit of words, which is great. Keep working with him and I'm sure he'll get the hang of it in time.

talk to your pediatrician. if you are still concerned you can have him evaluated for free through your local 'early intervention' program. don't worry about him being so shy for the evaluation , my daughter is also extremely shy and didn't utter a sound during her evalutaion but they were still able to get a really accurate idea of where she was developmentally. it did take quite a few weeks to get through the necessary meetings before she actually started her speech therapy though so the sooner you can make an appt. to get the initial evaluation the better. good luck!

Hi R.,

I think you have to go with your gut. I had my son evaluated for Speech at about 20 months. Surprisingly I had a lot of opposition from friends, but I know my son. He was extremely frustrated about his lack of communication and would bang his head on everything. At that time, he was also extremely shy around strangers. The evaluators played with him, but he really didn't give them anything. They also had questions for me and basically went off my responses and the little interaction they had with him.

Your son is saying a lot more words than my son at that time. He is 2 1/2 and we are only at about 60 words with the last month just saying bye something and hi something. Come to find out, he does have articulation problems. It is slow coming but I am so incredibly glad I went with my instinct.

Looking at his list of words and what I have learned (but in no way am I professional!) it looks like he is doing great!

Good luck!
B.

I agree with PP...there does seem to be am explosion between 2 & 3 years...especially boys. my son hardly talked at all and when he turned about 2 1/2, he started jabbering like crazy. It was like a light switched flipped! And he understood EVERYTHING we told him. you can contact early intervention if you think you need to...they will evaluate him and it's free. don't worry about him being shy around strangers...they can tell alot just from how he acts and they're great at what they do. What we really started doing was really pay attention to him when he was communicating. Like Carter would point at the fridge when he wanted something to drink and we would just go get it cause we knew that's what he wanted. EI would tell you to try to help him ask for what he wants instead of just getting it...like when he pointed to the fridge, ask him "do you want something to drink?" and wait until he answers "yes". then maybe you could ask him "do you want water or juice?" and wait until he answers.

Also, you mentioned that he signs alot. I don't have any experience personally with this, but I know that some friends of mine noticed that while signing is great, they took longer to speak actual words because they just signed to communicate all the time. Also, is he around any other kids? not sure if you're home with him or if he's in daycare but i also found that once Carter moved into a room where the other kids were talking really well, that helped a bunch too!

Have you talked to your Ped? Look up online at stages how many words they should be able to say.