My 2 Year Old Only Says 4 Words

My first son was about the same way, he said about 10 words until he was 2 1/2 then started speaking in sentences. My son's doctor was concerned, so we had him tested when he was just over 2. He tested fine and when all was done, he started talking like crazy. I would suggest having him tested, because if there is something wrong, it's better to start therapy as soon as possible. For me, I felt he would start talking when he was ready, but it was also a relief to hear it from a professional.

My youngest (of 4) is at that stage now. He's 22 months and "talks" all the time, but almost no real words. He's got his own language. He can say thank you, choo choo, no and daddy. That's about it.
I don't really worry about it too much. He knows what I'm talking about when I speak to him. He can pick things out if I ask him to. He's really good at his motor skills so I just take it as that part of his development will catch up soon enough.

Trust your instincts....If you feel something just isnt right, have him evaluated. Early Steps (Child Find) will do this for free...Best case, you child is advanced in certain areas, and will catch up in speech--and an hour of your time was spent in an eval ...worst case, you caught something early, and can be corrected now. They play with the child to check a few things out...

You may want to get a hearing test done, also. Dr. Maddern has a WONDERFUL person by the name of Mary Ann who would do the testing...She was so great with my child, and we found out he had a 50 % hearing loss...It was corrected, and he fully hears now....

Bottom line--just checking it out with an eval and hearing test can do no harm, and it doesnt hurt your child at all...

*hugz*

Hi N.,

I had something similar happen with my seven year old but it wasn't talking it was reading. I had been teaching her for 2 years and she was still not reading anything but a few words. I detoxified my home, removing ALL the synthetic chemicals and had her on grade level reading within 8 weeks. The household chemicals were not keeping her from knowing or learning, but her brain was so jumbled from the nuerotoxins that she couldn't articulate what she had learned. It has been a blessing and she has thanked me over and over again.

Boys do tend to speak later than girls but there are many reasons for that. Detoxing is never a bad idea and it can be very inexpensive. I'd love to help if I can so feel free to contact me.

Regards,

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

Children who are exposed to more than one language at a time tend to be late talkers. My daughter was a late talker because we speak spanish only at home. The same is happening with my toddler. She is a healthy teenager now who cannot stop talking! Just make sure there isnt a physiological reason why he is not talking.

N.,
Have you mentioned this to your ped? As soon as I read your question, I thought, there's nothing wrong. You just may want to talk to your dr. They will be able to reassure you.
God Bless,
R.

First, are you teaching him two languages? If so, stop one and concentrate only on one. Second, don't get things you anticipate he wants, like a nighttime bottle. Try to make him ask for it (without being cruel) Third, is it possible to take some time off from work to work with him and concentrate with him alone. Perhaps you can leave early one day a week. Lastly, definitely see the Ped about it. That's what you have one for.

PS. If the dr says its fine, dont sweat it and let your son take his time because once they start, there's just no stopping the constant blabber and "whys". Good luck, hope all is well.

My 21mo talks a lot, but almost nothing anyone but me can understand. Maybe your son IS saying more, but it is just not clear enough for you to decipher yet. Actually my pediatrician was surprised that my son talks as much as he does becasue he says it is very common for a younger sibling NOT to talk because the older one does all the talking for them (he has a 3yo big brother). Could be that he just hasn't really needed to say anything else yet. Also, most kids go through a "language explosion" sometime between 24-30 months where they pick up new words rapidly. Wait a few more months and see what happens.

ALWAYS follow your gut! That said, he has an older brother.
My younger son didn't talk very much, mainly because there wasn't the need. His older brother did and said everything he needed. Make sure you let the younger one speak and ask for things himself.
I'm sure you;ll have to wait a while for an appointment for a speech therapist. See if you can encourage him to speak for himself!

My experience ended with my son talking around 28 months. He has a higher than average IQ. I've been told that its common for late talkers (with no reason) to be pretty intelligent!
Good Luck - HTH

N., I am no expert. However, a friend of mine had her 2 year old checked for autism. To alleviate your worries please talk to your pediatrician.

IF there are no other indicators, then I would (try) to relax for a while. My oldest didn't say more than 3 words until a little after 18 months - then - 3 days later, his vocabulary was 200 words and he would NOT shut up. A very verbal child, his learning style is that he observes, puts the pieces together and - does not try it out until he is sure he understands.

At 37 yo, he's doing fine. Good job, fine family, great father... So - yes, keep an eye out. Observe, spend, perhaps a little more time being verbal with him - but - (try) to put the worry into the back of your mind (unless, of course, you begin to find other developmental lags) - one or even two lags are not that big a deal. I had a neighbor whose son was 3 1/2 before he began to talk. (He was an honor student in high school - although perhaps math was his subject, not language arts?)

Enjoy those wonderful kids. They grow up all too soon.

I just wanted to say that I think you are doing the right thing! While it is possible that he's perfectly fine and will be a late talker, you are right that it cannot hurt to have him evaluated. Delayed speech does not necessarily indicate a severe developmental problem, but even a small "speech" problem can turn out to be a big deal if left undiscovered until he is of school age. With these things it is always best to catch them sooner rather than later. I have a little boy who has a simple "lisp" but he takes speech (he's in pre-k) and does very well with it. My little girl is 3 and had numerous ear infections as a baby, resulting in tubes being put in. While she talks ALL the time, and quite clearly, there are some sounds that she has not mastered yet (f's and v's especially) and she also takes speech and does very well. I just feel that it is important to give our children a headstart, rather than wait and "hope" it goes away on it's own.
So KUDDOS to you, and I hope everything turns out wonderfully for you and your little boy!

My good friend is an infant mental health specialist, and also a child phsycholigist and works in a child center for children with delays. When my daughter at 18 months was only saying 6-7 words, she was very concerned. We made and appointment with a speech evaluator and the day she was supposed to go, she started talking, a lot. Although she can understand you, it is important to excersize the part of the brain that creates speech which is very different from the understanding part of the brain. They will also help you encourage her to use her words more. Like offering her two choices, milk or juice, if she whines and cries and points to the milk, act stupid and say Oh, ok, you want water ...her frustration with not being able to get you to understand will drive her to try to communicate. I would also want her to be evaluated to rule out any autistic tendancies. She may have some issues that can be resolved through early intense therapy. Many kids who start to show signs of autism respond to therapy if caught early. She may need help making those vital connections in her brain. Keep us posted. If you live in the Jacksonville area, contact Child Find.

N.,

My son is 18 months old, extremely intelligent but doesn't speak any intelligible words. I was getting concerned about him as well and his doctor is sending us a speech therapist next week to work with him. However, after reading all the responses that you received, I myself have been very encouraged that he is alright and will be very bright even if he is going to be a late talker. I hope you have been encouraged as well. I think your son (and mine) are going to be very intelligent young men!

Blessings to you,
T.

My son who just turned 7 on sunday was not a big talker at ALL. I was always very concerened as he has a cousin who is the total opposite of him. DO NOT OVEWHELM your self. He will start talking when you least expect it and than you wish they would have some more of those quite times again!!!

Hi N.: My son didnt start talking until after he turned two. At 26 mos. he had only a few words as well. I think that is completely normal. If he is making good eye contact, understanding what you are saying, interested in engaging you, he is fine. You also want to make sure that he can point at things as failure to point can be an indicator of a developmental disorder. If you feel that he is doing all this and understanding you, then relax. He'll talk when he is ready. My little one is almost four now and wont stop talking!

Dear N.,
My son was even less vocal than yours. He barely talked. My pediatrician suggested speech therapy. We did it, and his speech improved tremendously. I enjoyed the therapy sessions. They taught me a lot about how toddlers communicate. See if your doctor can give you a referral.
Good Luck,
L.

You know your child better than anyone in the medical industry and you know if something is wrong. I'm a speech therapist and I would tell you to get a referral from his pediatrician for a speech evaluation. Many doctors will poo poo your concerns, but stand strong and don't leave without that referral.
Then, the speech therapist will let you know what your next step should be.
Good luck,
S.

Why don't you take him to early steps? It is free and they will give him the help if he needs it. I am sure everything will be fine but it does not hurt to have the help!

it's free from 0-3
http://www.centraldirectory.org/resources.cfm
call...

N.,

My two youngest sons have gone through the same thing. My middle son now 6 I was told had speech delay, well that wasn't the case at all. It was merely a case of "I will talk when I am ready". As in your sons case he understood everything I told him, he was 2. Well at 3 when he was still not talking full sentences the pediatrician sent us to speech therapy, it helped a little, not much. I ended up pulling him out and putting him in daycare for pre-k. Shortly there after he started talking. He heard all the other kids talking and decided it was time for him to start talking. Now I cannot get him to be quiet.

Now for my 3 year old, he still isn't speaking full sentences. However, if you say something he can repeat it. He is mocking bird. When I speak to my pediatrician about this, his response is that he will start talking when he ready. As long as he can repeat and mimic things he is fine, he is just lazy. Which is the case. And I trust my pediatrian 150%.

Now in the case of my oldest son who will be 14 in a couple of weeks he is a bit of a prodigy when it comes to talking. He was talking full blown conversations a 9 months. I could talk to him as though I were talking to another adult in the room almost.

So as you can see, every child is different and learns at their own pace.

Hope some of this helps.

S.
35 y/o SAHM of 3 boys
13, 6 and 3

In my opinion, I would trust your gut in spite of the ole "he'll talk when he is ready" advice (I can't tell you how many times I've heard that one). Ask your Ped for a referral to a speech therapist to have an evaluation or try Early Starts. My son only had about 4 or 5 words at age 2 and didn't even start saying mama and dada until he was almost 2 1/2. I got him into ST when he was about 22 months based on my gut. After a few months the ST recommended an evaluation by Dr Childers (a neuro-developmental psychiatrist). It turns out that my son has a bit of a developmental delay that he will probably out grow within the next year or so (he's now 4 1/2). I'm not saying your situation is the same as mine, but it doesn't hurt to have an evaluation done. Good luck!!

DONT WORRY! My son will be two on Thursday, and up until about a month ago, he had a very limited vocabulary. Then BOOM he is repeating EVERYTHING we say. He still can't put more than a couple of words together, but it's progressing. I have noticed little boys are more concerned with being physical and hands on than worrying about communicating. So if say by the time he's 2 1/2, approaching the 3 mark and he still isn't at least progressing, bring it to the pediatricians attention. Has he had many problems with ear infections, could be a problem with how he's hearing things. That was my concern, and I pushed for an ENT appointment, found out my son just had SELECTIVE hearing! Good luck!

this was the case with mine and we took him to speech for an eval. they worked with him for 9 months and it is like a flood gate. He is a chatterbox now!

N.,

I have the same issue with my little one, but his ped. has assured me that as long as he is communicating in other ways, it is ok. I spoke with a woman from our state developmental services and she affirmed the same. They said to be patient and work with him on a regular basis, but that he will talk when he is ready.
My cousin said that her son did not really start talking until age three and he is now 14 and very intelligent. So, I have decided to just let him develop at his own pace and to be patient.
Take Care,
T.
Mom of 4

N. the best advice I can give you as a mom with a son with Autism is that you just need to keep him with kids, in playgroups, etc. as much as possible. Taking him for a speech evaluation wouldn't hurt as well. Just be careful if they label him early - keep him with typically developing kids. There is nothing wrong with a diagnosis however the one mistake we made was taking our son out of the mainstream. He is soooo high functioning we should have kept him where he was in addition to the speech therapy he was receiving. I'm not in ANY way saying yours is autistic - I don't know him at all. Mine is just lacking language he could have gotten being around other kids using it and social skills he could have gotten around other kids. Just keep him with kids, don't overdo tv, and maybe a speech eval. It can't hurt. At least you'll have some background info to go on.

Hi, N.. Well, if he understands what you're saying, then don't worry about his hearing. If his hearing is OK, then his language development should be OK once he starts speaking.

Did he walk early? Kids who walk early and do other physical milestones early tend to talk later. Kids who talk earlier tend to hold back on their physical milestones and walk later. If you're truly worried, take him to a specialist such as a pediatric neurologist, but if he's walking and hearing and understanding just fine, I wouldn't worry. You could try singing songs with him to encourage him to get some words out of his mouth if you're truly worried; kids like music, and this could be a fun way of encouraging him to learn to use words without putting any pressure on him to talk.

Make sure that you are being very verbal with him during everyday activities. Point out things to him and name objects. Name colors -- "Sweetie, look at that blue house," or "Look at that green car," etc. If he sees and hears you naming things, it's natural for him to do the same.

Peace,
Syl