Non Talking Two!

Not speaking any by age two is a warning sign...of what, it's hard to say without having her evaluated. Could be speech related, hearing related, or a number of other things. You need to discuss it with her pediatrician.

Going thru the same thing with my grandson who will be two in two
months. He understands everything and then some. He, too, only makes
sounds. I will tell you he may not talk but he gets every point across thru
facial expressions and movements. He cracks me up. However, he is
starting to be evaluated by early intervention. In my heart, I think he will talk
when he is ready, but why take the chanc when the services are there.
Truthfully at this age, they should have some words. Hope that helps.

See if you can get her evaluated to rule out a speech delay. If she is learning a second languauge, there will most likely be a delay. In CT, they have a program offered for kids birth to 3. An in-home evaluation is done.

Kids usually have a handful of words at this age; but not always!

It is very important that she understands a simple 2 step command at this age. Ex.: Pick up the book and bring it to me.

My brother did not talk until he was 36 months old. Back then, it was just the way it was (for the most part). He was just fine.

You need to speak with your pediatrician. According to the Mayo Clinic website by 24 months most children should

Ask for common foods by name
Use simple phrases, such as "more milk"
Begin to use pronouns, such as "mine"
Ask one- to two-word questions, such as "Go bye-bye?"
Follow simple commands without the help of gestures
Say more words every month
Speak 50 words and understand more

What did your ped say at the 18 month check up?

Go see your pediatrician about this right away. Have her hearing checked. Then look into Early Intervention services. They are available in all 50 states and are free to kids under 3 years old. You can already see your younger child saying more than this one. By 2 years old they should be speaking in 2 to 3 word sentences and have a vocabulary of 50 words or more.

ETA: My cousin's son was slow to talk as well, and his hearing was fine. And then when he did talk, it was so garbled that nobody could understand what he was saying. But they didn't do anything about it until he was 4 and had to spend money on speech therapy, etc. instead of just getting help for free when they could have. The kid is fine now (16 years old!) but they never should have waited as long as they did. You can wait another month if you want, until she is officially 2, but I wouldn't. Get a second opinion from a different pediatrician and look into Early Intervention. Sign language may be helpful in the meanwhile.

Have you addressed this with your pediatrician? If not you definitely need to do so. She should have a vocabulary of some type by this age. How does she communicate? I only ask out of concern, and this is coming from a mom of a nonverbal 5 year old boy who is autistic. Please, have her checked out.

I know that different Moms are sharing their children's progress, with and without help. I would like you to consider having your child evaluated as the individual she is. While it's wonderful that some children who do not speak until 2, speak very well later in life, it is also true that every public school system has children who are continuing to experience difficulty and receive speech/language therapy for years. My point is that not all children develop speech and language skills without intervention. But those who receive it earliest seems to do the best.

Also, you do not need your pediatricia to agree. I believe you can seek early intervention services on your own. I would love for you to be able to get your pediatrician's support, but either way, you are the Mom and you are your child's best advocate. Your child is frustrated and deserves help communicating.

All my best.

my child albert einstein didnt speak a word until he was about three, so dont fret,
K. h.

My son didn't speak much at 18 months and I was concerned. He went through a battery of tests (at 19 months) through our Children's Hospital. He had tests to check his ear drum, cochlea, and an ABR test (tests the nerve from the ear to the brain). He's also had a full speech evaluation (at our Children's Hospital). All of his hearing tests came back normal/healthy, so they just think he'll be a late talker. He makes lots of noise and has a few words--he is 20 months. I would be concerned. I would push for more tests. Also, my son receives speech through our state program for birth-3 (ours is called Tiny-K). Your state should have a program too. And, all kids qualify for free therapy regardless of insurance and/or income.

Also, we started some baby sign and he picked it up quickly. He does milk, more, eat, all done, shoes, and a couple others. You can Google 'baby sign' and get some basic words/gestures. That might help too!

I am completely shocked that your doctor would say this. Of course there are tests! As previous moms have said, the baseline for 2 is minimum of 50 words and starting to put the together. My son got evaluated by Early Intervention at 2 and he had about 20 words. They told me that he was speaking at the level of a 15 month old so you can figure out where your daughter might be. It is not normal at all to make just sounds at two. Whatever the problem, she needs help immediately. I would switch doctors if I were you.

Definitely get your pediatrician on board with this.
It's personal for me because my little sis didnt start talking till she was about 4. Diagnosed with a brain tumor at 8. We are pretty sure that was the reason for the speech delay. She was smart tho, but only grunted instead of talking, then talked with a lisp for a few years. She was fine by age 7, then the real drama began with the headaches and such.
Anyway, just have some good checks to make sure there is nothing neurological going on.

Find a new Dr and get help!

My son said "dah" for the first 2 yrs of his life. All of a sudden within 1 month of his 2nd birthday he was just....talking. He's just 3 now and talks and is more easily understood than most of his peers. I was so nervous too...try to just wait it out and I'll bet after 2 she'll just start talking.

That's exactly what my son did. I wasn't worried because he communicated just FINE, and I have a speech pathologist godmother who was completely unconcerned both because he could make all the requisite sounds for speech, and because he was exposed to more than one language (bilingual language track is totally different than monolingual language track).

At 2ish we had a language explosion and he went from 6 words to complete sentences.

So it was no worries in our house.

If you're worried, an eval is great

Every child is different. If she is showing signs that she understands you and using other ways to communicate, then it is possible, she just does not want to talk or isn't chatty.

Call Early intervention-- they CAN do evaluations-- I had my son tested twice between 18 months and 3 years-- he came in as the very low edge of normal both times. The evaluations were fun for him and informative for me.

And try to enjoy it-- the same little boy who wouldn't talk a ear ago will NOT shut up now!!!

I know it's been mentioned - but I second calling early intervention! My son was also not talking and they were able to test him somewhere around 15 months (there were some other delays and concerns...if it was just not talking at 15 months I wouldn't have worried too much). He qualified for early intervention services and is currently in a special ed preschool for his language delay. It has been SOOO good for him!!

Your daughter should definitely have some words and/or sign language by now (the guide is 50 words by 2 yrs.). She may even know some words but is simply not using them for whatever reason.

I wouldn't be totally alarmed, but would definitely have a speech evaluation done. It can happen before age two (and should happen after two if there is no speech) and you can contact the Early Childhood Intervention program in your state for free evaluations and support/information. You can learn more here: http://www.earlyinterventionsupport.com/

And don't stress too much. With appropriate speech therapy kids can catch up really quickly.

How often do you practice with her? I would step up the practice and try your hardest to get her to say something and then praise the heck out of her! Maybe start with her colors and some M&M's?

If your Dr. is not concerned I guess that is good but I know myself and would be very worried and I would look into early intervention...most public schools offer free testing, just give your Elementary School (make sure it is in your district and the one your child would be attending) and ask about it...just tell them your concerned and they will connect you to the Speech Therapist!

Can she say anything at all? Mom, Dad? Bye-Bye? Anything? I would be busting out with the bribery and something that she would LOVE, like candy, stickers, painting, cartoons...whatever her favorite thing is...bribe the heck out of her until she stays something and if that doesn't work absolutely go back to her pediatrician and ask for help, like ASAP!

~Hope I didn't scare you, I don't mean to be an alarmist, I was just giving you my opinion and that opinion is based on her not saying anything...if she can say a few words I wouldn't be anywhere near as worried, I would still bribe her and practice a LOT but would be less concerned! Hope some of this helps?!

My 2 1/2 year old is very advanced and smart. Always has been, but she wasn't talking at all at two. Her speech is OK now at almost 3, but her big sister was talking in full sentences at 18 months (super early).

You have nothing to worry about unless you're seeing a disconnect in her comprehension. Speech is wildly different for all kids. My son didn't say a word at 2 1/2, but at four his speech is excellent. I never worried because I knew so many kids who didn't talk at two, and I could tell my kids understood things just fine.

I'm boggled that people even test kids at two for not talking, since so many kids don't talk at that age.

Let me just add....TONS of my friends did early intervention when their kids weren't talking at 2. Tons of my relatives just let their kids develop naturally when they didn't talk at two, keeping alert for any signs of lack of comprehension.

All the kids are fine and were talking by three.

Some children are just late talkers; however, I would suggest having her evaluated by a speech language pathologist. Contact your local early intervention office, the evalutions are free. Does your daughter point to let you know what she wants? Do this early so you know what your are dealing with. If it turns out that she has a problem the earlier it is taken care of the better prepared she will be for school. Best of luck.

I have two children that have had or have a speech delay. My first was my four year old and he has caught up to speed. He only said three words at two years old and he was 4-5 months behind when they tested him.

My almost two year old (June 3rd is her birthday) was just evaluated by the speech therapist and she has a 7 month delay. In every other test, she scored between a 30 month old and a 36 month old. She is very smart, but just not talking yet. Do you have anything called ECI there? Here in Texas it's Early Childhood Intervention and they are the ones I was referred to with my now four year old and they did wonders for him and now my daughter is having her speech therapy through them as well. I would look into doing something for her now because with ECI, at three years old they refer you to the local public school. They come to my house and with my insurance I don't have to pay anything and she's only had 2 appointments with her therapist and is already talking more. I feel for you. I know how frustrating it can be!

It is very encouraging that she's trying to communicate You do need to get her evaluated Try using sign language My son loved the Signing Times DVD's

go with your gut mama. it can't hurt to get it check out, right? at least you'll have peace of mind then.

in the meantime, i would do some sign language since your daughter is frustrated.