"Should I Be Worried About My 18 Month Old Not Talking Alot"

I am in the same boat. My son is 21 months old & have some words & is starting to get more, but he really doesn't talk. The most important thing at this age is receptive language. Does she understand what you say to her & respond accordingly? My son understands everything, but expresses himself non-verbally. I basically read to him several books a day, he is just not ready yet to talk.

Get a basic baby sign language book. Use about 10 signs on a regular basis, eg eat, drink, more, cat, dog, car, tree, happy, sad, play, tv or any other words that you see/use a lot. Add to them when you see she's picking it up. You will be AMAZED at the language development.

You know i think that's fine. Both my kids were late talkers, but nowadys these doctors ask for too much. They want the kid to be talking at 6 months nah, im jk, but close to that. I would wait till she is 2 if still not much then you can have her evaluated. Good Luck!

A.,

My daughter will be 2 1/2 in February and she is still not talking sentences and is still saying words. She just started saying "No Mama" and "Please Mama" but thats about it. She says a ton of words and is saying new words almost every week and she is VERY smart, but just hasint put words together yet to make sentences. She is just like your daughter, does alot of talking, but its mostly mumble jumble with words thrown in. I had the same worry. I saw younger kids talking up a storm and she was hardly where they were. I did ask around and they all told me to give her time, that by the time she hits 3, 3 1/2, I will see a major differnce so Im going to wait it out. I do see alot of improvement over the weeks so Im taking it as shes just a slow talker. I think your daughter is in the same situation. Ive seen that repeating words over to her of things that she points to or is trying to say helps alot. We were working on colors and she is starting to say the colors very clearly now. Give her some time, especially that she is only 18 months.i really think that she will catch up and will be talking away by the time she hits my daughters age.

Don't worry, I didnt speak till I was 3, before it was tiny words. Now I can't stop talking, lol.

Hi A.-
If you are concerned like I was with my son, you should have her evaluated by Early Intervention. They will come to your home and evaluate your daughter. If she is eligible for services, they will have a speech therapist come to your home as well. It doesn't cost anything for the evaluation and it may be just what you need to put your mind at ease.
Hope this helps,
K.

You have a lot of great responses. Just another to help calm your fears. At 23 months my son wasn't putting 2 words together but by 26 months he was speaking in 5-6 word sentences and now at 29 months he seems to comprehend almost everything and talks non-stop.

At 18 month he had exactly 12 words.

Trust your instincts and test her you are really worried but I think unless there are other worrying signs you should be fine. ^_^

Look...don't feel bad. My son is 18 months old, too, and can only say mama, dada, hi, and moans all day long - that's it. So your daughter is a little more advance than he! Don't worry about it.

According to "Language Disorders from Infancy to Adolescence" (don't let the title worry you), at 18 months the average vocabulary size is 50-100 words, mostly one-word utterances. By 24 months average vocabulary size grows to 200-300 words, and two-word utterances typically emerge by then. It sounds like your older child developed earlier linguistically, but I wouldn't worry about the little one - you can see what happens in the next six months.

Hi A.,

Don't worry. I was in the exact same situation a few months ago. My daughter who is five now talked in complete sentences with no baby talk & new all her letters at 20 months. But my son said mom & ball. I was very concerned & everyone told me that boys are just slow at speech. (His gross motor is amazing) I was still worried because there was such a difference between the 2 kids & I felt like my son was a little tongue tied. I wanted an objective expert opinion. So I did have 'Early Intervention' services come to my house to evaluate him. (there is no charge at least in our county). A speech therapist & psychologist played games with him & asked me a lot of questions. He did what they said (pointed to pictures & played the games they asked him to). At the end they said that he was not considered delayed, he was just on the low end of normal. They said that there is so little expected of a 20 month old that a child would have to almost say no words & not understand words in order to be considered delayed. They suggested that he may have a word explosion as he gets closer to 2. That he may end up needing help with his articulation but that would not be useful until he is closer to 3. Well they were right. Just before his second birthday he started saying more words. Now he is 27 months & he repeats everything & says alot. (although he still leaves off the first parts of words)
So my advice is to be a little patient. Have her hearing tested to rule that out. If you want another opinion get an evaluation but try to wait until 2 when the expectations are higher & a delay would be more obvious. But really just talk & read with her & maybe ask her to point out specific pictures just to see that she really knows alot she just doesn't want to talk about it yet!
Good luck. I know it is hard when you are in the middle of it but try to wait a month or two.

When she is thirsty what does she do? Does she point or does her sister say she wants something? Often older children can anticipate what the baby wants and does the talking for them. If the baby points act like you dont understand. Offer her a choice by saying "do you want milk? Juice?" And have her try to say it.
Also the first born tends to spend more time with adults. Mom has more time and other relatives are thrilled with a new baby, by the time the second one comes mom and dad are busier and the new baby has a companion in the older child.

my son is 18 mos and he doesnt say anything other than the very occasional mama dada bye bye, and thats it. my first 2 kids were speaking in sentences well before this. he understands everything, and can hear, but i am going next week to get his hearing tested again, then if that is normal, which i think it will be, will go for an evaluation for early intervention. he had many ear infections as a baby. i know that they develop at very different rates, and i feel in my heart that he is developmentally on track aside from his speech, but if he qualifies for early intervention, i will certainly take it. he gets frustrated trying to make himself understood. your daughter is probably just fine, but i feel it cant hurt to get tested. my oldest son got early intervention for a year for OT for his fine motor skills, and he absolutely loved it and it worked wonders. you pay enough taxes, im sure, we may as well get what we can, right? and thats if she even qualifies, they told me that you have to be really really delayed to qualify for speech services. either way, i wouldnt worry. take care.

Hello A.,
My first daughter was a chatterbox at 18mths. even sang songs and ABC's. I was petrified that My 2nd wasn't speaking the same. She is fine now at 27mths. My daughter didn't start speaking until 21 mths. Now she is never quiet and repeats everything she hears. Give it time. 18mths. is still too young and she is making out a few words. My 2nd is more of an observer. Every child is different.

Hi A., I agree with your friends, all children develop at their own rate. My daughter was over 2 before speaking and never stopped after that. Grandma Mary

A.,
Hi. I've been in your position. My son who is now 2, was not talking and not doing some of the things children do by 12 months. I had him tested through early intervention, and so glad I did, my worries were valid. He has now been recieving speech and occupational (fine motor) therapy for the last year. It is phenomenal what progress he has made in the last year. Krista is right, have her tested even just for your piece of mind. I felt better after my son was tested. I had hoped that he would have a good score, but I also had given myself a pep talk about what I would do if he didn't so I was ready for either conclusion of his test. It only gets better and you are your child's best advocate. Also it is right that each child developes differently, but you also know your child best so go with what feels right to you.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
J.

My daughter is 6 now when she was nearing 2 we were concerned because our friend next door whose daughter was due a day apart from mine was a month premature, and she was going right past ours. We got her hearing checked first because I was born with a hearing problem. Her hearing is great next we had our pediatrician set us up with early intervention. we found she had a speech delay. She is our first and she would point to things and we would respond. She is very smart. She started speech then ot and pt at 2 1/2 she has low muscle tone meaning fine motor skills issues. She falls down a lot. I had been asked if her cord was around her neck, it wasn't but she did not cry much so the midwife gave her some of my oxygen?! Her speech therapist said she would probably only need speech until about Christmastime in K. Definitely try early intervention she really came a long way. She ended up repeating K just to get more therapy in and not interfere with 1st grade work. She has kindergarten down with know problems. They said its possible she may need it all through school now. She has since had vision therapy which has also helped tremendously. She can see, not needing glasses but may not be seeing things right. At times her speech use to sound like a person with a stroke that is very rare now.
It is definitely worth having them checked with early intervention. We have both been very supportive of her and are willing to help her in every way. Even when insurance would not cover vision therapy we managed to find a way to get what she needs. Our son is 16 mos younger and is fine.
Also you will be surprised at how many kids in your area or school also have speech issues of some sort. Its not like it use to be when there were only a few far in between.

My daughter is 23 months now and talks a lot, learning new words everyday. Her vocabulary skyrocketed in the last few months. At 18 months she wasn't saying much either. (common words like mama, daddy, doggy etc but no sentences yet) She understood everything we were saying and would point to what she wanted or answer "yes" or "no" or nod or shake her head to our questions. I was a bit worried that she was behind with speaking but she has been since she was born compared to the average baby. Now she seems to have caught up with the average toddler. She speaks in 2 sometimes 3 word sentences-usually 2. My advice is not to worry too much about it as long as she continues to add to her vocabulary and she understands what you are saying and asking of her. Encourage her to use her words instead of pointing and grunting if she does that. If she doesn't seem to be improving maybe you should bring it up to your pediatrician if you haven't already. I am sure they can reassure you or at least give you ideas on how to help her. I know one thing that really helped my daughter were baby books that just have pictures that are labeled. We would "read" it together and now she sits and "reads" it to us, telling us what all the pictures are. At first she didn't say much but she looked at the pictures as we told her what they were. One day she pulled it out and started telling us what she saw. I also started pointing things out around us when we were out and about and telling her what they were. Good luck!

Hi A.. My dr. at 18 months told me my son needed early intervention because he was only saying about 10 words. He's been in that 3 months now and has progressed so much. I honestly believe he would of caught up anyway. He was just behind in everything. Early intervention can't hurt. If anything, I was told the kids become more advanced with all the extra attention. Today they do push kids earlier. I think you should talk to your doctor about it. I never heard of an 18 month saying sentences. Some 2 years olds put two words together but ever kid is different. Hope this helps you a little.

5 months apart is HUGE! She's actually saying plenty of words.

Not every child is a chatterbox. Don't stress- she's just fine!

I have an 18 month old who didn't say much either. I got her evaluated by early intervention and I am so glad I did. They can tell you if it's just her developing at her own pace or if they see something developmentally behind. And even if she is behind, at this age, they can turn it around and catch her up.

With my daughter, they qualified her because she did test behind at the evaluation, but now that the teachers know her, they were able to figure out that she is just really shy and timid and afraid to try new things unless she is sure she can do it. Our sessions are completely about confidence building now. By the way, a few weeks ago, she went from 5 words to over 100. I don't think it was the speech therapy per say, but I do think it was the teacher's telling me how to encourage her and work with her. If anything, the evaluators will teach you to teach her and it is so worth it.

Your friends may be right that she is developing at her own pace, but there is nothing wrong with having a teacher tell you what things she should be doing and telling you how to help her. I had no idea that she should be pretend playing and expolring her toys more until I got services. So ask your Pediatrician for info on who to contact for early intervention.

Call your pediatrician and request a referral for early intervention. It's free and if you're qualified, it works wonders. Good luck.

Dont worry as long as she is included in conversation. Some children dont speak because they are not spoken to or included in conversation. Just be patient. My youngest did not say much till she was 2 and a half and went to the county fair then she just took off talking about it.

Maybe she just doesn't have a lot to say right now.

My first was up and walking at ten mo., talking full sentences by 12 mo. and taught herself to read starting at 2 1/2. Her sister took much longer in everything and was not interested in reading until 2nd grade.

The funny thing is, now I see no difference between their abilities if I adjust for their ages. That is probably an extreme example, but it shows how different the development of children can be. So unless you see what you think are clear signs of developmental issues, she is probably just working with her own internal clock.

One of my very close friends is a child therapist that deals specifically with early childhood development. She has been in the field for almost 20 years now. I asked her the same question. She said her daughter didnt say a word until she was three. Then all of the sudden full sentences. Don't worry too much about it. They will talk when they are ready. Just encourage it (lots of yes, and very goods if they say the word) and tell her the words of everything throughout the day. My daughter in the past few months has gone from a few words to sentences. I'm sure you are doing fine. Just keep at it.

A.,
My daughters are 3 and 18 months. And I wondered the same thing about my 18 month old. But many expereinced moms I know and my Peditricain said the same thing. No need to worry. My younger one grunts and points more and we have to say "use your words" and she does to some extent but I realized her older sister is always answering for her. Something that just happens I guess... I do know that my younger one understands EVERYTHING so I am not concerned... her speaking will come and when it does I am sure I will want to turn it off.. This seems to be something that is common espcially when there is an older sibling. Good luck and enjoy the quiet for now! :o)

I am a school/child psychologist and my original certification was in Early Intervention/Preschool Special Services. That being said... call you county's Early Intervention Coordinator and request information on a language evaluation. Developmental milestones are not set in stone and are most often given as a range, but it will make you feel better to find out if your daughter is experiencing a language delay. If she does have a delay then I would strongly encourage you to access language therapy! When you intervene young language difficulties can be somewhat easily remediated.

In the meantime, step back and observe your children interacting. Does your older child speak for your younger? This is very common when children are 3+ years apart in age. We learn to do things like walk and talk b/c we have a need to access something. If your 5 year-old is doing all of the talking your little one doesn't need to! Make sure to use lots of words around your children. Point to things and name them when talking. Encourage the little one to "use her words" and ask your older daughter to allow her to do so.

At 18 months your daughter should be able to replace most of her gestures with single words and should be exploring multiword responses, but keep in mind that children literally develop overnight. Request an evaluation and make sure to follow through with the recommendations! Good luck and keep us posted on how it goes!

I agree with the previous poster that 5 months difference in age is HUGE at this point. I have a couple of friends with 18 month olds, and it sounds like you daughter is on target with her words. I think she is fine and will be chatting up a storm in a couple of months, but if she is still like this when she's closer to 2, you should definitely look into early intervention. If you qualify, you'll get all the therapies she needs for free.

Don't worry! I had one who talked at one and another who barely said anything until two. Then he spoke complete sentences, no baby talk. Everyone is different.

My nephew was the same way. The thing that absolutely helped was putting him into daycare. She also is a stay at home mom but she put him into daycare on Tuesdays and Wednsdays. Let me tell you What a difference, within the first couple of weeks he was using many more words, and starting to form sentences. It was because he was around kids his own age, and watching from them. I hope this helps. Not saying you have to put her in daycare because I know how costly it can be!!!! Maybe however find some local play groups or mommy and me's.

Everyone here is right on target, i wouldn't worry. Also I remember reading, when my son was a baby, that talking is 'just another skill' they only learn one major skill at a time and really work at it before they move on, my son worked on all things physical.. running, climbing, jumping, walking then he was working on using a fork and a spoon,, finally talking as he got pretty proficient (for his level) he would move on to the next thing.

It does help if they are around people that talk to them alot, it's all soaking into her brain, who knows you may just wake up one day and he decides to talk as if she's been studying forever..or she may work on phrases first, more words, then sentences.. I would just always talk to my son, not baby talk.

Good Luck, but at 18 mos she's still a tad young to worry, i think they say if buy 2.5/3 there aren't plenty of words at least then they explore other options, so you still have some time

i had a similar issue with my son. i had called my local early intervention because i thought there was a problem, and they would not even make me an appointment. they said he was too young to diagnose and that at 18 months old the child should be saying 5-10 words. he is now almost 2.5 and talks and talks and talks! give her time and try to spend more time "working" with her, but i know it is hard with more than 1 child. she'll come along and stop comparing her with other kids. i have 3 children and they are all very different and reach their milestones on their own time! it is soooo easy to get caught up in the comparison game, but resolve yourself not to.