Should I Be Worried About My 2 1/2 Year Old's Vocabulary???

I personally do not feel that you should be concerned. Every child is different and learns and does things at their own pace. If you are however worried then you may consider contacting a developmental pediatrician. I try to never compare my child to another for the reason that they are all different. I would drive my self nuts if I did that. I hope this helps.

If you are concerned go have her tested. It is certainly better safe than sorry. I have both an older son, and a younger son who had speech delays. Both were tested and have recieved services. My older son we found out was autistic. It was a very good thing to have him tested at 2 and to start to recieve services. Other wise it could have been months to years before we got the help we needed. The sooner they receive what they need the better. If he had not gotten services early I do not think he would be as ahead of the game as he is now. My younger son received speech for about 6 months then no longer needed it. As a 2 1/2 year old he now talks in 4-5 word sentcences. You just never know. Hope this helps.

My daughter, who is 3 now, had the same problem. Talk to a public school, and they can do a speech test for you for free. It's quick and painless, and they can usually tell right away if something is wrong. Also, the more I read, the more it said to wait until they are 3 to be really concerned. No one but Momma could understand her at 2 1/2, and at 3, she is doing much, much better, and can actually be understood most of the time. My daughter was always a late bloomer too. We didn't cut down on TV, but we do read to her, a lot, and she loves books. I would definitally recommend that. Also, singing with her will help her, too. Good luck!

I have daughter who turns 3 in december who does the same things. Of course she has had some medical problems from the beginning. But we worked with sooner start. Do you think her ears could be a problem for her maybe fluid or frequent ear infections. But call sooner start or go through your pediatrician if it is a concern. Sooner start only goes to age 3 but they have other resorces she can work with as long as she qualifies with developmental delays. Get a referral before it gets to late anything is motivational and support for her and you.

I wouldn't be worried unless your pediatrician mentions something. Children develop differently. Is she developing at a normal rate in other areas? Motor skills, etc.? Talk to the doctor and don't worry. Once your daughter does start talking alot, you'll long for the days when it was a little more quiet around the house!

You might want to contact the Early Intervention Program in your area. It is a free service. Someone will come to your home and evaluate your child in several different areas and if one area is delayed for her age, they will give you different options. We have a Speech/Language Pathologist who comes once a week and a Behavorial Therapist who comes once a month. You can increase or decrease how often they come around. They are very nice and really want to help.

hi
I have the same problem with my son. He was 2 at the end of July and still says very few real words and no words grouped together. We had him evaluated and they told us that he didn't have enough of a delay to do anything about it. We're going to have him evaluated again in January to see if they'll change their minds. I'd call your WIC or DHS office and get her tested. Its a free program and they'll even come to you.
Good luck!

My only experience with this was my good friends child. He was a very late talker and only she could understand a lot of what he said. Turns out he had ear issues and had to have tubes put in. The pediatrician was alittle wishy/washy on her answer to his speech issues. I would definately have the hearing checked just to put that reason out of the equation. He was almost 5 before all this was figured out. It certainly explained a lot. My son was a little late but when he hit 2 yrs old he just all of a sudden started talking up a storm. He spoke better than my friends child who was 3 yrs older.

I am not against testing, but want to encourage you to not badger your child about it. Our oldest son had a slight lisp when he was young (4 0r 6 yrs. old). He loved to read and read a lot. Eventually, he got involved in dramatic speech and debate. Now, he is a terrific preacher. I say all that to encourage you to read to your child and gently encourage her to answer you clearly, but do not discourage her with constant correction.

All the other r3esponses are good. When my son was born we lived at my parents home (single mom thru divorce)
I sang Silent Night in German as a song to put him to sleep. One younger brother was taking Spanish in high school and spoke this to him My son watched the Electric Club on TV in Spanish and loved it. Another brother was taking Russian in college classes and talked this to him. ThuS the child retained a lot of extrra sounds not in English. Well when he talked he would began all word without beginning constants always with a vowel. I was not at first aware of this until a friend made it clear.

He was a little over two and I just assumed he was putting sounds together. We were sitting around the table everyone asking please for this or that. The friend gets up and tells my son "yes you may have some milk please"

what he had said was "ilk ease" After that I listened car3efully and realized he had been making short sentences. I began to repeat his sentences back to him with the correct and missing sounds. Yes only I could understand him. At 2 1/2 I was blessed to find a nursey teacher to watch him half day 3 days week and she worked on the missing sounds. Hope this helps. M. W

Personally my daughter was an early talker but I think my son (15 mths) is going to be different. I really have no advice except to maybe ask your dr and see what he says.

All children do learn speech at a different rate. Many of them speak only so their family understands them. I suggest a playgroup where she'll be challenged to make herself understood with other children. Several children in our meet up group have received testing and speech therapy for free. You may research this if the doctor sees any reason for it.
Nana Sharron H.

Touch and hold her a lot. Make sure you're keeping her with you, not "in a box" - crib, playpen, etc.

Talk to her a lot, and listen avidly and respond whenever she talks.

Keep the TV off. Even for "educational" stuff or Baby Einstein. Studies show that TV watching impairs language development (and emotional development, and overall intellectual development, and decreases the motivation to read and to get up and actively get involved in play, which is critical to learning).

Read to her, of course :) Use different voices for different characters, use varying pitch to emphasize different syllables (a sort of Motherese) and let your love and enjoyment of being with her show.

Watch her blossom!

L.

I have a daughter the same age and it sounds like she is at the exact same level linguistically as your daughter. Several people have suggested I get her ears tested. However she is second in birth order and our eldest is a chatter box, she was speaking in sentences before the age of two. It wouldn't hurt to get her ears checked, to be sure.

I work in the healthcare field and have a good relationship with our speech therapist. A two year old should have 50-200 word vocabulary and by 2 1/2 be putting together 2-5 word sentences....don't quote me on the exacts, I'm not a speech therapist. You should really discuss your valid concerns with your pediatrician and see if they can make a referral to a speech therapist. The service is covered by virtually all insurances. There could be nothing wrong, but you would have more of a piece of mind if you at least had an evaluation. I recently had my 4 1/2 year old consulted because of his inability to correctly sound the letter "L" or blend sounds with an "L" She told me things to do at home with him so we didn't have to do formal therapy. Most people thought it was cute having him talk in a baby-talk, but it did really worry me and my husband. My niece is almost 2 1/2 and talks better than most 3 year-olds, but there again, all kids develop differently. Hope this helps!

I'm the mother of a 17 year old deaf daughter and so my advice is to have her hearing checked just to rule that out. My daughter's late speech was what triggered us finding out about her hearing loss. With speech therapy early in life (she started when she was 20 month old) she was able to speak. She now hears nothing (or very little with her hearing aides) but speaks as well as you or I. She was taught how to read lips and has leaned sign language. With these skills, she will be able to fit into either the deaf world or the hearing world.

Deafness is not like turning a radio up or down. There are many frequencies in noise and it's common that hearing loss happens in only some of the frequencies and therefore they can hear some things and not others so speech doesn't make any sense to them (they're not hearing the complete word or sentence).

I hope that this is not the problem and that your daughter is just a late talker, however, I would definetly recommend not ignoring the fact that she doesn't talk much. And I support speech therapy at any age, anything that you can do to help her catch up in her speech will help her in the future.

Good luck and feel free to contact me if you have any questions about deafness or how we handled things with our daughter. (____@____.com)

I haven't read the other responses, so I might be repeating, but here's my take...
I worked at a mother's day out for nearly six years. Some kids could talk with crystal clarity at two, but I worked with some four year olds who still struggled with being understood! There are some who support speech therapy at an early age, and others who say let them mature. My recommendation is this...be very aware of her development AS A WHOLE. Typically the children who need help are the ones who are struggling developmentally in other areas. They might be having difficulty socially learning typical social norms. They might be struggling with the areas of physical coordination typical for their age. They might be showing signs of hearing problems. They might have severe ear issues which cause them to not be able to hear their own voice. Watch your daughter in all areas. If she seems to be fine in everything else, then she is just developing other areas right now and speech will come. If she seems to show struggles in multiple aspects of development or health, then the speech might be related to that. The biggest thing is to be vigilant - don't look for a problem with everything, but also acknowledge if there seems to be a real issue. When in doubt, talk to your pediatrician or other people who have seen a wide range of children develop.

It is worth having her tested. If nothing else, it will put your mind at ease. In Arkansas, (I didn't look to see where you are) the testing is free and the state will actually pay for someone to come into your home (regardless of income) and do speech therapy until she turns 3. At that point, she will qualify for the public pre school. My second child was very delayed in speech - due to hearing difficulties before she got tubes. She was tested at two years, eight months. She tested in the 6th percentile. She is now in first grade and had her last speech therapy in August. If there is truly a problem, the sooner you address it, the easier it is to fix. Good luck!

Just remember that Einstein didn't speak until he was 3.

Well, my granddaughter is now 24 months and she is just now starting to speak words clear enough for all to understand. She has had a very shaky start in her young life, Daddy had to get custody from Mommy who got into some things she shouldn't have. So, I always attributed it to the fact that she was not settled like most babies her age. So, to tell you the truth, I really don't know if you should be worried or not............or if I should be worried. My daughter (her stepmom) is an elementary school teacher, and she assures me that when she is ready, she will communicate with everyone. Good luck!

My son will be three in November. He was also a late talker from the beginning. Right now he leaves off the ends of a lot of words and can not say some sounds. After talking with a friend that is a speech pathologist she said if I was concerned then have him evaluated. I did and he does need speech therapy which will be done through the school system at no cost. They also test for hearing, sight, language, social and developmental problems. The school system will not start until age three. You can go to an independent put insurance won't pay a lot of times. There are also early childhood programs that will start before three and then you will move to the school system. Those are through the state and are also at no cost. I would suggest you listen to your instincts. It wont hurt anything to have him tested. If there is nothing wrong then at least you will feel better about it. Everyone I talk to says that it is SO much easier to correct any problems now rather than later. The speech pathologist that is going to work with him suggested the leapfrog letters that go on the refrigerator. I also have a cd that has a song that has all the sounds...apple, apple, a a a. He loves it and it seems to be helping. Especially when I sing it with him and he can see how my mouth moves. The name of it is Sounds Like Fun but I just looked and there are a lot on the internet that are similar that I am also going to try. Good luck.

My son had the same problem even down to the part where his vocab was only understandable to me. He was over 3 when he finally started to use more words, more clearly. This is when he started going to a daycare and picked up words from other children. Until then, he didn't have much interaction with other kids. It was like a light went off and I noticed his improvement right away. My advice would be to make sure she has alot of interaction with other children and see if that helps!

J.,

You are right all kids are different. My 3 year-old son was like your daughter and not talking well until he was about 2.5 or so. We now have an 18 month-old daughter that is speaking in full sentences so eash child is different. My 3 year-old speaks very well now and is smart. Sometimes the first child will talk later as in my son's case.

Did she have the MMR Vaccine? She may need to be checked for autism that this vaccine has the potential to cause.
B. S. RN CCM.

I would talk to your Dr. about it. It is amazing how much changes with speech from 2 1/2 to 3! She should name at least 4 body parts, be understood my strangers half of the time, and put together two to three word sentences. It does not have to be super clear. She will be fine, I would just ask her Dr. and see what he/she thinks.

My 21 month old is just beginning to say words other than momma and poppa. We had him evaluated by Sooner Start, a program that the State of Oklahoma uses to help children under school age to find developmental problems. He is fine so we don't qualify for the program but it was wonderful to get the assurance he is not behind. If he had qualified he could have had people come to our home to work with hima nd then he could start public school at 3 yrs. old.

Whatever state you live in should have some program to address this issue. Call your local Health Dept. or Department of Human Services, social Services?

I had the same problem. When my son turned 3, and no one could understand him except me, I turned to a speech therapist. It took 2 years of therapy, but by the time he started kindergarten, his speech was just perfect. Be sure to talk to dr to rule out any hearing problems. Many experts agree that 3 is the magic number.

yes
i have a 3 year old and they told me to have him tested.
call the school system your son would be in and ask if they have a program that will do this for free. ours has one and i'm not sure what it is called but they will elev. your child and tell you where and what you need to do. childrend that are slow at talking could lead to adhd, that is what i'm dealing with now

She's good. Some children seem to be born talking and others definitely take their time but before long (I bet during the next 12 months), she'll really be making progress. The more attention you pay to it, the more sensitive you'll be to comparing her to others. We do always worry about our kids but just relax and enjoy the baby talk.

Unless you are familiar from personal experience with many two-year-olds, don't compare your child with others. In my field I have to work with speech therapists and my sister is one. I had the same concern for my daughter. Beyond having the "R" "L" and soemtimes "TH" they told me not to worry as many times those letters cannot be formed until as late as four years old. I had other concerns though so I had her evaluated at the local university in the speech department section of special education. Then I went to the school system's pupil appraisal program. They were able to use the information from the university for when she started school to make sure a speech therapist was in place at the school by the time she got there.The school system will screen and evaluate your child and let you know if her speech is on target for her age or not.If she does she can still qualify for in-home services from the early intervention program fro children ages 0 to 3.

I saw a lot of people mention testing but I did not see anyone mention that testing is free through the federal government. Just call Early Intervention. Google EI and your state or look in your local phone book. Early Intervention can test and provide free in-home services until your child is three so act quickly. If your child continues to need help at 3 years old, they will transition her to get help through the public school system. Good luck!

Look for "Parents As Teachers" in your local area- they are online if you need help finding them. Its an awesome free program that is state funded and helps parents in all areas of a childs development. (if you are in Oklahoma, email me and I can send you phone numbers and names of people to call.) They can help you help her and also provide free resources for speach testing, etc. L.

You should not be worried, because there is something you can do for her! Get her tested through Early Intervension (which is gov't. funded and free up until the age of 3 including various therapies and screenings). My son was born with a cleft palate and low muscle tone and has greatly benefitted from this Early Intervension program (including 6 hrs. of therapy/week + regular evaluations- all expences taken care of regardless of your income) since he was 4 mos. old. I'm telling you that because we've had experience with two types of doctors/advice givers: The "wait and see" type, and the "if there's something we can do, let's try it" type. We've had much more success with doctors/therapists who have NOT adopted the "wait and see" method. Because it will not hurt your child in any way to be evaluated, I highly recommend you have it done. Especially for your own piece of mind having a professional tell you that your daughter is fine or just needs a tiny bit of therapy will really make you feel better because you've done something to help the situation.

ps- I definitely agree with the moms suggesting a hearing screening as well, it's something very commonly done in conjunction with speech problems or delays.

Hi J. I have a 3 year old grandson who didn't start talking early and when he did lots of his words are not plain and some are okay. He has started a pre-school now and he is going to have speech therapy at pre-school . I have been told by several people thru the years that some kids just don't talk as soon as others and as well. So if you know that there is no medical reason I would not worry to much and if she does not do better as time goes on maybe you could check out about speech therapy. That does not mean that there is anything serious wrong. She may start talking okay on her own with time. Hope this has helped

K. r.

I would talk to her pediatrician about it at her next visit or check up. My nephew was having a few problems when he began talking and he qualified for a program where a speech therapist came to their home and worked with him and it helped him so much!
Your daughter may just need a little more time before she starts talking up a storm, but at least if you talk to your pediatrician then you will feel better about it. Good luck!!

Hi J.,

I think that I would probably talk to her pediatrician about it. Also, have you ever had her hearing checked? Sometimes due to wax buildup or some other issue, a child may not hear as well as they should. This could cause a delay in her speech. Good luck. :)

Hi J..

Take her to get her hearing checked. She may not be hearing the sounds correctly, and therefore cannot say them. My three year old granddaughter has that problem. She sees a speech therapist. Good luck.

My daughter is now three and a half and we had the same issue as her. My doctor had me fearful of Autism , but was sure that wasn't it because she was very social and as bright as a whip. When we moved tto Tulsa our Pedi there discovered that she had a very severe double ear infection. We were unaware of this because she never complained. I would first take her to the MD and have them check her ears. If that turns out okay I would then look into speech therapy. Through the public school system it is free. They will evaluate her, and find where she needs work. We discovered that with my daughter that she has an issue with articulation. She sees a speech pathologist for 45 minutes once a week. I really wouldn't worry too much. Every child is different, but at the samr time be proactive, and try to find the reason behind her delayed speech.

Hi J.,

I am the mother of a 26 month old little boy. At my son's 15-month well baby visit his pediatrician was a little concerned because at 15 months he had NO words. I kept thinking that he would start to talk in his own time but I became much more concerned. At that point he didn't even mimic animal noises or use any of the signs we had tried to teach him to reduce his frustration at not communicating. His doctor recommended getting him evaluated by SoonerStart, an early intervention program for children with speech and physical limitations. It is free from the state and not based on income. The only requirement is that your child have a big enough deficit in any area or a combination of areas to qualify for therapy. My son had a significant deficit in Expressive communication (he couldn't tell me what he wanted) and a smaller deficit in Receptive communication (he didn't understand what I was telling him). He was accepted in the program and he has a speech pathologist (that he loves by the way) that comes to our house for an hour every other week. His therapist cannot figure out what has caused his delay. They have checked his ears and they seem to be fine. By the time he was 20 months his receptive communication really stepped up and now he understands 95% or more of what we tell him. Since his receptive communication has gotten better so has his ability to communicate. He began using signs to tell us some basic things like eat, milk, and want. In the last few months his verbal communication has improved and he finally has about 15- 20 words. He can say the name of our dog, cat and Dada, but he has yet to say Mama which drives me nuts. His therapist is really impressed with how much he understands now and his new attempts to communicate. He has many more signs now and can communicate with me and his father quite well but strangers and some family members have a harder time because they don't know many signs. I'm not sure how much therapy has benefitted him and how much of his progress was just due to him developing at his own pace. Therapy has helped us learn how to communicate with him when he was unable to communicate back and it has also eased some of our fears (since his hearing is fine). Even if his communication has just been budding on its own, independent of therapy, I'm still very thankful that we have had help in figuring our little mystery out.

As our doctor pointed out, it never hurts to let SoonerStart evaluate your child. It is a free service and if your child doesn't have a deficit significant enough for the program that's something you can be thankful for. It means that she probably is just developing her language skills at her own pace. They will also still give you some tips on how to help her even if they don't add her to the program. I would strongly recommend that you have her hearing checked though since difficulty in speaking clearly could be because she can't hear as clearly as she should.

But overall my advice is make sure she isn't having trouble hearing first and if you are still concerned have SoonerStart evaluate her to ease you worries. Chances are though she is just developing at her own pace. If she can understand the directions you give her and she does use words then it doesn't seem like you have a big cause to worry. I totally understand your fear in seeing others her age able to communicate better. I have a niece that is a month younger than my son and she is very advanced for her age. I have two nephews that are 3 and 4 months older than her and they still don't have the language she does. So much depends on the individual child. Get her hearing checked to put your mind at ease but other than that don't worry about it. By the time she is in pre-k you won't be able to tell the differences in the early talkers and the late. Something else you can do is get her around more children her own age if she isn't already. That often inspires late talkers to talk since their peers are and the more she talks the clearer her speech will become. I'm also a stay-at-home mom and my son doesn't have a lot of interaction with others his age, except for his cousins and he really thrives on that interaction with other kids.

Be sure and let us know how it works out. I'm sure it will all be just fine.

Good luck, L.

My son was almost 4 years old before he really started talking. Does she have older siblings? Sometimes when there are older siblings they don't feel a need to verbalize much. I went to the doctor because I was worried and he assured me my son was fine and sure enough, he talks just fine now.