Speech - Oakland,CA

While it's true that kids develop at different rates, if there is an issue, early intervention can make a huge difference in the longer term outcome. If you are concerned, then have him evaluated. There are agencies who do this for toddlers and it's covered by the government. Ask you pediatrician.

Every child develops at different times. Some walk at 9 months, others at a year. Some start talking at 2, others wait. When he is ready, he will talk and you will be amazed at how quickly that happens. If he is saying words, he's OK. Most of the time, after a month of talking, you are wondering why you wanted them to talk, in the first place. They just chatter all the time. It will come, just be patient. And talk to him as an adult, and read to him, if he will sit and listen. That helps.

You can call Alta California Regional www.altaregional.org and talk to them. I was concerned about my son when he was around 2 for the same reason. A friend told me about Alta (if you are not in the SAC area they can refer you to the organization in your area). They will come out and test your child for free and decide if they need speech. The state believes in helping kids as much as they can before they are 3, so all the services are free...I was ready to pay a speech therapist, but didn't have to! It's a wonderful program. After they turn 3, is when you can have your child evaluated by the school district. I would just look into it now instead of waiting. It's easier to correct common speech problems earlier than later. My son is now 3 and is talking great! I'm glad I got him tested when I did.

Dear J.,
I have to agree with Nicole in that many times mommies get so used to their kids' own lingo, that they really don't have much need to speak actual language.
I did daycare and had a 3 year old who basically didn't talk. His mom told me, "If he makes a gurgling noise, that means he's thirsty. If he points at the refrigerator, I usually just open it and start taking things out until I figure out what he wants. If he stomps his feet, he wants his shoes off..."
I thought, Oh, Heaven help me.
I just kind of pretended like I didn't understand him because well, basically I didn't. I treated him the same way I treated the other kids. "Who wants water and who wants juice? Who wants grapes and who wants melon?..."
I just started with little things like that and being around other kids really helped. He didn't really have any problems saying the words, he just never had needed to. He was actually very intelligent. And once he took off talking, there was no hushing him up. He talked about EVERYTHING.
I don't know if that's the case with your child, and you might want to have him evaluated, but I think the best thing is just to talk to him everyday about how fuzzy a peach feels or how crunchy a leaf sounds...just little things like that. And speak to your son in full sentences. That's how they learn speech patterns.
It looks like you've gotten some great advice.
Don't worry, just be pro-active and know that talking a bit later than other children is not always a sign of something "wrong" with your kid.

I wish you the very best.

You will hear stories of early and late talkers. Some moms will say get him checked, others will say wait it out. My son had speech issues and I got every piece of advice in the book. What it all comes down to is....you know your son, and if you are concerned then get him checked. It doesn't cost that much or take too much time, and any cost is well worth your peace of mind. You can ask your ped for a referral to a speech therapist, or if he is in preschool they should know someone. Programs like Easter Seals have therapists too. There are lots of resources. And if there is a problem, this is the perfect time/age to find and address it. Good luck!

Hi J.
My son was about 2 1/2 before he really started to talk. He would say a few words here and there before that, but he didn't start to talk until 2 1/2.
I wouldn't be overly worried, but you might have him seen by the pediatrican to have him evaluated. He could just be silently watching getting ready to make his big debut.
Doesn't hurt to have it looked at though.

good luck
K.

If YOU think there may be something wrong, have your son evaluated ASAP. The pediatrician will be of only minimal value...at least mine was. My son had issues that I kept bringing up at dr.visits and I was brushed off and poo-pooed. My son is autistic. While I am NOT saying that yours even might be, you should follow your instincts. You know better than anyone what is going on. I wish I had pushed harder earlier for my son. I had him tested at age 3 by the school and he was immediately put into the district's preschool program. Your school district office can direct you where to go...or contact Parents Helping Parents for suggestions. Best wishes.

my son is now 5 however I learned at the end of the school year when he was 4 that at 3 the school system is responsible for then and they have speech classes through the school system just for them and it does not cost anything. Go to your local elementary school and ask them about it. My son loved his class and I noticed a change after the first time he went. Good Luck!

I would be. Go online and check symptoms for aspergers, and autism. That could give you more information on what is expected for his age. Once you are armed with some knowledge then go see his doctor.

Hi J.,

Both of my boys were "early" talkers, so when my nephew wasn't talking hardly at all at 2yrs old, I was concerned for him. At 2 yrs, 3 months, he is now speaking 2 word sentences and new words daily.

I think, as moms, we make it easy for our kids to sometimes never have to "use their words". We are very goo mind-readers, and know what are kids are asking for when they POINT :o) I would just keep working with him and asking him to say "Yes, please", or "toy please", or help him find the 2 word sentence for what he is asking for. If you ask him to "say" things, his language should start coming around.

In my opinion, he seems normal. It sounds like he's using 2 word sentences often, which is a good sign that his speech will be just fine :o) I wouldn't worry, just keep encouraging him to "use his words".

~N. :O)

Greetings Jamie: I am the mother of 5 with 2 that have speech problems one that is sever. I just spent the day with my Granddaughter whoh is the same age. You might want to consider looking at several things.
1. does this child use a pacifer, fist or thumb?
2. is someone doing the talking for the child?
3. could there be a hearing loss or problem?
If the answer is no to these questions then let me ask some from the point of having done school IEP's for 20 plus years. Have you done all you can to get the child to respond verbally at every chance of conversation?
My last child did not speak until he was nearly 5 years old. He had hearing problems from ear infections and did not learn certain sounds and once a child crosses that gray area where they have not learrned one step in the process then it is harder to learn all the rest.
Check with the doctor and take his recomndation to the school district. Not all preschool special education classes are held in your district so check what your SELPA has to offer. If you need help with things check with the director of special services for your district.
I spent several years on the CAC (community aliance Committee) for CV school district and know that the district has a lenghty amount of time in which to deliver services, so have all your information ready and referal from a doctor so they are able to meet your needs.
Speach is the most important part of being complete and to reach out to people. My son doesn't have that skill all the time and it is sad for all of us to see.
ONE THING THAT HAS HELPED IS TO LEARN SIGN LANGUAGE!!! what our son can't get out in english he can get out with sign... He has been able to succeed because of it & it is very popular now. It willl also give him a second language for college and the future.
Good Luck and contact me if I can be of any help, Nana G

If you have concerns you should get your child evaluated. If he has speech delays early intervention is the key for his future. Check with your pediatrician and/or your regional center. Once your child is three the school is responsible for their speech needs but I have found that more services are available at the earlier ages.

You may also want to check out the Baby Bumblebee DVD's. They are great to help along with speech.

J.

Sounds like a perfectly normal BOY to me- girls talk sooner in general, most boys are so busy running around, riding tricycles and throwing balls that talking is their last priority. One key is "can he make his needs known"? If he's thirsty can he point to water, if he's tired, can he walk to his bed etc... lots of moms are competitive and put pressure- what's wrong w/him, my child's doing this and this... that being said if there's something obviously wrong then get help. With a normal sounding boy like this - and if his hearing checks out- I'd wait until 3 to see if he's speaking in sentences. Don't worry!

I'd definitely talk with your pediatrician

Personally I don't think so. My nephew didn't say more than 2 words, and sometimes not even one word correctly until about 2.5 years old. After that it was like a switch turned on and he started talking so much more over a 1 - 2 month period. He is now 3.5 and talks just fine. If you are concerned I would talk to your pediatrician but I think all kids are different and it usually evens out in the end.

J.,
You will get a myriad of answers...because there are two camps on this and all that falls in the middle. Old school is ..boys talk later...stories of cousins and kids who talk later grow up to be drs. and professors..others will share their experience with delays.

I would listen to both. I would use your gut. I would get an eval with your regional center now before more budget cuts and because he turns 3. If he needs speech, social skills, language therapy, good to know. The brain is most pliable now. If not, you rest better but can expose him to more language..

Couple of things from the trenches.
Did he crawl? Regular crawl? anyone with history in the family? Any Engineer types.
Any repetitive behaviors? Avoidance. Sensitivity to noise? Hearing? Hearing you tell him something verses showing or touching ( some kiddos have good hearing but not auditory processing..and that it more evident later.

VIsual cues will be your friends regardless with this age..
Also, SLOW DOWN..follow this well known tool O.W.L..observe, wait. Listen.
Also, good book is IT Takes Two to Talk.
I LOVED Baby Babble.dvd. by two speech therapists..slow
Diego and Dora and noggin are good because they are interactive
And Beach boy songs.great language and fun in the summer

I have a son who had speech issues ( a very smart boy) and a daughter who started talking in the womb..and spoke in paragraphs by age 2.5...uses descriptive language now and is highly social. The reason I value speech intervention is for social reasons.

Lastly, find some chatty girl playmates..but ones who slow down for him to get a word in..

have fun!

What does the pediatrician say? If you're concerned about it, bring it up to the doctor. If they think its an issue they can make a referral for a speech evaluation.

My son was an early and big talker, so I wouldn't compare your child to him, but I think at his 3 year check up the developmental check list asked that he could say a sentence with 3 or 5 understandable words, so if he's doing 2 words now, it seems likely that he'll be to 3-5 words 8 months from now.

Hope this helps.

T.

Contact your local school district (where he'd go to elementary school) and seek out an early intervention program. Most districts have early intervention in order to get the child on the right track if there is a speech delay. First have his hearing checked by pediatrician. My son had delay, got him into program at 2, continued until he was 3-1/2 when he finally started talking. Continued with monthly treatment for enunciation issues and he was cleared just before kindergarten. His attending a pre-school program also helped in verbalize. I worked a lot with him, getting him to make sounds in front of a mirror (imitating me), lala, mama, dada, rrrripp, bam bam, etc. (his reward for the sounds would be a flavored cereal that he didn't normally get- Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, etc.). We'd do activities that required him to make noises (we'd cover a stuffed animal with bandages and then say ow, owie, ask him to identify parts (arm, leg), and then pull off bandages and say rip, off, etc.) There is so much you can do. We'd go to the park and make sand towers with plastic cups. He could smash them with his feet if each time he said something (bang, smash, boom, bam, etc.) I was constantly asking him to identify. We'd take a squirt bottle and spray the plants outside, or the house and he'd say "squirt, swish, etc." Not that he'd say them perfectly, the idea is to get the sounds out. Give it a try.

If your insurance covers it, go see a speech therapist just for reassurance. My son is just a bit younger than yours and we took him at 15 months on the advise of our pediatrician. the speech therapist's opinion was that he was far too young for us to be worrying about it at all- but she sat with us, watched him interact, and asked us a series of questions. Turns out he was with in range- a little behind with his speech, a little ahead with his comprehension. Anyway, I felt better and she gave us some worksheets with ideas to foster his speech: games to play, ways to talk to him that encourage a response, reading a pointing at pictures, letting him hold the book and point, and pretend play-conversations with toys, stuffed animals...I am not doing it justice- there was alot of ideas. you might be able to find ideas online.
The best reassurance I got was from my sister who is a occupational therapist. She told me that as long as he was socially engaged- interested in other people, making eye-contact- not to stress out about it.
And finally, (and a little hypocritically) turn off the TV- especially if it is just on in the background.
good luck

Hi Jamie,

I wouldn't worried about it. My nephew did the same thing. Now he is 19 yrs old and can't stop talking. My girlfriend's 2 years old son can only say MaMa. My 17 mos old son says alot, but he is exposed to socialization. That helps.

Kids do things according to their pace. We can only encourage. But, not push.

If you are concern. Always check with the pediatrician. I am sure you he is fine. Boys are slower then girls. We know that. That's why god made us :-)!!

My daughter has a really bad speech delay. I started her in speech at three. Some people gave me a lot of issues about it. They said that she would grow out of it. I started seeing improvements as soon as she started. At three they do start them through the school district. There is also a free program before they turn three. I can remember what it is called but if you google it I'm sure you can find it.

Don't worry. Lots of children are late talkers. My son was the same. He didn't talk much until he was nearly 3 and now he talks so much...non-stop and his vocabulary is really huge. I would not worry about it. It is still too early to worry.

While he may just be waiting...I would say it can't hurt to have him evaluated. If everything's fine- you'll feel better knowing. If there is something that could be addressed you'll definitely feel better knowing that you're addressing it early on. Contact your county Regional Center. These are state agencies that address these types of issues in infants and toddlers.
My own daughter is now almost 21 months and just now beginning to be more vocal- finally saying her first word. I called Regional Center when she was almost 19 months and they sent people out to evaluate her. From that we have moved on to vision (slight astigmatism in one eye) and hearing screenings (I also had a speech evaluation through her doctor.) There are plans by the regional center to begin speech therapy and this was also recommended by the specialists at Children's Hospital. I believe that she is just being a late bloomer, but again, I'd rather know that I did everything I could for her especially if down the road something does turn up.

Tell your doctor you want to have him evaluated, as soon as possible. Don't be freaked out, but the sooner you get some help for him, the better. There are different reasons for speech delays. It can create some social and academic difficulties, even if it is not a "serious" problem-- so you want to deal with it, not ignore it. (you just want to make his school life go smoothly later, which will make your life easier, in the long run)