Speech Delay - Fresno,CA

I had very talkative girls so my experience is simply second hand. My sister's youngest son did not say ONE word until he was three years old. He did have some needs in school that his mother was able to fulfill. He learned differently than the bulk of the kids and he had speech therapy once he got in school but he did fine. He is VERY intelligent and as an adult is in sales. His last position was the VP of Domestic Sales for an high profile Italian tennis shoe company.

Be proactive but don't be anxious. Boys do speak later than girls generally. I think they like it that way, lol!

Regards,

M.

Hi N.,

This is ultimately your decision of course and you know your child best. I think mommy instinct is vastly underestimated these days - its a powerful force!! But if you are concerned, whether internally by instinct or from hearing it from others, I don't see a downside to having him evaluated. As a couple other moms mentioned, ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) could be a place to start. Its a government subsidized program for children from birth to 3. If he does qualify for speech therapy, it could be just the boost he needs. To provide a quick friendly correction, speech therapy absolutely does address language development and not just producing sounds, so don't let that deter you. If you don't want to go the ECI route for any reason, there are many private companies out there that take insurance and will come to your home or go to your son's day care, whatever the case may be. If you would like more information about that, feel free to send me a message.
Good luck to you and let me know if I can help!
Rebecca
Occupational Therapist
Dynamic Therapy
www.dynamictherapy.net

How frustrating for you to have to hear that from others-- here's a virtual hug! There is a very good chance that your son is just FINE!! If he wasn't saying any words at all, that would be different, but who really counts their kid's words?? My oldest was a skirt hugger and didn't speak for quite some time. He didn't even say mama until 19 months, and after that he only said mama, dada, juice, and a couple of other words for quite some time. His baby sister nearly caught up to him in speech as she was a very early talker and was saying 2 word "sentences" before her first birthday. Every child is different, as you know. I would counter those nosey people with something like, "Yea, I think he's gonna be one of those kids we have to keep an eye on...he's really sharp and observant-- one of those strong and silent types!!" Also, you can remind them that you LEARN MORE by listening/observing than by speaking--- or as my husband would say, you learn more with your ears open and your mouth closed!!

By the way, my skirt hugger late-talking first born is now 12 and in advanced classes at school. And I could be wrong, but I think speech therapy at this age is to help kids develop sounds they have a difficult time making, more so than building their vocabulary.

Hello N.,

I feel you Mom! I was at the library a while back for a toddler music group and a mom with a little boy your child's age was going in for similar testing and she was scared out of her whits! As we talked I invited her to observe what I had seen in her son for over an hour that morning. While he never said a word here's some of what I did see:

-Scanning Everything (especially what the older children were doing)
-Intense & Focused Expressions (indicating a fixated concentration)
-Absence of Involvement (Studying for safety, interest, comfort level..)

Once all the noise ended he jumped out his chair (from beside mom) went over to the exact same instruments the older children had been attracted to, and began trying them out for himself. Seemingly confirming that his observations about their utility were indeed accurate.

Our final activity was a parachute game where I also sang to these "Little Scientists". At this point he had experienced a measurable level of satisfaction at which and did not hesitate to join us. I looked at mom and asked her, "Now tell me dear lady! What do you see?"

I pose the same question to you. Had Albert Einstein been around today's autism driven medical marketers, would we have labeled and medicated away his potential too? After all, he didn't talk, read or write until long after his peers either: sometime between 4-6 years old as I recall.

Believe well!

A. Z.
http://www.HomeOfficeMommy.com
Coming soon!

Each county does Child Readiness exams for free and the therapy is also free- funded by your taxes. I had a 2 yr that did not talk at all. He went to Speech for 1 yr and blossomed so much. At 3.5 he's a talker and talks in complete sentences. My husband thought I was overreacting but my son qualified for therapy and the speech path even went to daycare so I didn't have to drive him. Why not get him tested?

ECI could do an evaluation for free. My son didn't speak at 18 months and as I researched (he also was very fussy and had chronic GI issues) I realized he is autistic. I told my pediatrician. I'm not saying this is your case what I'm saying is an evaluation won't hurt and may even help. Some kids get a little speech therapy and they are fine. For some speech comes later.

please have his ears checked by an audioligist. he may have fluid and need tubes. My oldest talked slow due to fluid and my youngest has tubes too. My oldest did have to do speech therapy after the tubes. MY oldest speech went way up with tubes my youngest has tubes and his speech is still slow but his ears are still draining. The tubes are doing their job just not as fast as it did on his brother. I'm afraid my youngest will need speech therapy too.

Hi Momma-
My speech was great when I was a kid, but I was REALLY quiet and almost painfully shy. The teachers recommended speech therapy, so what happened was a lady came to my classroom once a week and we talked and did flash cards, etc. Basically I just had to talk to her. She told the teachers and my parents there was nothing wrong with me other than I was just quiet. Your son is still very young, so I would get some tips from a speech therapist on how to work with him to get him talking more than he is. As he continues to grow, if you still SEE plenty of learning, but don't hear much talking, then I would recommend you take him to see someone. But for now, make sure he gets social interaction with other kids, other people, pets, etc., and just get some advice from a speech therapist on how to work with him. i really think he is just find and needs a little prodding to come out of his quiet shell.
I hope this helps!
-E. M
P.S. If there are multiple languages in a household, children often take longer to do a lot of talking. They understand perfectly but are still forming their words in both languages.

My son didn't have 200 words at age 2. At age 2yrs 3mos, he was talking a blue streak. Wait a bit. You could have his hearing checked in the meantime.

Every child is different but my oldest daughter, now 10, didn't speak a word until she was 3 years old. She walked late as well. But by the time she entered K she was caught up and continues to do well. We gave her time but we also made sure not to neglect her nutrients. We definitely upped her nutrition.
Hope that helps!
C.

So, who are these "experts" who are making the comments? Have you had your son evaluated by his pediatrician or another professional? If you have any concerns, which may mean simply that you need to get well meaning friends off your back about this, definitely have him evaluated to be sure there are no actual speech problems. Otherwise my advice is to step back and take a look at how the family is communicating with him and see if there are some things you can do that will help him develop his speech better. Since he has an 11 yr old sibling, I'm guessing there may be a tendency for the family to over anticipate his needs and meet them before giving him a reason to have to ask. That can delay speech development. Are you reading to him regularly? Do you talk with him throughout the day as you go about your business? Take walks with him and constantly talk about what you are seeing on the way. When riding in the car, talk to him about what you are seeing. You may be doing all these things already. If so just continue them and wait to see how his speech develops. Also, at age two most children are using words, but pronouncing them in a way that we often don't understand, and we may not recognize them as actual words. Try to be more alert to hearing words in what may seem to be just 'babble'. You may find that he's closer to the 200 words than you think. During the 2 - 3 year stage, language develops so quickly that I think you are going to see some dramatic changes in the next few months. But, again, for your own peace of mind, it doesn't hurt to have professional evaluation just to be sure.

Hi N.-
My son is 2y2mo old and has been in speech therapy for 4 months now. He had no words at age 18 mo and now has only added about 6-7 more. He is not autistic and has no other developmental delays. He does communicate with signing and other gestures (often taking my hand and leading me somewhere). He has great receptive language skills- i.e. he understand almost everything we say and can follow multi-step directions, etc. He is just behind on the expressive language- speaking. The therapist comes to our house once a week and works with him on using words to communicate. The spend 45 minutes playing with toys, pretend play with a kitchen, reading books that involve hand motions, etc. She teaches speech through play- something he does naturally. My son loves it when she comes over. It is undivided attention for him, with out big sister around. Our therapist is also a believer in signing as a way of communicating, so he is encouraged to use both. I have noticed that the words he picks up quickly are the ones he already knows the signs for. We also started sending him to a toddler program 2 days a week so he could be around other kids. He started out shy, but now is talking more (in his own language, but still trying!) with the other students and teachers.

Yes, there is a wide range of normal at this age- my daughter was ahead of the curve in speech, so I have seen it first hand. You didn't say how many words he has now, but the evaluation never hurts. Even if they say you don't need services, then you have the reassurance from someone qualified to give you that. They can also still give you strategies to encourage his speech at home. If he does need help, then you can start early- early intervention is the key in all developmental issues. I have already seen the benefits from speech after 4 months. We work through the North Bay Regional Center and all of the services we receive are free. No one from NBRC has ever implied that his speech issues are because of something we had done or were failing to do as parents. He just simply needs extra help and we are willing to do whatever he needs.

Every kid is different, and you have to look at the whole child. The thing I would watch for is does he struggle to produce sounds and is he unsuccessful, does he understand more than he is saying, and is he capable of listening and following directions? If you are saying no, yes yes, then he is probably just on one end of the curve when it comes to talking. The concerns teachers and doctors and such tend to have with language delays are that the kids are either delayed in other capapcities, evidenced by a language delay or are needing speech therapy. I hope that that helps it was a little convoluted but the main point is to try and be a little objective, in your heart you will know if your child is on track or delayed in a way that deserves attention. If you don't know then contact someone to ask some questions.

I think your instinct is right - noone knows better than you about your son. My eldest, now 10yrs is a chatty, confident, articulate boy - one of the brightest in his class. However, when 2, he relied on a few select sounds to get what he wanted. He was much nearer to 3 when his vocab 'took off'.
If your son's just turned 2, I would say it is normal for lots of children to use less than 200 words. Language development is different in all children. Some progress slow & steady, others seem to have 'spurts'.
It's your call about having him assessed, but there's a lot more to language and communication than just how many words children use. Try and ensure you have some one to one time every day for reading together - my inclination would be if you've no other concerns over behaviour & development, give hime a few more months & see how he goes.

Hi,
Check with your local public school district. They are responsible to test your child for any speech delays. If he qualifies they will provide services free of charge to you. This is part of the free public school system. Many students caught early can be brought up to level by or before kindergarten. My niece qualified for speech services at 3 years and really benefitted from all the help she received. Good luck.

i don't think at age 2 your kid should know 200 words...at least I don't think....I adopted my daughter..and when we she came to us at age 2...she barely knew 10 words.....I did receive socialization therapy to make sure she didn't need speech therapy and I was told to put her in a preschool program for a couple of days a week....this really helped and the flood gates opened with tons of words....I'd look at getting him evaluated for speech therapy....you can do this through your school system....and also if he is not in preschool....get him in one.....being with his peers helps tremendously....but you know your child best.....just think of the therapy as a positive side of all of this....it's not forever...just something to help a little bit.

Hi N. - My son is 2 and 1 month and it is amazing what changes can occur in one month! My son was not saying very many words, even just a month ago. Then BAM, all of a sudden he is saying everything and repeating everything, putting 3 or 4 words together, asking for food, drinks, etc. I agree that all kids hit their milestones at their own rate, and that sometimes they are just holding it in, digesting all the information until they are ready to process it verbally. If you are not seeing any progress in the next couple of months, I would suggest revisiting therapy. But until then, keep working with him and reading to him and encouraging his answering questions, etc. Good luck!!!

200 words?! This kind of arbitrary benchmark makes me so mad! I have never, ever met a 2 year old who spoke 200 words. Our daughter was only speaking about 10 words at 18 months and our pediatrician freaked out. We came back at 21 months, and DD was speaking about 30 words, and the doctor insisted I have her hearing tested and get her to a therapist. I insisted she was fine. DD communicated effectively through signing and using physical ways to show me what she wanted. She didn't show any signs of autism; she was affectionate, interacted with everyone, made eye contact appropriately and responded to multi-step instructions and her name. I also told her doc that most of the children in our family didn't speak until three years old (and then we never shut up! lol!). I declined intervention, and about a week later got a call from someone from a state agency saying they had received a referral from our pediatrician. I again declined intervention, especially when the woman said that part of the process included a home visit "to evaluate the child's learning environment." No thanks. Call me paranoid, but I didn't like the idea of a state inspection of my home. I changed pediatricians and found one with more experience and kids of his own (our other doc was just out of school, not married, and no kids). He spent time at our first appt actually interacting with DD, something our other doc never did, and said she seemed fine all except for not talking. He asked about her care. I said that both my husband and I were home with her, and when we weren't her caregivers were always one of her grandmas. He said, "Oh, so all she has to do is look cute and there is someone there to get what she wants and fawn all over her?" I admitted that was probably true. He said DD would talk when the day came that she had something to say and we couldn't figure it out. By her third birthday, she was still not saying much. One month later, she was talking in two-word sentences, and by Halloween, she was a little chatterbox using complete sentences. In keeping with the family tradition, DD never stops talking now!! She has an incredible vocabulary and is easily understood by by strangers.
If you feel your son is fine, I say leave him be. Try to encourage him to talk by asking open questions (not just yes and no), and try to make a game out of singing songs and reading together. I bet he'll start chatting away...go with your instinct...

Hi N.......

Obvioulsly you don' t think he needs any therapy, or you would go for it. If you don't think he has a hearing problem and if you are not concerned at all........Then I agree with you :o)

Kids develop their speech at their own confident pace. And, if your son was taught to "sign" for his needs, then speech isn't as important because he already knows how to communicate :o) the speech part will come along.

Just ask him to use his words along with his signs....and his language will naturally develop........but at his own pace.

I think this whole "talking by 2" thing was evaluated BEFORE us moms taught their kids to sign for their needs. What is the rush to make then talk if they can communicate just fine? He's not going to Law School yet :O)

I think all the "fuss" from your Dr's is just "routine"......they have to protect themselves over EVERYTHING nowadays. So, in 5 yrs from now, you don't go back and say, "well our dr never told us to have his speech evaluated..." So, they are just protecting themselves. But you are the mom, you would know if your son needs help with this situation.

You have plenty of time to teach him "his words" to go with his signs........just remember.........once he starts to speak............he'll never stop! :O)

I hope this helps ease your mind :O)

~N.

you have plenty time to teach him speech.

I think you know your son best & hit it on the head; '..and all kids hit their individual milestones at their own rate...' I haven't heard of a certain number of words kids 'should' have by 2 yrs. At 18 months our youngest son rarely said anything which seemed concerning to us since our oldest son was speaking in pretty complete sentences by 18 months. Turns out our youngest did have a slight speeh delay & recieves speech therapy. The 'red flag' for me was that by 2, most kids repeat just about everything we say....good or bad (!) & our youngest wasn't. If your son doesn't attempt to repeat you, then you may want to ask your ped. about it & get a referral. Even tho our son started speech by 2ys, what really hepled was starting him in preschool. He was around other kids who were talking & it really made a huge difference in his talking. But as you said, all kids hit their milestones at different times. Ignore other people's comments & go w/your gut.

All three of my kids didn't say their first words until 18-24 months old. I heard it all too... your child needs to be tested... when is s/he going to talk? My pediatrician was not worried because even though they weren't using words, they were still able to communicate somehow and they did understand what I was saying to them. The language skills were there. My now 6 1/2 and 3 1/2 YO kids won't be quiet and speak very well and very clearly... and my 2 YO's vocabulary has exploded.

You know your child best. So I would say as long as the language skills are there... your son is just fine!

Don't worry about it. If you've had his hearing checked, and he is picking words up and progressing, I don't think you have anything to worry about. My daughter only had 70 words a month before she turned 2. A few weeks later, full 5 word sentences were coming out of her mouth. As you say, when they hit their own appropriate time, they will speak. I think 200 words is a very arbitrary marker. On the other hand, if he only has 10 words, that might be a problem. I think people around here can be very type A about their children and their milestones. But later, no one can remember when a kid walked exactly, or talked. It just doesn't matter. Good luck.

It's not so much an issue of purely speech. Look at how he is communicating and engaging with others. You won't regret getting some evaluations, pediatrician, audiologist, even if they reassure you that there's nothing wrong. IF there turns out to be real issues of speech delay, developmental delays or hearing issues get yourself connected and informed about what resources are out there. In the Bay Area check out Parents Helping Parents www.php.com for support and resources. IF your child needs help school districts begin to provide services for children as young as 3 and for kids under the age of 3 you can contact the local regional center for evaluation (though they have been cutting back their services for children under 3 due to budget cuts. Best of luck
J. Jaeger

Hi N.
I do not have advice for you other then follow what you feel is to be right. But I will share my story and you can take from it what you will.

At 2 1/2yrs my daughter's vocabulary was about 10 words but she signed so much more. At 18 months her doctor had her hearing check because she wasn't talking at all at that time. Her hearing was just fine. But her doctor wasn't too concerned because she was signing so she did have communcation.

We visited her doctor again for her 2yr appt. By then she said about 4 maybe 5 words. I was really worried about it because of all that I had read that kids her age should already doing 2 or 3 words sentances and have a lot bigger vocabulary then she did. Her doctor assured me that my daughter was just fine. My daughter signing vocabulary had grown which showed her doctor that she was growing in her communication. She understood what I was saying, so she understood the words. And told me she would be talking soon. And we had a follow up appt at 2 1/2yr.

By 2 1/2yrs old she had a 10 word vocabulary. At that time I changed her daycare from a home care with 1 to 4 other kids to a daycare/preschool. She came home that first day with another word. And her vocabulary grew from there. Now she talks all the time.

I had many people tell me that she didn't talk because she signed. And so all she had to do was just sign what she wanted or needed. I beg to differ. If it wasn't for the sign, I believe there would have been no communication from my daughter and me and her would have been very fraustrated. She had stop trying to vocualize at 14 months due to an emotional event that happend. Anyways, now at 5yrs old she talks very well and even enjoys using sign and learning more sign. By the way, by sign I do mean ASL.

To me it sounds like your son is doing just fine.

I hope some of this will help
M.

I had the same concern with my 2 year old's language development and did not hesitate to get a referral to a developmental pediatrician.....in my situation, my son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS {essentially low level autism}, but took the diagnosis and got the therapy he needed through the Regional Center of the East Bay...from there they delegated therapists and the no. of hours based on his language needs....now three, we transitioned smoothly into the school system where is now attending a special needs preschool focusing on his language development.....
speech therapy is not bad thing....get it now before he is three. The State of California has great services for situations like this, but they must be taken advantage of before the age of three....
as a parent, we tried everything, but the speed therapist will take the language to another level...and they will work with you to ensure that the techniques are practiced continually even in playful situations.
good luck!!

My my own experience, my son when he was around 2 years old (which was 20 years ago) didn't speak much either. I was worried and thought something was wrong. Then one day he started talking and hasn't stopped since. My Mom & I laugh about it now, but at the time, we both were worried he had some medical problem. Some kids develop some skills later than others. If you are concerned it would be wise to get a second opinion.
p.s. I think boys tend to mature slower than girls (my own personal experience)

I think you are correct in your assessment. I would continue in what you're doing, and make sure he is in a social environment with other kids where he wants to use his words. If that doesn't work then maybe get a more intensive eval by a specialist.

I have a son who has speech problems. All kids are different, if he does have a speech problem, your not alone. My son was enrolled in special education classes. I couldn't understand him. Some do know what is going on around them. Your son is still young yet, observe him, and work with him. Try asking if he knows what is around him colors, objects, etc. Only a pyschologist can evaluate him.
Most kids with speech problems will grow out of it, there is nothing wrong with the delay. My son still has the speech delay, and he is in high school now. Just be patient, it time you will know. Sometimes kids don't want to talk until they are ready. We all express ourselves in different ways. If he has hearing problems, a specialist can tell you. Most 2 year olds should know the colors, objects, etc, but its best not to rush him to learn. When he's ready, he will speak.

If speech therapy is recommended, then at least get an evaluation. Speech therapy can be really amazing for those who need it. I have a friend whose son was diagnosed as mildly autistic, and as such received intensive speech therapy. Long story short, it's been amazing for him. They have decided he is not autistic at all, just had a very big speech problem! THis was an unusual case, speech is useful for all levels of need form mild to severe. It is better to address the issue when they are young. I also have another friend whose son was slow with speech (family kept commenting etc as well). She kept asking her daycare what they thought and they said not to worry. Turns out is was a lousy daycare and they should have told her he was eligible for speech benefits through the public school system even though he wasn't in school yet. WHen he hit school he had major problems. Got him in speech asap there but still he had to repeat kindergarten, is still in therapy and still struggles in school even though he's in 3rd grade now. SInce he couldn't talk very well before kindergarten it really affected his ability to make and learn the letter sounds and learn to read. In my opinion an evaluation wouldn't hurt. When you actually know whether or not he has a speech or developmental delay or not, then you can decide what to do after that. He may not even need anything at all. Good luck.

Hi N.,

From my personal experience, kids develop for the most part at their own pace. I have heard of kids, shy and otherwise, who do not speak for a while and then once they hit their "grove" you have a hard time getting them to be
quiet again.

If you are concerned about your son's development or just want to quiet those who are too "interested", have him evaluated. Call your local school and they should set up an evaluation there for free. I am not sure if he is too young for this service but they can advise you.

My son was 3 when I had him evaluated but his issues were pronounciation and lisp. They placed him in a twice a week (2 hours a time) speech preschool. He had a blast. He went to speech therapy from K-2nd. All of my experiences during this time with him were incredibly positive. In sixth grade now all of his issues are resolved. :)

I wouldn't stress too much, but for peace of mind give your local school a call. Can't hurt and I bet it will make you feel a lot better.

C.

When our son was 2 he really was not speaking and our pediatrician referred us to Valley Mountain Regional Center here in Stockton and they sent a team of ladies to our home to assess him. He was then in weekly speech therapy for a year. He then started a preschool for special needs children(sounds harsh but it was really worth it). He was then moved up a level to a Language Emphasis class is is thriving!! Talk with your pediatrician and he/she can refer you appropriately.
Also, don't listen to peoples comments; we also heard it all and didn't listen to any of them. We did what we felt was best for our son.

Hi N.,
I got my son into Speech therapy at 3 years of age bacause he was not speaking (he had his own language). By law, the school district where you live is supposed to give you those services for free. Call them and tell them that you would like to have your son tested. If they tell you that you should wait until he starts kindergarten (DON'T WAIT!). Those services are paid for with your house taxes, whether you are a homeowner or not. Good luck to you! Get the little guy to a speech therapist and you will be so glad you did.
Lucy B.

some kids are just naturally quiet and don't talk much. My niece is that way. I would however get his hearing tested. If he is not hearing words, he won't be aware of them to try saying them. If his hearing is fine I wouldn't worry about speech therepy just yet. Although you may need to start forcing him to talk more as he gets closer to going to school.