OT: when do kids start talking??

[cornflkgrl]

When I ask people my mother's age (50+) they tell me that they can talk anywhere from 8-24 months and it is nothing to worry about but when I ask people my own age group (25-35) they say if a child is not talking by 18 months then something is wrong. My pediatrician said we need to "watch" my son because he should be talking by now. He is 18 months 2 weeks. He grunts and points but does not say a single word other than babbling da da da or ma ma ma but really that is not directed at myself or my husband. Should I be worrying? We had his hearing tested when he was a baby and he responds to noises so I am pretty sure his hearing is okay.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Both my girls were over 2 years old. As long as their doing the basic babbling and stuff--no cause for concern.

I think my oldest's first word was shortly before she turned two and on her birthday I am certain she didn't know more than a couple of words. and in about a 2-3 month timeframe..by the time her sister was born when she was 27 months..I had a little chatty Cathy.

I got bummed when my friend's daughter started speaking in the 12-18 month range.

Glad i had a laid back doctor who put my mind at ease.

 

[disnutt]

I'm 41 w/ 3 kids. Your son sounds fine. My DS now 2 1/2 yo didn't seem to be saying anything until about a week after his 2nd Bday. Now we can't stop him from talking.

My 1st DD now 10 said her first words around 7 months. (Of course we thought that we were great parents and that we had some control/influence on this! ) We then thought 2nd DD now 5 yo was slow because she didn't say much until she was around 18 months. (What were we doing wrong????) We really thought DS was going to need help! However, on the 3rd one we realized that all kids do things on their own schedule. If your son is making eye contact and interacting even if it is just goo-goo-ga-ga then he'll probably be fine.

Enjoy it now because the smart mouth comes soon after the first words!

 

[ptslp]

As a speech pathologist, I would recommend an evaluation through your early intervention system. Usually by 18 months a child has at least one word used correctly. How does your child do with following simple directions? Pointing to pictures or objects when named? My personal opinion has always been to take action early, so that if there is truly a problem, you are working on it early. If your child is going to catch up, a speech therapist can only help and once your child doesn't need help anymore, they would be discharged.

There is a wide range of normal, but generally first words are spoken by 18 months.

 

[alisonbestford]

My son, now 18, was at least 4 years old before he managed to form a sentence!

Basically he relied on his sister, who was 4 years older, to communicate for him

I refused to have him referred to speech therapy etc but mainly because I'd heard him speak - when no one was around to intereprate

He's still extremely lazy, and will rely on others to help him out, whenever possible, but that isn't always the true solution

Both girls, on the other hand, I have struggled to shut up............

 

[llp479]

My youngest dd was 7 mos when she said her first word, Uh oh. She would throw things from her high chair and say it. By 18 mos she had only added about 3 words to that. By 24 mos she was talking in complete sentences. The DR was surprised at her 24 mos apt because we had been concerned at 18 mos. It was as if a light bulb went on one day, and the words just flowed from her mouth.

 

[pweyl36]

My 4yr Ds Did Not Talk Either.his Dr Said Not Worry Untill He Is 2yr.
Well At 2yr He Still Was Not Talking.in My State There Is A Program
Thats Called Child Watch,they Evaluate Children With Delayed Speech Problems. My Son Did A Have A Problem.they Sent Out A Speech Therapist 3 Days A Week.they Taught Him Sign Lang.and How
To Say His Words And Sounds.after Just A Few Weeks We Saw A Huge Differance In His Speech.when He Turned 3yr They Sent Him To Preschool For 3 Days A Week. And Now At 4yrs He Still Go's To Preschool 3days A Week And Speech Therapy At School 2 Days A Wk. All Free.you Should Ask Your Family Dr.if There Is A Program That The State Offers. Good Luck.

 

[Maureen McB]

The speech centre in the brain doesn't kick in until two years of age so don't sweat it. It's more important that they are understanding things that are being said to them (provided it's simple not Shakespeare or Thoreau). Just remember there will always be kids who talk earlier and kids who talk later but down the road it won't matter because they will all be at the same level. The best part is coming! Soon your little one will hit the floor and the feet and the mouth won't stop so don't worry about it.
Mo

 

[Merriwind]

While it is true that some children beginning speaking later than 18 months, it is also true that most children are speaking at least a few words by that age. You are aware and watching and that's really most important. If you and your DH think it is worthwhile, there is certainly no harm in having an evaluation by a speech pathologist. Depending on your state, an evaluation may be able to be arranged (and any services, if needed) directly through your local school district.

Best of luck and !

 

[DisneyPhD]

How is he at following directions? Does he understand what you say to him? Does he resond to yes or no questions?

Don't rule out hearing issues out without a hearing test. Just because he can hear sounds doesn't mean he can hear clear enough to identify speach. It could be as simple as an ear infection or wax that delays speach.

Have you tried sign lanuage? How does he do with that? I would start him with signs and see if he can use them, if anything this will reduce some frustration with you and him. This is my favorite signing DVD series.

http://www.signingtime.com/

Start with simple signs like more, please, finish, mama and dada.

My youngest was a late walker. She didn't until she was 17 months old. There really is sometimes just a delay in development where they are "working" on something else and not motovated in one way. Now at 19 months she walks backwards and you would never guess she just started walking 2 months ago. Turns out she just liked scooting. Her big sister started walking at 10 months old.

It isn't that uncommon for boys speech to not as developed as girls, but he should be able to understand you and express himself. I also agree with ptslp, it is very likely everything is ok, but best to find out and be sure. That way you can give him what he needs and know what you are working with. If his hearing is fine, and he can communicate in sign to you then I wouldn't worry as much. Just continue to talk and read to him, interact with him. I stongly encourage signing. I think it is great (I am fluent in ASL myself and work with deaf people) but both of my girls signed early and it is such a great way of communcation with babies. Even if they try to talk but it isn't clear the signs are. PM me if you have any questions.

Best of luck!

 

[jesszac610]

It's been my experience that as we all know each kid is different and grows at his/her own pace. That being said, I think there tends to be alot of different factors which can influence early/delayed speech pattern, one of the big ones being birth order. Also, if he/she is understanding everything I wouldn't be too concerned as his expressive language will soon follow! My son, aged 10 months was saying 3 word sentences, my daughter 4 years later didn't really string 2 words together until way past 18 months!

 

[barkley]

ds was a late talker to-but i attribute that to his older sister and doting caregivers who basicly talked for him (why talk? all he had to do was point and big sis would do the talking for him). he's fine now (but we had to enforce "say what you want" over and over).

nice to hear someone else had a late walker too! i thought we were the only ones! dd did'nt start walking till 18 months (but boy could that kid speed crawl!). with her she was overly limber and when she tried to walk she would end up doing the splits. she figured out how to compensate for it (used different muscles) and quickly took of running!

 

[connorsmom911]

I was in the same boat as you, worrying, even almost panicking when my ds wasn't saying much, or was making some sounds but not consonants, just vowels a lot of the time (i.e. oooo for juice, oh for joe). I had expressed concern with my doctor at the time and he wasn't at all worried, brushed it off. Well, we changed doctors and sure enough, my son was one who had "silent" ear infections, not showing a lot of pain or tugging on his ears, but a lot of colds and fevers. Once I knew what I was looking for, he ended up with 6 ear infections in 4 months, or what they now figure was just one long ear infection that never really went away with the antibiotics. We were referred to an ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor) who took one look in his ears and said he needed ear tubes put in. I was really freaked and worried but honestly, it was so simple. They knocked him out for all of 10 minutes if that and he was back in my arms, a little cranky, but no worse for wear. After that we really noticed his reactions to noise (he had a hard time adjusting to really noisy situations at first) and the difference was night and day. You could really tell he couldn't hear before the surgery. Then it was the horrible wait to get in to see a speech therapist. I had to wait 6 months to have him evaluated and then another 4 months to get in to see a speech therapist. He went once a week for 45 min for 12 weeks and now we can't get him to shut up. He says almost every word perfectly, he's completely caught up to his peers if not better.

My advice...go early and insist on hearing tests. You're his mom, you know what's best. Don't settle for being brushed off. Even if you have to switch doctors, do it now and do it early. If it's something simple like we had, he'll be talking in no time and you'll wish he'd shut up once in a while!!!

 

[Bird-Mom]

As a speech pathologist, I would recommend an evaluation through your early intervention system. Usually by 18 months a child has at least one word used correctly. How does your child do with following simple directions? Pointing to pictures or objects when named? My personal opinion has always been to take action early, so that if there is truly a problem, you are working on it early. If your child is going to catch up, a speech therapist can only help and once your child doesn't need help anymore, they would be discharged.

There is a wide range of normal, but generally first words are spoken by 18 months.

I'm not a speech pathologist, but I am the mama of a special needs dd and I completely agree with the above. If you are worried, find your local Birth to Three office and ask for an evaluation. When my dd was 18 months, I was really concerned but advised to wait-kids will talk at their own pace, yadda yadda... At almost 2, she still wasn't talking, and for 6 months, I continued in total denial. Our neurologist, who we saw for cranial sacral therapy, bugged me for 6 months to have the evaluation. I was so worried because we didn't have insurance and I just knew that something was wrong. Denial didn't make it go away. She has been getting therapy for the last 18 months, and she still has a long way to go. The earlier the better!!! Therapy at this age is all play; if he needs it, your ds would love it.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

We had 6 babies born at our church 18 months ago all with in weeks of each other. Now at 18 months they are all at differnt stages of speech. One child says nothing other than da-da sometimes. Two speak in complete sentances and the rest are in between.

All children develope differently. Sometimes they develop physical skill early and language later. If he has no other delays I would wait and see for another 6 months or so. Is he social in other ways?? Does he follow a one step comand? Did he walk within the normal time frame? Does he seem flustrated at not being able to communicate with words???

My sister never said a word till she was 3 and has not shut up since!!!

Jordan's mom

 

[GoofyGirlie]

my dd didn't really talk at 18months either,,but she did babble alot and thought she was saying much,,lol,,

i remember her 18month visit with her dr and him asking if she talked and giving me a card for early intervention,,
i told myself if she wasn't really talking by 2yo i would have her evaluated,,its free and it doesn't hurt,,
so we had her evaluated and she passed,,didn't qualify at all!! they said she was 6-8months delayed,, she understood everything you said,,she communicated what she wanted with gestures and grunts and did say at least 20words at the time,,

NOW she is 4yo and in preschool,,she has speech problems,,i just kept thinking she was 6-8months behind the kids until her teacher recommended an evaluation,,,

now we got our evaluations and our results show that my dd is very low in the percentile range for speech and expressive language!! so now we are going in front of the school district to get her the help,,she has an articualtion problem,,but she scored average or above in all other aspects!!

there is no harm in getting him evaluated,,do what i did,,wait 6months and see if there is any progress,,if not go for it,,like i said,,it can't hurt and its free!!!

dawn

 

[new_mouser]

Be careful what you wish for - my DD was almost 3 before she really talked. I had actually made an appointment with a speech pathologist a couple of weeks before (which I canceled). Anyway, not only does she now talk from the moment she awakes until the moment she goes to bed, but she even talks in her sleep.

If it would give you peace of mind, go ahead and see a speech pathologist. Just be ready for endless chatter.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

As a speech pathologist, I would recommend an evaluation through your early intervention system. Usually by 18 months a child has at least one word used correctly. How does your child do with following simple directions? Pointing to pictures or objects when named? My personal opinion has always been to take action early, so that if there is truly a problem, you are working on it early. If your child is going to catch up, a speech therapist can only help and once your child doesn't need help anymore, they would be discharged.

There is a wide range of normal, but generally first words are spoken by 18 months.

I totally agree with this. At 18 months your child should be saying something, not just babbling.

I went through the same thing with DD. Everyone said , don't worry she'll talk. I have a friend though who went through the same thing with her DS, 2 years earlier. She advised me to get her evaluated.

I called the local Childrens Hospital. She was evaluated for her hearing in May 2005. In September, 2 weeks shy of her 2nd birthday, speech evaluated her. In October, early intervention started coming to our house for speech therapy. But just this past January, her name finally came off of the waiting list at Childrens Hospital for speech.

So now DD gets speech through early intervention and Childrens Hospital. She was diagnosed with a moderate speech delay. And all the while, people kept telling me you're crazy for taking her, she'll talk on her own.

She is now up to 66 words and says many spontaneous words also. Her private therapist as well as the early intervention therapists, said she will eventually catch up to kids her own age. None could give me a reason on why she never talked, but did tell me its a common problem with "active" children. They don't want to take the time to learn to talk.

She learned some sign language at the beginning also, but now uses her words to communicate. She still gets frustrated when she doesn't know how to say something, but she's come a long way.

Make an appointment to get your child evaluated. Your insurance will cover it and it will give you piece of mind. Good Luck.

 

[cornflkgrl]

As a speech pathologist, I would recommend an evaluation through your early intervention system. Usually by 18 months a child has at least one word used correctly. How does your child do with following simple directions? Pointing to pictures or objects when named? My personal opinion has always been to take action early, so that if there is truly a problem, you are working on it early. If your child is going to catch up, a speech therapist can only help and once your child doesn't need help anymore, they would be discharged.

There is a wide range of normal, but generally first words are spoken by 18 months.

That is the thing that is amazing. He KNOWS the words for EVERYTHING. We can pick any object in the house and say, for example, "Oliver where is the tape?" 2 minutes later after searching the living room he finds the masking tape and brings it to us. Even words that are not related to toys. He will bring me the remote control if I ask for it. If we say "You want to go potty?" He runs to the bathroom and opens the door (he goes with us, he isn't using the potty yet). He usually gets us to do stuff by grabbing our hand and leading us where he wants to go and then pointing at what he wants. It is like he is purposely not talking. My husband is not much of a talker but I never shut-up and have been that way since the age of 2. However, I do have a mild hearing impairment and my brother has a severe hearing loss in both ears. We both have hearing aids. That is the only reason I'm concerned.

 

[cornflkgrl]

We had 6 babies born at our church 18 months ago all with in weeks of each other. Now at 18 months they are all at differnt stages of speech. One child says nothing other than da-da sometimes. Two speak in complete sentances and the rest are in between.

All children develope differently. Sometimes they develop physical skill early and language later. If he has no other delays I would wait and see for another 6 months or so. Is he social in other ways?? Does he follow a one step comand? Did he walk within the normal time frame? Does he seem flustrated at not being able to communicate with words???

My sister never said a word till she was 3 and has not shut up since!!!

Jordan's mom

All his other development is on time, from what I can tell. He started walking at 10 mos. and he can run and climb and do all the physical kind of stuff. He is pretty coordinated too. He can run and kick a soccer ball (it doesn't go far but he is able to kick it after running towards it). He feeds himself. He dances and claps when his favorite show comes on. He likes to look at books and be read to.