Help for my non speaking toddler - 16 months

[NewMom0208]

My son is a bright, bold, fearless and very intelligent happy sweet little boy.
I say so (I am the mom ) but also his preschool teachers, the director and anybody who meets him.

My concern is that he will be 17 months this coming Sunday and he doesn't say a word. He makes noises all day long, but not a word. Not Mama, not agua (spanish for water) nothing, nada.

He says mama while tapping his chest (imitating me trying to say I am mama)
But never mamam in context.
He understands some spoken words, like bath, want more? come, No, Yeah! "you need to share" "That is hot!" But will not talk.

i am concerned. I am taking him to get evaluated through the state of Florida Early steps service. This will take sometime to get an appointment.

Any other advise? what else can I do, i talk to him plenty. Any games to promote speech? any similar experiences?

help!

[sbgrace]

It's good you're going to do an evaluation.
http://www.hanen.org/web/Home/HanenP...6/Default.aspx These materials have an approach I really like and find very effective for speech intervention. It's especially appropriate for his age. The book is expensive though. I don't know if your local library might be able to get it for you through interlibrary loan. http://www.hanen.org/MyHanen/Store/D...kshopTypeID=4&

[MissRubyandKen]

Are any of the noises he makes consonant sounds? M, s , b, etc? This seems really young to worry to me. But I'm no expert. Sounds like he has made his own sign for mama. I've recently started teaching my dd, 16 months, some basic signs and she is very happy with it. Drink, more, all done. She's had her own sign for milk for months now. She taps her chest or my chest with her fingers held together like the food sign. Oh she does dog too, which is funny because we don't have one, but she loves them and gets super excited around them.

[NewMom0208]

Thank you both, he 'communicates' on his own way all day long.
Forgot he also makes his own version of sign for 'baby'
All numbers are 'tee'
one: tee
two:tee
three: tee

So I sometimes wander if he can hear ok.
But even if I talk softly and low he hears me

I will look up that book and get the evaluation, other than that, lots of play time seems to be the ticket. We'll see/

[zjande]

My ds is 5 days shy of turning 19months old & he says exactly 4 words. He says dada, ow, dog & boom. But he understands soooo much of what we say. I've never considered it a problem to be perfectly honest! (I hope it's not a problem : . I've never really thought about it!) I've always trusted that he'd get around to talking in his own time. I have been waiting impatiently for him to finally say mama though!! lol

[ohiomommy1122]

my 3 yr old never spoke a word until she was2-2.5 then she had an explosion of words my 19 mo old says NOTHING I'm not concerned because he has good receptive lang skills and can understand what I say and ask of him my oldest DS was speaking clearly at 1 and full sentances by 2 so you just never know just make sure you repeat words a lot to your LO like if you hand him a ball keep saying and or signing ball over and over as you play with it thats all a speach therepist would do at this point

[mangopassion]

This sounds exactly like my son who is now 7 years old. He always made a lot of sounds and used his hands very elaborately when he was talking. If I remember correctly, the only things that he could say where anyone understood him were: choo choo, mommy, dada.

I often wish I had taught his sign language when he was a baby and I sometimes beat myself up over the fact that I didn't.

But he is a pretty typical 7 year old now besides being behind the curve of other kids his age... although he is a master at LEGOs, puzzles, and other spacial activities. He did need speech therapy and I think he should still have some, but we've moved away from his last speech therapist and I haven't been able to find a good one in the area. Also, because of his speech and other reasons, we had him evaluated by an Occupational Therapist and he was diagnosed with Sensory Integration Dysfunction.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I BTDT and to you. (I actually kind of miss my son's babble. )

[Stacey B]

My son, who is now 3 and has a huge vocabulary didn't talk until he was 26 months. Generally speaking the rule of thumb for children is that by their 3rd birthday they should be able to express themselves in a way that someone not used to their speech can understand them. At 16 months you have a long time before you really need to worry.

[mangopassion]

Sorry... forgot to mention a few things...

My son was around 3 - 3.5 before he really started talking and he had a lot of ear infections. He ended up needing PE Tubes in his ears.

[CariOfOz]

My son just turned 3 in early June and until December last year he said ma ma ma and ba ba ba. That's IT! I had to make a sudden trip and suddenly the little stinker just took off and started coming out with words. He'd have been almost exactly 2.5. I was starting to get concerned (stupid babycenter emails with what your child should/may be doing) when he finally let loose with a little vocabulary.

I think 17mos is still in the late normal range so try not to worry too much, but of course go ahead with an assessment if it will reassure you that all is well

[Ruthla]

You mentioned Spanish words. Are you a bilingual family, or do you only speak one language at home?

I'd be far less concerned about his speach development if he's learning two languages at once. My friend's child didn't have intelligable speach until he was about 2.5 or so (although I think his parents could recognize a few words several months before that.) Then he had a language explosion, and was suddenly able to speak clearly in BOTH languages.

[Drewsmom]

Although I haven't actively practiced, my B.S. is in Speech-Language Pathology (I graduated in 1998) and followed it with a post-baccalaureate in Special Education (2000). We have three children, my oldest was the most verbal the earliest and so clear (saying "library" at 18 mo.s). Our 2nd had many ear infections, trust me we tried everything natural and conventional under the sun and ended up with ear tubes at 8 mo.s. His eardrums had already burst twice by then and he had scarring on his left ear drum by 6 mo.s. It was a painful decision but the biggest factor in decided it was that he was clearly different developmentally speaking from our oldest. There was no babbling (bababah,, mamamama, dadada, etc.) it was all "ahhh, ahhh, ahhh" with lots of cute smiles but no differentiated sounds. I could tell that he couldn't hear.

Literally just after his ear tube surgery he began babbling like it was a new toy and it was normal development after that.

Our dd had a lot of fluid on her ears but thankfully nothing that graduated into full blown infections thanks to our naturopath and some great homeopathy. However, I believe that b/c she had fluid on her ears usually 1 or both for her first year that it's affected her speech. She is now 2 yrs old exactly. She did not say any words until 2 months ago and then had a language explosion. However, they are not very clear so we may end up needing to do some more formal speech training with her.

The most important thing is to talk, talk, talk, talk, talk until you're all talked out . Surround your child with language. If you are speaking 2 languages though that can definitely affect language development and cause a delay esp if you go from one to the other, from my speech background they talked about how this is confusing for children and I've witnessed it in every bilingual child that I've seen. Not meaning that having 2+ languages is a bad thing on the contrary, it just takes children longer to process it all.

Something that helps is to have one of you stick solely with english and the other stick solely with spanish and don't interchange them at all. This will help your child be able to differentiate between the two without confusion.

Best of luck and the general rule of thumb is usually to try (I know it's hard) not to worry too much. Your child is still definitely within a normal range of development. Again, just talk all the time ("I'm folding the laundry, this is the white sock, here's my favorite blue shirt, etc., nursery rhymes, finger plays, reading and lots of it, singing! etc) and differentiate between spanish and english if you are bilingual.

[scheelimama]

I would rule out hearing problems, but truly, I would not worry about it at this age. I see so many people taking their children to be evaluated at 18 months because they're not talking. But, if your child is babbling and talking in their own way, they will almost certainly tell you that he is fine. Especially if he is on target or within the normal range on everything else (physical development, walking, eating, etc.) My oldest was not speaking at all at your sons age, not at all, no baby signs, not much babbling, just lots of screaming/tantrums. By 2, she had all of 5 words (mama, dada, baba, RaRa - for her sisters name, and uh-oh.) She did not try to use other words, she didn't try to imitate us. It really didn't even dawn on me to worry about it, our dr. never seemed concerned. By the time she was 2.5 we did take her to be evaluated, but because she was on target with everything else, they said to give it a few more months and come back if her language did not take off. But like many others have said here, she had a language explosion between 2.5 and 3. Some kids just take longer. We don't worry when a child doesn't potty train until 3.5 or walk until 16 months, it shouldn't be much different with talking. Children just develop at different rates.

[NewMom0208]

Thanks again.

He has only had one 2 day mild ear infection so far.
I talk all day long, only is Spanish, but he is exposed to English and Spanish at the preschool. Also, he watches TV in both languages.

So maybe he is a little confundido (confused)

Also, he is so expressive with face and body language that I bet he doesn't see the need.
I've found myself using his words... Like sayig GeeLeeGeeLee when I like something! Who is teaching who. Also, I have to recognize I guess what he wants on the first try...

I doubt they will find any problems, he is just either lazy, don't see the point or just havent figure it out yet. But I do want an evaluation for peace of mind.

In the mean time I am trying to enjoy him the most i can, 17 months already, how in heaven did that happen? What am I going to do with myself when he grows up?! But i guess i am going off topic.

His dad told me he repeated today "not now" but I think he is saying it so I stop worrying.

[sbgrace]

It never hurts to evaluate.
If you have concerns about his hearing mention that at the evaluation. Often times they will have a child's hearing tested--they did that for my son.

[rahrahgobg]

I know some moms are telling you not to worry...16 months is young to worry. Let me tell you that a mom knows when something is wrong with their child. Trust your gut instinct.

Questions for you:
*Does your child point?
*Does he nod his head 'yes'? Shake his head 'no'?
*Does he have any sensory issues that you notice? Doesn't like certain textures, won't eat certain foods because of texture...I would say does he mouth everything, but at 16 months, that is still normal. Some babies/children learn about the world through their tongue just as much as we do through our sense of touch with our fingers...so they like to lick or mouth everything.
*Does he gag when he eats his food?
*Did he have colic as a baby? (Could be a clue to the puzzle-maybe, maybe not).
*Has he said some words before and never said them again?
*If you stick your tongue out, will he mimic you -same as if you make an "O" with your mouth - will he mimic you?
*Does he wave bye or hi? -

I ask you these questions, because if your child doesn't do any of these there could be something wrong. My 19 month old pointed at 10 months...most children do that by 12ish months. 16 months I would think he would have it down, but it could be another few months in coming. My 3YO didn't point until he was 2 years & 3 months.

Didn't want the post to be too long for you to read, so I'm dividing it up. Think about my questions and let me know if he does any of these. I'll explain my situation in the next post.

[rahrahgobg]

I have a 3YO (3 the end of March). He wasn't saying anything at 16 months. This is when I started to worry more. People will tell you not to worry, but they just don't understand. It's easier said than done. I still worry, but my worry is a tad gone since he has actually started saying words...after he turned 3! He had said mama at 6 months and then quit saying it at one point. Started saying it again, but it was mamama, and I don't think it was the name for me, he was just saying it. He now says mom, but he has to think about saying it, if that makes any sense. He says it by request. He has said some things once and never again. He walked at 15 months. He was a very cranky baby - he had colic. I don't know if colic had anything to do with his issues, but he was a cranky baby! At 18/19 months, we went to the doctor to talk about it. Dork never told us about the state being able to evaluate my child for free - or the university in our town that has a great program...but I found it out anyways. That's what you get for going to a new doctor in a town he just moved to! grrr....

At 22 months, I had my child evaluated at the university, who has a grad school program in Speech Therapy. (So if you have a university by you, check to see if they have a speech therapy grad program, and if they do, chances are they will give speech therapy services, possibly for very cheap - could depend on the university (I get it for $300/semester - (2) 45 minute sessions/week). A lot of insurance doesn't really cover speech therapy, and if they do, it could be only 20 sessions a YEAR! This is what my insurance covers).

My child did not point until he was 2 years, 3 months. He just in the past 4 months started nodding and shaking his head. His only words until he turned 3 were only general words. He would say a word once and never again. General words were "this, that, here, there, I do, what's this, what's that"

In the past few months he has started saying more words every week. He says a FEW 2-word sentences. It would be hard for others to understand a good amount of what he says, but they can also understand some of what he says.

If you didn't know my child didn't talk, you wouldn't know anything was wrong with him. He is so social and understands EVERYTHING.

The not pointing, shaking, nodding head, waving goodbye...these are all clues (in retrospect) that something was wrong. It's all clues to his puzzle. He gagged on his food twice a day until he was 16 months. That could be due to enlarged tonsils (we took him to an ENT (ear, nose, throat dr.) - to eliminate any physical problems, but I think it has something to do with his delay. He was fine, heard well, never had any ear infections, and only 2 vaccines. No more since he was 2 months.

The university thinks he has apraxia, but has advised I get a professional who works with that a lot to get an actual confirmed diagnosis. I have to travel to the big city for this a few hours away, so I haven't done that yet.

If your child isn't pointing, waving, shaking, nodding head, etc; make sure you get Occupational Therapy (OT) as well. I really think the OT helps immensely, and I only started it in January. I had a friend tell me to have him evaluated, but I didn't think he needed it. The university advised me to, so I did. They work to get the brain functions all working together by doing certain activities...by getting these brain functions to work together, this will eventually help your child speak...and do all the other things. Of course, depending on what may be wrong, will depend on what therapies will help him.

Boys are more likely than girls to have a speech delay.

Now, I have a 19-month old who worries my husband because she doesn't say many words...and some of what she says, she mimics my 3YO who doesn't talk right. *sigh* But she pointed at 10 months, she waves hello and goodbye, she nods and shakes her head, she can stick her tongue out if I do, she can mimic a new sign right away if I teach her one (Ryne took a few times to get it). She doesn't have the issues he had, so I'm not worried - well a little, but she will repeat the few words she says on request.

I know my post was a book, but I hope it helped you. Either it will make you worry more, or less...or confirm that your gut is right.


Good luck in your endeavor. You are welcome to PM me if you have any questions.

[rahrahgobg]

I just have to add what I have said...I see a few mom's in this post say not to worry...language explosion happens...not to be Debbie Downer...but it doesn't happen for all children. I had many stories of 'my child didn't talk until 3 and he talked perfectly in sentences when he started', or 'he didn't talk because he was the youngest and his older siblings did the talking for him'...those stories can be nice to hear, and it could be reassuring - but worry is there for a reason. Worry makes you act upon a gut instinct. Always trust your gut. My child doesn't fit into those stories. He is talking, but he doesn't say his words right. He can't say his ABC's, he can't count to 10. My oldest was talking in sentences by his age. My child can't always tell me what he wants. It's frustrating. I hope you don't have this same problem. I hope your child is normal, but I just don't want the reassuring stories to stop you from listening to your gut.

The sooner you get intervention for a problem, the better.

Do you use sign language with him? If you do, does he pick up the signs quick? If you don't, start using it. It made a WORLD of difference for my child. He still uses it a lot. Sign language could be one consistency between the 2 languages.

[scheelimama]

Originally Posted by rahrahgobg

but worry is there for a reason. Worry makes you act upon a gut instinct. Always trust your gut.

That can be true, but is not always. We as moms are built to worry. Yes, trust your gut instinct, but are you worrying because you really think something is wrong or because you are comparing your child to other verbally advanced 16 month olds? Does you gut really say "yes, I do think there's more to this" or is it worry just because your his mom and that's what you're going to do all his life. I don't believe that worry is always there for a reason.

[cappuccinosmom]

I say get an evaluation, but don't worry to much at that age.

All of my kids were late talkers. And my middle kid didn't say anything intelligable until close to 3 yo. He had a huge vocabulary and was constructing sentences--we just couldn't understand him because of enunciation and a lisp! My youngest didn't say "Mama" in context until nearly 2 yo. Shortly after that, he started talking in full sentences.

If the testing shows no issues, what you can do is talk to him *all the time*. Ask him questions, point things out and name them, when he does say something, repeat it back to him with correct pronunciation (He says "Star up?" and you say "Yes, there is a star up there!" he says "Mook?" You say "May I have milk? Yes, you may have some milk!"), etc.