.. and while I wait for the call-back to schedule the appointment, I'm writing up a list of the words he says and the few signs he's invented from I know not where. I'm stressing myself pretty spectacularly over his speech issues (just like I was doing with his walking issues this time last year) so I wanted to run this list by anyone who's willing to take a look at it & tell me whether it sets off huge red flags and alarms in their minds.
N.B. He was anemic for a little while, and that was playing hell with his sleep, so he was supercranky for months on end before we figured out what was wrong. This may be why he was a lateish crawler and lateish walker (16 months) so he may well still be catching up. His mouth muscles are plenty strong, and he can drink from a cup, blow through a straw, stick out his tongue, etc.
He turned 2 last month.
Words (italics for consistently-used words; plain text for rarely- or once-used)
mama (first said at ~5-6 months, then never for several months, then constantly)
dada
lala (his grandmother)
yeah (can sound like "yeah," "gah," or "da")
water(sounds like "wawa")
more(sounds like "mm")
milkies(sounds like "mm")
give/give me (sounds like "gim" or "gimme". Used to use it constantly; replaced with "more.")
wind(blowing air out through his mouth)
dog(he makes a sound like a dog howling)
car/truck/etc ("brrrm!")
again (sounds like "a-ga")
ball (sounds like "ba")
down (sounds like "da")
boom! (used once)
bath (used several times in one day & then never again, sounded like "baff")
duck (used once, sounded like "duh")
bridge (used once, sounded like "bwid")
If you ask him what a T. Rex says, he'll growl.
If you ask him to sing, he yells "Ayayayay!" from a song I sometimes sing to him.
He has mimicked intonation, i.e. rising inflection in "I'm gonna getcha!" games — but never using words. He sort of hums or sings it.
In babbling he has made all the letter sounds and lots of letter combinations/alternating consonants, though does not mimic them unless it's in the context of saying a word to get what he wants. And then he only says the words he knows. He resists trying new ones until he actively wants to.
In the past month or two his interest in babbling has gone up exponentially, and he'll talk to himself for many minutes in a row, whereas before he'd have an intense spate of babbling once and then lose interest for weeks on end.
He does "speak in 2-3 word sentences" in that he'll combine a word with pointing, or a sign with pointing, or a word with a sign. Though this is rare, it's also fairly recent (2-3 months maybe?)
Seems to have very little interest in talking. Loves to watch people talk and have books read to him, and he can follow complex instructions and pick up new understood/received words very quickly, but you try to coax him to talk and you get stonewalled. He gives you a "Mom, I know!" look and then looks away. Sometimes gets frustrated if you don't understand what he's trying to tell you, but never in the context of a stream of babbling; more pointing and saying "more" or whatever, which he'll happily keep doing until you guess what he wants.
Signs he invented (italics for consistently-used words; plain text for rarely- or once-used)
fan (point and make a round-and-round gesture)
sleep (tucks his head against his shoulder)
big (arms up above head)
hat (patting top of his own head)
want cereal! (exaggeratedly miming eating with a spoon; used several times, but he seems to think he doesn't need it, so he doesn't use it much)
Other communicative gestures
pointing
nodding/shaking head
waves hi/bye
Probably a few I'm forgetting there, but that's certainly most of 'em. Thanks bunches if you've stuck with this so far! Input is appreciated. Am going a little crazy here.
N.B. He was anemic for a little while, and that was playing hell with his sleep, so he was supercranky for months on end before we figured out what was wrong. This may be why he was a lateish crawler and lateish walker (16 months) so he may well still be catching up. His mouth muscles are plenty strong, and he can drink from a cup, blow through a straw, stick out his tongue, etc.
He turned 2 last month.
Words (italics for consistently-used words; plain text for rarely- or once-used)
mama (first said at ~5-6 months, then never for several months, then constantly)
dada
lala (his grandmother)
yeah (can sound like "yeah," "gah," or "da")
water(sounds like "wawa")
more(sounds like "mm")
milkies(sounds like "mm")
give/give me (sounds like "gim" or "gimme". Used to use it constantly; replaced with "more.")
wind(blowing air out through his mouth)
dog(he makes a sound like a dog howling)
car/truck/etc ("brrrm!")
again (sounds like "a-ga")
ball (sounds like "ba")
down (sounds like "da")
boom! (used once)
bath (used several times in one day & then never again, sounded like "baff")
duck (used once, sounded like "duh")
bridge (used once, sounded like "bwid")
If you ask him what a T. Rex says, he'll growl.
If you ask him to sing, he yells "Ayayayay!" from a song I sometimes sing to him.
He has mimicked intonation, i.e. rising inflection in "I'm gonna getcha!" games — but never using words. He sort of hums or sings it.
In babbling he has made all the letter sounds and lots of letter combinations/alternating consonants, though does not mimic them unless it's in the context of saying a word to get what he wants. And then he only says the words he knows. He resists trying new ones until he actively wants to.
In the past month or two his interest in babbling has gone up exponentially, and he'll talk to himself for many minutes in a row, whereas before he'd have an intense spate of babbling once and then lose interest for weeks on end.
He does "speak in 2-3 word sentences" in that he'll combine a word with pointing, or a sign with pointing, or a word with a sign. Though this is rare, it's also fairly recent (2-3 months maybe?)
Seems to have very little interest in talking. Loves to watch people talk and have books read to him, and he can follow complex instructions and pick up new understood/received words very quickly, but you try to coax him to talk and you get stonewalled. He gives you a "Mom, I know!" look and then looks away. Sometimes gets frustrated if you don't understand what he's trying to tell you, but never in the context of a stream of babbling; more pointing and saying "more" or whatever, which he'll happily keep doing until you guess what he wants.
Signs he invented (italics for consistently-used words; plain text for rarely- or once-used)
fan (point and make a round-and-round gesture)
sleep (tucks his head against his shoulder)
big (arms up above head)
hat (patting top of his own head)
want cereal! (exaggeratedly miming eating with a spoon; used several times, but he seems to think he doesn't need it, so he doesn't use it much)
Other communicative gestures
pointing
nodding/shaking head
waves hi/bye
Probably a few I'm forgetting there, but that's certainly most of 'em. Thanks bunches if you've stuck with this so far! Input is appreciated. Am going a little crazy here.
but that does seem to be his pattern.
