So tired of hearing my MIL claim DD is speech delayed - Page 2

[justKate]

Originally Posted by AFWife

Read the bolded parts again.

If your daughter were deaf and communicating using 50 signs she'd be "right on track" "verbally" correct? Obviously she understands words and what they mean.

Agreed. As long as you don't suspect a hearing problem, and it sounds like you don't, I wouldn't even start to worry for several months.

Not really related, but I personally think its sort of cruel to "force" kids to talk when you know what they want, especially when they're really still babies. You know, repeating "up...UP...UP..." to try to get the LO to say "up" even though she's reaching up already and giving the pick me up please look. Sort of like "you can't have what you want until you do what I want you to do." But I digress.

Back to the OP--I think your LO is fine. She's lucky to have a patient, understanding mama.

[gkb2215]

My daughter is also 21 months, is an avid signer, and has about 25 spoken words we recognize. Sounds like your daughter, huh? My understanding is that concerns at this age would only be warranted if the child's receptive vocabulary (what she understands) seemed delayed. With signing they can communicate so easily that there's no real need for her to vocalize right now...I think it will just come in time!

[averlee]

Maybe you could pick up a copy of "What to expect the first 3 years" or a similar mainstream child-care guide with the milestone charts, because it doesn't sound like she knows what the norms are. The "what to expect" book says that you might be concerned if your child has not yet spoken a word by about 18 months and lots of other tidbits that prove your little one is well within the normal range.

[ellemenope]

My inlaws were very negative about signing, too. They refused to learn any signs.

SIL's pediatrician even told her that signing stunts speech. So, they seemed to think they were the authority on the subject and of course let me know over and over and over and... (This was DH's same pediatrician 30 years ago.)

I think it all stemmed from SIL not being able to get her kids to sign and old people being old and not wanting to accept new fangled ideas.

I just nodded my head. "oh, really...hmm...I don't know..It is helping us out right now." I am not a confrontational person.

DD was where your daughter was about 4 months ago. Now she says anything and everything in complete complex 3-10 word sentences. Leaps and bounds ahead of non-signing cousin.

Also, you MIL just sounds ignorant on the subject of speach development.

I'd just ignore. In a couple months your DD will be telling her how much she liked signing.