22 Month Old

My grandson was evaluated at 22 months for not talking. He failed miserably. But the next few weeks he started talking in paragraphs. It takes time. I would not worry since he is saying some words. I think he'll be fine. Even if he does do speech therapy it isn't the end of the world. He will eventually talk up a storm.

My son was a late talker. When he was 18 months we scheduled an evaluation with our local Regional Center. Before our appointment, we got a referral from our pediatrician to an audiologist and had a hearing test so we could have that ruled out.

Contact your local regional center. It may be this:
INLAND REGIONAL CENTER
1365 South Waterman Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92408
P.O. Box 6127
San Bernadino, CA 92412
909/890-4711 | FAX: 909/890-4709
www.inlandrc.org

They will test him with both a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. In our case, my son's receptive speech was right on target, but his expressive speech was delayed. Everything else was normal. We got speech therapy twice a week, then also 3 half days of preschool. There is no harm in having him checked out and it will make you feel better. There is also nothing wrong with having a speech delay. It happens a lot.

I would also like to add that everyone I knew said to wait, boys talk later, he'll start speaking in sentences, blah blah blah. None of that happened, even with speech therapy. It did happen eventually, but I know that if we didn't get therapy, we would be having a serious problem right now.

You said it yourself, hubby was a late talker. There are only a couple of sources for our childrens' genes...you and him! :) Your husband was able to say enough to woo you and so shall your son be!
It's so hard for a quality person to not take responsibility for every livin' thing that our child finds to stumble over (all of the good mamas do it!) but if I've learned anything along the way, it's this: if I'm experiencing something abnormal with my children, odds are I'm not the only one!
Try not to blame yourself. Do have him checked out for you own peace of mind, and take advantage of speech therapy, etc. I bet your boy will have a tale similar to your husband's, when all is said and done. :)

Hi J. - my son was 18 months and saying only a couple of words - SO MANY people kept telling me "boys take longer" "everyone is different" "wait and see", etc. etc. etc.
I am SO GLAD I did not take these approaches - I got my son evaluated and he started speech therapy. He is now 5 and the therapy is no longer necessary - he's extremely articulate.
Get the evaluation - you are your childs best advocate - trust yourself!!
Best of luck to you and your family.

Our daughter just turned 2 last month and she is the same way. Our ped referred us to ST and a person came out for the eval. What came out of it was 'don't worry about it'. Really. Our daughter is very strong cognitively-understands everything we say, can show us what she wants, etc...in our case she probably just doesn't feel the need to talk much because 1-we understand her version of talking and 2-her 4 yr old brother talks enough for both of them! The ST said she'd check back in 3 mo, but that most likely it will just come when she's ready. And in hindsight unlike my son who was one of those kids you could write a book by and hit every milestone when they say a kid should, (or before), she has done everything at her own pace...from rolling over to walking to this...

So-is it normal, I think totally and even if they decide he needs some ST it is still totally normal.

its normal... my friends son turns 3 in september and just over the last 2-3 months had a huge jump in vocab and talking. give it time dont rush into speech therapy. i agree talk with his dr about your concerns they will know if he really needs the speech therapy. good luck!

I have 4 children and all were different. I, however, was concerned about my last baby because "other" people would make comments. I was fine with her little points and grunts but others (friends and family) would sometimes cause me to grow concerned. I always knew that she was insightful and would let them know...."She's just paying attention, soaking it all in and will talk when she is ready to say something spectacular". :)
My 15 yr old daughter was a talker but she is also very quiet when she first meets people...looking them over, taking them in. She is an excellent student and very aware and insighftul. My youngest (with whom I felt the pressure) is now 4. She did not converse until well into her 2's and has a vocabulary that outshines those around her. I have found that when children are around mostly adults, they learn to listen and take it in. My 4 yr old is a perfect example of this and her Phonics teacher at Pre-K let me know that she is advanced with her vocabulary and abilities..(I'm not a bragger at all...not a one upper mom...so I found this comforting but not my goal...I am more the mom that wants happy and secure children :)
With that, I just want you to know that if your little person is loved and around you and your hubby living in your world, he is taking it all in. He will have so much to say to you very soon and I can't wait until he does so you can just smile and breath a sigh of relief. Until then, enjoy him and know, he will always be amazing with a concerned and aware mommy such as yourself.

:)

Do Not Fret! He is the only child so there is no sibling to mimick. Some children are more in their heads or more active than verbal. I would encourage learning games and play movies that have words shown on the screen so he can visualize even if he does not verbalize. I would also watch him to see if he is active, or puts puzzles together or blocks. You'll be able to see how he will be as he gets older. He could be an engineer or something. Then talk to the pediatrician, go to a speech therapist if it feels right and relax. You are a GOOD MOM for worrying and paying attention to his development, but no need to let it wear you down. Good luck. He may be chatting your ears off before your know it! :)

Practice words? What do you mean by this?

Do you repeat everything he does say to you? Do you give him the words for what he is trying to communicate? So let's say he wants a cup of water, do you say "cup of water" to him when he points and grunts? Words serve functions, and the best way for kids to learn language is through dialogical, one-on-one interactions that are meaningful to the child. When he wants something, give him the words. There is no need for drilling or practicing, or anything other than feeding him the words for what he is currently trying to communicate. So if he wants the light on, say "light on."

All kids develop at different rates. But, amazingly, by 7, they are all roughly at the same place. Some kids are early talkers, some late. Therapy may help some kids, but for many others, that extra 6-9 months of time to develop may be all that was needed.

You should see a massive language explosion in the next two months. If you don't, then you should talk to your Dr. but the leap from 22 to 25 months is amazing.

Hello, It won't hurt to talk to his doctor and possibly get a referral for a speech therapist. However, I would like to add that all children develop at different rates. It is normal for you to worry. You want the best for your child, as we all do. My oldest grandson didn't really talk much until he was three years old. He loved to be read to. He didn't really want to hear alot of childrens' books. He preferred adult books about animals and dinosaurs. He would memorize the names. He is now 16 and gets mostly A's in his advanced classes.
Good luck with your precious son.
K. K.

My daughter will be 22 months this month. I have a friend who's daughter is 12 days older than mine & she talks alot!! I use to compare & wonder why my dtr was not talking as much as my friends dtr. But just like Erica B said your son is the only child just like mine & my friends dtr is the 2nd child so she can mimic.
I think our childrens brains are just soaking up what their hearing & will speak up soon. Relax.. how's the party planning... aii yah!!

My son had an incredibly limited vocabulary until he turned 2. At 2 we moved him from an in-home daycare to a learning center, as we felt that the in home daycare, although incredibly nuturing while he was an infant, just wasn't doing enough for him when it came to "learning" and exploring multiple senses, activities, etc. Within 2 weeks of his 2nd birthday his vocabulary exploded, from approx 20 words to well over 100. We spoke with his ped, who is also a friend, and he said J probably had the words all along, but was just picking and choosing when to use them. The fact he started talking more was likely due to age and that in the learning center he had to ask for what he wanted, rather than just having us or his daycare lady give it to him because we just knew.
I'm not advocating a learning center or daycare over other options, just telling you our story, and to give him some time.

Dear J., you're absolutely NOT "failing"! Be kinder to yourself!! There is no "right" or "wrong" here as you can see from the different responses the other moms have given. Trust your instincts. There's absolutely no harm in having him evaluated if you're worried. That said, I chose to wait til my boy started pre-school and got him involved in drama. He took part in school performances from pre-school to high school graduation and his speech is just fine! He's now 19 and has landed a job as a computer programmer. Strangely enough he's still an "introvert" who'd rather work on the pc than go out, but all the play rehearsals really did help his speech.

Enjoy the peace ... I'll bet that when he enters the "why...but why...but why phase", you'll look back on this time with nostalgia! :)

My son wasn't saying any words at 18 months and I was freaking out. When my peditrician said to give it time (my husband was the same as yours -late talker and then speech fir certain letters), I called the Regional Center in my area. I did not know RC existed with my first son and wish I had for some sensory and physical therapy issues that we had to take care of starting when he was 3 once we realized the extent of it (had I known about RC and addressed those issues earlier with my older son, maybe we wouldn't have had him in therapy for the next 3 years). Anyway, back to my little one. He received an assessment through RC and indeed there was an issue. He had low muscle the in his face and wasn't able to form sounds for words. I remember crying to the therapist wondering if my child would be mute. Fast forward over 2 years now - he will be 4 at the end of this month - and he barely stops talking, telling us every thought in his adorable head!! Three months ago, I cried again (out of happiness this time) when his speech therapist told me that he had tested above age level and his articulation issues were completely normal for his age.
Bottom line - go with your instincts and get him tested. There is no harm. He may just be a late talker like your husband was, but a little speech therapy never hurt anyone.
Btw, I'm a working mom too. And our nanny previously ran a preschool. So it isn't anything you are doing or not doing with him.
Take care,
R.

My friend's little guy turned 2 at Christmas. He was not talking AT ALL. He didn't even have the words you listed. She got the speech referral from the Ped. and had him evaluated by the state program. She now has a therapist come to her house once a week. The therapist and the mom play with the little boy and talk to him a lot....not that mom wasn't already doing that. Just in the past month and a half, his speech is really coming along.

In her case, I think he was "behind" others because he is a boy, practically the only child, and the father doesn't talk to him much.....AND it's developmental for HIM.

Is your nanny talking TO him on a regular basis? Is she a talker? Do you know what I mean? I can talk all day long and do. If I'm not talking to my girls, I'm talking on the phone and talking to people out and about. IF she is reserved and barely talking to him or others, he may not hear words enough. Does he watch any Sesame Street or other appropriate shows? Not that I'm recommending tv to a little, it may help for him to hear more langauge IF he's not hearing it from your nanny.

Good luck mama. More than likely he is just fine and it will come, he already has words. NOW, if he ever regresses and starts losing words, that's when you get him in ASAP.

I was in the same boat with my son. Get him around other kids. At the 2 year appointment his pediatrician said have him spend time with a 3 or 4 year old girl... they will talk his ear off!!! Around that time he has started daycare and I had gone back to work. It took about a month or so, but his vocabulary exploded!!! Between being around kids his own age and a new caregiver who needed response from him on what he needed the words came. He turned three in December and people are amazed at how clearly he speaks. Your dr. will steer you in the right direction!!!

My second child had his own "language", to day it nicely. We always joked and called it Wyattnese, becaue his name is Wyatt. Anyways, long story short, he also could say very few words and I was extremely concerned because his older sister (4.5 yrs difference) was an early talker and spoke at a kindergarten level by 2, 2.5 yrs. She has always excelled at everything she has done academically, and is in 4th grade at a bilngual school where she is in the top 5th % of all three 4th grades. My first son, Wyatt, on the other hand hit all his motorskills way beyond his sister. It wasnt until his litle brother (23 months apart) was about 6 months and beginning to babble that my then 2.5 yr old middle child, Wyatt, began speaking in full sentances out of the blue. Not sure if he was trying to teach his bro how to speak or had been able to all along and just chose to finally do it, or if it finally all clicked, He also has ADHD and I refuse to medicate him becasue I also have the same issue, and I think what was happening was that his mind was processing what he wanted to say before he was able to get it out, so it was mostly garbled for a long time. I would definitely mention it to his pediatrician, because being an RN I had alot of concerns myself. Some kids just talk later than others, and some kids hit all their motor skills faster than others. The biggest thing to remember is that all children are different and develop at diferent rates. Its always good to advocate for your child, but if you husband had a similar issue, its definitely worth looking into. Chances are, by the time you go thru all the process of geting him into speech therapy and all the assessments that go along with it, he will be speaking at an appropriate rate and like me, feel a little silly for being so concerned lol. But go with your gut and do what you feel is best for your son, and dont let anyone dissuade you for what you feel is right for your baby. Best of luck!!!!

My son, now 26 months, didn't talk too much at 22 months either. He was a preemie, too, born at 3 pounds 7 ounces a month early. He knew words at 22 months, but wasn't talking. Now we can't get him to stop. Don't let another thing stress you out, I'm sure you have enough on your plate.

My son will be 3 in July and had similar issues though slightly worse than your son. He is EXTREMELY active and only had about 2 words at 22 months. We got referred to speech therapy at 2 years and he's made some progress, particularly in the last few months. We're lucky that we live in CA with lots of services for the kiddos. Harbor Regional Center (it's free for us supported by the state) is where your doctor will probably refer you for testing and assuming your son qualifies for speech therapy it will be free for you if you have no insurance. I've been very happy with California's programs. If you're really concerned about it you probably could call your doc and get him referred now. From what I hear, the earlier the kids get the help they need, the better.

My husband spoke late too and I spoke early but that doesn't always mean anything regarding how your children will turn out. It sounds like your son is understanding everything, which is great. He may just be delayed on speech. My friend's son had the same problem. He said a bunch of words and understood everything but he still wasn't speaking very much or clearly at 2 1/2 years old so they sent him to speech therapy. He is almost 3 1/2 now and I just spoke to her this morning. She said his speech is amazing now - like it finally clicked. Now he doesn't shut up! So definitely check out speech therapy. Also reading to your son every night will help him learn words too. Try to pick books about animals or trains or cars - whatever he really likes. That might help him focus on learning the new words. Good luck! Hope this helps!

Hi J.,
First of all, let me say that you are NOT failing. Since there are certain development milestones that are basically the same among children, when our kid diverts from the norm, we think there's something wrong with them or we're failing as a parent when really, kids are drastically different in many ways, even when they are young... temperment, abilities, social skills, tastes etc. So don't be so hard on yourself! As parents we do the best we can and that's all we can do.

Having said that, I haven't had first-hand experience with this but have a very close friend who has so I thought I would share that with you. Tommy (not his real name) was two and was barely saying anything (less than your child I think). She and her husband both talked at earlier ages. His Mom was told by the pediatrician that this was normal in some children and not to worry about it but her instincts were that she should press it further. Turns out there was some brain "connection" that was not working that he needed to get therapy for so that it could activate. I'm not explaining this very well but there was no surgery or physical cure needed, just this speech therapy. Bottom Line: Tommy is a wonderful 13 year old (friends with my middle-schooler) who is kind, smart, athletic, well-spoken and much loved by his friends.

Another friend's child was held back a school year on advice from a physician due to speech issues. That child (now 5th grade) reads at a near high-school level, was put back into his normal grade level, and has astounded a group of native Chinese with his ability to speak Mandarin.

Try not to worry about something being wrong until it happens. Just take this thing one step at a time. Do you have to have a referral from the pediatrician to see a specialist? If you think it's necessary, push it, nobody knows your child better than you. I had a very young doctor poo poo my concerns about my young child's hearing and speech. I finally sent her a letter stating I disagreed and if she would not give me a referral, I would go to the specialist independently, asking for her written decision. I never heard back from her. My son had ear tubes 3 times, his adenoids out, and it was clear from the blockage in his ears that he couldn't hear certain sounds and it was affecting his speech. He is fine now.

If the situation with your son turns out to be nothing--FABULOUS! But your family needs to know now, right? Better to be safe than sorry.
GOOD LUCK to you.
T. from San Diego

It sounds like you are blaming yourself for your son's lack of speech. Please don't. There are so many reasons a child talks late, and it's unlikely you've done anything to cause it.

I concur with other moms. He should be assessed by your local regional center. There is a lot they can do to help. My son did not talk until he was 4, but years of speech therapy and he was caught up by the time he was 8. Just seek out help and I'm sure you'll see some great improvements.

My first son (now 4) spoke at 16 months and was using sentences by 2. My second son is now 27 months and barely speaks - he is just now really starting to use his words. All kids are different I wouldn't beat yourself up about it - give it time; talk to his doctor if your intuition is telling you something is wrong but try not to stress it too much or compare him to you or his cousins.

Also to encourage speech we don't immediately give him what he wants when he points/groans etc., we talk to him and make him look at our face/mouth when we talk so he can make the visual connection then tell him "use your words please, tell me what you want" (this works about 60% of the time now - although it has been a long time coming). If he gets the food/drink/toy he wants without being forced to think about what it is called and how to say the word he is less likely to volunteer to speak.

Continuously talk to him while he is around you (what color is mommy shirt, this is a shoe, this is a carpet, this is a table, this is a spoon etc.) and encourage him to repeat - this worked well for my little guy, he loved the attention and the pride in actually saying words - and I am realizing that he knows a LOT of words/things even though he doesn't necessarily verbalize them.

Does he point to ask for things? Does he point to show you things and then look at you to see if you are looking at it too? More important than is he talking, is he trying to communicate? I would encourage you to have him tested. Testing and\or therapy cannot do any harm, but could be very helpful. You also may want to try sign language.

Hi J., I have 3 year old in my daycare that does not use a lot of words, her ped said by age 2 they should have 200 words, I don't think most 2 yea olds have 20 words, I also have a 22 month old that can use words but does not use many, in both these cases they aways got their way and what they wanted by screaming and crying ( At home not with me) so they had no need for words. In my brothers case the skin under his toung was at the tip of his toung so he was unable to move his toung around good enough to create words, he eventually had it clipped and then went to speech theorpy. He sounds like a normal 22 month old other wise. They will checkm out his speech at his 2 year check up, it was my litle daycare girls 2 year check up when the mom was told she should have 200 words, she's 3 and still does not have 200 words. J.

I've actually read somewhere (or my husband has) about how often children who talk later in life are more advanced in other areas. Have you heard of the book, The Einstein Syndrome? http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Syndrome-Bright-Children-T...

Here's an excerpt about the book, might be something you'd be interested in checking out:

The Einstein Syndrome is a follow-up to Late-Talking Children, which established Thomas Sowell as a leading spokesman on the subject of late-talking children. While many children who talk late suffer from developmental disorders or autism, there is a certain well-defined group who are developmentally normal or even quite bright, yet who may go past their fourth birthday before beginning to talk. These children are often misdiagnosed as autistic or retarded, a mistake that is doubly hard on parents who must first worry about their apparently handicapped children and then see them lumped into special classes and therapy groups where all the other children are clearly very different.Since he first became involved in this issue in the mid-90s, Sowell has joined with Stephen Camarata of Vanderbilt University, who has conducted a much broader, more rigorous study of this phenomenon than the anecdotes reported in Late-Talking Children. Sowell can now identify a particular syndrome, a cluster of common symptoms and family characteristics, that differentiates these late-talking children from others; relate this syndrome to other syndromes; speculate about its causes; and describe how children with this syndrome are likely to develop.

If, after your appointment with the doctor shows no signs like hearing issues, etc. I would say you don't need to worry so much. If it makes you feel better or the doctor sees no reason why not, then by all means start speech therapy. I'm sure the earlier you help him, the better.

The other thing I wanted to mention was how often is he around others his own age? A part-time daycare situation might be good for his learning/speech development. Our son was in daycare pretty early on and once he started there is when his speech really kicked in - because it had to in order to communicate and connect with his peers.

A really good friend of ours has a son whose speech was seemingly delayed (and she was a stay at home Mom who worked with him all the time, but didn't have any real Mommy groups or significant time for him to be with other kids), we suggested he start going to our son's daycare a couple of days per week. I'm not kidding when I say that within a few weeks, her son had turned a corner. After a couple of months, he was speaking right along with everyone. Now, both her son and ours are little chatter boxes. Sometimes I think our own age group (good peer pressure in this case) can make all the difference. When they see that others their own age must talk to communicate their little brains start to figure out that it's a sink or swim situation;)

Best of luck!
S.