My Hyper 2 Year Old Has Not Yet Begun Talking Even the Slightest Bit!

Have you had him evaluated? I would call the school district, most of them have preschool programs. It sounds like he may have a special need and there are wonderful "free" programs out there for him. Hope I helped!

I have lots of questions: 1. does he babble at all? 2. Does he play with other children? 3. Does he look you in the eye? 4. Does he do one thing that calms him down?

He probably should be taken to a DR and evaluated. Maybe he is just slow, some boys take for ever to do things, just becasuse they are boys but he could have something wrong. I am just a grandma but I can think of several things off the top of my head.

Take him soon, if things are fine then just wait all will be well but if thee is something wrong the sooner he gets treatment the better.

My son was not talking as much as he should've been at 15 months and we started speech therapy at 18 months. In Missouri you can be tested for the First Steps program and if he qualifies, he can get therapy (speech and other therapies as well) for free. My son didn't happen to qualify but we did private therapy until he could get it in our school district for free when he was 3. He could have a speech delay and need speech therapy or it could be something else as well. Don't wait - see your pediatrician. The earlier you find out what's going on the better. It will be better for you and him. Put your mind at ease and follow your instincts.

I agree that you need to visit with your pediatrician about this. It could be nothing, it could be a hearing issue, or any of a number of things that none of us would really have any idea about. Do you try to "make" him talk, or do you make it easy for him to just "point" at what he wants? I would not think that being a bilingual house would have an impact on it...we lived in a foreign country for 3 years and the American children quickly learned to speak English to their parents and Thai to the maids!!!

my son also did not talk until after 2. Through Parents as 1st Teachers, I learned that it was up to ME to get him talking. I learned how to encourage his speech, which included learning patience on my part....I had to learn "how" to wait for his response, with my own body language an important part of this process. Also learning NOT to ask "yes/no" questions....is also important.

Instead of asking: do you want a drink?.....you should ask "Do you want milk or juice?" ....& then ask him to say "please" before you hand him the cup, followed by a "thank you/you're welcome". Waiting & encouraging those responses should do the trick.

It sounds simplistic & it really is. & if simple methods like this don't work or improve his speech at all, then please pursue this with your dr! Early intervention is critical.

Do you have a regular pediatrican?If so your dr. should be documenting his progress and at anytime there is a concern it should be followed up.He is 2 now and how many words are in his vocabulary.This is just a time line all children are different but he should be putting sentences together 2-3 words or more.I doumented my daughters words for a while and by the time she was 18 months old she had over 50 words and simple sentences.Call your local school district and ask where he can get tested Parents as Teachers refers to TARC and it is free services.Call your dr.and get him seen.Did he pass his newborn hearing test,you can get his ears checked as well he could of turned partially deaf or have a hearing problem and that will inhibit his learning language.Getting his help it will take time be patient

Most communities have Parents As Teachers program that is free where someone comes out and can do developmental testing or observation and make visits to your home. They can also refer you to where you need help if they see a problem, or give you ideas to encourage communication. You can call the regular schools and ask if it is offered in your community. When my 13 year old was 2, he wouldn't speak either, it was just a delay in speech, and he started speech therapy at age 3 and does very well now. It is very interesting you have a bilingual household. Maybe since he is learning two languages, it will just take him a little longer. If you have friends that have raised bilingual children, it'd be good to find out how their children did starting out. For some children there is also an extra little piece of skin under the tongue that delays speech. My son was tested for that. They usually just help them adjust with their speech and they do fine. They used to clip that little piece. Could be a hearing problem. Could just be a delay. I'd look at seeking professional advice to check his developmental status.

I apologize I haven't read all the other responses but I'm writing what happened with me. We're not bilingual BUT my son DID have a speech delay and it was because of undiagnosed fluid on the ears. Basically what this means is that the tubes in the ears are too small to let the fluid drain properly so what the child hears is the equivalent of listening to something/someone underwater. Mind you we had only 1 ear infection by the time he was 3 and no other symptoms. I had been to 3 pediatricians and 2 regular army doctors with no proper diagnosis other than "it's just a phase." We started on an infant/toddler program in the town we moved to and the speech therapist came out and within the first hour said we should take my son to an ENT and told us what his problem was. Now the only reason why HE knew it was because he himself had it as a child and all three of his kids did as well.

3 months later my son underwent surgery for tubes in his ears. We also opted for a tonsilectomy and adnoidectomy and he's not been sick a day since (note he is now 6).

So yeah, your son may be behind the curve and maybe he's not. But for my vote, a visit to an ENT would be well worth the money to rule it out. Even if there is nothing wrong with his ears I would certainly recommend getting him into a Speech Therapy program. You're local school district will provide services to you for free. Either call the school or call your local Parents as Teachers coordinator and they will get you hooked up.

I have a 2 year old son as well and just recently has really started talking a lot. We were in the Parents as Teachers program and I found that really helpful.

Hi! The first thing you want to do is get his hearing checked. Secondly, call his name and see if he responds to it. If you have to call him several times, he may not be hearing you properly. My son when he was little, would say some words that nobody else understood, but me. I took him to the doctor and found out he was having problems putting the sounds together, that, he was hearing. The other son had a adnoid problem that was making him hear muffled sounds. My first son had to take speech therapy and it helped out a lot. Some kids this age, you want to watch out for autism. Some signs of not talking by a certain age, could be signs. Tell him to do little things and see how fast he reacts. Try some flash cards and see if you can get him to open up. If not, I would tell the doctor as soon as possible.

MO and KS have programs for birth-age 3 (Kansas is/was called Tiny K). They offer speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc. They will test your child and provide services at no cost to you. Ask your child's doctor. Also, get his hearing tested. Our son was a late talker and we never suspected a hearing problem because he would understand simple instructions and come when we called his name. He had fluid build-up in both ears and needed tubes.

Hi A..
All kids do things in their own time. It's wonderful that you are so diligent in your concern for your son. As many have said, it is always a good idea to check with your child's doctor. They can check all of the usual things and let you know where he stands in comparison to other children his age. You might also check to see if his tongue is attached further to his lower palate than it should be. I used to babysit a child that wouldn't talk at all but seemed to understand everything we said to him. When he was three his parents took him to the doctor and found out that his tongue was attached too much and wouldn't allow him to make the words. They did a small procedure to clip it and he hasn't stopped talking since.
God bless and good luck. Your little guy is fortunate to have a caring mama looking after him.

When we moved to Germany my 2nd was 8 months old. we lived there for three years. she did not mutter a work till she was 2 1/2yrs. We spoke English inside the walls of our home but the moment we stepped out the door she heard German. She later told me she didn't know what language the sounds she wanted to make where, so she just didn't say anything. By 3 and at home she did develope fair speech, but she didn't talk at school at all till 1st grade. But it also doesn't hurt to check his ears and hearing.
Good luck

My nephew didn't talk until his was a little older than 2. They found out that he was having repeat ear infections and it was actually causing him not to be able to hear well in one ear. Also he needed to have speech therapy as well. But if he is not acting out like my nephew started biting people and that is why they took him to the doctor and that is where they started to diagnosis the problems. He started speech, occupational, and behavorial therapy at 2, and now at 6 he only sees the speech therapist once a week, but for our family that is normal, both my sister and I had speech therapy until we hit 3rd grade. He probably is just a late speaker. My sister learned with my nephew the therapists wanted him to ask for what he wanted and not the point and ugh ugh noise and that helped him start talking too.

First have his hearing checked if you have not already done so. Then apply for First Steps. If he qualifies (which it sounds like he should), they provide free to very low cost therapy until age 3. Then you will be directed to the school district for therapy. Good luck! The sooner you intervene the better!

Good Morning A., Does your little guy respond right away when you speak to him? Does he respond when you say like lets pick up toys, or do you want a snack? Since you are a bilingual family does he seem to understand both?

Our youngest Gr son will be 2 in Oct. He says only a few words clearly to understand him. Mama, Daddy, Nana, Papa, Cheese, Shoooes, Yes & No. The rest is like gibberish, with alot of head shakes and pointing. Truck, Cup, Drink all sound like Stuck! His older brother talked a blue streak when he was 19 months, and hasn't stopped he is now 4.

I have read on here that Parents As Teachers is a good resource for helping children and parents. I think Mama's have said you could get information through your school district.

Our youngest didn't talk either until I told his older brother to stop speaking for him, he was over 2 yrs old then.

Hopefully other Mama's will have more information and advice for you.
God Bless you
K. Nana of 5

Hi A.,

I think there is nothing wrong with your kid. Most of the times the kids from bilingual families speak later than the average if they speak at home only their own language.
I would try first to check and observe if your little one speaks some words (or make himself understandable with you), understands and follows directions all in your own language, then if he does, there is no speech disability, and probably is just confusion with a second language,English.I don't know if your spouse or another person living with you speaks English,if it is so, I would ask her/him to speak to my child in English every single word so he gets used to it and his hearing gets familiar with the English language. If you have the possibility to attend playgroups, that would help him a lot to improve his accent and vocabulary in natural way, the same with children CD's DVD's, even TV with you explaining to him about what he is watching. It does not have to be for long period of hours, but minutes every day.
I think that these ideas may help you with your little one and see what happens in several months. However, if you notice that even having exposure to English language a lot, he does not speak, probably you may want to mention this to his pediatrician and I am sure she/he will help you with suggestions like speech therapy or something else. Your kid is just 2 years old and many kids speak later than others. Every kid reaches milestones at different rate, and we, moms, have to be patient and let them take their time to reach that milestone. Help him by speaking the English language part of your day at home or your spouse (always by playing, talking and having games, books, etc...), or teach him to speak just English outdoors and your language indoors. He may just need more encouragement and activities. Talk to him like :"Hey..look at the yellow house!", "you like the red car?"....It sounds silly when we moms are out talking like this (lol), but believe me, it helps a lot to our children's vocabulary..
Good luck and be in peace; everything will work great for you and your little one!.
Alejandra