My son is two years old - March - and he is not talking. He says small words, he understands what you ask or tell him and he communicates with you (at least I understand him) but he does not have a conversation. Some say "he's a boy" some say "he is being lazy"… should I be concerned? He did receive tubes in his ears when he was about 13 months old. He did walk but didn’t can great balance, after he got the tubes his balance came almost instantly. I recently put him a child care program part time (about two months now) and he has improved so much. I have asked my ped and she said sometimes boys take a bit longer because their mind is constantly thinking and it hasn't had a chance to come out.
dont be alarmed. boys usually take longer to get talking.the key here is that he understands what you ask him or tell him and he does communicate with you. boys dont usually start talking full sentences until they are close to three
K. h.
from what I know the norm is for kids to say about 50 words by the time they are 2. If he is not close I would have someone take a look. The earlier something is detected the faster it can be treated and hopefully resolved. Good Luck!
I wouldn't worry yet. My little brother didn't talk for a really long time, and then when he finally did, it was in complete sentences. Is your doctor concerned? If not, then you shouldn't be, either.
D.,
Take him to a speech therapist for an evaluation and call the early intervention service for your state. He is behind, and you are hearing the typical chatter of "don't worry, he's a boy" that is bad news for many kids with real delays. Kids with delays look just like the few who will outgrow an issue when they are not talking at two. The anecdotal information you get about kids who did not talk at this stage has nothing to do with your situation, you need to be sure that you are not missing something that would respond to early intervention.
Get both a state eval and a private eval, and start private therapy regardless of what the EI people say.
What is the worst thing that can happen here? That would be if you make the appointment and he needs therapy, and you get it. The best would be to have a speech professional use standardized assessment tools to evaluate your son and tell you that he is fine. Either way, you win.
M.
Some kids spend a lot of time absorbing information, and then it all comes out like a flood gate. My son was so quiet at that age, and then a few months after his 2nd birthday it was suddenly chatter chatter chatter non stop. Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why is ice cold? Why Why Why! I think your son will begin really soon and you'll be missing the quieter days before you know it.
It never hurts to have him tested. We did so through our local university pathology department and my son received services there until he was old enough to public education (and has an IEP for speech). Early intervention makes a huge difference if he does have issues and if he doesn't need services, you'll set your mind at ease.
I also have a son who turned 2 in March... He doesn't talk at all either. He makes lots of noises, and grunts mostly, but only says 5 words, and has NEVER put 2 words together. We're going to a speech therapy session once a week (it hasn't started yet, it begins in 2 weeks). It's group therapy with several children with delayed speech. I'm looking forward to seeing if he improves. My son's fine motor and gross motor skills are right on, he just doesn't have anything to say! I feel your pain. Frustrating!
My older brother didn't talk at all until he was almost 3 and a half. Then one day he popped out with a full sentence. He wanted to go somewhere and asked to be taken there. He's still kind of quiet.
Have you checked with your county office of education? They have early assessment of children who may need speech therapy.
Take care...
I would ask your childs doc. he should have his 2 year old check out soon or just bring it up next time he has a ear infection and see the doctor.
my daughter didn't talk until she was about 3. she would say words here and there but not full sentences. since she was my first born of course i took the first time mom route and had her back and forth to the dr for a few months. Our dr. was great about it and told me that i should not be concerned, but if it would help that i should call the local school and have her evaluated for free. Fortunately my sis in law is a speech therapist and talked me down from my worry. Boy once she began talking i could not shut her up. She to this day at 8yo can talk my ear off all day long and she is an honor student in a gifted class at her school. Don't worry, but if you are worried see if you can find someone you can talk with for free, local school or community friends might know how to go about doing that. Your probably just worrying over nothing....good luck
.
I'm in Texas, but I had my daughter looked at by an developmental specialist. They gave me great packets and other information I could use to encourage her development. The website on the materials provided is www.earlylearning.org. Maybe you can find someone in your area to do an evaluation and give you some tips and other materials to help you with your son.
D.,
My first son started talking in sentences when he was 13 months and my second didn't start talking until he was 3. So it's not just because he's a boy. All children are different.
If you feel something isn't right, go with your instincts. You should be able to get him evaluated by an early intervention program and if he qualifies, services are free.
Victoria
It's possible that your son's speach is just being delayed because of the tubes. You said that he's been making great progress since he's been in the child care program. Keep a diary of his speach and the new words and phrases he says over the next month or two. Then review it and if you're still concerned schedule an appointment with his doctor.
I have two boys and both of them were well into two before really talking. My youngest was 2 in December and just in the last couple of days he's putting some pretty good sentences together. He's too busy for a lengthy conversation though. My 4 year old started talking more at 2 1/2 once I got him into a childcare program...he didn't talk at "school" much, but he talked our ears off at home. It was like it happened overnight for him. He's the kind of kid that wants to say it right, or not at all. For both of them, their little minds were moving too fast for the words to come and they just didn't have the time to worry about it. Find times when he's calm-in the car, in the tub, when you're winding down for bed, ask him questions and see how he responds-help him out a bit. He might surprise you.
My youngest will practice saying words (my oldest wouldn't do it), so we work with him when we read books, I have him repeat the sentence or when we're at the store we point out his favorite foods-I have him say "I love Bananas" instead of "Nanas!". It's helped.
All of my friends have girls-very social girls. They were having conversations before age 2. We do have a friend whose boy was saying words like Ominous at age 2, but he didn't hit his physical milestones until much later. He spent a lot of time in therapy and with adults, so he preferred to talking over walking. It's hard not to worry with boys, but the teachers and the doctors all told me boys will sometimes take a little longer in the language department. Just be encouraging toward him.
I will tell you we still have to work with the 4 year old. Because he can't always find the words he will sometimes act out when he's uncomfortable or act like an animal instead of talking to other kids. If I coach him a bit before we hit the playground he does great! Nerves will get the best of him otherwise. We have the BEST conversations now...amazing the things that come out of his mouth:).
Boys do take longer to talk, plus kids don't have "real" conversations at that age necessarily. My son is 3 and has been a stay home kid till the last few weeks. His speaking was good before but it has increased a lot since he started part time daycare.
That said, since he had tubes, I would make sure your son's hearing is doing ok, as difficulty hearing can impact speech, just to be safe.
I didn't speak at all until I was 3 (and yes, I do get a lot of jokes about, "... and haven't shut up since then.") My oldest (a total perfectionist) never used standard baby-talk - she wouldn't say a word until she thought she could say it "right." I wouldn't worry
Always trust you "mother's intuition" regarding your children. My sister's son wasn't talking at 2 years and she insisted on speech therapy for him. Some states provide it for free. Now at the age of 5 he is talking very well thanks to his early intervention on my sister's part. Her daughter needed it too and has benefited as well. Your pediatrician can refer you to a specialist who will evaluate him to see if it is an issue. You have nothing to lose.
I wouldn't be worried. My oldest said ad few words, but the language didn't really explode until 2 1/2 and beyond. If he was 3 I would be, but wouldn't be concerned. Good luck!
If he is using smalling words and trying to communicate, then I would not worry. He will learn to articulate them better, and then more words will follow. My daughter just turned 2 on March 22nd, and she JUST started talking alot a few weeks ago. If you work w/him on talking/sounding out words and having him follow your lead, it is so helpful. Choose a word, and sound it out until he can say it, and if he can eventually say it....then he's fine! Good luck!
