Speech / Son 30Months

It is much easier to get services for a two yr old then a three year old, so what reason could there be for waiting? My first two kids were speaking in clear paragraphs at two, my third child qualified for speech because they are supposed to have at Least 50 actual words and be speaking in two word phrases at 24 months. It doesn't matter WHY he is not talking, therapy will help him increase his expressive language.

Congratulations on getting the appointment. This is a great age for growth in language. While you are waiting, may I suggest you discontinue trying to have him repeat words? This is not very effective and can be really frustrating for parent and child. Just keep talking to him, describing everything, using all the vocabulary you wish him to use. And for now, if you ask questions, ask questions in one language. (By questions, I mean "Do you want milk?") That would help his brain focus on one language. All my best.

At 2 1/2 he should be speaking in sentences. The other kids are not advanced, they Are probably normal 2 1/2 year olds. Three languages could be the problem I would have him evaluated. If you wait until he is three, you pay for everything. Before three, thru school district it is free. I would double check that to be safe. The earlier you can get him help the better off he would be. My grandson understood everything, did what was asked but said one word. He was evaluated and is now getting speech three times a week. Very delayed.

Personally I do feel it is time for an evaluation. He could have a speech delay, which is just that, a speech delay. It doesn't mean he doesn't understand or isn't smart. I don't think it's stubborn as much as it is it doesn't sound like he has a need to talk. He communicates in other ways and clearly understands so to him, why talk when he gets what he wants now! I'm not saying that to imply you're doing anything wrong, I'm just trying to give you perspective.

My son was in speech therapy for about 2 months. At the beginning he was literally only saying a few words and by the end it was a complete and utter turn around. I was astonished. My two kids are so different and where as my first came out of the womb talking (and I mean that almost seriously ;) my little guy just didn't. The few things I learned from the speech therapist were so obvious and common sense but I obviously wasn't thinking about them on my own, I just needed a little push. When my approach to my son's language changed, he started speaking. It wasn't that I needed to relax or wait or be patient or anything else that people sometimes say, it was that I had to speak and teach in a different way.

Lots of people always say to slow down and he won't go to Kindergarten not talking, etc. It honestly really irks me. Of course he won't, that's true, but it is my opinion that if you have the resources you should use them. Likely the therapy he would receive would be free and they might even do home visits. Capitalize on it as much as possible. You seem to value education and experience since you're so involved, so don't deny him (or you) this opportunity, even if all you do is rule out a speech delay.

ETA I would contact the Early Steps program you mentioned or contact your local Parents as Teachers. Either will give you a recommendation and possibly an evaluation. PAT is free and probably Early Steps is free, but it might vary by state. I know in my state it was all free, the testing, the meetings, and the home visits. So check it out and don't wait.

O. thing I have learned in 10 years of motherhood is do NOT compare your child to other kids.
They all "get there".
All kids have strengths and weaknesses.
Now, if his pre-school teacher (when the time comes) recommends further evaluation, etc., take heed.
Til then, keep reading to him/with him/in front of him, etc.
Word games in the car--find alphabet letters, in order, on signs, etc.
Count everything.
Find colors.

Yes, I would contact Early Intervention in FL (I think it's called Early Steps). It could be his hearing. At 18 months, my son didn't talk at all. His pediatrician recommended that I have his hearing checked, but I was sure he could hear. Like your son, he responded when I called his name, he could hear when Mickey came on TV, etc. I took him to the test anyway and he had 50% fluid blockage in one ear and 100% in the other. I was dumbfounded! The doctor explained that he could hear sounds, but not well enough to reproduce them. There was a severe disconnect in his receptive (what he could hear) and expressive (what he could say) vocabulary. He said it was like my son's head was underwater. He needed tubes and two years of speech therapy.

I think being around other kids creates the need to develop a more diverse language and word set. Plus the way the teachers interact with your child will be different and create a new way of learning language and words.

I don't think he is stubborn (though that could be a good diagnosis for 30 month olds - ha!), just not exposed to a variety of language from a variety of people consistently. Once he goes to a preschool room, he will pick up the words easily:)

Other things you could consider is instead of, for example, saying bubbles over and over again, talk about bubbles (you may have, it just wasn't clear) and how they are light and float and they pop and all those contextual things around an object.

He'll get there.

You should be, asking your Pediatrician.
Get a professional's opinion.
You said you had his 2 year check up. But did you ask the Pediatrician, specifically, about his speech????

Now, my home is a bi-lingual home.
My kids have no trouble with it.
At school they also learn 3 other languages.
Its fine.
They can speak it, understand it when spoken to, read it and write in the languages.
Better than me even.

My son, when he was under 3 years old, did have speech therapy. It was free from our local Early Childhood Intervention organization. But, his was just a speech delay. They do an overall developmental assessment on the child. He was even advanced in some areas for his age. And they said, that our bi-lingual home, was not a problem. Nor the cause, of his speech delay. And he could perfectly understand what was said to him and had no hearing problems.

Currently, and since his speech therapy, my son is the most talkative one in our family. And he has an astounding vocabulary for his age, and a very articulate ability to express himself, for his age. And he still remembers, his speech therapy. Which he LOVED.

Both my kids are tall for their ages. It was never a problem. Size has nothing to do with speech or interaction with others.
My 6 year old son, commonly gets mistaken for an 8 year old.

Boys are naturally also, very physical. Yes, they love to run around. They need to.

Your concern is your son does not talk, much.
So tell your Pediatrician, that.

There would be no harm, in getting him evaluated. Up until 3 years old, it is free through Early Childhood Intervention. For me, I didn't even have to get referred by our Pediatrician. I just called them myself. They come to your home. It is free and totally voluntary.

Speech, it not just about talking.
It requires, mouth coordination. Lips/tongue/throat coordination and making the sounds, of the letters in combination.
Some letters being harder than others, to form and sound out.
And per age, the ability to say... certain letters/sounds, are developed.

Did your son... "babble" as a baby?????
Did he go through that developmental stage?
Babbling, is also, a precursor, to talking.

A good friend of mine has a bilingual son that had a similar pattern. He was slow to talk, but when he did really start talking (around 3 years old) it was in both languages, in full sentences. Her doctor said that can be typical in some kids in bilingual homes and can be yet another version of "normal." There is no harm in mentioning your concerns to your pediatrician, but he may just be processing all those languages in his own time.
BTW, I think raising a child trilingual is an amazing gift.

Ours is a bi-lingual home. Our DS, now 30 months spoke less than 12 words at 2 y.o. He was a mover and a shaker like yours, but not one to babble, or talk. We had an assessment done, and have been doing ST for the last 6 months. Maybe it was his time to blossom into speech, maybe the EI helped but he's well on his way with speaking both languages now.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

At 2.5, kids use around 400 words and 2-3 word phrases. In bilingual homes, speech is sometimes delayed, and I imagine in a trilingual home it may be even more so. Also, kids who are in daycare early on tend to start speaking earlier and more, simply because they hear more speech from more people all around them. However, if your son is not speaking at all, not even a few words or 2-word phrases at this point, it does warrant an evaluation.
Good luck!

I just had another thought. Did you son have many ear infections? Sometimes kids with a history of ear infections have delayed speech because they don't hear as clearly, which impacts speech development. In any event, he can get help through speech therapy to catch up.

I heard that when there is more then one language spoken at home, that it may take longer to speak. Anyway, my son was slow to speak in comparison to other kids but when he did start talking he talked in full sentences and paragraphs. But we did get Early Intervention for him and I think it worked quite well. So I recommend looking into that in your area.

It's probably the three languages but call your local school and get the speech testing, if you can.

Read, read, read. Sesame Street is good thing to watch together. There are lots of videos that can help. Ask your children's librarian.

Don't stop the exercise but talk about what you are doing. Like the bubbles, it may take a bit but he will get it. Now that you know, you can pay better attention but don't worry!

My school district does early childhood testing, but it does not start until your child is 3. We qualified for services.. not speach, but other services.

Each child is different. My almost 2 year old is 21 llbs (yep, she is tiny) and your son sounds big. My son who is 4.5, is only 40 lbs. So maybe your comparison is with older kids.

My son spoke very WELL very Early.. My uncle (who has two grand kids older than my son) Was shocked by the phone conversation he had with my son at about 2.5 yrs old. \

My daughter is talking, but it is certianly not clear. So I have a feeling we will be in speech therapy for her .. but time will tell.

Good luck

At 2, children should have a minimum of 50 words and start putting 2 words together. It sounds like your son is more of a "doer" and has good motor skills. Being bi or tri lingual does not slow does language development unless there is already an issue there, then it plays a role. I would call early intervention and get an evaluation, personally. The earlier you address issues, the greater the success. There may not be an issue at all. At 3, he may qualify for free preschool but requirements vary by town and state. My son was diagnosed with a speech delay at 2 1/2 and he was putting 2 and 3 words together and had well over 100 words.

Btw, it has nothing to do with being "smart".

If you are concerned, I would call whoever in your county or district evaluates children. I did Child Find for my DD when she was 4 and her clarity was lacking.

Something else to consider is that your son may start talking more when he has more reason to talk, aka, when other children need him to communicate. My DD's clarity improved when she had to be understood in a group. Her Ls are still lacking, but that's a sound that 6 yr olds are expected to master.

Kids come in all sizes. My DD is on the smaller end. One of her friends is a young 4 and already much bigger than DD. I wouldn't be concerned about his size.

At the end, you say you speak 3 languages. Ah ha! I think that's your answer. He's processing more and speaking less. My understanding is that this is quite common.

I do know that kids who are multi-lingual often have a delayed start in their speech, but in the end, they catch up just fine. So that may be part of it. But still, at 30 months he should be speaking at least somewhat. One of mine started speaking very young (under 1 year, full sentences), and when her sister came along, we were shocked that she didn't speak until she was closer to 2. She said some words, but no sentences. However, her nanny spoke Arabic and Armenian to her all day, and we spoke English at home. When she DID finally start talking, she could speak all 3 languages. (We still had a heck of a time understanding her due to some speech impediments, which disappeared by the time she was 6.)

It's a good idea to get him tested, but it sounds like you're doing everything right at home - giving him lots of enriching experiences and time to do things that interest him. You're talking to him a lot. He will be just fine. Perhaps a little speech therapy will catch him right up in terms of his speech.

Don't worry about y our son being too big. My daughter is 53.4 pounds and 44 inches tall. She is 3.5. My son is 38.6 pounds and 35 inches tall. He turned 2 on April 29th. Some kiddos just grow tall and are big.

My daughter talked full sentences by 15 months, and my son says 3 or 4 words. He goes to speech 2x a week. I personally think it is just that he is too busy doing everything else that is fun. But good for you for checking out early intervention. You can also have him checked by a speech therapist through your insurance company also. I use both.