What Is Normal in Terms of Speech?

Hi Beata-
It sounds very normal to me. My son had very little speech at 24 months. Now, I can't get him to be quiet ;-p Speech is a fine motor skill which takes lots of time and practice. I had one friend who's son barely spoke, then all of a sudden perfectly intelligible sentences. My son was pretty verbal, but I did a lot of interpreting for other people. You'll get the hang of it and so will he.
Congratulations to the wonderful world of parenting.
S.

Hi Beata
Sounds like he is on target to me.
When I worked special needs it was if they were not putting sentences together by 3 yo. I had a friend whose child turned 3 and was just saying "Mama" type words. Everyone had told her he would catch up, well I said ask the MD. He of course was upset.
Some other guidelines are
18 MONTHS: should be able to understand a variety of words and should be using a few single words. The child should be babbling, understanding simple questions/statements such as "where is your nose?, and "give me".
Your son is not quite 2 yet but
2 YEARS:words should be combined into two and three-word phrases and sentences, such as "more milk", "all gone", "my turn". The child also understands "where is mommy/daddy?" and simple directions such as, "get your coat". Two year olds understand more words than they can speak. A two-year-old understands approximately 300 words.

3 YEARS:can follow simple directions such as, “time to take a bath,” "tell him your name.” he can also put an object in, under, or on top of a table when asked. She can also answer simple questions about objects such as “which one is bigger?” By age three a child understands approximately 900 words and speaks 200 words clearly.

4 YEARS: can follow two-step directions such as "close the book and give it to me". She also knows her first and last name, can answer reasoning questions such as, "What do we do when we're cold?", and can tell a short story such as, "two kids played ball." Sentences are usually 4 to 5 words long. By four a child is giving directions such as "put my shoes on" and asking many questions. A four-year-old understands 1500-2000 words and can use the following pronouns: he, she, you, me, I, mine.

The more important information is the progression that takes place, and that understanding is not speaking.

God bless you and give you peace
K. SAHM married 39 years --- adult children -- 38,33,and twins 19

Hi,
My son did not start talking until 25 26 months. I had birth to three check him and they said he was absolutely fine. I still took him for speech and all he needed was time. He is now 3 1/2 and his teachers say his vocabulary is amazing. Please don't make yourself crazy. Give him time. He will be talking more in a few months. Good luck
L. r

That sounds normal to me. Don't go jumping on the speech therapy band wagon just yet. Let your kid go at his own pace. He's not even two yet.

Beata, there is a wide range of normal. At his age, he should be saying numerous words for things that he knows and he should be stringing together at least two words. Counting is NOT a speech skill, it isn't learning words. If you are questioning whether he needs services, I would contact your pediatrician who can give you the information that you need about a referral for an evaluation. Good luck

Hi Beata,

I subscribed to a free website, www.babycenter.com, and it is filled with accurate information about your baby/toddler/child.

Please check it out. You can read the site without subscribing for the e-mails. You can check on normal milestones for your toddler, and warning signs to keep an eye on things. It is great and has eased my mind about our daughter many, many times.

Good luck, and no worries,
L.

I can't tell you what is and isn't normal. But I can say that my son at 18 months said very few things. We had him evaluated with early intervention and it turned out he was only speaking at a 12mon level. EVERYTHING else was either at or above level. His only problem was his speaking. I was very skeptical of Early Intervention, but haveing had my son go through it and now speaking at or above his age level, I am a huge proponate of it.
The evaluation is free and they may say your son is fine. But they might also say he's a little behind and will profit from help. There are no cons in getting the eval.

I would definitely speak to your pediatrician by now. Early intervention does a free evaluation to determine if there is a delay. You can write a letter to them to request an eval. It's the best way to get things going. They will explain the process to you. Services are free if you agree with the decision. You can accept or refuse services. Good luck!
My son and daughter went through the evaluation process to get speech services and I'm glad I did. Even more than the tests, it's the therapists that get to know your child and may pick up on other issues and give good advice to you. My daughter's therapist picked up on muscle weakness in her tongue that was not picked up on during the eval. It doesn't hurt to get the eval. if you have concerns. --MOM and Teacher of the Speech and Hearing Handicapped.

OH my PLEASE stop worrying if your son is 'normal'. So many kids today are not allowed to be babies its disturbing. Early intervention is the buzz word for the decade. UGH. Let a kid be a kid. Remember back to your senior year of high school. Did your class mates all talk and walk ok? One of them might have had a lisp, but I bet you didnt notice. Relax and enjoy his baby talk, it wont be long before he is arguing why he cant use the car and stay out till 2 AM.
I remember my adult daughter saying"my back is witchy." and I was very sorry when she said it right. I have grandbabies and like to be called Nana. 3 of them called me Bana the same as they said banana and I was sorry when they stopped. One called me Meena and I loved it. It was unique, but he stopped too.
PLEASE relax and enjoy your baby for who he is.

I would have him evaluated. Better safe than sorry right? He should have more words. Have you spoken to the pediatrician about it? In my experience I have found alot of times that children with speech delays may have fluid in their ears. Has he had any ear infections? Discuss it with your pediatrician so they can check.

Hi Beata,
He sounds perfectly normal to me. My boys are 21 months apart and have developed speech very differently. Not all children sing much or remember tunes, so that would not worry me. Continue to talk to him in normal sentences, sing with him, count with him, etc. It sounds like he makes his needs known to you and is able to use simple sentences and responses to you. Some children internalize their vocabularies for a while and then start talking somewhat suddenly. If you are concerned about how many words he is saying, start jotting them down and bring it up at his 2-year well-child appointment. Your pediatrician might already ask if your child is saying a minimum "normal" number of words, so should give you an idea to reassure you. Have fun staying home with your son! :)

P.S. This morning was my son's 3-year well-child visit. I was surprised that one of the questions was if he could count to 3 at least. You have gotten good feedback about the wide range of normal speech development, so I hope you have some more peace of mind.

I am not sure where you live, but for your own peace of mind I would have him evaluated. I have three children who have had varying speech issues. My youngest (turned 2 at the end of November) was just evaluated by the state early intervention program specifically for his expressive speech (all else is fine). I knew he was delayed, but figured it was becasue he was a boy and the third kid. I figured it would come. Our family doctor suggested at our 2 year visit that he be evaluated. He evaluated at 24 months as a 13 month old and a 16 month old. I felt horrible for not getting him the help sooner. Thankfully he is not too frustratd yet with his lack of being able to communicate his wants. I woudl start with your pediatrician and go from there like I said for nothing more than your own piece of mind. Even if he did not qualify for support they would give you suggestion son ways to help him along. Hope this helps.

I think there is a WIDE range of normal. Does he excel in motor skills? Usually kids that are very verbal are a little behind in motor skills and vice versa. My just turned 2 year old says probably 300 words and full sentences, however he is pretty clumsy and uncoordinated physically sometimes. I think they focus on one area of development and then another so I bet he catches up in speech soon!