14 months old and no words? anyone else?

Deborah621

My 14 month old son has no words. No "mama" or "dada" or anything else. No partial words either. From what I am reading he should at least have a few by now? Does anyone elses 14/15 month old child not talking yet and are you worried? He seems to understand some words I say but sometimes I get no response because he is too preoccupied in what he is doing (emptying things, opening things, getting into everything etc). I plan on bringing it up at his next appointment next month but I want feedback from other moms first. My neice and nephew were both talking a lot by his age, my nephew had 30 words by 15 months but I think that is above average. Thanks everyone.

ncbelle

It's totally normal to have 0 words at 14 months.  Most kids will have a word explosion by 18 months; if not, then there might be cause for concern.

If he's babbling and seems to be starting to understand what you are saying, I wouldn't worry a bit.

MyColonyNJ

my daughter is 14 months (today, actually)  and she says nothing.  She totally understands everything we say, and does do some simple signs.

I am trying not to worry about it too much at this point - since I do know that for some they go from nothing to full sentences in a short time.

That said, I will be bringing it next month at her 15 month appointment.  Especially since her ped said "work on talking" at her 12 month appointment

shellybell15

My 15 month old only says dada and bye. And not all the time. Is check up is on Tue so we will she what the Pedi has to say (she already voiced some concern at his 12 mn). Honestly I am not worried b/c he understands commands and babbles a lot. But if the Pedi recommends therapy we will probably give it a try. And I have seen this question a lot, so you are not alone.

jersangl

EVery child is very different. I am sure your baby is fine. I know some babies who really didnt say much till 2 years old

Starlette1983

DS does not say hardly any real words. ?However, he understands a lot of words/phrases, and can make a few animal sounds (and truck sounds, lol) when we ask him. ?He also babbles a lot. ?They are not concerned with him yet, and he gets additional screening from the NICU team of specialists every couple of months just to make sure that he's on track with his milestones. ?If we get to 18 months and he's still not saying hardly anything then I might start to get a little worried. ?I'm sure your LO is fine, just give it some more time. ?

ddnicole13

Yeah, i was there too.  My DD is 17 mths old now and still only has a few words.  But from like 12 mths she fully understood everything that is said to her so I don't worry.  I can say throw this away and she heads to the trash can OR can you go get mommy the telephone and off she goes to retrieve the phone.  I figure it'll come when it comes.  The funniest thing is, that the words she does say come out with a southern accent.  It's hilarious.   Heck, i am 1 of 5 and we were all so different in our timing of things.  My one brother talked really late (after 2) and the words he had were not real words (he'd make words up for things -- like "wee" for water)...and guess what, he's going to law school...try not to worry - they are all on their own time.  He'll get there.

notintown

My LO says mama and dada but not for meaning.  He makes some sounds but he does not say any word.  I worry some but not too much.  He seems more into doing things than saying things.  

addison_clark

Everyone always says "Just wait, one day soon he will just have a word explosion!"  And most likely, they are right!  I don't mean to worry you, but what if they aren't?  I am glad you have noticed and are actively asking for help.  My DS wasn't saying anything by 18 months when I finally enrolled him in speech therapy with the state.  I kept waiting for that overnight explosion.  It never came.  He started to develop language at 2.5 yrs due to his speech therapy.  He still receives help with his speech, especially with pronunciation and his ST says he should be completely caught up by kindergarden (we also plan to hold him back a year).  I would suggest watching him another month or 2 at the most before loking at EI.

In the meantime, especially with boys, use loud action words while playing.  BOOM, ZOOM, WOOF, BAM and repeat, repeat, repeat!  The loud action words will catch their attention more then a simple "mama".  And of course continue to talk and label everything you do and see.  Good luck, I hope your LO does hit that language explosion and that you are all worried for nothing!!

addison_clark

And just to add, it really bugs me when people say "I know so-and-so who didn't talk until he was 3 and he is smart now!"  Great.  Good for so-and-so.  Not every child is like that, some actually have delays/learning issues.

If they are delayed in talking, they can be delayed in learning and who wants their own child to start off delayed if they could have done something about it?!  Better to be on top of things then to wish you had done something when it is too late.

wheelsonthebus

ncbelle:

It's totally normal to have 0 words at 14 months.  Most kids will have a word explosion by 18 months; if not, then there might be cause for concern.

If he's babbling and seems to be starting to understand what you are saying, I wouldn't worry a bit.

DS didn't have a SINGLE word until 18 months. Our pedi had us do the early intervention at 15 months and I was amazed at how many boys are int he program. I wouldn't worry at all. So many children don't speak until 18 months and later. I am happy to report that DS is now finally saying Mama and Dada and about 5 other words.

ddnicole13

addison_clark:

And just to add, it really bugs me when people say "I know so-and-so who didn't talk until he was 3 and he is smart now!"  Great.  Good for so-and-so.  Not every child is like that, some actually have delays/learning issues.

If they are delayed in talking, they can be delayed in learning and who wants their own child to start off delayed if they could have done something about it?!  Better to be on top of things then to wish you had done something when it is too late.

"just to add" - more times than not, there are no problems.  It is more normal for a kid to start talking later than it is for a kid to have a speech problem.  It's good to be proactive and to identify when there IS a problem, but when a toddler isn't talking up a storm at 14 mths, it's ridiculous to worry yourself at that point.

macchiatto

Neither of my boys talked at all until almost 15m, but they had 50 words by 18m and now at 22m they each have about 250 words, so they're doing fine. They just got off to a slower start but caught up well. I wouldn't worry just yet as long as your LO is babbling and seems to understand age-appropriate stuff.

CTJourney

addison_clark:

Everyone always says "Just wait, one day soon he will just have a word explosion!"  And most likely, they are right!  I don't mean to worry you, but what if they aren't?  I am glad you have noticed and are actively asking for help.  My DS wasn't saying anything by 18 months when I finally enrolled him in speech therapy with the state.  I kept waiting for that overnight explosion.  It never came.  He started to develop language at 2.5 yrs due to his speech therapy.  He still receives help with his speech, especially with pronunciation and his ST says he should be completely caught up by kindergarden (we also plan to hold him back a year).  I would suggest watching him another month or 2 at the most before loking at EI.

 I agree with all of this! 

If you are genuinely concerned that something is atypical in your child's development, you should definitely have him evaluated, and the sooner the better.  If the evaluation comes back saying everything is fine, but your gut still tells you something is not right, keep seeking out help from other avenues.  You are your child's best advocate, and you know him better than anyone.  The first 2 years of life are a critical time for brain development, and that is why early intervention is so important during this period.

I'm not trying to worry you.  It is highly likely that everything is just fine, and your son's vocabulary will explode one day.  But if your "gut" tells you something is not quite right, then you should listen to it.  

Many people may disagree with me and that's ok.  This is just my opinion as a former educator with an Early Childhood background.  Regardless, whether you decide to have him evaluated or wait a bit, your choice should be one that YOU are most comfortable with.  Meaning, even if your pediatrician suggests you to "wait and see", if you decide you are not comfortable with this, you don't have to agree or listen to him. 

sasa625

I'm a speech therapist... if he is babbling appropriately, pointing and showing interest in social games, etc,  and understanding language, then 14 months is a little early to panic. Just keep working on it... reward any attempts at a "word" (or sound to represent an object), read together as much as you can, play games such as rolling a ball, pushing a small car, etc that require turn-taking, joint attention (both paying attention to the same activity), make noises (vrooom, beep, bounce), talk about "go" or "stop"and use phrases like "1, 2, 3.... go" that he can start anticipating (then wait longer and longer before the "go" and see if he vocalizes to try and get you to push the car or roll the ball... any vocalization gets the desired action at first... eventually it can be shaped into a word)

It obviously never hurts to get it checked out, but I often tell parents that it's ok to wait until 18 months unless there are delays in other areas of communication (as I mentioned above). Sometimes the words just start coming, sometimes they need some extra help. It's hard to tell this early.