15 month appointment and a little concerned.

Kb103109

So we had the twins 15 month appointment the other day.  Our Pedi asked if they were saying Hi or Bye yet. I told him they say Mama and Dada and that  E has not said any words yet, but babbles all day long and makes lots of different sounds and she tries to imitate a lot of what we say with sounds (if that makes sense).  H loves to point to our eyes and the eyes on her dolls and say "eye", and she will also imitate what we say with sounds.  So when I told the Pedi this he did not seem happy about that.  He almost seemed disappointed.  Until that point I thought they were doing pretty good with their speech.  He made me feel like they were behind (they were a month early so i'm not sure if that makes a difference).  So now I keep questioning myself and how I try to teach them.  I talk to them all day long while I do different things and I sit and play with them and talk to them.  I try to be as interactive with them as possible.  The Pedi made me feel like I am not doing enough to teach them to talk.  I know every child will talk in their own time and that my girls are not necessarily behind.  I guess I just need to vent and need some reassurance that I am doing the right things to try to teach them what they should be learning.  Is there something that you ladies do to try and teach your lo different words?  

kellyhoel

Hi! I'm new to this board, but we just had my daughter's 15month appt the other week and she isn't a preemie and is saying very few words as well. She says hi, bye, dog, foot, and then babbles a lot and tries to imitate what we are saying. Her pedi didn't seem concerned because she responds to us and does what we ask her to. She seems to understand what we are saying and she TRIES. My youngest sister didn't talk until she was almost 2 and randomly one day started talking in complete sentences. Children develop differently so if they both respond to you and seem to understand what you are saying I wouldn't be too concerned. 

mama31

DD2 says only a handful of words and not consistent. DD1 really didn't start talking until right after 2. I assumed she is just slow at it too. I am. I am not really worried about it since she understands most of what we say and follows direction when asked to get something.

cyprissa

I really wouldn't worry! My DS had maybe 4-5 words at 15 months (mama, dada, dog, hi, book). By 18 months he had like 50 and now he talks in sentences and has a crazy amount of words. Frankly, he's now on the early side for talking. There is a wide range of normal and I don't think you have anything to worry about yet.

NineTwentyOhEight

The fact that they make sounds and point to stuff is what is important I think.

Also, I'm not an expert and don't know from experience but I always thought anecdotally that twins tend to talk later b/c they are better at communicating with each other in their own "language" - whether that is grunts, shoves, pointing, sounds, etc.

Wipz

my co-workers son hardly spoke a word till he was almost 4..he is now a strapping 6 foot tall cute as a button 16 year old  who is intelligent, sweet and a totally normal teenager.  Like everyone says, kids progress at their own rate.

You see your kids on a daily basis, your Pedi sees your kid for 15 minutes every 3 months or so and probably can't tell one kid from another without their notes...... I'd call you the expert on their develpment    If you aren't worried then I'd take it with a pinch of salt and keep doing what you are doing. 

Nechie122

I agree with everyone else; that actually sounds pretty good for 15 months!

As far as what we do to encourage speech, it's a lot of reading and "quizzing." I'm constantly asking DD to point things out to me, or to tell me an object/animal's name, what sound it makes, what color it is, etc.

But I really think kids talk when they talk. DD barely said anything at 15 months, and then all of a sudden her speech exploded and seven months later, she's speaking in two to three word "sentences."

MommyKayla11

My friend's child didn't speak a word till 2. I wouldn't worry just yet.

lageorgiapaperie

DS was a month early.

 He is 16 months and still not saying any words. He babbles all the time. We started working with Early Intervention at 13 months and they evaluated he was behind, but not enough for therapy. 

At this point I'm not too worried, but we're going to get another EI evaluation in the next month or so if he still isn't talking just to make sure he hasn't fallen further behind. 

TiffanyBerry

2 thoughts:

1 - twins often make a language of their own, so perhaps they aren't quite as interested in learning your language just yet (second languages also delay speaking - even signing, which we did with DD).

2 - if they are having consistent babbles, even if it's not something that sounds like an english word, but they use it consistently for the same thing, it counts as a word.  do they *always* make the same "awb" sound for bubble?  then they've got a word for bubble.  (just a silly made up example there)

I wouldn't worry too much just yet.  DD said very little by that age, and she certainly didn't say hi and bye.  I find it ridiculous that those would be expected words, as those words aren't just about verbal skills, but also social skills and temperment.

Kb103109

Thank you so much everyone for your responses.  You all made me feel a lot better.  They do seem to have their own kind of language with each other.  Which I never even thought could be part of the reason why they don't really say any actual words.  They do make a LOT of the same babbling noises every day as well as point to what they want/like and they follow our direction very well.  E walks very good so when it is nap time or bed time I will say to them "ok time to go to bed" and tell E to go to her room and then she will walk (almost run) down the hallway to her room while I hold H and follow behind.  Today I asked E to go and get her sock that she had taken off and she went and got it and brought it over to me.  I know that all babies do things when they are ready, but the Pedi just made me feel so bad which I don't think he meant to do.  Thanks again for all your responses. 

TwinnyMommy

Try to not to get too discouraged, my twins just turned 16 months and are not saying hi or bye yet either. J is saying 8 words and M is only saying 4 words but they babble back and forth together all day long. Also, M is focusing on walking/running and not so much talking.

I think as long as you are reading, interacting, and playing with them they will eventually continue to say more words.

kimeetee

DD just had her appointment last Friday and she maybe has a couple of words (she says ma... ma... when she wants to nurse) and da da da all the time (when I ask her to say mama she laughs and says dada!).  Anyway, I told our ped this and he wasn't concerned at all.  He said that I will probably wish that she didn't say so much in the next few months and that we would revisit at her 18 month appointment. 

 DD understands a ton and is meeting all her other milestones so i'm not concerned at all. 

kcisthebombdotcom

i wouldn't read too much into your pedi's comments. they have to go through the whole standard shpeel of make sure you're reading/talking to a parent of a child who isn't talking much.

at 15 months, they're really looking for toddlers to have at least three words minimum. at such a young age being a little behind the curve isn't that big a deal since kids have language explosions at different times. at 18 months if their language hasn't improved much you may want to look into early intervention services--it isn't uncommon for kids born early to need a little extra help.

in terms of teaching words, i'm sure it's things you're already doing--lots of reading books, narrating what you're doing, pointing out objects to them, playing toys with them that practice animals/shapes/colors, etc. drawing lots of attention to your mouth when you're practicing words can help--for example if you're playing with a farm, put one piece in each hand and ask lo if they want the sheep or the cow. put the toy near your mouth when you say the animal's name so they have to look directly at your mouth while looking at the toy animal. make them point/request by mimicking the word you're using.