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Toddlers: 24 Months+
MirandaHobbes
member
Not talking at 20 months- share your experiences
MirandaHobbes
member
At 18 months DS was only saying a few words, not quite consistently (mama, dada, "kee" (kitty), "ba" (ball)) He still says those words somewhat consistently (1-2x per day) at 20 months but no other words. I saw different pedi's at 16 and 18 months and both said he was developing fine, keep talking to him and he'd come around. He is a huge babbler! But I'm getting a second opinion this week and I'm wondering what to expect. Some people have suggested to me that he could be developmentally delayed, others say it is just a speech issue and speech therapy will help.
Can anyone share their experiences if their child wasn't speaking much at 20 months, or give me any tips to ask the pedi? I hear all the time "Oh, my son didn't talk until he was two and then he just exploded!" I perceive that he understands most things, but not everything. For example, he'll bring me a toy when asked, but he won't bring me a diaper. He doesn't mimic animal noises, but he will mimic Mom and Dad's action (sweep the floor, stick out tongue, peek a boo). He doesn't point to pictures in books. He will point to his cup when thirsty.
Just curious if anyone else is/was in the same boat- thanks!
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Re: Not talking at 20 months- share your experiences
From my experience as soon as you seek help their speech explodes! About a month ago DS's daycare had a speech therapy company come in for free evaluations so I signed him up, I figured it couldn't hurt. A few weeks later I got a letter sent home saying they recommended a full evaluation for him. His teacher was shocked because he is one of the youngest in his class (they "evaluated" him at just over 24 months). They said he should be stringing 2-3 words together by then and he clearly wasn't. As soon as I started looking into getting him a proper evaluation his speech exploded. Now he says 2-3 words together, sometimes he'll even do 4 words!
I've seen A LOT of boys in his daycare that do not speak nearly as much as the girls do. Not sure if this means that most boys develop slower but it sure seems like a lot of them don't explode until they turn 2 when it comes to speech. I think what's key is that they can communicate. I've gotten to the point where I ask him to copy what I'm saying so that he can try it, he's just now really understanding me when I say "can you say....". I also constantly point things out to him. My son has always been one of those that sat there absorbing information and now that he feels comfortable talking he says new words just about every day. Some of which catch me by complete surprise.
DD didn't start saying any words regularly -- not even Mama and Dada -- until she was 20 months. Before that, she had said some words once (apple, broccoli) or occasionally (da for Dad and dog, "bless you") but never said anything consistently. After 20 months, though, she gradually started adding more words; I think that's when she finally started making animal noises too. Then, between 23 and 24 months, it was like all of a sudden she was talking in sentences. So for us, it really was true that she just exploded around two years, and we're continually amazed by it.
It is good that your DS is understanding things, because receptive language is as important as expressive language at this age. At 18 months and earlier, our pediatrician wasn't concerned because DD could understand everything and just wasn't saying the words; she said we'd re-evaluate at 24 months, and by then DD was clearly talking well.
As far as your DS not seeming to understand everything, it could just be that he's being stubborn. It's more fun for him to bring you a toy than his diaper, and pointing to pictures in books doesn't benefit him the way that pointing to his cup does. I would just keep paying attention both to what he understands and what he babbles, because there might be real words in there! Keep asking him to point to things when you read together, and after he's mastered that, try pointing to them yourself and asking him to say the words. You can also try to get him to say words by offering him choices, as in "do you want an apple or banana?" and don't worry if he only points to the one he wants at first, because at least it means he's associating the words with the object. Pretty much just keep doing what you're doing, and I'm sure you'll be one of those who says, "Oh, my son didn't talk until he was two and then he just exploded!"
Good luck!
I would say to go ahead and have him evaluated for your state's Early Intervention Program. I actually do some EI service coordination and it is a great program. Not sure what state you live in but in some states (such as NY) it is still a free program. It can't hurt to have him evaluated, and while I wouldn't be overly concerned, from what you have said, he could probably benefit from speech therapy. I have a friend who has an 18 month old son, who was barely saying mama and dada and maybe 2 other words, he could point to body parts and do limited animal sounds, and he qualified for speech therapy.
Hope that helps!