Talking

dizzycooks · March 2014

I just read an article in parents magazine about speech delays and they have in there that a two year old should have 200-300 words. I know my dd doesn't talk much and understands plenty. Her pedi didn't seem concerned at her two year appointment, but I'm wondering at what point I should be concerned. She has 20 words maybe that she uses? I'd say that's a generous guess... What say sahms?

joyfullyfound · March 2014

Pssh, DD doesn't say anywhere near 200-300 words! She definitely understands about that many though... maybe that's what the article meant? Or maybe once they're closer to 3? We're about in the 20-30 word range as well, and my SIL is a SLP, sees DD a few times a week (just generally/family stuff, not for appointments) and has zero concerns

dizzycooks · March 2014

The article clearly say "expressive" vocab of 200-300 words. I am definitely hoping it means by 3!

thechickencoop · March 2014

I saw that too...I actually thought it might be a typo for 20-30.

fancefpp · March 2014

I agree with everything amy said. My son was evaluated by EI at 19 months and qualified for speech services because he only has about 10 words, if that. He started speech at 22 months or so and between that time and now his speech has exploded! He easily has 300 words and talks in full sentences.

I'm not sure if it was the EI or just his own development, but I'm glad we didn't wait. He had a six month review and he's at or above in speech development now. He's a little hard to understand, so we are working on that now. His 1 year review is coming up and I'm really curious to see if he will qualify again.

Cherryblossoms07 · March 2014

I had DS evaluated at two years. He had no countable words (mom and dad didn't count) when I called EI on his birthday. By the time of his evaluation he had probably 10 countable words; he didn't qualify for therapy. He had/has no problem with understanding speech; expressive speech is his only delay. In order to qualify on only an expressive delay the expressive delay had to be severe, 10 words was not severe. Every state will differ, but this was the standard for both states that I have dealt with. I would not be overly concerned in your child's case. However, I would probably contact EI just to ease my worries if I had any concerns.

Mrs.Greg · March 2014

There's no way it can be 200-300 by 2 years old. My babies are 2y 8m and have a crap ton of words now. But right at 2 years, not even close to as many words.

MooOink · March 2014

DS has 200 words and he's 20 months old, but that's just his thing. He's not especially athletic or rythmic haha he's just very smart. But, to the point of this post, his pedi says 50 words and 2 word sentences by 2 years old is what they typically look for.

vlagrl29 · March 2014

I always wonder how the heck anyone can count and remember how many words their LO says. Our last pediatrician said by 2.5 years old they know 20-30. I was so worried about DD, she would sign more than she would talk. The last 6 months though she has exploded with words. I don't know why I ever worried about it.

kcisthebombdotcom · March 2014

The rule of thumb is 50 words and 2 word phrases at two. If your child has less than that it's beneficial to set an evaluation. By the law of averages, 90% of kids who are delayed at two will be fully caught up (or close to it) at three. So yeah, when you read posts like these the majority will say their child is perfectly fine. For the other 10% the speech delay is due to an underlying learning disability and/or language disorder. There is a reason why ei exists as free or low cost in that age range--the brain is still very pliable under three and you can minimize the severity and save your kid from much more therapy at school age by acting early. With development it's always better to err on the side of caution because its a million times easier to fix a problem at two than 3+.

Cherryblossoms07 · March 2014

amy052006 said:
You keep track of how many words your kids have when they are in speech therapy -- it's not like you are making a brag book to impress people.

And now this post is sort of making me twitchy, only because just because someone's kid had a word explosion at two doesn't mean the OP's will. It's part of the problem with looking for advice on this topic on the internet as opposed to having a pedi who knows your kid and is well versed in development. Sure, lots of kids are fine waiting -- but lots aren't.

Also, EI qualifications vary by state. "My kid had X words and didn't qualify" is irrelevant -- the formulas are all over the place. Not to mention, not qualifying for EI doesn't mean your kid isn't delayed -- it means they don't have enough of a delay to qualify for free support. Depending on where you live, that doesn't necessarily mean there still isn't an issue.

Now I am one of those doom and gloom moms from the internet, I suppose. But it's true. If you are worried it's just better to broach the topic with someone who knows your kid or who can evaluate them.

I think everyone here knows everything you mentioned. It didn't seem like op was really concerned about her own kid and was more shocked by the article. Everyone was just offering their own experiences. If she had worded it differently, and sounded more concerned. I guarantee you that the responses would have been different.

MooOink · March 2014

Diapers&Wipes said:

MooOink said:
DS has 200 words and he's 20 months old, but that's just his thing. He's not especially athletic or rythmic haha he's just very smart. But, to the point of this post, his pedi says 50 words and 2 word sentences by 2 years old is what they typically look for.
Not to nitpick----he's very verbal. He may also be smart but his word count does not indicate he is smart, just very verbal.

lol I understand the difference, I'm not hear to "brag" so I didn't list all of the ways he shows he's smart. My point was, he's very smart that's his "thing." As opposed to some of his buddies who are already super strong and coordinated, or who are very musical, etc. But he is smart, not just verbal. Can count to almost 10, identifies 6 colors, etc. But those are also some of his words. Again, I seriously wasn't trying to make it about my DS. Just saying, the amount OP mentioned by 2 does happen for some, but also what my pedi suggested as typical.

MooOink · March 2014

Also, can't edit. Typo: Here not hear. My bad.

kcisthebombdotcom · March 2014

Being proactive with speech delays is me and amynumber's unity horse.
Also not to nitpick but being verbal and knowing rote memorization stuff is not any reliable indicator of intelligence in a young child though it is a common misperception. Of course some toddlers who are very bright are verbal at a young age but there are plenty of kids who are very bright but don't become verbal until later. In developmental assessments and iq testing it's more about cognition which often manifest in problem solving skills unrelated to language acquisition.

notkateanymore · March 2014

MooOink said:

DS has 200 words and he's 20 months old, but that's just his thing. He's not especially athletic or rythmic haha he's just very smart. But, to the point of this post, his pedi says 50 words and 2 word sentences by 2 years old is what they typically look for.
Not to nitpick----he's very verbal. He may also be smart but his word count does not indicate he is smart, just very verbal.
lol I understand the difference, I'm not hear to "brag" so I didn't list all of the ways he shows he's smart. My point was, he's very smart that's his "thing." As opposed to some of his buddies who are already super strong and coordinated, or who are very musical, etc. But he is smart, not just verbal. Can count to almost 10, identifies 6 colors, etc. But those are also some of his words. Again, I seriously wasn't trying to make it about my DS. Just saying, the amount OP mentioned by 2 does happen for some, but also what my pedi suggested as typical.

LOL But you just had to come back and respond with all the ways he's smart...yep, not making it about him at all.

PrimRoseMama · March 2014

MooOink said:
DS has 200 words and he's 20 months old, but that's just his thing. He's not especially athletic or rythmic haha he's just very smart. But, to the point of this post, his pedi says 50 words and 2 word sentences by 2 years old is what they typically look for.

FYI not having lots of words does not equal stupid.

LoriLee14 · March 2014

raises hand...... what is El. I have only heard about it on the bump but never in real life. I don't know anyone that got their preschool child tested.

MooOink · March 2014

Diapers&Wipes said:

CabbageCabbage said:
I don't @MooOink ever insinuated that less verbal kids weren't smart.

I don't think she did either. I was just trying to clarify. I *personally* used to think verbal automatically equals smart. It doesn't. I was trying to point that piece out. .

I know you didn't, unfortunately your clarification has opened the door for people to assume that I meant the worst by it.

I absolutely do not mean that being non verbal means not being smart, and I also understand that being verbal is not an indicator for being smart.

People don't always post with bad intentions.

abs05 · March 2014

MooOink said:

DS has 200 words and he's 20 months old, but that's just his thing. He's not especially athletic or rythmic haha he's just very smart. But, to the point of this post, his pedi says 50 words and 2 word sentences by 2 years old is what they typically look for.
Not to nitpick----he's very verbal. He may also be smart but his word count does not indicate he is smart, just very verbal.
lol I understand the difference, I'm not hear to "brag" so I didn't list all of the ways he shows he's smart. My point was, he's very smart that's his "thing." As opposed to some of his buddies who are already super strong and coordinated, or who are very musical, etc. But he is smart, not just verbal. Can count to almost 10, identifies 6 colors, etc. But those are also some of his words. Again, I seriously wasn't trying to make it about my DS. Just saying, the amount OP mentioned by 2 does happen for some, but also what my pedi suggested as typical.

Ugh. Really? Huge side eye. None of that means he is super smart, sorry. Verbal and good at memorizing things? Yes. A genius? Way too soon to tell. He very well may be, but your list is obnoxious.

dizzycooks · March 2014

MooOink said:

DS has 200 words and he's 20 months old, but that's just his thing. He's not especially athletic or rythmic haha he's just very smart. But, to the point of this post, his pedi says 50 words and 2 word sentences by 2 years old is what they typically look for.
Not to nitpick----he's very verbal. He may also be smart but his word count does not indicate he is smart, just very verbal.
lol I understand the difference, I'm not hear to "brag" so I didn't list all of the ways he shows he's smart. My point was, he's very smart that's his "thing." As opposed to some of his buddies who are already super strong and coordinated, or who are very musical, etc. But he is smart, not just verbal. Can count to almost 10, identifies 6 colors, etc. But those are also some of his words. Again, I seriously wasn't trying to make it about my DS. Just saying, the amount OP mentioned by 2 does happen for some, but also what my pedi suggested as typical.

and I'm going to try not to take it as you bragging. IMO, my dd is incredibly smart, well behaved and amazing, I'm sure everyone thinks that about their kid. Her not talking does not make her any less smart, that's not the point of my post. @kimbus22, while I'm not panicked, I am concerned. I am curious about these clinics that have 30month well checks too. We don't go back until she's three which is part of my concern I guess, there's not a midpoint check in. And in the words of DH, if dada and mama don't count, then she really is screwed

ariel06 · March 2014

I would probably do the EI qualification just for piece of mind. It took us about 6 weeks from the point of calling to get through the testing and get a plan worked up. DS2 loved all the extra one on one attention and has made huge progress. I think all of the under 3 stuff in MN can be in your house.

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