My 2 1/2 yr old is an only child that very active but won't speak. What should I do?

Question

Is my child progressing normally. She is 2 1/2 years old. She started crawling and walking fast. Now, she's been at home mostly. She has been in daycare for over 1 year now. She says about 10 words. I worried because other kids her age speak more than she does. She still speaks in baby talk. I am stressing myself out. It's frustrating. I want to talk to her, but she won't even listen when I read to her. She understands what I am saying. She responds to me with yes or no answers. When I tell her to do something, she does it most of the time. I need help. I worry about her constantly. Her dad was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and she has the symptoms. I am not sure if that is affecting her speech and development.

Answer 1

I'm sure you're taking her in for regular check-ups by her pediatrician, so what did the doctor tell you about this? Either way, you may need a second opinion, including a hearing test. This is a very crucial time in speech and language development, so there is no time for delay.

I'm no expert, but the fact that she isn't interested in being read to is a huge red flag for me. It sounds as though she may have taught herself to read your body language, if not to lip read to some extent.

I agree that it's doubtful that ADHD would affect language development. She's old enough that this is a concern and should be seen by whatever specialists are required.

Good luck.

Answer 2

At 2 1/2 I would not be worried about your child not talking much... All children are different... I take care of 6 babies (I guess technically they aren't babies tho) who are very close to that age... One of them is nearly impossible to understand when he talks, I have absolutely no idea what he says 1/2 the time... One of them speaks better than some of the 4yr olds I take care of... One of them spends all her time dancing and moving around and if you try to pick her up, rather than asking to be put down she just wriggles until you get the point, and if she isnt happy, she makes an awful whining noise... Two of them hardly speak at all and use about 5-10 words... And finally, the last one, he can speak perfectly fine, but usually just choses not to, if you talk to him, he will answer you, but he prefers to just laugh and play and watch TV...

So as you can probably see from that, all children progress differently, and your child is absolutely normal in my opinion... Also, I'm not exactly sure how you would diagnose ADHD in a 2 1/2 year old... To me that just seems a little ridiculous, its good if your child has lots of energy and would rather run around than watch TV all day, isn't it? And I'm pretty sure out of all the babies I take care of, only one of them would let me read her a book...

I've also noticed that when the young children start coming to daycare, they don't speak much, but within a few weeks, they begin to talk a lot more... I think that's because they are around other children their age all day and they have to be able to communicate with them... They are also around older children (for a few hours of the day) who don't speak "baby-talk"...

Answer 3

Children only have a larger vocabulary if you talk with them often and read to them as well. Some are slower than others and learn at their own pace. It's not uncommon for an only child to start a little slower;but talk to her pediatrician . If you are spending a lot of time interacting with her and reading to her ;etc, then something else could be wrong . Has she had a hearing test ?I don't believe a toddler can be diagnosed with ADHD until school age .(If so-they'd all be diagnosed with it .) They are very active and all over the place at that age .

Answer 4

My son is the 5th child, he does not say much. I talked to my doctor. He recommended the birth-3yrs program. It is a program where they assess the child and see if there is a learning disability. If there is they will help you get started in programs just for you and your child. Hoping our children will learn to walk and talk, so we as parents can tell them to sit down and be quiet. A little humor goes along way. Good luck! A bit more on ADHD my oldest son has ADHD, he was walking and talking at a average age. I do not believe they have anything to do with each other. 2-3 yr old have alot of energy. Eat your protine bar, and smile

Answer 5

doctors won't diagnose ADHD until the kid's around 5. my son just turned 3 and he's getting ready for headstart this fall - speech problems and energetic, just like yours. rule #1! do not gauge you child's development by another child. it's not a race. some develop more quickly that do others. i suggest getting an opinion about her sleep habits and possibility of an iron deficiency. a sleep study may be needed. check the auditory system as well. we're right in the middle of this as well. there are those who know exactly what you're going through, ask around. bring up your concerns to the child's pediatrician and go from there.

Answer 6

Don't worry about it so much. She will talk when she is ready to. The big thing is that you know she understands you. Have you talked to her doctor? If her doctor is not worried about it why should you? I know it is frustrating with her not talking but my 5 year old did not really stop the baby talk until he was almost 3. He is just as advanced as all the other children his age. ADHD to my knowledge does not affect speech development.

Answer 7

If she can hear you don't worry about it till later. My 2 yr old is the same she has a heavy lisp which holds her speach back, her speech is there it just has probs getting out. If the problem is still there when she is closer to 4 take her to a speech pathologist that is when it will be a problem. As far as the reading goes....she's 2 there are so many more interesting things than anything at that age!

Answer 8

A couple of things...are you or have you used baby talk while talking to her? If so, you should stop and talk to her like an adult.

My son wasn't talking much at 2 and I was concerned myself. So I bought him the 18 disc box set of Baby Einstein about 2 months ago and he is talking a lot and is about 2 years and 4 months. It is expensive in stores but I was able to get it for about $60 on Ebay.

And discuss the possibility of ADHD with you doctor. Good luck.

Answer 9

My little girl had the same problem - she could understand me and would watch me closely(under my feet) and could do things when asked often after only watching me once. I found out later when she got older she found it very difficult to draw the words out of her head and would pause for a long time trying to remember the word. Once she began medication, Ritalin, she could pronounce her words better and the speach became a bit more fluent. She still has her problems speaking at times, she's now 12, but she is a good speller and reader.

Answer 10

My son is 2 1/2 and was diagnosed as just being delayed. Talk to your pediatrition about early intervention. You can have your daughter evaluated and they will see what kind of help she may need.
If you don't have medical insurance, call your town health department and see if they have anything run by the county that has an opening for you.