my son is 20 months old and he harly talk he says aboutt 15 words. hes a healthy he plays and eats and sleeps, adn plays with other children just fine. he just doesnt talk and when he does decide to say something he whispers it. so i tried to read to him slower and when i talk to him i talk a bit slower. he can understand everything i say to him, he just doesnt talk. any ideas on what is going on here or what i should do?
2006-07-28 15:13:00 · 22 answers · asked by littlemomma 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
Best to ask your doctor, but my 18 month old just had her check up and says a lot less then your son does and my doctor said it is normal.
Is you son very physical? My daughter is all about moving and everything and the doctor says that can cause them to be slower verbally, but she has caught onto simple baby signs in no time. I taught her food and drink in one night. My doctor told me to work with her with baby signs because my daughter is more physical then verbal.
It is normal, I wish my daughter would whisper, she yells a LOT, but she is slowly getting quieter.
:-)
2006-07-28 15:33:15 · answer #1 · answered by Crazy Mama 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
There is no right time for kids to begin speaking or how much they do.
Your doing the right thing and speaking and reading slower. Don't use BABY TALK. Speak to him as you would to others. Just not large words. Then your child will learn to speak with character. He will not whisper he'll scream when excited or quiet when upset. So on and so on.
Your child is just learning how to tell stories in a whisper and then he'll be so loud you'll wish he'll be in the whisper mode!! LOL
Keep reading and speaking to him. Then he'll be a big Jabber mouth kid like the rest of them.
He also might just be a little shy about speaking. He's young and reseliant.
I hope this helps!
2006-07-29 14:37:45 · answer #2 · answered by bigmama_8099 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't "force" a child to use words. We are in some ways pre-programmed to speak at a certain age, and kids to speak later often catch up (or even somtimes surpass) kids who speak early. If your child isn't talking at 18 months, try teaching sign language so that he/she can communicate with you without using words. Sign language is an actual language, btw, and recognized as such around the world.
I have three children. My first didn't speak (well, he did vocalize "mama" and "dada"), but he did communicate by grunting and pointing... UNTIL HE WAS TWO!! The day after his second bday, he busted out with the word "happy", and then it was like the floodgates opened. Within three months, I had people commenting to me on how incredibly articulate he was, and no one would believe that he hadn't been speaking only a few months before. My second started verbalizing recognizable words at 7 or 8 months, so she was actually earlier than normal. And my third grunted and pointed and didn't say any words except "mama" or "dada" until about 20 months of age, and now, 6 months later, she is the most advanced speaker at her age of all my children.
My brother was like this too... he didn't talk until he was about three years old, then one day, out of the blue, asked my mom for a cookie and a glass of milk using a complete sentence. My mom just about keeled over! :-)
So just keep modeling good language, because children learn language by hearing language, and don't dumb it down or slow it down. You say he obviously understands... that means he is learning! Listening is a language skill too... a passive rather than an active one, but it is language nonetheless. So he IS getting it!
Now, if a child isn't interactive at all, see your doctor, because lack of interaction is one sign of autism... but there's more to that, so you have to see a trained professional. Also see a doctor if the child starts to speak and then stops. But other than that, just keep talking and let your child develop as he is meant to! And have fun... these ages are SOOO precious!
2006-07-29 10:57:02 · answer #3 · answered by Stacy K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your really concerned about his speach take him to WIC (Woman, Infants, and Children). They gave my son an evaluation and said that if he wasn't speaking 3 words by 18 months to take him into a specialist. My son is 19 months and says about 10 words. So I would say that he is just fine. I read to my son a lot. He loves it. I would say just read to him a lot, talk to him about what your doing when you change diapers, go to the store, make supper, and everyday things. At first I felt silly talking to my son, but now I don't care what people think. At least I'm not talking to myself. I am trying to teach him everything I know. And if anyone (like at the store) says anything, just say your teaching him, or playing a game. Or just ignore them, it's none of thier business.
My son listens well, and follows easy directions, he plays good with other kids, and he seems so smart. I think that our kids are very similar. I wouldn't worry to much about it. Just keep on eye on him and see if he improves. If it's still this way in a year then i would go get help from a speach therapist that deals with infants.
Good luck
2006-07-29 00:28:44 · answer #4 · answered by singlemom 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are several possible explanations. For one thing, he might just be comfortable not talking, as some kids are. My husband's cousin is four and he hardly talks at all and there is nothing wrong with him. However, I also knew a girl who was about two and could not say almost anything and it turned out she could hardly hear (might explain the whispering - does he get the words right?) If in doubt, have a doc to check for possible problems.
2006-07-28 22:19:15 · answer #5 · answered by marrionnetta 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That sounds fine, right on his birthday, I'm sure he will amaze you with what he can say- it seems to happen just overnight. Try sign-language too for him to communicate with you. I personally don't like whinning, and my babies are signing 2-3 things when they are about 9 mo. old. (please, all done, and more). He probably doesn't have older siblings either, and mabbee other 20 month olds do. I wouldn't worry to much at all. He will be talking soon enough, and then he will be talking all the time.
2006-07-29 07:39:52 · answer #6 · answered by Miss America 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Every kid is different. But I personally think that, that is a little slow. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with your child. I would just try working with him every day on a new word. Boys are a little slower. It time.
2006-07-28 22:55:46 · answer #7 · answered by kristen 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It purely depends on the sorroundings. If you speak a lot to your baby then it will start talking - baby talk even in 18 months. If your neighbours, your relatives, and if the baby has an elder then it may speak fluently at the age of 18 months. If no one speaks to it then it may take 36 months to even 72 months to speak fluently.
2006-07-28 22:19:29 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
One thing to think about - when he wants something do you let him vocalize it or do you start playing 20 questions when he grunts or points (do you want the toy...the cup...some pizza)? One of my girlfriends ended up getting a speech therapist for her daughter because she was not talking very much and the therapist determined that it was because my girlfriend basically wouldn't let her get any words out!
However, there are lots of kids who are late-talkers. If you have concerns, talk to your pediatrician.
2006-07-28 22:31:13 · answer #9 · answered by Andrea F 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well some kids develop slower or faster than others, just give him time. Usually it's around 2 yyears old though, so you have 4 months to go. :P
2006-07-28 22:26:09 · answer #10 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋