my son isnt talking yet?

Question

my son is 18 months and he still isnt saying alot of words.should i be worried?

Answer 1

Firstly, if your child is saying a few words, it's ok.

Secondly, what type of influence does your child have? Does he/she spend time around other toddlers or kids? They tend to learn much quicker when influenced by their peers or other kids.

Is your child around persons that speak slang, different languages or speak unclearly? This could confuse a child and hinder their speech. What is his/her surroundings like?

I have a 17 month old and she says words sometimes I don't even know where she gets it from...Toddlers speak in their own time and girls tend to speak much quicker than boys.

Take your child to his/her pedeatrician to make sure there isn't some other underlying problem.

I don't think it's nothing to worry about so just continue talking (Clearly & plainly) to your child without the baby talk...eg. ga-ga goo-goo and in time you will have a most talkative child.

Answer 2

Usually around age 2 if they are not talking is when your Dr. starts to become concerned!! And you have a boy and they usually take a little longer than a girl!!
But you are right to be concerned.. If he is not speaking more than what he is now a couple of months after his second birthday then I would take him to get a hearing test and a check up with a specialist!!

My now 4 year old son was delayed with his talking and I took him to an ENT for a full examine(he has allergies) he passed his hearing test no problem but when he was examined the Dr. discovered that his tonsils were so enlarged that they were almost touching one another!!!
This is a child that has never had a throat infection and his regular Dr. never mentioned the enlarged tonsils...
He had his tonsils removed and once they were healed he began to speak more.. But because of the delay he is now and has been going to speech therapy!!
I was told that due to the enlarged tonsils he was unable to pronounce his words correctly and would either just mumble or not bother to speak at all because no one could understand him!!
It's worth getting checked out just to be on the safe side!!
But wait until after his 2nd birthday!!

Answer 3

no not yet. As long as he says something I wouldn't worry. My son was sent to a speech therapist at 18 months because he wasn't talking much either. It was pointless. He just didn't have anything to say. I guess it was when he was about 2 to 2 and a half before he started talking a lot. He just woke up one day and started talking and the little guy hasn't stopped since.

Don't worry yet. If he hits around 3 and isn't saying much still then you should worry. For now go with it and talk to him as much as you can. He will pick it up and talk when he is ready.

Good luck and happy parenting.

Answer 4

It's not a problem at this stage! 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.

I have three children. My first didn't speak (well, he did vocalize "mama" and "dada"), but only 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 too much. Remember that 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!

Answer 5

No. I have a 21 month old in my room at work, he doesn't talk alot, just a few words
If you talk alot around your son normally (not baby talk) he will eventually pick up words. That's how they learn.
Also I have a friend whose son wasn't talking much at 2 1/2 (he's now 11) he learned at his own pace. They were concerned, but the dr said there was nothing wrong and soon after he started talking. So just relax, he will talk when he's ready. Good luck!

Answer 6

Doctors usually wait unil 2 to evaluate a child that is not speaking.

In the mean time:

Read often and point out pictures
Ask him what he sees or likes
Use simple sentences and common words repeatedly throughout th day
Speak slowly and clearly
Run an all day commentary on daily activities
Point and name body parts as you dress an bathe
Find things that interest him. He'll learn those the easiest.

Don't correct him when he tries or it'll set him back

Answer 7

Yes.. At the age of 18 months child should have speech.. Did you know that 1 in 166 kids have autism.. and it usually shows up at the age of 12-18 months old? I'd schedule an appt with the doc and have him send you to the speech pathologist

Answer 8

all kids learn at different ages.. i didnt start talking till i was almost 3.. yeah i know its late.. but i dont have a speech problem or anything.. my mom actually jokes around about how i talk TOO much now.. btw im 20. .
i wouldnt worry too much... i work with kids and some 18 months will talk a storm while others are just saying a few
kids learn at their own pace and it dosnt mean anything about their intellgience at all!!!!
wait a bit.. if ur really worried.. ask ur doctor

Answer 9

no dont worry they all develop at different times hes saying some words so thats good my child didnt say alot of words when she was 2 and a half i was very worried and spoke to my dr who told me to wait a little longer by the time she was 3 and started going nursery she picked up straight away but she was 3 months premature but still slow at talking by the time your son his 2 he will be speaking alot so dont wory and good luck

Answer 10

My son wasn't talking at all at 18 months. He turned 2 in May and since then he hasn't stopped. If you're worried about it then talk to his doctor.