My 22 month old daughter is not talking very much, is there anything that I can do to help her.?

Question

SHe will jabber and can say words such as baby, mommy, dada, she will occasionaly repeat something someone says, but she will not say things when asked what something is, or when told to say this.... My friends child which is the same age has a much more advanced vocabulary and will repeat anything you ask her too. My daughter is very smart and has no mental handicaps that are preventing her from talking.

Answer 1

The best thing you can do to help is to talk.... talk about everything. Talk about what you do during the day (like a narrator describing everything you see), talk about things when you go to stores (point out letters and objects of interest, naming their names for her). The more you talk about everything, the more words you give her. The more you describe and name objects, the larger vocabulary your daughter gets. The more you expand on what she does say, the more you help her get more words to use. You can also help ease frustration by teaching her sign language (check out babysigns.com) and make picture magnets of her favorite things to put on the fridge. I did these things for my daughter when she was about 12 months old, so that she would be able to communicate even before she had words. Now at 2 1/2, she speaks in 14 -16 word sentences. She is on the other end of the spectrum for what is "normal" for toddlers. The typical two year old should have between 250 and 600 words, and be able to speak in two word sentences. Right now, what is important to know is if she is understanding what you are saying to her. If you ask her to take something to the trash, can she respond appropriately and do what you ask? If you point out something, does she look towards it? If her receptive communication seems to be ok, then just work on talking about everything to build her vocabulary.

Answer 2

First go to your pediatrician with your concerns. If nothing physically wrong is found, there are other avenues you can follow.

One lesson I have learned is to NEVER compare my child's development to another's. Trust me,it will make you crazy! My daugter at 2 wasn't saying much either. A lot of jabbering as well. I called my local school district who put me in contact with Early Intervention (through the county in which I reside), this is a free service paid for through tax dollars. A social worker was sent to my home to inquire about my situation and fill out paperwork. An appointment was made with a speech pathologist and special ed teacher who both came to my home together. They played with and interacted with my daughter by playing games with her and asking questions. I was also asked questions about her development and circumstances surrounding my pregnancy. I was sent a written report of their findings and was told that my daughter's receptive and cognitive skills were very good and that the words would come. Had the circumstances been different, further evaluation and speech therapy services would be provided through the county. By the way, they weren't kidding...the words kept coming and coming and haven't stopped! She just started nursery school and in the 2 weeks since she's been attending, I've seen another dramatic increase in her vocabulary.

If you're concerned about your daughter's speech,take the necessary steps and have her evaluated. It's of no cost to you and will provide peace of mind. It sounds like your daughter is fine, what you descrbed is what my daughter was doing at that age.

Answer 3

Children learn to talk by repeating what they hear. Start reading to your child every day and when you go for a walk or even just around the house start telling her what things are. I started reading to my daughter when she was an infant and she was saying her first words at 6 months of age. When we went for our daily walk I would show her the tree, grass, cat, house, car, etc. Also, don't use baby talk to your child as this actually teaches them to say things wrong or talk baby talk themselves. Pronounce things correctly and give her all the practice she needs.
One more thing. Look under your daughters tongue and make sure that the flap of skin that holds the tongue to the floor of her mouth is not extended all the way to her teeth. This happens sometimes and it prevents the child from lifting their tongue up to properly form words. It happened with my niece and she had to have it snipped.

Answer 4

My nephew didn't start talking (real words) until he was 3 and a couple months. Before that he would just make nonsensical sounds. I never thought it was an issue.

My opinion: maybe she just doesn't have much to say.


On Benny Hill they had a clip where Benny played a baby in a playpen and the parents gave him a bowl of food. He threw the food and said 'Sheep Dip!'. The parents were surprised that he spoke, and asked why he didn't speak before.

His reply: The food has been good up to now.

Answer 5

I also had the same concerns about my daughter when she was around the same age. My doctor gave me the same advice as you are receiving about every child developing at her own rate, she'll talk when she's ready, etc. When she was almost three I finally felt we shouldn't wait anymore and contacted First Steps. First Steps is a free service available in my county that will evaluate your child's speech and hearing. I wish I had contacted them when I had initially had concerns. She is almost seven now and still in speech therapy. Don't wait as long as we did. If your child truly has a problem early intervention will help her tremendously. If she doesn't have a problem at least it will help to ease your mind. Good luck!

Answer 6

My daughter is 22 months old too, and doesnt talk very much either. I was kinda worried that she had some kind of hearing problem. I always used to whisper her name and see if she would turn around and look...lol. I took her to the doctor and he said that she's perfectly fine and some babies just dont have much to say and they will talk when their ready. If she doesnt start talking in a few months though go have her hearing checked, it cant hurt anything.

Answer 7

Toddlers develop at very different rates. More than likely, she will start talking A LOT more in the next couple of months. Make sure you are reading to her frequently, and talking to her in normal language (not baby talk). If you are still concerned, ask your doctor about it at her 2 year check-up. He can refer you to a speech pathologist if he thinks she needs a little help. There is absolutely nothing wrong in using speech therapy.

Answer 8

If you have a lot of concerns - call your local school which you are districted for. They can refer you to Early Intervention (a federally funded therapy provider for special services like speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy). They can do an intake evaluation based upon your concerns and let you know what they can do to help. In the meantime, read a lot to her, talk to her about what she is doing as she plays, use words to tell her what you are doing during the day (i.e., when you are fixing breakfast etc) give her words for her to listen to and make sense of what she is seeing.

Answer 9

Same thing happened with my neice. She barely said a word until she was almost 4. They had her tested for autism and everything. She just woke up one morning and started speaking in complete sentences. It was very scary for my brother and sister in law. She's now 7 and reading at a 5th grade level. Also you can't get her to shut up! If there are no underlying factors for her lack of speech, I'd say everything is in her own time. Just keep talking to her, teaching her, and encouraging her.

Answer 10

The best thing I can think of is not to reward her for things she wants unless she verbalizes. Pointing to a cookie won't get you a cookie, you have to say "cookie". Just say, "I'm sorry, tell me what you want. Say cookie." If she gets mad, too bad. If she walks off, fine, no cookie. If she says it, she gets a "good girl, you said the word, thank you!" and the cookie.

We have twins that are almost 3, when one started talking and the other didn't we didn't interact with him until he said the word, in about a month he was caught up and talking more than the other one. Kids aren't dumb! They do what they have to in order to get what they want. You have to raise the bar for them.