My 2 year old is not talking at all, help??

Question

My daughter will not say a word, the only thing she says is "mom", she does babble a bit but not much, I brought her to a speech pathologist in a nearby city and am waiting for services in the small Northern Ontario town which I live. I have taught her some sign language as per the speech path's request and my daughter loves to sign the 20 or so signs that I have taught her, my problem is that I do not want her to sign I want her to talk. I read to her constantly and I talk to her all day long, we have Baby Einstien videos as well as Baby Bumble Bee action words, nothing seems to help. SHe is a very smart girl, she understands everything I tell her or ask her to do, and her hearing is fine, I am at my wits end, please help. Will my duaghter ever talk? I worry that becuase her speech is so delayed that she will suffer in school and in play groups. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

My 3 yr. old son didn't talk either. We did sign language for about a year (he still uses it sometimes). Every time I signed I said the words too. He speaks much better now with speech therapy. Don't worry about using sign language, at least she isn't getting frustrated by not being able to get her thoughts across. I read somewhere that sign language is really good for toddlers to learn ( I wish I could remember where!)

If you are waiting for services, maybe you could call the speech therapist and and ask what you can do to help your daughter until services start.

Don't push too much on her. If she understands you, half the battle is won. Her hearing is fine, so that's also another battle won. My son had a vocabulary of 5 words at 18 months and now he can keep up with his step-brother and his cousins. He's still a bit behind but all of the kids in our playgroup can understand him as well as most of the moms.

I thought the same things when my son was 18 months old. Just keep doing what the speech pathologist says and try to make it as fun as you can.

Good luck....and it will get better. Just take a deep breath and just think, someday she'll be a chatterbox!

Answer 2

First of all, don't worry. You're doing great.

My son will be 3 in January and still isn't talking much. He won't use words to express himself at all. But if you tell him letters and numbers, he'll repeat them back to you. He also likes to do animal noises. He's like your daughter where you can tell he knows exactly what you're saying, very smart and attentive. You know they understand, it's just not being verbalized yet.

My husband had speech delay when he was little. He didn't talk much until he was 4 to 4.5. But I swear, at this point (he's 37) you couldn't shut the man up if you paid him to be quiet for 10 minutes. LOL I've also known him since high school. He was in Honors everything, and is in upper management in the company he works for. He's very smart and very articulate.

My pediatrician told me that as long as YOU as the mom can tell that she's absorbing and processing information, that's what they look for.

For what it's worth, my son also has gluten intolerance (celiac disease). When he went on the gluten-free diet, his personality evolved a bit. He went from being more interested in books than people, to being more interested in active games.

Take a look at the information page on celiac put out by the National Institutes of Health http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/

If that rings any bells there are a couple of really great message boards -

www.glutenfreeforum.com
www.celiacforums.com

But really, you're doing all the right things. I'm sure she'll start talking your ear off in no time.

Hugs,

Nancy

Answer 3

Don't stress, keep doing what you are doing, but I would suggest, cutting back on the sign language. My four year old who now jabbers nonstop to the point of talking in his sleep as well..he started talking before he was one year old, had an impressive word list for that age, then just after he turned one, NOTHING!.We were back at the very basics, mama, dada, dog..We did the sign language, and got into speech therapy just as he turned two. They put a brake on signing, and as a few months past with the therapy and reading at home, he started talking like he had been doing it all along. Therapy lasted a year, and by the time he was three he was speaking at a 5 year old level, according to the therapist. All I know is we spent alot of time worrying...now there are days, I would happily go back to "quiet". Each kid goes at there own pace, you daughter sounds like she's bright, once you start learning some of the tricks they use in speech therapy she'll probably be jabbering all the time. Good Luck!!

Answer 4

Don't freak out, my middle daughter was babbling at age two, now I cannot shut her up, she talks so much, and is very articulate with her word.s. My oldest daughter is autistic and just recently started to put sentences together.

For each child it depends. If putting your mind at ease happens by taking her to a speech pathologist, then by all means. Just don't think something is wrong if she is not talking up a storm by the second year.

Answer 5

I have known people who did not speak until they were 3 or 4, basically because they did not have anything important to say!

Sign language is risky. Studies have shown that they actually delay speech, as the kid doesn't think he or she has to speak in order to get what he or she wants. If you want to increase your daughter's vocabulary and willingness to speak, then say, "If you don't try to say it, you won't get to have it."

At the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, chief executive Kamini Gadhok feels it is not necessary for parents to do formal signing with their children if there is no identified risk of speech and language development: "We are concerned that the use of formal signing does not replace or take priority over the need for parents to talk to their children," she says. "Language should really be encouraged through a whole range of everyday activities." (http://www.parentscentre.gov.uk/familymatters/earlyyearsdevelopment/fadorfactbabysigning/)

The fact that she is able to communicate at all generally shows that she does not have something like Autism. I nannied for an autistic boy (3 years old) and the most communication he was able to do was point.

Answer 6

nicely i've got not got little ones, yet I babysit a sprint boy who had an identical project. He would not communicate, yet he understood you o.k.. He observed a speech therapist as quickly as a week, which helped plenty. additionally, that's significant make him communicate. whilst he factors and whines that he needs something, motivate him to assert what that's. it ought to be that your older son speaks for him or he in simple terms would not could communicate by way of fact he can get what he needs via pointing. he will probable combat you on it in the previous each little thing yet stand corporation. Make it interest, if he can enable you to already know what he needs with the aid of the day without whining, reward him. The little boy i understand is great now. He talks nicely and plenty. good success.

Answer 7

Please don't worry. I had two nephews who did not speak until they were 3 years old. They are now grown and doing very well. They had no problems in school. I think your doctor may have told you to use sign so you could have better communication with your child and probably doesn't realize it is causing you more stress. I have worked with children all of my adult life. (Mostly toddlers) I can tell you from my experience they all start speaking at different times. If she understands you, and I'm sure she does, eventually she will surprise you and then you will begin the world of "WHY".

Answer 8

When she babbles, repeat what she says.
Appear happy when doing so!
Talk her language for a while,
Then you babble back by repeating words!
eg:
baby ga ga ga ga ga
You ga ga ga ga ga

repeat many times!
Baby goo goo goo goo
You goo goo goo goo,
You goose goose goose goose

Try the individual sounds of the alphabet sometimes
Do not introduce too much at the beginning
Repeat, repeat repeat!

Answer 9

I can not tell the future so I can not tell you for sure that she will ever talk. However, My husband didn't talk until he was almost 3. My aunt didn't say a word until she was 2. So it is likely she will, she just hasn't yet.

Answer 10

Einstein didn't talk until he was 5. Then he started talking in complete sentences. Every child is different. My first child didn't really talk until she was 2 1/2