my grandson is 18 months and does not say a word we are getting a little concern should we be?

Answer 1

Every child is different. It took a while for our first child to say anything other than "mamma".

Your grandson's pediatrician should be able to help answer your question.

Take care.

Answer 2

My daughter is 18 months old and I am having the same problem but the doctors reasure me that it is perfectly normal, and that she is right on track with all the other kids. Alot of the time also it depends if your grandson has any siblings. Usually if the child has older siblings their talking along with walking is delayed. A parent has all the time in the world to teach a baby how to talk and walk when it is there first child, but after that a parent dont have enought time, patience, or energy to teach a new baby the ropes. It generally takes a little longer. But dont worry too much Im sure the little guy will get there soon enough.

Answer 3

My son is 23 months and he was hardly saying anything at all at 18 months. Does your grandson at least make noises or sounds that are not necessarily words? For example:mmm, for milk. Can I ask you a question? Is your grandson really physical and is he good with gross/fine motor skills? If he seems behind in all areas than I would be concerned. If you are concerned than I would ask your daughter or son to ask your grandsons Pediatrician and to maybe have a consult with a Speech Pathologist. Does not hurt to check things out. Sometimes little kids are really good in one area at an early age and will develop late in another area. For example: he is good at motor skills and is not talking. Good luck. Does he seem to hear well? Does he respond to sounds in his environment? I would let his mom and dad ask their sons doctor. I would use words around him and read to him as well, which I'm sure that you do.

Answer 4

Cher,

At 18 months, it's a little early to panic about your grandson's speech development. You'd be amazed how much children understand before they are able to verbally communicate it. He will speak in his own time but if you want to help get the ball rolling, talk to your son or daughter about the possibility of introducing sign language -- infants' physical skills are far stronger than their verbal ones. Apparently long-term learning skills could benefit as a result of introducing sign.

BTW...
I don't think it likely that he may be suffering from a hearing problem as it would have been recognized by now with all the routine doctor's appointments and daily observation. What I will say about hearing loss is watch for ear infections (not uncommon at this age and typically brought on by colds). My father-in-law had an ear infection as a child that went untreated and lost all hearing in one ear as a result. His last ear operation was as recent as this year. He lovingly passed this caution onto us for his only grandchild, so I thought I'd share it with another caring grandparent!

Answer 5

I don't want to scare you, maybe he is just a late talker, however, it could be a sign of a Spectrum Disorder, such as autism, PDD-NOS or Asperger's Syndrome. Please look these up on the internet along with Sensory Integration Disorder and Auditory Processing Disorder. Also, have you had his hearing tested? I would highly recommend that you find a good pediatrician who will listen closely to your concerns and take them seriously. The doctor should have a test available in the office to see if your grandson is autistic. Do not let anyone tell you to "wait and see" if your heart tells you something is not right. Follow your gut because early intervention is key to helping these kids. Each ASD person exhibits different symptoms and to varying degrees of severity. No autistic person looks exactly like another and to look at them physically there doesn't appear to be anything wrong. Some of the things you might notice along with his not talking is unusual fixation on objects, unusual and unexplainable overreaction to sounds and/or lights, and physical repetitive motion, they also say these kids don't point, but I don't remember my son not pointing. Sometimes these kids show no fear and have less response to pain. Does the child appear deaf even though you know he can hear, at least to some degree? There are numerous symptoms and that makes it hard to diagnose. My son is 8 now and just got diagnosed this last spring when I finally had a caring and observant teacher back me up. My son's ped. just kept telling me he was fine and I was overreacting...and that I had to wait until he started school before we tested him!!! Please, early intervention is vital, especially if he's profoundly affected. Please, if your heart and your gut tells you something is wrong, don't let anyone tell you different or put you off. You and your grandson's parents know this child better than anyone and see him in lots of different settings. Good luck, my thoughts are with you! :o)

Answer 6

Every child is different. Did you talk to your pediatrician about it? I have a 2 year old and they say by 15 months-2 years, they learn 200 words. If I remember correctly, they should be saying at least 10 words by 18 months and between 18months - 2 years they learn up to 200. That is how fast they learn.

Did you have his hearing checked? My friend's child had a cleft palate (not outward but inward) in his mouth which left him unable to talk. They did not discover it until he was 15 months old. Does he have a history of ear infections, etc? I would talk to your pediatrician. It seems he should be talking by now but every child IS different. I would just rule out the other issues to be safe.

Answer 7

my daughter did not say a word until her 2nd birthday. before that, all she did was point and do some sign language. I was alarmed too because some people would tell us that it was time to take my daughter to the developmental pediatrician. so, anyway, we went on stimulating her. if she wanted something,we didn't give it to her right away. We would say the name of the object first, then give it. Then on her 2nd birthday, she suddenly talked. I was so happy. And another thing, late talkers usually talk in sentences the minute they start. But then, again, when you're in doubt, consult your doctor. It won't hurt to get an opinion from a professional. :)

Answer 8

Have his hearing & etc. checked.

At 15 months, the infant continues to string vowel and consonant sounds together (gibberish) but may imbed real words within the gibberish. The infant may be able to say as many as ten different words.

At 18 months, a toddler can say nouns (ball, cup), names of special people, and a few action words/phrases. The infant adds gestures to her speech, and may be able to follow a two-step command ("Go to the bedroom and get the toy.")

At 2 years of age, the child can combine words, forming simple sentences like "Daddy go."

Answer 9

You should be a little concerned but has he had his hearing checked? Did he have a history of ear infections when he was an infant? Sometimes if there is a hearing loss of some kind it can delay speech. Also...does he have any older siblings that may do all the talking for him so he doesn't need to??

Answer 10

i personally didn't speak out loud until i was almost 3 years old..then i chose to speak only to my older sister..i think i nearly drove my parents bonkers.... then my grandson was almost 3 when he started talking now we can't get a word in edgewise... there are other things to be concerned about as well ... i have another grandson who didn't speak clearly enough to understand until he was about 5 years old ,,that was due to autism,,.. .. .. .. this lad is now in school and learning at a steady rate and he can communicate with anyone he so chooses ...thank you from blessed in canada.

Answer 11

Is he around other children a lot?? I know a friend of mine has a 2 year old that doesn't talk but they told her that since he has 3 brothers that they do the talking for him. He is seeing a specialist who works with him a few times a week. I would contact your local health department. They usually can direct you in the right place.

Good luck to you and your family.