My toddler isn't talking yet!?

Question

I have a son that is 17 months old. The doc says at this age he is suppose to be saying atleast five words. He doesn't say any. He says "da da da" when I encourage him to talk. The doc is setting him up for an appointment to have his hearing checked. I think he can hear fine b/c he comes when I call him and he dances to music. He even mimics sounds, but not really words.
So my question is, should I be worried?
And is there any other mommies out there with a child who didn't speak right away?
thank you

Answer 1

Every child develops at different time.Some can speak,walk,eat by themselves etc early,others need much more time.
You have no reason to worry,he will talk when he wants to,when he is ready,not when the doctor says.

Answer 2

I'm not a mommy.. but I have a 25 month old nephew. He talks a blue streak now! But he wasn't talking a whole lot until about 1-1/2 yrs maybe. I know my sister was concerned and the doctor told her he should have a vocabulary of about 200 words by the time he was 2. Well, he definitely knows an awful lot of words now! He might just be coming into his own. I would not be overly concerned. All children develop skills at a different age/time. Some walk at 10 months, some walk at 14 months. Who's to say what is right. It's good that the doctor is taking precautions though. You want to be sure everything is okay with your child. If something needs correcting or attention, beter now than later. But I wouldn't be overly concerned.

Answer 3

give the boy a break please. get him tested but as you say I bet he can hear just fine. He is making the sounds that is good. My youngest son did not talk for so long we were worried. he hardly ever made any sounds yet the doctors said that nothing was wrong and he responded to our voices and danced to music and every thing. When he was 2 he started talking, not baby talk not a word or two, he talked. he did not have complete adult sentences but they were baby sentences he could string words together enough to let us know what he wanted. He just talked out of the blue. We were in shock but apparently he just didn't feel the need to try it until he knew he had it right. My point is every child is different, if nothing is wrong let the child develope at their own pace. BTW my son is a college professor today so I suppose he turned out OK.

Answer 4

LISTEN to your doctor! My second born was EXACTLY like that. I pushed it off because her big sis was always talking for her. She would make grunts and point and had a vocabulary of about 10 words by age 2. She just turned 5 and is in intensive speech therapy(5 days a week, for at least an hour per day). She has 8 identified speech delays. The earlier you catch these things the better. We did have a hearing test done with my daughter as well... but that came back normal. They were worried about the Quality of hearing for my daughter. Sometimes kids can hear.. but it may sound muffled or distant (kind of like your underwater. You can hear tones..but that is about it. Hearing can be damaged by ear aches or infections..(has your son had any??) It may be nothing other than he just doesn't want to talk but I would be concerned so that your child isn't lagging behind later. What really threw me off with my daughter is that she is just now in kindergarten, but is doing things at a first and second grade level. She is VERY smart... but her speech is now holding her back from accelerating at the pace she could be going at with full clear speech. I would do the testing and get your son into a speech therapist as soon as possible to help move him along. It may be nothing... but then again it may help by leaps and bounds in the long run. I would better be safe than sorry! if you need someone to talk to further about this... please email me! I can tell you about the tests.. procedures ect! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 5

My son didn't say much at all at about the same age. The doctor at that point said to me that he should say 5+ words as his 2nd birthday approached...and by that time he was saying full sentences. One day it just clicked. My guess is that the same thing will happen to your son. I don't think 5 words at 17 months is indicative of a problem. But if your doctor wants to check his hearing, go ahead and do so. If there IS a problem (I'm betting not) it's much better to catch that early. I knew someone who's kid didn't talk for years -- literally -- and it wasn't 'till the boy was something like 5 before the parents checked out his hearing... and it turns out that was basically the problem!

Answer 6

Every child is different, and the toddler numbers are just an average of whatever study they came from. When your son is ready to talk, he will. You describe him in such a way that there is nothing wrong with his hearing or vocalizing, he's just not ready to. My little brother didn't talk until he was almost 3, and now 40 years later, we STILL can't shut him up. I honestly think you are just overly worried by what some standard test reads for the national average of which ever kids they surveyed. Your child sounds fine, just keep talking to him in non-baby talk, and he will suddenly pick it up. Hang in there Mom, just wait until he goes a week surviving on a cracker and a grape and you freak out. (That's normal too, then they eat like a horse for a week.)

Answer 7

My daughter didn't have any words until age 2. It took FOREVER for her to speak. But she could follow directions just fine. So...I taught her to sign using the baby signs book. At right around 2 she started talking very nearly overnight and with excellent diction. So no worries...he's just on a different schedule then your doctor thinks he should be. I would have his hearing checked all the same. Children can be AMAZING at compensating for what they don't have. Then you'll be assured that it's merely a different developmental pace and not a physical problem.

Answer 8

He mimics sounds and dances to music. Good signs. Listen to Dr and test him but don't worry too much. Your Dr probably isn't overly worried either, it's just better to check just in case. If it was a hearing or ear problem you would need to start working with him right away. If it's not, lucky you. Sit back and you won't have to worry. You will already know it isn't a serious problem.

Answer 9

My son is now 20 months old, and is just now saying about 7-10 words. First they checked his hearing, it was fine. Then one day when I was brushing his teeth, I noticed that skin that connects upper lip to gum. It was wide and thick. He had to have surgery for it, and now he tries to talk more. The doc said that it was pulling his lip so tight to his gum it was uncomfortable to eat or try to talk. Maybe you should take a look at your childs lip. Good luck.

Answer 10

Don't get stressed yet every child develops at a different pace. If you are really concerned contact you local First Steps they can give you a evaluation for free or close to free. They are very knowledgeable and if your child does not have delay they can at least give you some tips on what you can do to encourage vocabulary.