2 year old not talking much?

Question

I am worried my almost 2 year old son may not be talking as much as he should be. He says "hi" "bye" "mom" "daddy" "no" "look" "please" and a few other words both in english and spanish, he recognizes his favorite cartoon characters and always says "hi" and there name, he responds when his name is called and when he wants something he will take you by the hand and place your hand on what ever object it is he wants. He is very social and goes on and on forever but usually it is words I cannot understand. Should I be worried?

Also I've tried continuously to read him his favorite books, he always rips the book out of my hands and begins to "read" outloud to himself. He wants to do everything himself.

His motor skills are exceptional... he never really crawled went straight to walking and running. He is ALWAYS climbing on furniture with no help, loves to dance, enjoys being up and about rather then sitting still.

He is our only child.
I don't necessarily have a problem figuring out what he wants, he makes it well known like I said by taking you by the hand and placing it on whatever it is he wants (for example if he wants to play outside he will take your hand and walk you over to the door and place your hand on the doorknob and say "please")..
My question is... is this normal or should he be asking in full sentences by now. He will be turning 2 in February.

The words I listed are not the only words he says... they are though what he says most. He surprises me daily with new words and sometimes sentences.. just today he yelled out a "mom it's stuck!" first time ever...

Answer 1

From a Speech Language Pathology point of you 2 years is a critical period for language acquisition and thus it's sometimes nerve racking when they aren't speaking as much as they should. However, every child develops differently. My nephew didn't speack much at 2 years of age, but by 2 and half he was speaking in full sentences.
Don't compare him to other children, and also to girls as normally language develops much more rapidly in girls than boys.
In my opinion, I think you should continue talking to him as much as possible, play games with songs. Songs are great! Read a book to him every night and point and talk about the pictures and then if by 2 1/2 you don't feel comfortable with his language skills then, take him to a Speech Language Pathologist for screening. Hope this helps.

PS. with regard to the person that claims that children are delayed with bilingual speech.... that's a false myth and needs to spend some time attending a Speech Language class. It's better for children to learn as many languages as possible from an early age. If any problems were to happen, it wouldn't be language acquisition, it would be syntax which in the end they will always work out. My family is bilingual. My 18 month old tells me, "Mama shoes calle" to put on his shoes to go out... and it's pefectly normal. Good luck and keep in touch.

Answer 2

Is he your only or your youngest child? When my friends son was two years old he would point to things he wanted and grunt. But we knew he could say a few words. As he was the only child in a houseful of adults he didn't need to speak. So...whenever he wanted something we wouldn't let him have it until he said it, or at least made an attempt to pronounce the word. It wasn't very long before he was speaking in full sentences. I told my friend we'd probably be sorry when he finally decided to talk. Oh buddy was I right. He started speaking and he 'bout never shut up. Just try using a little pressure when he wants something and give him a little time and you'll know EXACTLY what he wants. Hang in there mom.

Answer 3

My question is....how are his motor skills? Does he walk, run and climb well? If so, he may be athletic (or physical) versus verbal. My daughter was an early talker and singer but not physically agile - she didn't walk til she turned 1 yr old. My son, on the other hand, was never good at singing or reading and still hates reading but is very athletic - he was running by 10 months and never bothered to crawl. He has an innate ability to fully understand sports and those things girls don't get. Hopefully, all is well. :)

Answer 4

I do see a little delay with the number of words he is using but there is usually a delay with bilingual children. It's confusing to an almost 2 year old and even older to understand that two totally different words have the same meaning. Because you have a bilingual family you might consider speech therapy but bilingual kids are usually caught up by first grade. It sounds like his development in the other areas are normal but a speech delay can be frustrating for a child who is developed everywhere but in speech. If you can get free speech therapy it would help but if you can't and he is in fact at normal developmental capacity for his age in every other area he will catch up on his own.

Answer 5

If you're concerned, then it's worth bringing up to your pediatrician or other health care provider. I worked in this field, and parents are the most reliable source for what's going on with their kids.

He's probably just fine; it sounds like he has a lot to say, he just doesn't know how to say it yet! And dealing with two languages can sometimes slow kids up—it's hard enough to navigate one language, let alone two!

Development happens on a continuum: Children stagnate here, make leaps and bounds there. But all kids should get a standardized developmental screen at every well-child visit.

Answer 6

i wouldn't worry to much. as long as he seems to understand you when you speak i would say he is right on target. my daughter is two and also an only child. she also preferred to drag us where she wanted something for a long time. if she wanted a drink she would drag us to the fridge and open it. point to the milk and say "please." i then would say, "oh you want milk? can you say milk? milk please." and try to coax her a little to talk. now she strings word together to make simple sentences, "milk please," "more cheese."it sounds like he needs just a little push. he like my daughter is probably used to all the adults jumping at his every need he may not have really had the chance to have to verbalize. remember all kids do things at different paces. mention this to your sons pediatrician at his next physical if it really bothers you. but i think he is fine.

Answer 7

Definitely No! Each kid has it own level or time of growing up. I have a cousin who was 4 years old and does not talk! She's 14 years old now and she talks like any normal kid and she's one of the top student of her class!

Answer 8

it really sounds like you child has no problem at all. Sounds like he is developing at a relatively normal rate. I wouldn't worry about autism at all. Your child is fine, just give him time, as well as yourself, to calm down.

Answer 9

he sounds fine to me, i have 2 girls and aboy i have noticed my boy didnt really talk till he was bout 3 yrs old and he was fine, he did the same things wiht books your boy does and if he reponds to his name and like tv and play happly eiht him slef and other i would say he is perfectly normal:)