Possible speech issues?

Question

I thought my son's situation was pretty normal, and our doctor hasn't expressed any concern, but after reading some responses to other questions I'm starting to wonder.
My son's a few weeks short of 2 years old, and he isn't speaking very clearly yet. I've been paying attention lately--I'm not sure he's ever made an S sound, and I wonder if there's an impediment there.
He understands what we say, he signs, and he has a pretty big vocabulary overall. He'll even say "E" or "O" if he sees those letters. But he calls my husband "mom" [or by his first name! : )] even though he understands the distinction between us (maybe Ds are hard for him?), and when he says "more" it sounds more like "mem." When he says "spoon" it sounds like "baam." I'll talk to our doctor about it at his 2-year appt., but does it sound like there's much of a problem or not?

Can I choose more than one best answer? Different people's key points are really helping me out! Thanks very much to all of you who responded.

Answer 1

Your son's situation is within normal limits if he has a vocabulary of more than 40 or 50 words.
As for his speech (articulation of sounds) development, he is probably within the tolerance for what is considered to be normal. "s" is a much later-developing sound, and frequently is not mastered until about 7 years of age.
Because his vowels are a little off, he may benefit from a hearing test administered by an audiologist.
If it bothers you that he calls Dad by his first name, tell him that little boys call their dad "Daddy", and grown-ups call each other by their name.
The rule of thumb about intelligibility (the ability of others to understand him) is:
By age 2, adults should understand at least 1/2 of what the child says.
By age 3, 3/4 of what the child says.
By age 4, 100% of what the child says.
If it still bugs you, it won't hurt to have him evaluated by a pediatric speech pathologist.

Answer 2

At 2 years old a child should have around 30 words. They don't have to be clear, but should be understandable by strangers. A 2 year old should also behave a few 2 word phrases. You can have a free evaluation through the local early start program if you are concerned. Call the local school district to see if they do it, If not they will know who does. Doctor's are not really experts on development. They know about it, but usually take a relaxed attitude towards it. I can't tell you how many doctor's have told my clients families everything was fine when it wasn't

Answer 3

As long as he is trying to make words, there is no concern. If he was 4 and you where having this situation then there would be concerns. At 2 he is still forming and learning his vocabulary, so until a little later, words are funny sounding and not always "correct".

As for the not calling his father daddy or dada, what do you refer to him as? He might be following your example, if you are calling your husband "Mark" then he is seeing you do it, therefor he is doing it too. Maybe start calling him daddy a see if there is a change. As for him calling him mom, my son calls me daddy all the time. (I often think it is out of spite)

Answer 4

Totally normal...from what I know as a home daycare provider.

But, as I stress to all my parents, it never hurts to get a professional opinion about anything.

If you are truly concerned, ask your family doctor for a referral to a speech or hearing specialist. You'd rather know than keep on wondering.

Answer 5

Different children start at different levels.
Please don't compare....like potty training...each child chooses...and it depends on how much talking we do for them too.

If you are really concerned have his ears checked.
Has he had many ear infections? My son had to have tubes put
in and wow to the difference. He couldn't hear himself and the sounds were mixed.(again each child is different)

Your son could have a growth spurt and bingo it clicks

Best wishes...

Answer 6

my son is 20mths, and he is the same. he can say quite a bit of stuff, but a lot of it is stuff that only I know what he is saying lol. like for "milk" he says "meel" or "shoes" he says "doos". he calls everyone "mama" and he recently started calling me "ray ray" (my name is rachel, so my nephew calls me ray ray, and my son has heard him calling me that). sounds like your son is very normal. babies start talking at different ages. my son can talk better than my 2 1/2 nephew. so no worries!