1 year old toddler cant speak a word?

Question

My kid is now 1 year and a month old. He cant speak a word. He can listen even a pin drop. I am very worried, maternity nurse said he will be ok. I have seen many kids who start talking even before the age of 1 year. He had DownSyndrome test but it came negative.

Please advise what should I do...

We have no elders to guide us here.

Thanks

He makes noise like dadadada every time

Answer 1

I'll be your son was an early walker and probably started getting around on his own by 11 months. right? It seems that infants fall into one of two categories; they either talk early, which means they can get people to do things for them, or they walk early, which means they can get around on their own.
Why did you have him tested for Down Syndrome? Does he have the facial configuration that is typical of Down syndrome?
You say he makes a sound like, "dadadada" - and that type of vocalization is the precursor to speach. Try spending more time talking to him -- dada, mama, milk or water - (which, in baby talk, would be mmm or wawa) and perhaps holding his favorite toy close to him and using the name of the toy.
Above all, be patient. If he's normal in other aspects, slow speaking ability isn't something to worry about. Some children don't start talking until they are around two -- but then they go like a house on fire and catch up with the early talkers.

Answer 2

do not worry every body learns at differnt rates
and i doubt the child can even walk yet
speaking is a lot harder mentaly than walking
only start to worry if it the child is around 3 years old and cant speak a word
there are other mental disabiliteis that make learning anything hard
example: Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD
very common it is a less sever form of ADHD
i myself have it and could not tiy my shoes or figured out how to use a toilet until i was about 5
there are some simple drug treaments to help with the problem and there are special programs at schools and even collages for people with this little disability
talk to the childs doctor if you are conserned and look into your family history ADD is a geneticly transmitted and may "skip" generations meaning you may have the gene for it but not be affected by it, then pass it on to the child and the child may be affected

hope this helps

Answer 3

Sounds a lot like my 22 mo old. We are having her evaluated for a speech services in a couple weeks. We already know she is delayed. What you described is exactly what she is doing she's just saying a few words. My 7 yr old also had a speech delay. She started speech class at 3 and was considered delayed until she was 6. She is still in a speech class. Have her speak with his doctor about getting an evaluation to at least make sure that speech is his only delay and that there are no issues causing a delay. The sooner the better when it comes to delays.

Answer 4

Don't worry too much at this point - he is still young and as long as he is making noises he should be just fine. In the meantime if it is an issue of not being able to communicate with him you could teach him sign language - babies can begin to learn it as young as 6 months and it does not hinder spoken language development at all, just simply helps the parent and child more effectively communicate in these toddler ages.
My 6 year old son has Asperger's Syndrome and did not talk until he was 3 years old and was severly inaudible when he did begin to speak - I began using sign language with him when he was just under 2 years old. I now have a 16 month old who talks like crazy, but i still have been using sign language with him practically since birth and he can sign a number of things to me.
It really makes it easier to know what they want/need! Good luck.

Answer 5

It’s only natural for you to worry about the fact that your child is one and still doesn’t speak, the doctor checked the child and said everything is fine, so take a deep breathe and relax. If the child still uses a pacifier try to cut the amount of time she/he uses it that can delay your child’s speech development.

When the child wants something and points instead of speaking in a calm voice tell the child you don’t understand what she/he wants and encourage the child to ask for it. Talk, talk, talk to the child they learn by example and the more you speak to him/her the more she will want to engage in conversation with you. Eating more solid foods also helps in developing speech the chewing movement and the tongue movement is a great tool for the child to begin talking.

And again relax all children are not the same they develop at their own rate.
Hope this helped

Daphne mother of a three year old

Answer 6

My daughter had almost no language at all until the age of 2. Since she had no words by 12 months, I bought the book "Baby Signs" and used it and taught her to sign. She could sign....more, all done, please, thank you, drink, etc. When she started to talk she acquired words at an alarming rate because she knew that things had names she just couldn't say them until she was a little older. She's six years old now and is more articulate than other children her age. So, I would say your son is fine. Teach him some signs to engage his brain and help him start learning the usefulness of communication and the associations of names and objects and the rest will come to him.

(My daughter only said dadadada for the longest time)

Answer 7

I just looked this up yesterday because I am concerned that my 2 year old nephew only knows 3 words.

You should talk to your pediatrician if your child does not speak 15 words by 18 months old, and speaks in at least 2 word sentences by 2 years old. One year is too early to worry. Just talk to and read to your child a LOT, and dont use baby talk. Speak to them like they are any other person, and when they babble, look them right in the eyes and respond as if you understood them. When they start talking, their words may not be perfect (like my daughter says "humma" instead of hungry) but like I said, if they arent speaking at least 15 words by 18 months old, there might be a developmental delay, and you should talk to your doc. Good luck. This site lists developmental milestones for a 12 month old, hope it helps! http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZU126UYDC&sub_cat=105

Answer 8

there is nothing wrong with your son. As long as he is babbling he will be fine. All children do not develop early. Most children babble for a long time before they start to use REAL words. If he gets past age 2 without speaking a real word, then I would start to be concerned. My friend's son was 3 before I spoke a word and he didn't even babble...he pointed and grunted or said things like "unh". So don't worry...and even then with her son, he still turned out okay. It turned out he had a slight speech impediment but he was still able to speak. he just had trouble with certain sounds and had to have speech therapy.

But that may or may not be the case with your son. Like I said, you shouldn't concern yourself with trying to "keep up" with other kids or even with the way you grew up...every child develops at their own rate. Give him time. If you guys talk to him like a big boy not using baby words and you read to him then he will start to pick up the words. And when you take him out, point to things and tell him what they are and explain what they do, as if he is a big boy....don't call his bottle (if he uses one) a bah-bah or his pacifier a binky or little cutesy words like that. Let him develop his own words for these things. Speak to him like a big kid and then he may want to learn to speak like you. If you're using baby words, that may be why he's still just babbling.

Answer 9

Talking like walking is a skill, babies develop at their own speed. He is still very young. Give him time. My daughter said Mama, dada, and hi at five months. My son was almost two before he formed clear words. He's now 18 and very verbal and debates everything!

If months pass without your son trying to verbalize you might want to investigate. Our local Easter Seals does free developmental screenings.

Answer 10

I read somewhere--I think it was Fisher-Price's site--that Winston Churchill started talking late. I've also heard tales of kids who wait till they're four and start talking in complete sentences. And it may be that your son is saying words but they just aren't comprehensible to you yet. When my son says "spoon," for instance, it sounds like "baam."
I'm not saying you shouldn't pay attention, but I don't think you need to panic yet. A year and a month is late, but not shockingly late.
Does your son babble? If you're certain he can hear, he's probably just figuring out how to put things together.