my daughter will not say words?

Question

we will sit with her and go through words with her and flash cards. e.g she will say quack for duck but not duck, she doesnt say many words anyway. She says hi, bye teeth but that is it, they are not clear either. She is 2 and a half

I have address this with my health visitor who has referred her to a speech therapist. Its just there waiting list is 6 months and was just trying to help her along the way

Answer 1

Give your daughter some time, she is really little, take her to the hospital to see if she has mental retardation, or bi polar. Test her. And if nothing is wrong, wait because she is little.

Answer 2

I am surprised that your Pediatrician has not instructed you to obtain a speech evaluation. Talk to your pediatrician and have them give you a referal to a doctor to get one, asap. This should have been addressed about a year ago. There are children who do start late...and be assured, that regardless of your title..your daughter is saying words. Words in general are categorized in memory. This is why your daughter associates the word 'quack' with the picture of a duck. More than likely your daughter KNOWS a lot more words than you think, especially if you get responses from her, in physical form, when you communicate with her. Such as, when you ask her if she would like a drink, she responds with a yes or no action. She knows what you are saying to her...there may be other reasons why she hasn't attempted verbal communication. Also, do you read to her on a regular basis? I'm not referring to the flash cards....usually children associate words with pictures and stories, not just the picture. It helps them categorize their words...such as animals, farm animals, forest animals, jungle animals, desert animals, water animals, etc. Point to words. Discuss things with her...talk to her often about everything (obviously, about things that are appropriate), even if she doesn't say anything back to you.

More than likely, after the speech evaluation, if you haven't had one aready, you will be assigned a speech therapist. You may have to pay for the therapist, but it is a very important investment.

There is also a support group through Berkley that I have given you a link to. There are verious topics that you can read about, from other parent postings, and you can discuss your issue, as well, with parents that have been in situations similar to yours.

Good luck....she just seems to be a slow starter. Have faith and keep up the hard work.

Answer 3

My niece was the same way. She was tested (for learning disabilities) and she is basically fine, she's just slow in her speech development as many children are. She is already making quick progress. Is your child in a day care program? My sister-in-law went through a state funded day care program for testing to help which makes the cost free for testing (for which I understand can be expensive). I don't know the name of the program but I know that my niece's pediatrician recommended it and had the information on it. If I were you, I would get testing done, if anything to put your mind at ease or know if there is a more long term problem you'll have to face with her. Knowing what you're up against is half the battle!

Answer 4

some children don't do the 'cat', 'ball', 'car', thing. My brother didn't he just came out with full sentences when he was almost three. Just read to her lots and try not to pressure her too much, I know you are worried but sometimes the more you want them to do something the less they want to do it. Give her some time and she will come around, I bet by the time her appointment comes around you won't be able to keep her quiet.
The health visitor is relying on text book info, and not all babies and children follow this 'text book' pattern. I know my little boy didn't do everything at the times the books said he should, sometimes he did things before and sometimes he did it after. I am sure she will be fine, she has loving sensible parents after all!

Answer 5

Have you told your gp or health visitor about your worries?
At that age I would expect to hear a child talking in sentences, or at least half formed sentences - even if the word pronunciation isnt great. I'd express concerns to the health visitor - but its probably nothing... All children develop speach at their own pace.... has your daughter needed to speak, really??
Does she point and get what she wants? - Some times its a combination of laziness and habit... if she points and gets there is no need for her to say the word is there?
I'd begin by trying to get her to ask for what she wants... eg encourage her to say drink before actually giving her one.
Its not uncommon for children to call animals by the sounds they make - you just need to emphasise the animals name instead of the sound - like if you pull the duck flash card... and she says 'quack' you need to sound upbeat and say 'Yes! A DUCK! and ducks say quack!' repeat the word duck, dont say she is wrong, because she isnt, she is recognising what the thing is. Eventually, she will pick up on what you repeat to her 'Thats a duck and ducks say quack' and she will differenciate the animal name from the sound it makes. It just takes repetition.
Its like a child who says bic-bic instead of biscuit... If a child pointed and said thats a bic-bic - i'd try to be positive and not say no thats not a bic bic thats a biscuit... I;d respond with 'Yes! well done, thats a BISCUIT' and just emphasise the correct word.
I;d also ask them to say 'biscuit' enunciating the sounds i make... but no matter how it sounded when the child repeated it. i'd still praise them and repeat and emphasise the word they were trying to say.
Just try to encourage your daughter to use words - try to make her attempt to say what she wants before giving it to her, and always ask questions as I am sure you do, such as 'whats that?' and emphasise your pronunciation of the words and praise any attempt she has at saying them - even if it sounds wrong, cos she is still trying and thats what deserves the praise :)

Answer 6

The obvious thing to consider first is her hearing. Presumably she has had all the routine checks but don't be fooled into thinking hearing loss will necessarily be picked up. Hearing loss was hereditory in my ex brother-in-laws family, he, his mother, and both his sisters had it. Clearly there was a reasonable chance my nephew would too, it still took my sister nearly 3 years to persuade doctors to take her concerns seriously and confirm what she had worked out very early on that his hearing was impaired.

Curiously my other nephew who is around your daughter's age also doesn't speak but in his case he suffers from autisitic spectrum disorder apparently.

Different children develop at different rates and this may just be normal for you daughter but if you have concerns contact your health visitor or other health care professional. It's best to put your mind at rest.

Answer 7

Wow...6 months is a LONG time to wait to see a speech therapist!

Anyway..my advice is not to show her pictures and flashcards of animals....get her out to the river/sea/canal...and get her to see them in real life.....kids learn more from normal conversation than they do by flash cards, so just chat to her all the time,,,if you walk past a blue bus, say "look at the blue bus"...and so on...sounds a little mad, but they learn more words that way!

Good luck!

Answer 8

my daughter is 28 months and she doesn't talk to well. she has many words she can say but she won't really say them and some of them don't come out right. the doctor told me that if she responds well with hearing then it has nothing to do with ears or inner ear for that matter. it might just be the child isn't ready to talk yet. some talk early and some are later. late talkers are common in my family so i'm not really worried. just give the child time and be patient. when the child is ready they will start. and believe me once they start they'll never be quiet.

Answer 9

if your really worried about it have her tested with a speech therapist. most school districts will do it for free. My son was the same way and now he is 5 and still has a speech problem but it has improved greatly. He is getting help several times a week with speech therapy through the school district.

Answer 10

Have you spoken to her pediatrician about this? Could be her hearing or a speech impediment. Ask the pedi if there is any cause for alarm and if intervention is needed. Or she just might not want to talk just yet and will surprise you suddenly with a major soliloquy one day that will not end until she's in college (well, it won't really end but she'll never be home for you to hear it).
Good luck and I hope all is well with your little girl.

Answer 11

Have you had regular contact with with your Health Visitor? Contact her at your local surgery or community clinic. She should either call on you or arrange an appointment where you can talk through your concerns. She can arrange referrals to other agencies if you both agree there are any concerns. At the very least she can put your mind at ease.