My sons still not talking, is he o.k?

Question

My son is 14 months and doesn't even really babble. He says mama when he is upset. He understands a lot of words, can point to his head and nose when asked, he also passed most of his physical milestones ahead of time. He just doesn't seem to show any interest in talking. I know he hears, I don't know how well but he does respond to his name.

Answer 1

Here is a good article on speech delay:

http://www.drgreene.com/21_785.html

From the source:

"Several warning signs along the way suggest that this powerful process may need some extra help. There may be no problem at all, but a child should definitely get a hearing and speech evaluation if any of the following applies (Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, Saunders 2000):


12 months no babbling or jargon
18 months no single words
24 months vocabulary of 10 words or less
30 months vocabulary of less than 100 words or no 2 word phrases
36 months vocabulary of less than 200 words, no sentences, clarity less than 50%
48 months vocabulary of less than 600 words, no complete sentences, clarity less than 80%"

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Hey there,

Some children take longer than others to start talking. As I have said to many people, each child is different in reaching milestones, but I would really get his hearing checked.

My own son is now 4 years old. The doctors told me he was deaf at 4 months of age and they told me what to expect.

They said that children with hearing loss would not show interest in talking at all unless you really push it on them. They use things like facial expression from you to figure out what you are talking about or meaning.

Im no doctor though, but I would get him to a doctor and get it seen about. The sooner a hearing loss is detected the better chances your child has to talk when he is an adult... at least thats what they told me.. :)

But honestly it could be a number of things...It could even be nothing at all besides he dont feel like talking yet lol :D

Answer 3

He is not really old enough to where you should be overly concerned. If you think something is wrong, you could always have him evaluated by a speech therapist. Speak with his pediatrician and ask if there are any free services offered by your state that can evaluate him at no cost to you. I live in Alabama and we have a service called Early Intervention where your child can be evaluated to see if there are any delays that can be identified. My daughter was evaluated and found to be right on track.
The important thing to realize is that every child is different. If he understands what you say then that is the most important thing. The words will eventually come. Good luck.

Answer 4

My son didn't say mommy or daddy "on time". Altho he did babble quite a bit, in fact he had his own language. So at the age of 2yrs he had in home speech therapy 30 min. every week for a year. Then he started pre-school for developmentally delayed at the local public schools. He has been there 2 years and is now entering kindergarten with no speech impediments whatsoever.
Don't forget to let your pediatrician know of your concerns on your next visit. That is what I did.

Answer 5

User p37ry is right on. There's nothing at all abnormal about a 14 month old who doesn't talk yet. The fact that he says "mama" means he's capable of speech, and the fact that he responds to what you're saying seems to imply he hears at least fairly well.

Obviously if you're at all worried about his hearing, have him checked out at his next appointment. As far as speech goes, he sounds right on target.

Answer 6

First, if your worried about his level of hearing, go see a child health nurse, and get a referral for a hearing check up.

Also, some children will focus on physical development over mental, or visa versa, for a period of time before switching.

Does he use a dummy? When a child has a dummy, they won't practice talking as much as they should.

Answer 7

Talk to his doctor. I'm sure you're still taking him in for check-ups on occasion.

If you're not sure how well he hears try testing his hearing. Make a noise (clap your hands loudly or something) behind him and see if he notices.

It could be the little guy is so busy learing everything else that he's just not interested in talking right now; but I'd still check things out just to make sure.

Answer 8

If you are really worried ask the doctor. You can also nudge him into speaking ... or atleast try to. Does he point to the things he wants? If so ask him what he wants. Don't tell him "Oh you want your bottle" when he points to his bottle. Ask him "What do you want?" and see if he responds. Don't totally frustrate him. He is only 14 months. Once he starts talking don't use baby talk with him. If he says "baba" because he wants his bottle, instead of saying "Oh you want your baba?" tell him "Oh you want your bottle". He will pick up on the correct word more quickly. Still give him his bottle, just also give him the correct word so he can continue to master his words...it's hard.

My sister didn't talk until she was 3...she hasn't shut up since.

Answer 9

I am sure he is okay, but there are so many tests can do now to determine things like hearing loss. Every child has their own pace, but I do know at 14months his engagement needs to be high with books, questions and learning. Good Luck, I am sure he is fine, but take him in for a hearing test if you are worried:)

Answer 10

some kids are like this my son is 2 years old and the same way. i talked to his doctor and she says it's fine. Some kids just don't have anything to say yet so therefore won't talk. Give it time read to him alot.