Help! My 20 month old won't speak and acts unusual!?

Question

My son will be 20 months old tommrow, he only says about 5 or 6 words but used to say about 10 or so. He also will not watch tv (not that it's a bad thing) and when he hears louder noises he plugs his ears. He has tubes so he should have any fluid, I just don't know what is wrong with him! Anyone have any advice??? Early Intervention has been out once about 2 months ago and said he's delayed but it's not that bad. I am VERY concerned! HELP!

For those who wanted more info....He really only plays with my 6 year old daughter...they play alright but he does like to play by himself...I have to be watching of course. He won't play in a room by himself usually. He likes to dance with me, and is obsessed with lights and how they work. He thinks it the coolest thing! He knows everything. I can tell him to bring me things and he does, he loves to give hugs and kisses, and seems to do most everything else a normal child his age would do. The speech really bothers me, and so does the whole ear plugging thing.

Answer 1

You need to take him to the pediatrician hun.The dr will be able to better help you than us on here.....Good Luck!

Answer 2

I don't want to alarm you and I would probably be upset if I was on the other end reading this but I'm trying to give you another outlook. My brother now 14 used to do the same thing and he is Autistic. Some children have a very bad case and some have a very mild case, in your situation this may and hopefully is not the case at all. My brother would not speak yet but a couple of words when he was around 2 years old. He was very intelligent in many other ways though, example spelling at the age of two he could spell better then a lot of other adults. He was very fascinated with lights, to the point where he would be a little too fascinated. Still to this day certain and load noises will bother him very much and he will cover his ears very quickly. My prayers are with you that it is just a phase that he is going through and I'm sure that everything will be fine, if you have any questions or want specifics please feel free to email me. [e-mail]. I'm not on the internet a lot so if you do email me and it takes a couple of days to contact you back don't think I'm ignoring you, I will get back to you.

Answer 3

Based solely on what you typed, it sounds like Autism. Speak to your Pediatrician or contact Early Intervention again. In the meantime, consider things that might be happening around him. New sibling? Recent move? Lost a favorite toy? Moved out of his crib or room? No more pacifier, bottle...etc? Is he sick/teething? When my daughter was about the same age, she suddenly stopped talking, went from a good 50 words to just being quiet. I totally thought it was autism. She suddenly became shy and not socializing well. Then when she started to talk, she was repeating everything funny--and I started asking my friends if that was normal, just didn't seem normal, but some kids do that. I did a lot of research on Autism and there are a lot of different variations, mild to severe. I honestly wasn't sure, so I was going to bring it up at her 2 yr appt. By that time, she was talking a storm and not in her funk anymore. Then I realized I just had a baby months earlier and we moved across the country right about the time it started. Turns out it was absolutely nothing, maybe a phase, or the stress from her baby brother and the move. Go with your instincts, if you feel something is wrong, seek help.

Answer 4

Does he respond when you speak to him? Does he look at you when you talk? If you ask him to go get something and bring it to you can he do that?
If he is understanding you but failing to speak, that's known as an expressive speech delay. But at 20 months I wouldn't sweat it. Some kids just talk later than others. Especially smart kids.

I have a three year old that can show you how to use Microsoft Word. Yep, at 3 he's talking about Microsoft applications and using the mouse. When he was 20 months old he wasn't saying squat. Autistic? No way. He never shuts up, either.

When you watch fireworks, there are always people that wear earplugs and little kids with their fingers in their ears. I had tubes in my ears when I was little. I almost jumped out of my skin today because a commercial on TV was too loud. Some people just don't like loud noises. But the sound of an electric guitar is fine with me, a leaf blower is torture, fireworks are fine but a loud TV almost kills me. Dislike of loud noises is not anything conclusive.

Is he your only child? Are you anticipating his needs and making it easy for him? All my first born had to do was look at the kitchen and I'd ask; are you hungry, thirsty, want crackers, want an apple, want to call Grandpa, want to play with blah blah blah... See what I mean? Are you jumping every time needs something?

I would also recommend that you learn some baby sign language. Teach him signs so he can communicate with you, express his needs and ease your mind. It's easy and they learn it very quickly, look here: http://www.tinyfingers.com/

I have a friend that is a speech therapist, she always talks about doing these things: Drinking thick liquids, like a milkshake, with a straw are good for developing his "talking" muscles.

If he has a pacifier, get rid of it asap.

If you are using sippy cups, change over the the ones with a straw not a spout.

Have him drink out of a variety of cups to exercise his facial muscles. Mugs, paper cups, etc.

Give him chewy things like raisins, Welch's fruit snacks to help build his facial muscles.

Buy a bubbles and have him blow bubbles every day. You want him to do it for as long as possible so buy LOTS of bubbles, mama.

Best of luck to you both.

Answer 5

Perhaps if you got a list of things he should be able to do at this age and then just practiced those things daily with him. Like a teacher would.

Don't worry that he isn't speaking a lot, some kids just sit back and soak everything up and then one day they go from saying nothing to winning grand prizes at speech and debate club! haha

Maybe pick one or two words a week and concentrate on making those words your focus with him. Adding one word a week is fine at his age.

Some things come naturally so we take them for granted as parents, but maybe your son just needs a little creative hand holding to get him over the first few developmental humps.

Don't be discouraged. Just be proactive and love him through it all. Finally! Get a second opinion from another Dr.

Answer 6

He may have a sensory sensitivity that makes it overwhelming or uncomfortable around sound. TV can be very overwhelming for a child who has a low tolerance for stimulation, and he may also not be interested in the television, since things in the real world are much more interesting to him. TV also doesn't usually make much sense for kids of that age, and the ones who DO watch TV usually do it for the pure sensory stimulation, which it sounds like your son doesn't like much.
Its also not unusual for toddlers to develop verbal skills at different rates, especially if they've had compromised hearing (or painful hearing!), which can be a problem with repeated ear infections. If that problem has been corrected, he should catch up.
A better test of his behavior is if he responds to you by making eye contact, mutual smiles, and finding ways to communicate when he doesn't have the words (like pointing or pulling on your hand). For now, enjoy his disinterest in TV and find ways to interact verbally with him in a calm and quiet environment.
If he continues to go backwards (lose words) or lose other skills that he has learned well, then you should be concerned. If his sensitivity continues and it gets in the way of his ability to live comfortably, you might request that your doctor refer you to an occupational therapist, who can help him integrate sensations and be less overwhelmed by them.
Good luck and don't worry!

Answer 7

Children grow in spurts, maybe he's inbetween one know.
Maybe socialising him a bit with other kids might help.

My son hates louds noices to so don't worry about the covering the ears bit.

I don't know what you mean by tubes.

If your really worried, try asking your docter for a hearing test. Maybe he's not hearing the entire register properly, something to do with the inner ear. I've known kids with hearing problems, that have caused speach problems before. It's fixable in most cases though. Better safe than sorry.



Since reading the extra info, I wanted to add to mine that it might just be normal. If he's letting his big sister talk for him and if he can get his fellings across in other ways, talking might not be a big priority at the moment for him.

My partner has two brothers (both normal), the older one talked for the other one for a long time and the younger of the two not at all. He did eventually decide to talk for himself, as I said he's normal and he's proberbly one of the smartest people I know!

Answer 8

You are involved with Early Intervention, so my guess is that you have spoken to a doctor about your concerns?

It's very possible that he is just a little delayed as the EI people said. My son didn't really speak until he was a little under three, and now he's a chatty little guy. But if you are still very concerned, speak with a doctor and express your concerns. You are your son's primary advocate and if you're worried, then push for answers.

Answer 9

well, as far as the speech goes, boys generally take a lot longer to talk. my son is 3yrs & 4mos, and I thought he would never talk. sure, he babbled alot, and you could understand about every 4th word, and I was begining to be concerned.
well, in the last 3-4 mos, since he turned 3yo, his vocab has literally shot thru the roof. now he chats non stop, in full sentences.. sure he still has the occasional babble, but its few & far between. My nephew was the same way- was 3 before his speech took off. oh, and my son has never been in daycare etc, just around his cousins every now & then. Dont worry about the speech, it will come.
Now, as far as the ear covering, I would be concerned with that. Call your Pedi asap & see if he doesnt have an ear infec. HTH

Answer 10

Ask his pediatrician, and know that I have no professional knowledge of this.

Okay, when my oldest son was a little younger, I was paranoid that he was autistic because he didn't talk much. He didn't, but while I was asking around, I did hear that actually losing speech skills (saying fewer words) and having hypersensitivity to sound and light can be signs of autism, or more a mild form of autism.

Like I said, I don't know for sure, but I would talk to your kid's doctor. He could be just a late talker with a quirky nature (that's how my kid turned out).

Answer 11

It's possible your son may be autistic (or on the autism spectrum). He is about the age when this would show up.

Take him to your pediatrician and see what he (or she) says. Usually there is a reason for a delay. Find out what it is, and then you will be able to deal with it.

Having a diagnosis is key to helping your son - and you. Do some research on autism and pdd-nos.

Another thing to look into is Sensory Integration Disorder. It looks as if that may be an issue for him.

Good luck!