20 month old son doesnt talk?

Question

our 20 month old son will only say mama and dada. we have a game that we play where he says ahhhhhh. and he also says ooooohhhh when he's interested in something. but these are the only things he says. what more can i do to get him to say words like dog, cat, rat. just small words?

Answer 1

My 23mo old nephew is just now starting to speak. He will start when he is ready, but in the mean time use the easy words that you want him to say more often around him, but in conjunction with a picture or an actual dog or cat.

Answer 2

I would suggest contacting the local early intervention program in your state. My son only had about 2-3 words at that age and he was found to have a speech delay. The Early Intervention program will have your child assessed by a professional speech therapist who will make a report and recommendation for speech therapy if they find a delay. If there are any other concerns with your child's development, they will have professionals in the appropriate areas assess him as well and you will receive services from these therapists free of charge.

The most important thing is do not delay! The intake process can be lengthy and services are offered through this program only through the age of 3. After 3, the school district oversees this process. I can't tell you what a significant improvement this made for our son. He will be 3 at the end of December and began services in January and he was given an "exit" assessment and his speech and language are now considered "age appropriate".

I know how frustrating it can be when people say, boys are slower than girls to talk, he'll talk when he's ready, etc. The truth is, it can't hurt to check and it's all free. If there is a delay, helping him now will prevent negative social aspects of language barriers when he reaches preschool, i.e. my son used to do physical things to other kids to get responses rather than using words as the others were learning. Good luck. Feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Answer 3

I am a speech langauge pathologist and I love many of the suggestions on here.
Our rule of thumb is we want to see 50 words at 24 month with the child starting to combine 2 words together. When I eval a child that is not doing that, I pick them up for therapy. Don't be too worried, everyone is right, children develop at different rates.

You can do things to help, but please do everything in a fun, playbased way. that is how kids learn the best.
read alot of books and spend a lot of time just pointing at the picutres and labeling the vocab.
spend some floor time/play time where you can give focused langauge stimulation. During this time, keep your own vocabulary very simple so he'll be more likey to imitate. If hes got a toy car, say "car" or "car go" repetitively. Repeat repeat repeat. If he says a word, you repeat it and add one word to it for him to hear. "Dog" You say "big dog"
baby einstien, dora...all great for communication

As far as seeking help I cannot say what I def. would recommend without seeing him but: Is he feeling frustrated at all by not being able to communicate? How does he ask for things he wants. If not just kind of go with the flow for a few more months. But at 24 months, if he isnt saying 50 words, tell your pediatrician that you want a speech eval just in case.
You can also look into baby signing. The research proves that combining sign language with oral communication only helps children learn to talk faster, it does not hinder anything. If hes needing to ask for things, start modeling signs for eat, help, more, drink...google baby signs, that will get you started

Answer 4

Make a small sentence for everything he's going to do. Say it repeatedly. That's how children learn - repetition. You can do the sing-songy thing, but it's not necessary for everything. I would say I agree with the picture card thing, but he's a little young for that just yet. If he's still saying one word for everything he knows, it's best if he hears you say things over and over again.

It'll happen! Every child develops at a different rate. He'll begin talking in paragraphs before you know it!

Oh brother. Don't listen to all of the idiots suggesting that your son may be autistic. Give me a freakin' break. All children develop at different rates. They aren't all "chattering" by the same age. Some are just a little more reserved than others. I wouldn't be concerned with autism until he's closer to an age where it's obvious that he should be talking. (Over two years of age for sure.) He still has 4 months to go until he turns 2. A lot can happen in that amount of time.

Answer 5

in my opinion i would check into having EIC come and evaluate him, it doesn't mean there is anything wrong with your son, he could just be developing a little slower than other kids, but ECI is free and not only can they help him begin to reach his milestones, they can give you some ideas to help guide him and coax him to talk more. i only wish i would have done it for my son. i bought into the whole "he is just developing slower" mindset. my son is almost 4 and is still very non verbal, he says several things, but he is very hard to understand. had we been able to establish services for him sooner, he might be talking at a higher level than a 22 month old, which is where he fell on his tests. it hurts nothing to have him evaled by ECI, if there is a problem then you can startto handle it early, and if not then you have some peace of mind. good luck with you son and whatever route you decide.

Answer 6

leave him for a couple of months, he may just not be ready to talk yet. Children develop and different stages, and do things at different types, the fact that he says mama n dadda, proves that he can make sounds needed for words, so just let him devlop this in his own time.

if your still concerned then see your doctor to put your mind at rest. But im sure in a few months he will start naturally talking

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Answer 7

My son was almost three when he started talking and at five years, it is still very hard to understand him. I'm the only one who does. He has been in speech therapy in school, and it's working. I make him pronounce his words , the sounds of the alphabet and I write down words and make him say it. I has speech thereapy in school for severe stuttering so I'm wondering if it genetic, cuz my mom's mom was very hard to understand, even for me as an adult. But have patience and tell him each word over and over again. Good Luck

Answer 8

His inability to talk could be a result of several things. It sounds like your little angel might need an evaluation by a speech therapist. Don't wait. Early intervention is key. All the best.

Answer 9

My son just turned two and he doesn't talk either. My doctor said it's normal, but you can always help him by talking to him as much as possible. Some people will tell you tv is bad fo them, but I think shows like Blues Clues, Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street, and etc. in moderation are also helpful to a kid when learning to talk. Good luck!

Answer 10

some kids are just slow.. my nephew didn't even start talking till he was about 3 then he started saying real words such as candy, toy or dog. but he is a smart kid! he knows how to get angry when people take things away from him and he knows how to open the door when he hears a knock.