17 month old won't talk?

Question

My son is 17 months old and dosen't talk. He had said Mama and Daddy, but, rarely. He does everything but talk, he points, makes animal sounds (only a couple), shows me what he wants, brings me toys to play, looks and points at picture book with me, dances to All music, laughs, has good eye contact, very social with people he knows (not with people he dosen't), knows his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, toes, and belly, looks or comes when hears his name, but, no clear talking. Should I worry?

Answer 1

No, no worries! ^_^

From what you described, he sounds very normal and there isn't a need to worry. It's more common in boys than in girls to start talking at a later age.. let's face it, girls are just more verbal than boys.
Does he have any older siblings that may be 'talking' for him? Sometimes that can delay talking.. Also, if he's able to 'communicate' by pointing at objects or bringing you toys to play with, he is communicating in his own way & that works for him so he probably doesn't feel like there's a need to speak just yet...

Give him some time, and reinforce the basic words as you're saying them to him "here's your BOOK" and "Look! this is your favorite BALL" or "do you want some BANANA?" ((those "B" words are usually a little easier to say)). Maybe try to over-emphasize those basic first words until he gets the idea and attempts to say those words. Just keep repeating them, and if possible, look for a basic word book that you can look at with him so he will at least be able to point at the words (again, like "BEAR" or "baby").

Don't worry though, all babies develop at their own pace, according to their own personality. Some kids just don't talk as much as others. My 2nd child didn't start talking until about 18mo's old (besides the Mama/Dada) mainly because my 1st child was VERY CHATTY and did ALL the talking... haha And my 4th child is very much like you described and is about the same age, but I'm not going to worry about it too much, although I am going to keep an eye on it... As long as your son is developing & doing all those things you said, I'd just keep an eye on it and mention it to the Ped at your next appt. Do you have an 18mo well baby check? If not, maybe you can schedule one, and make sure you voice your concerns and get answers from professionals (not just from us out here in Yahoo-Answer-Land! ^-^ hehe).

One more thing- we DO use the "baby signs" and it's helped, in some ways, but then again, it's kinda made the 'need' for actual speaking, not so necessary. >_< And plus, we made the mistake of using the phrase "say" instead of "show me"... does that make any sense? Example: when we'd ask if she wanted some juice, we'd tell her "say PLEASE" and she'd show us the sign for 'please'. Now that we want her to actually VERBALIZE the word 'please' she just keeps doing that sign, over and over and over and over! hahahaha. ^_^ So, maybe you (or others) can learn from our mistake and make sure you say "SHOW ME 'please'..."

Best of luck to you & I hope you find some comfort in this... it's kinda worrisome w/ so much awareness these days in detecting the early signs of autism and such, but if you do your hw and a little research, you'll just be that much better off in dealing with whatever happens to come your way. I hope everything works out for you & your family! ^_^

Answer 2

Read books, Read books, Read books. Reading is the most effective way to teach your kids to talk. I have a 2 year old and read her like 20 books a day, she loves it. When she was 18 months old she was talking full sentences because I read to her all the time, she learned to talk quickly. Try it, really it works.

Answer 3

I wouldn't worry at all yet - lots of babies don't talk at 17 months! You might want to look into sign language. It's a great way to help pre-verbal toddlers communicate. Most libraries have some books and videos.

Start with 2 or 3 signs at first, and then add more when he seems ready. 'More', 'milk', and 'all done' are good signs to start with.

http://www.sign2me.com/benefits.php
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=7&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D7gSZfW4gVhI&ei=Ea1cR7bWDKGqpwTez6GiCQ&usg=AFQjCNEjsRoiSAopHGlCHqTvrVa-gdOJwA&sig2=mMyMvCGC09SMBk-vAnGKhg

Answer 4

I think this is a boy thing. My son is 2 and I put him in speech threapy. He still isn't talking much, but he communicates alot better instead of throwing fits. Talk to his doc about putting him in threapy it really does help

Answer 5

I wouldn't worry too much yet - but I can see how frustrating it must be. Have you had his hearing checked recently?

Just keep on with the eye contact and with talking to him. I'd recommend avoiding "baby talk" - you know, wittering on about "quack quacks" and "moo cows".

Answer 6

Have you had him checked for autism? Before you spaz out there are many forms of autism, a lot of them are high functioning forms that docs can give you tips on how to help your child communicate.
Plus, if the child just points and you give him what he wants, why does he need to talk? Do you encourage him to use words?

Answer 7

you shouldn't be worried till he turns 2, then you can get a speech therapist and it will be fine. But, it's perfectly normal, i work with kids so it's okay

Answer 8

i personally dont think you should worry, but if you truly concerned ask a pediatrician

Answer 9

CALL THE PEDIATRICIAN.