Two year old not talking

[MommyKya]

My son will be two in a couple of weeks. He babbles a lot, but doesn't talk. Well, he says variations of daddy, but that's it. I notice other kids his age talking A LOT. Also notice kids younger than him talking more than him. I'm pretty sure his hearing is fine. He can hear me turn on the TV from the other room. He responds to various noises of various levels. I know he'll talk when he's ready, but has anyone else had kids that didn't seem like they'd ever talk?


Thanks Amber

[Amy]

Hi Amber, my ds is 3.3 years old and we have the same problem.

The Peditrician said its common for boys and not to make a deal of it until they are at least three. Actually, I just got him tested last week with a speech pathologist. She said he has a speech delay and possibly a language delay. This didn't surprise me, but I have also noticed in the last 2 weeks that he has been trying to use words and string them together. I think he is delayed, but not in a handicap sort of way. We are going to put him in pre-school this year so he can be around other kids and that should stimulate him more to talk. Give yours another year and then get him tested if he doesn't open up more. My dd was just the opposite and could talk at 16 months in sentences. Just remember, some boys are late bloomers, but will get caught up before Kindergarten!

[TXmom]

Amber,

Children generally acquire their first word at around 12 months. I could give you a list of what most children do by age two if you'd like. When you say your son babbles, can you tell me how many different consonants and vowels he's using? Is it always dada, or just da, or can he say things like baba (not in reference to anything, just make the sounds). I would definately have a full hearing test by a licensed audiologist first and go from there. Just because he can hear the television doesn't mean he can discriminate speech sounds.

Please don't ignore this. There are studies that say that language ability is an even greater predictor of school success than IQ.

[Amy2]

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but as my dd is learning to talk, I also teach her sign language. She becomes much less frustrated, because although she doesn't know the words, she can ask for what she wants. I started with "more" and "all done" and "mama", easy stuff. I would always say the words with them, and she would try to say the words with the sign. As she is learning to speak more, we sign less and less, but this sure helped her to communicate when she had no words. Just a thought.

Amy

[Ryleigh]

I too would have it checkd just to be on the safe side, but don't get yourself too worried about it. My ds didn't say much of anything at all until a little over 2 and then just started in on full sentences. He hasn't shut up since. i sometimes miss those quiet moments.

[MommyKya]

Actually at about 16 months Charlie said about a dozen different words: mama, dada, thank you, kitty cat, ball, Jeckie (his uncles dog's name), I go, we go, hello, bye bye, no, etc. Then he just got real quiet for about a week or so, just grunted here and there, then he started babbling...a lot, but no longer says any of the words he used to. He babbles a wide range of different sounds, I don't even know how to convey them in a written format :) Just a couple weeks ago he started calling my husband when he'd leave the room or enter the room. Occasssionally he'll blurt out "Bye!" When we leave or someone else leaves. It just worried me because he was saying words all the time then he just stopped and now its all babble except for daddy varitions and the occasional "Bye!" Oh and lest I forget the emphatic "NO!" we get every now and then.

We go to the pediatrician on Tuesday, so I'll talk to him about it then.

Thanks for all your input,
Amber

[MommyKya]

Oh yeah, and the boy thing...My mother-in-law had 5 kids, 2 boys and 3 girls. She said the girls all seemed to talk sooner than the boys. And I've had a few other tell me the same thing..just not sure why he would stop talking after starting.... It was like he just forgot..
hummm
Amber

[Mickey]

I was the only one who could understand my ds until he was about 3 years old. It did sound like "babbling" but it was a consistent kind of "babble" for specific things. He just hadn't mastered his annunciation yet.

I also read that kids learn differently--some kids learn by trying as they are learning--repeating every word. Others learn by listening and absorbing and then it just seems like one day, they're off and talking in sentences. That's how my ds was and he has an amazing vocabulary and grammar now at the age of 5. I really wouldn't worry at this point.

[cbonline]

I just wanted to put this out there, hopefully to relieve someones anxiety!
My son babbled until he was 2 1/2 and there wasn't a thing wrong with him! He was very expressive in is babbling, it was adorable and he was/is extremely bright, he is now 28 and has a successful business! His sister who was 6 years older spoke in complete sentences at 18 months. I might add that he understood everything that was said to him, but just liked his own language better I guess. I have an audio recording of him "talking" . . so cute!! His pediatrician never got worried over it and neither did I, they will talk when they are ready.