Just a little concerned about my 23 Month old

[TJC Family]

My son (Cole) will be 23 months old on July 12, 2007. He is a really good kid with a wonderful sense of humor and he just loves to laugh. He was up and walking very well by 11 months and has excelled in all other areas of development except speech. He can only say Mama & Dada understandably. He tries to say other words, like when you ask him what is that and he always seems to say ahhhht for everything. I know he understands what the word for it is but he just can't seem to pronounce it. He can point out items in a book when you ask him where it is, he goes and gets a diaper, his shoes, his blanket etc... when we ask him to. He also is very meticiouls, everything has to be in it's place, he loves to line up his toys in a row and sometimes I swear he is counting. He concentrates very hard on things. And he seems to get kinda agitated when he is interuppted.

Do you think I have any reason to be concerned about him and his speech development? Behavior?

[Cleveland Mom]

Cole sounds like he's got a lot of positive/strengths!  Its a good sign that he is following simple directions, as well.  At around 24 months, a child should be putting two words together i.e "go home".  If you have concerns about his speech and language development, you deserve to be reassured that he is on track of that he needs some help i.e. speech/language therapy.  Lots of kiddos have speech/language problems and are recieving therapy these days.  We know that its best to address speech/language issues at an early age.  You can contact your local school district for an evaluation to see if he qualifies for services or you can check with your health insurance provider to see if they will cover a speech/language evaluation at a outpatient clinic.  

[tiredbuthappy]

i agree with most of the others. mention it to the ped, and get his hearing checked just in case, but he's probably OK. don't rush to the dr- i assume he has his 2 yr appointment coming up very soon anyways. i have worked with several children whose speech was delayed simply because they had chronic or recurrant ear infections. i have also worked with many, many children who simply didn't speak until later. some didn't need to (ex: older siblings anticipated their needs), others found other ways to communicate like with gestures. you may want to learn a few simple signs (baby sign language) to help him communicate until he does use his words more. also, keep him surrounded by language. if you think he's trying to ask for something, don't just give it to him, but ask him clearly in response to his gestures "Oh, do you want this cup?" If he nods, model for him and say "yes, please." if he immediately gets what he wants without this interaction, it may take longer for him to develop his language and he may begin to think it's acceptable to just gesture. also, does he sing? i have found some children with speech delays will sing songs and repeat nursery rhymes with ease. (i think repeating something memorized is much easier than putting your own sentences together). sing all day with him. even make up your own songs and silly rhymes about daily tasks. to make it easier for you, take on familiar tunes. ex: "this is the way we make the bed..." or "this is the way we go upstairs." constant repetition may help stimulate his speech, and he'll see it as fun as opposed to you pressuring or drilling him. also, in addition to reading new books often, pick a simple, repetitive book to read together everyday. children that age love to read books that are familiar to them, and you may find him repeating the phrases with you. (of course, my brain's not working now, so i can't think of a good example off the top of my head)

[Hazel30]

Hi I have a 27 month old boy and when I read your post it sounded exactly like my Son.  He also didnt talk much at 23-25 months.  He maybe had a vocab of 10 words, refused to repeat anything back and also was and still is very neat with his toys especialy his cars and trucks.  Everything must be lined up in order and neat and then of course mess them all up again.  Also very outgoing kid and very social.  When he turned 2 I was just as concerned as you are being he is my first child and most kids I saw at 2 were already talking, maybe not in full sentences but one or two words.  So I took him to get evaluated and then we began speech therapy once a week.  The speech therapist said he has a little delay.  I took him there twice and then realized my Son has absolutly no speech delay and then within 2 weeks he began talking like crazy.  It may be that your son just has a personality of which he sits back and takes everything in and then one day it will all come out just right.  Wait and see.  Dont panic give him time to process everything.  From what you've stated he seems like a healthy little boy and I do not feel these are signs of autism at all.  Take care

[TJC Family]

My Husband thinks that I am being paranoid. He says that he just does not want to talk yet. This is my first child and I just really don't know what is delayed and what is not. And of course everyone is so eager to put a label on someone these days. Thank you for your comments, they really did help.

[sosad5306]

To be completely honest, the things you describe point to early signs of autism.  Try not to get scared but absolutely, you need to be informed.  Do some autism research and see what you think!

[tmv]

My step-daughter was 3 years old. She did exactly like your son. We tried everything to try to get her to say the words. But, she was taking everything in. When she began to talk at 3 yrs., she talked in complete sentences! She is now a senior in hs and has a 4.0 gpa for the entire hs years! She is outstanding in show choir and absolutely no signs of autism. Best wishes to you.

[RockRose]

Your son sounds more like the "engineering type" than a child with a disorder.

While children with shadings of autism are very fascinated with mechanics,  and are usually speech delayed,  this isn't what draws a parent's concern.    A LOT of boys are interested in what your son is,  and have delayed speech.

What catches the attention of parents and caregivers,  with children with autism,  is their social differences.  They seem cold and distant,  and "stiff",  detached from warm social interaction.

A good sense of humor,  and  a warm and loving relationship with parents like you describe,  doesn't sound like you have any concern.

Best wishes.  

[twinmom425]

It does not sound like you have to worry. I have two years old twins who are speech delayed. They have a visual impairment so they have been involved with therapist and teachers since they were about 8 months old. It would not hurt to see a speech therapist. Some kids just talk later than others. But if you are worried talk to a therapist. I know I felt better after my boys eval. They did show delays, but nothing real serious.

[mjx]

no, i dont' see anything wrong with that, although i may suggest that you talk to him a lot and maybe teach him how to pronounce some words, nothing wrong with behavior. you could also visit this site http://besthealthoptions.com/baby-child-care it has great articles about child behavior, i've learned a lot from it. gud day!

[tomel]

It all depends on other things as well in his development.
I think he should be evaluated.
Anytime a parent even questions their childs development that is usually a good indicator something is  wrong.  
If you have a wait and see attitude it can only hurt the child not help him.
Go on the CDC website look at his other milestones.
You may have people telling you what you want to hear but that may only be bad.

Good Luck  

[Nikkihaskins]

My daughter also didn't talk until she was 3yr.  We talked to the doctor about it because I was afraid it was her hearing.  The doctor found no problems.  A short time after she turned 3 I couldn't get her to stop talking.  I don't think you have anything to worry about once he does begain to talk I'm sure he will have alot to say.

[socgirl]

at this point, i don't see any reason for you to be concerned.  Kids develop at their own pace.  The important thing is, is that it sounds like his comprehension is good, so even if he can't pronounce words, he knows what they are, etc.  My niece didn't say a single coherent word until she was 3 yrs old.  But like your son, she knew exactly what everything was and could understand what someone was saying to her perfectly fine.  Now, she's a perfectly happy, normal 5 yr. old.  So, don't freak out yet...at this point, it doesn't seem like he has any major developmental delay or anything like that.