Need advice

[leahcrumbaugh]

My son is 2 1/2 yrs old and is not talking much and has a small vocabulary of maybe 8-10 words. Have been working wiht him since he said mom and dad been trying to get him to say simple words like My, Dog, Cat and other words like that. But when we work iwth himhe gets frusterated and doesnt like to look at us we have to hold his head in our direction to keep his eye contact.  We are starting to worry that he has signs of autism or something else may be wrong.. He did have fluid in his right ear when he was born and has had multiple ear infections since then but had tubes put in in Jan of 2010. He still doesnt seem to be getting any better with vocabulary/sentences. Hes a very smart boy knows what everything is just won't say it. We work on numbers and letters with him and even mix them up and he can show us which one is which and gets them right but just can't say them. And it's starting to worry us.. Any ideas?


This discussion is related to Symptoms of Autism in a two year old.

[onceisenough]

my so was like that and didnt really start talking till about 3 1/2 and we did every type o test, sometimes some kids just develope a little later in some fields, because my son was potty trained by 1 1/2 and he could do math and had learned his colors numbers etc he just was behind in his speech it was frustrating to me at first but then i just started talking to him alot reading books things to make him want to ask questions but correcting them to much or forcing only makes them want to try less and can make them give up i enrolled my son in sun school at church and thats when it really took off its helped him alot to be around kids and im enrolling him in preschool to further expand his vocab hes now picking up on some spanish i had kept him sheltered for so long i had to let him around kids to talk to, i was always right there with him though even at his perschool i will stand outside the door, the teachers just tell me hi and keep walking

[specialmom]

Well goodluck.  Remember, everything goes much better with little ones if you make it fun and a game.  One thing you can think about as he turns three is having him evaluated by your local public school system.  If he qualified based on speech, he could go to their preschool program for free and would receive speech and early intervention for free that way.

They told me when my little guy was having issues with articulation to be as social as possible.  They told me to try to set up one on one play dates with kids the same age (maybe if you meet someone in the play group you attend).  These play dates are short----- about an hour and you would help the whole time to intervene/guide.  That way his play skills stay up to speed.  It is also amazing what kids learn from one another.  We did a lot of going to parks and we'd just start playing with kids of similar age to get solid peer interaction.  It helps speech along.  
good luck

[leahcrumbaugh]

We have had his hearing checked and he passed it..But we are goign to get another hearing test done soon. We are also working with early intervention.. They have come out a couple times to our house and he goes to play group once a week since he does not get mcuh interaction with kids his own age. I try not to push him too much b/c I know he does get easily frusterated with little stuff. But we live with relatives for right now since we just moved out here and they think we need to push him but I see its too much for him as well as my husband but, we dont want to start an argument with our relatives even though, we know there tyring to help.  But I will try all those things and see how it goes from there:)

[specialmom]

Hm.  Well,  I have mixed feelings about this.  I'd be concerned too.  Speaking is a big part of social development and it is quite hard to mix with peers when you can't communicate with them.  At 2.5, he will begin to come out of parallel play soon and want to get into the mix with his pals.  Kids with speech delays often have difficulty doing this.  

I think making him feel bad for not saying the words and constantly drilling him makes it difficult . . . it hits the note in his head that says something isn't right for me.  But . . . I would definitely say things to him slowly and have him watch your mouth.  I'd go ahead and call out the name for everything you do with him.  I'd read to him often and keep the conversation going so that he is hearing the words and seeing things like proper tongue placement.  You can play games to promote the strength of those oral motor muscles----------  turn on music and make silly faces together and then freeze as you stop the music.  Do tongue exercises-------- push tongue out and pull it in quickly, move it side to side, run it along the bottom lip.  Up and down will come later as up is really hard for  kids of your son's age.  Blow bubbles, blow cotton balls across the table with a straw cut in half, suck thick things such as apple sauce or a thick smoothie through a straw.  All of these things work out those muscles and help with control.

I'd mention it to your primary care physician and at 3 to 3.5 if he is still not speaking many words, I'd seek an evaluation.  Early intervention for such a thing can produce amazing results.  
good luck

[mammo]

Have you had his hearing checked?  Don't push him too hard with talking, every child is different, and Einstein didn't talk until he was 4!  Encourage him to use his words. and converse with him, he will talk when he's ready. Kids understand a lot more words than they can say.  I'm sure he's frustrated at not being able to say what you want him to, so just relax and let him go at his own pace. Take care.

[allmymarbles]

First, I would stop pushing the vocabulary lessons. You are only upsetting him. Some children do not speak until they are three. There were two such cases in my family and both children were normal.