14 month old / loss of vocabulary

My daughter at 12 months old said aprox. 10 words clearly.  She used to also mimics our inflection if she did not know the words.  She was an avid talker.  Would often say "this" if she wanted something.  Aprox 2-3 weeks ago she stopped all words.  She is now 14 months old.  She babbles, grunts and screams now.  She won't say "Mama" or her favorite "Duck."  She still says Da and occasionally Dada.  She still makes sounds like "wuuuu" if she sees a dog or "muuu" for cow.  But before she used to say "Dog."  Her hearing seems fine as she turns her head if she is called and she understands basic commands.  She is walking and signs several words still.  She will do some of the hand motions on itsy bitsy spider.  Is this normal?  She has not required any new words and has lost all her old words.  Thanks.

[jenstam]

I would get her evaluated as quickly as you can. Loss of speech can mean many different things from minor to major. Even if it's nothing to worry about, your best bet is to be proactive and get her in to have this checked out. Best of luck, I would not wait.

[deanne11]

I 100% agree with jenshim.
Have her looked at to be safe.

[Kimchichi]

thanks...sometimes I feel like a paranoid mom.  esp. since my husband and family say not to worry.  but you know as a mom when something is odd/wrong.  it helps having other supportive voices.

[Cheyenne_08]

Losing speech is a sign of autism. Have a doc see her immediatly to rule out serious issues!

[mum2beagain]

Sometimes loss of speech can happen when they are about to embark on a new milestone, my second son said very little in the few weeks prior to walking but then after that his speech came back and he learn't lots of new words too. Also sometimes they will seemingly loose speech if they are ill or sick but it is usually just a phase and once they are better it comes back. But I do agree with the others; it's best to get her ped. to check it out as it can some times be indicative of other more serious developmental issue.
Best wishes.

[lovethebops]

I totally agree with the others, that it doesn't hurt to have things evaluated by your dd's Ped, But I also have to agree with mum. Sometimes infants or young children regress to a degree when they are about to master a new milestone, even their sleep patterns may change periodically also when this happens. I have read this in several books and discussed this with my child's Ped. To a degree, each of my dd's would nearly master a new milestone, and then not do it for weeks on end. For example, my dd who is now almost 10 months tried for days to roll over, and eventually she did after about 4 days of rigorous trying. And then, to my surprise and concern, she did not roll again for 3 weeks, maybe longer. Then in one day she started doing it again. Now she is rolling, crawling quickly and has even taken her first steps. I also remember a similar situation with my now 3 year old. She would learn a new word, and then not say it for days, or weeks later. But both my girls are thriving and perfectly fine, Right on target and even advanced. I know what you mean, I tend to be a bit paranoid myself when it comes to my children and their health and development. I would definitely have her evaluated, because you never know. But I have experienced similar situations with my girls and they are fine. Best of luck.

[Me2mommy2b]

is she affectionate with you?  how is she with other kids?  how is her eye contact?

[Kimchichi]

Thanks for all your comments.  To answer some questions...  She is a very happy and loving child.  Not cuddly but gives kisses, smiles and loves people.  She is fascinated with other kids and must be on top of her older sister at all times.  She shows affection by smiling, screaming in joy and tilting her head to the side coyly.  In regards to milestones and temporarily stopping speech... That was suggested to us by my sister-in-law.  But I thought about the timing of the height of her language ability - it coincided with her learning to walk.  So when she was learning something extremely difficult like walking she was talking and mimicking us a lot.  As early as 8 mos. old she was say the first syllable of words...du for duck.  Ba for bottle.  Now she won't even make an approximated attempt at words shes known and said frequently.  She walks normally for a 14 month old so she has already somewhat mastered that skill.

[Me2mommy2b]

then I'd give her some time and see how she does at 18 months.  She's still very young.

[YoungMom130]

I have been going through something very similar with my 20 month old son. He had been saying words very clearly, like "shower", "tractor", "please" and "thank you". Then his words just stopped. It's like he was no longer able to say complete words anymore, and he says fragments of words, the first chunks. He is just now starting to say words again, but not quiet as clearly. At his 18 month appointment the doctor said it could be a couple of things: His new rebellious stage, realizing his wants don't mesh with what he's allowed to do and doing them anyway, being stubborn, etc., or it could be speech issues that need to be looked into. His next appointment isn't until January but the doctor told us that if he doesn't start speaking better before we reach that point to make an appointmen, he would set up an evaluation with a speech specialist. We haven't done it yet, still watching and listening. He's now saying "clock" and "bird" and pointing to things while saying his words, but it's just not as clear as it once was. I am due to have our second child at the end of December and my husband and I agree that if he's still struggling after my sisters wedding in mid-October we will call to set up an evaluation. Better to be safe than sorry! They're young, a lot of children (from what I'm told) go through these things. My husband had speech problems as a young boy but outgrew them, and we are hoping it's just that innocent. Good luck!

[jenstam]

More likely than not, this is nothing to worry about, BUT, it wouldn't hurt to address this issue with your pediatrician. If anything, it will calm your worries a bit. Good luck.

[Kimchichi]

Thank you for all your input!!!  I spoke to the pediatrician and she wants her to get a hearing evaluation.  She feels it is also very unusual.  Even though I told her she turns her head when I call her and follows direction.  She said it may be a frequency issue or that she is only hearing part of each word.  I will keep you updated.