Lack of speech

My son is 14 months old. He has no speech whatsoever. He says not one word. He understands few. He understands when we say dance (he loves to dance and loves music!), milk, and book. He knows who we are talking about when we say a name of one of his siblings or Mommy and Daddy. He also knows pat a cake and peekaboo and knows he needs to hold a phone near his ear to hear someone. Think I should I be concerned?

For those of you that have children near the same age, what are your children doing?

[GRose]

My son is 21 months old and only says a couple words. When he was 14 months he wasn't saying anything. He understood a lot and made sounds that resembled other words but that was about it. What does his pediatrician say?

[mami1323]

My friend's son is a little over 2 years old and he still isn't saying much.  She has him in speech therapy but it hasn't really helped.  So she thinks he will speak on his own time.  He knows what he wants and what things are, he just doesn't say it.

[jenstam]

His pediatrician at his one year check up gave us a referral for speech therapy but we haven't acted on that yet. I guess I felt at 12 months it wasn't a concern yet. Right now, I'm just kind of curious. He has had so many doctors appointments and assessments/evaluations that after he had his hypospadias surgery in early July I made the decision to let us all relax and just let him be free from all of the visits and referrals for a while. I think I will wait until his 15 month check up and if she still has concerns then we will act on that referral.

[Bmo311]

My niece is 15 months old and doesn't say anything either.  Her docs aren't concerned yet because they know her hearing is working, and she is understanding commands.  She does what you ask of her and does the dancing thing too.  You mentioned siblings, my niece's doc suggested that because she has an older brother who does much of the talking for her and just constantly is talking, then she feels like she doesn't need to or can't get a word in anyways.  I think they told her to wait until closer to age 2 before they are concerned.  Hope it helps to know that you're not alone.  And just a suggestion, I used sign language with my daughter and am teaching my second daughter now.  I don't know if it will help her speak sooner but it helps you by being able to figure out what she wants.  My sister-in-law has started that with my niece and it seems to be helping her out.  You can go to the library for books or even make up your own signs that work for you and your family for common tasks and objects.

[jenstam]

We do signs with him. He was introduced to sign language early on, but we haven't been consistent with using signs. Only for milk, thank you, mommy and daddy and that's about it. I can work on these with him. Thanks for sharing your experience and suggestions!

[pcarsey]

Jen- My niece just turned 2 June 28, and she is JUST NOW beginning to say a few words. They just let it go, her pedi told her that nothing is really important to do at her age besides hearing tests. If by the time she is 3 and still having problems then they will seek speech therapy. My sister is really fine with it, as long as she can point and they know what she wants and they can really "read" her then they aren't that worried. To her it's not really any different as if she couldn't speak at all.

I have a great program that I will begin using with Brayden in about 2 months (6 months is the recommended age to start) it's called the sign,sing and play kit by Monta Z. Briant. Like I said, I haven't started it yet, but I am excited for the day to come. We kind of do some of the things now but he is really just looking at us and laughing...lol. It is a baby sign Language Basics program. It comes with signing cards, a book with games/signing and a CD to help play while you sign! It seems really cool!!  Just some things to think about.

[peekawho]

I was a very late talker, and now I won't shut up.

My grandson just turned 4, and really, until he was close to 3, he didn't speak much.  They did have him in some speech therapy when he was a bit over 2, just a session a week kind of thing, with work for them to do at home.

He hit 3, and the flood gates opened.  

I know it doesn't mean much, but that's how the Peeks roll.  Slow at everything.  

[jenstam]

Well, I think I will let it go a bit longer. Seems it's not quite yet something to worry about. I wonder how much of this is a male vs female thing also? I do firmly believe that as a rule girls tend to develop speech and other milestones earlier than boys. No?

[mami1323]

I think so as well Jen.  They say girls develop faster then boys.  

[pcarsey]

my daughter could have a full conversation with you (complete sentences) at 1, but my 1st son never said a word til AFTER he turned 1. I do think girls develop faster too.

[jenstam]

I hate it make it into a girl vs boy issue, but I think there is some truth to it. After four girls who were all speaking in sentences clearly by 18 months, and saying quite a few words by the age of 14 months, this is just something different. Maybe some of it is that we all talk for him and baby the heck out of him, too!

[meiram]

As long as he is showing signs that he understands some of what you say, and is attempting to communicate in other ways than by speaking, I wouldn't be too worried at this point.  I agree that sometimes kiddos don't start talking because there is no need to do so.  If he has lots of people to anticipate his needs and do the talking for him, maybe he just isn't motivated to talk yet.

[tatorbug40]

Peek-  you crack me up!

Jen-  I was going to write that you have so many girls, and he is your first boy-  I have always heard that Boys are a little slower then girls, esp when they are younger too-  everyone around them are talking for them all the time...  I was just talking to a landscape architect in Santa Fe the other day about his 2 children and he said his son, (younger of two-  older sister), his son is 3 and he just now started to talk in full sentences-  they were getting really worried-  but he said his sister was always talking for him...  I don't think I would worry too too much-  14 months isn't very old either!  :)  only 2 months on a year!   :)---  but what do I know,  my son is only 8 months old and in 6 months I might be on here posting the same exact thing!  :)

[tiredbuthappy]

why was the ped concerned? just based on your responses to questions or based on observations and interactions with Brody? i know at our 1 yr check up the ped pretty much just asked us questions.

Not that you should compare them, but you asked what others his age our doing. DD was born around the same time as him, and was also early. she does say a couple of words- dada, mama, baba, this and that. There are many other things she "says" as well. only to someone else it would sound like gibberish. since i spend time with her, i know she is using the same sound combinations for certain things. everytime we go up or down stairs, i say "step up" or "step down," so now she makes a similar noise anytime she climbs up or down. if she says the same thing to name an object every time, i consider it a "word" even if it doesn't sound like it. she may not have the oral motor skills to make certain sounds, but the concept of using a word to label something is there. so while Brody may not be saying 'real' words, is he making any attempts at verbal communication? i would think that even an "mmmmm" while eating can count as communication. will he immitate animal sounds? or any sound (eg: vrooom for a car)?

i am wondering why the ped thinks he would need a speech evaluation. simply because he doesn't say words? that is normal for a baby this age. some kids just start later than others. but speech is more than words. it's also about sounds.

[jenstam]

Tired-I think the doctors that have evaluated Brody are just very careful because of his microcephaly and the troubles he has had in the past. Mostly the small head though. He is in the 5-7th percentile for head circumference and that diagnosis alone makes them question whether he will be "normal" or not. They always want him evaluated and want to study him. It's the Mayo Clinic ya know (<~~"ya know" is totally Minnesotan! We were just joking about that today at work, just had to point it out!), always having to study everything out of the norm!

He does have his own "language" and makes sounds but it is the strangest babbling I have ever heard! I need to try to catch it on video and post so that you all can see what I'm talking about. He will point and "talk" but it sounds so weird. Ben's Mom thinks he sounds like her deaf brother when he tries to talk. He was diagnosed with conductive hearing loss a few months ago two separate times, but when he went under for his surgery in July, the EENT doc took a look in his ears and concluded that they were normal. No fluid, wax, etc...so that has us stumped. He turns to sounds, dances to music and jumps from loud noises, so we know he can hear. Though, the tympanograms both times were flat lined. So strange...

But anyhow, he does baba, mama, dada, gaga. I don't think he knows those are real words though. He doesn't refer to me as mama or Ben as dada. I'm not all that concerned, just making sure that I'm not missing something that needs to be addressed. It does help to hear others comparisons, even though every child is different.

[jenstam]

I guess I shouldn't have said he has no speech whatsoever. To clarify, he has no identifiable words (: He does babble. I think the root of my worries is just what we hear from our doctors!

[2ndBaby]

I don't know Jen...I'm not a sit-back and roll kind of gal...I guess if my doctor gave me a referral, I'd act on it.  That's what I did when Jake got a referral for a gross motor eval.  My DH's mom kept saying that it wasn't an issue that he wasn't crawling at 10 months-that my DH did the same thing, including all the tip-toe walking.  I chose to get him evaluated, and turns out he does need services.  And he's getting them.  I guess I don't see what it hurts to get an eval.

[jenstam]

It doesn't hurt to get an eval, but when his whole first year has been nothing but surgeries and doctors appts and genetic testing, imagine, etc, etc..., I guess my thoughts were that at 12 months I wasn't going to worry about it yet. I wanted him and us to just have some time without all of the docs and evals. I plan to act on the referral by 15 months if the doctor is still concerned next month, but just needed a break from it all.

[becca_3456]

My DD is 13 months and she can say :mommy, daddy, cat, duck, whats that, its ok, no, yeah, boob, belly, leg, eyes, papa. She is learning new words everyday but every baby is different. My nephew did not say a word until he was 2 1/2 now he repeats EVERYTHING:) I believe if he can understand the meaning of words he will be ok.

[Quinns momma]

Quinn is 20 months and I was horrifed when she said the "F" word... No lie, she heard Daddy and she had to repeat it 4x...
Quinn at 20 months really just started saying words that I can understand. She still babbles like crazy but can clearly say many words.

If I ever hear the F-bomb again though I am sending her to live with Peek.  She can straighten her out for me. :)

[Cheyenne_08]

Jen, we are going through the same thing with Ashtyn right now. He is almost 15 months old (13 adjusted). He sees his ped in two weeks, so I will see what she says, and let you know what his ped says about his language and you can compare that to what Brody's doctors are saying....We are going through with the speech eval though.

[tiredbuthappy]

oh good. it sounds like he's doing OK then. However, if given the option and given his history, i would err on the side of over-cautious and follow through with at least an evaluation. i'm with 2ndbaby. plus, i have seen the wonders of early intervention and feel that any services and evaluations offered can be beneficial.

[2ndBaby]

Yes, I understand your point, Jen.  I may feel differently if I were in your situation.  But I'm an inpatient worrier, so I would go ahead with things now.

Jake is nearly one.  He says momma, dadda, dog (dow), good (goh), bubba (bottle), uh-oh, and then his baby babbles.  He actually just had his speech evaluated, as we had to have the 'whole' child evaluated for his entry into the Early Childhood Intervention program.  The speech therapist said he was basically average in his speech, but to encourage more sounds such as "pppp."

[crabby70]

My little man is 4....He didn't speak when he was little ......He was delayed a little in other areas...He has been getting speech since 3......This year he got a diagnose of Apraxia...best of luck

[rubyolivia]

Max is 12.5 months. He says mama, dada, dog, bad boy (we say it to the dog, not to him lol), uh-oh, thank you (day-doo), Bella (our cat), Buster (Buh...his stuffed dog) and repeats other stuff randomly. Such as the other night I asked him if he was being bad or being good...he answered "good". LOL But he hasn't said it since.

Our EI specialist said that if they are saying 1 word in addition to mom and dad specifically by a year of age, they are A-OK and on track. She also said that by 18 months they should be saying 50 words, which I think is crazy. Not all kids are the same, by any means and that is a lot to ask of a toddler!

Another thing to think about is that when children are developing a skill, they focus on that skill and make it a priority. So, if Brody is working on gross motor things right now (running, climbing, coordination), which boys typically tend to make a priority over speech and girls are the opposite, he just can't focus on talking right now.

I'm with you, wait til his 15 month appointment and go from there. Being overstimulated from all the specialists could just make him clam up even more. I think giving him a break was a good choice. I probably would follow through with the eval if the ped suggests it at 15 months though! Best of luck! :)

[jenstam]

Jess-he is totally into the climbing, running, figuring things out and dance, dance, dancing! VERY physical right now, so that might be why he isn't into the speech right now. It's always interesting to hear others stories of what their children are doing at certain ages! I think we will act on the referral at 15 months if he isn't really saying anything.

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

[Crritter]

Some kiddos are slow to talk.  My Carson was a motormouth by 1.  By 15 months he was using simple sentences and by 18 months he was talking in paragraphs- or that's how the ped described it.  Cameron was saying a few things at 1, but really not nearly like his brother, he walked later, has done everything later than his big brother.  He's also way more laid back.  He'll be 18 months the end of September and talks up a storm, the last 2 months have been amazing.  I would talk to your ped about it though if he doesn't start soon.  My big sis didn't talk to her ped and she moved in the process.  She just told the ped her son was shy and didn't talk in front of people he didn't know. At 2 he still wasn't talking or even babbling.  He is autistic and they got the help he needed.  He has been in intensive therapy sessions and special education for the last 3 almost 4 years.  He started kindergarten this year- in a regular class!  He still goes to special school in the afternoon, but has made great process.  Not saying anything is wrong with a slow talker, or even sug,gesting anything like that but just keep in touch with your ped.  I also make Cam tell me what he wants.  He likes the interaction and half the time I have no idea what he's saying, but he makes a great effort and the words get better each day.

[Trialanderror]

My son was an early talker but a late walker. Any mental stimulation seemed to be more important to him than trying to kick that ball or climb on trees. At preschool age it was rather reversed. He was into physical activites and anything with numbers. And now, as a first-grader it is all about math and music. When he said his first word "car" at ten months and tried to create real conversations at age 1, I was sure he would excel in reading and writing, but he only does in math. His early talking did not mean a thing, so I believe that late talking doesn`t either.  At 15 months I would not worry too much about speech. Maybe around two, just becasue he has that head circumference history. As for giving Brody a break - I understand. I have been dragging my son to dental cleanings and check-ups four times a year for a while now. So I do go easy on him with any additional check-ups like allergy test etc. Even though not as scary as surgery, the little guys do get tired of finding themselves in medical environments where they don`t know what may happen to them next.

[decogrl]

My dd will be 2 next week.  She is the biggest blabblermouth her age.  She spoke in almost complete sentences at 1 1/2.  I am a blabbermouth too.  People who are quiet may not have talkative kids.  I used a lot of music and singing (yes she put up with my off tune singing) very early on.  It helped.  I read and read and had conversations with her like what are agenda would be for the day etc and people thought I was nuts --but she really did retain what I told her.  She may not have said anything the next day, but maybe in a few months and I was shocked at what she remembered.  My brother in law's nephew is 2 1/2 and doesn't say much of anything.  However, he is so sharp with putting things together.  His mother is very quiet.  It may not mean anything but it is what I observe.  Boys do take longer with speaking in general then girls--that doesn't mean they aren't as smart.

[mum2beagain]

Sam hasn't been a huge talker either, infact at 18 months he only had a few words. Now at 20 months he is repeating everything but still a little slow at putting 2 words together. How's Brody's receptive language?? Sam has been following simple instructions and has been understanding what we say for sometime, he is also pointing alot and making a noise so we will tell him the word.
At Brody's age many kids aren't talking but receptive language should be a good indicator of where he is. As Sam's receptive language was on track for his age and his actual speech just a bit delayed at 18 months I was told it wasn't a big issue, he was just slightly behind the norm. Now James had plenty words by 18 months, 100's by the 2 year mark but they were all "label's" he didn't put words together, had very poor receptive langage skills, never pointed or asked for things, when he was evaluated they said he had a speech dissorder which as you know we later found out was related to his autism.
I think you are wise to wait until his next check up but if things don't progress by then a consult with a speech therapist is probably a good idea. A speech delay will probably sort itself out with a little help in no time at all, a speech dissorder will need more work but James has proven to me what a great thing speech therapy can be, I only wish we had had the oportunity to start it at 2 years old with James rather than at 3 1/3, he could have made even more progress.

[jenstam]

Brody does point and make jibber jabber. I'm not sure if he understands a whole lot of our speech yet or not. I'm kind of in the process of trying to figure that out. He knows book, milk, dance and a few other things but I think that's the extent of what he knows. Just yesterday he added some new sounds to his "speech". He is moving his tongue around really funny in his mouth like he is trying to make words. It's all pretend speech at this point but I do think he is trying. We will just have to bring this up again in October at his 15 month check up. I worry about autism so much. I don't really have reason to worry about it though. He does interact with us, smiles, makes eye contact and doesn't do one thing obsessively for long periods of time. The only thing he does a lot is hand flapping, but that is just mostly when music is on and I think it's his way of dancing. Otherwise, no other signs. I need to stop worrying!

[mum2beagain]

Gosh, yes, I don't think Brody shows signs of autism, I hope you don't think I was in any way impling that. From what you have said about him before I would say he just seems a little delayed which considering his prematurity and the fact he has had a couple of surgeries to recover from is to be expected. I guess I was just trying to say that Brody sounds more like Sam who for a while was considered delayed but now is in the normal range for his age and not like James. All the babbling and interaction is a very good sign that speech is just around the corner for Brody. Also I know when Sam was evaluated "speech" didn't necessarily have to be an actual "word" for example if he made the same sound every time for some thing that would be considered a word, for example a baby might say "ba ba" for bottle, if that was the sound they always used it would be considered one of their "words'. I remember you once saying you were doing sign with him, did he learn any of them and do them back to you??? I think what is the most important thing to be looking out for is that Brody has the desire to communicate with you, signs, sounds and eye contact are all good indicators of this, If they are all there then I'm sure speech will follow pretty soon.

[jenstam]

No, no signs were returned. He didn't really pay attention to the signing. I think we were just not consistent enough with teaching him though, so some of that is our fault. The autism worries stem from my girlfriend whose son has been diagnosed with autism. She was worried about Brody because when he gets hurt, like bumps his head or something, he doesn't cry much and sometimes not at all. He rubs his head and gets up and moves on not seemingly phased much. Other than that, I don't think there is much reason to worry. He bumped his mouth on something last night and cried for a while!

[shoogah01]

My son didn't start saying anything until he started nursery at almost 2 years, he is now coming up for 3 next month and is a very good talker with full sentences and full of questions.  They all develop at their own pace but if you are concerned about it discuss it with his health visitor or pediatrician

[melste]

My oldest daughter had trouble talking. She didn't even babble much. She could comprehend and follow directions better then most kids her age but just didnt vocalize it. When she was around 2 we got her in speech therapy and she's really turned around. She's 3 1/2 now and although she still mispronounces some things, she's doing wonderful. Good enough to end speech therapy and she's now in regular preschool and doing VERY well. i would suggest getting a evaluation done to see what the experts think.  I wish I would have gotten my daughter into it sooner but my hubby and I are definately glad we had her in it.

[AndiJ78]

CJ was a late bloomer, his receptive was fabulous, but he did not make clear words until just recently. Now he is chattering away.

I took it to be he was just a little later. He was quite advanced on all of his other milestones as were the other boys, I just figured he was bound to be a little slower in this as he has two big brothers who cater to his every whim ;-)

He loves his "cars" his kisses, and his bugs. I kid you not, he sees a crane fly and says "nice bug" and makes a petting motion. What can I say, I have boys.

It is a good idea to get it evaluated. But see if they will come to you. Least restrictive environment is ideal for evaluations anyway. I am sure he is fine, but maybe it will make you feel better. I had an appt for Sept 2nd and canceled it, I just felt it was going to be a waste of time. Seems as soon as I made the appt, he starts making words and stringing them together!

[mum2beagain]

Don't kids always do that to you Andi! Sam is followed by early intervention services and at 15 months he wasn't walking even though he had been cruising for 4 months. One day the woman evalating his progress was here and we said "no, no independant walking yet" so he went down on the "score sheet" as being delayed with gross motor. I kid you not that evening he was walking up and down our living room like he had been walking for weeks!

[tayloramelia]

I WAS READING THRU THE POSTS AND CAME TO YOURS, AND I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU. MY SON IS 2 YRS AND 3 MO. , AND HAS A FEW WORDS HE WILL SAY BUT MOSTLY HE MAKES NOISES AS IF HE IS TRYING TO SPEAK. I HAVE BEEN SO WORRIED AND ANXIOUS, AFTER READING YOUR POST AND BEING REMINDED NOT ALL CHILDREN DEVELOP THE SAME, IT HAS PUT ME AT EASE. HE JUST STARTED PRE SCHOOL BECAUSE I FELT THIS MAY STIMULATE HIS WANT TO COMMUNICATE. YOU HAVE YEARS OF EXPIERENCE AND KNOWLEDGE I APPRECIATE. THANK YOU.

[peekawho]

He still should be evaluated by an early intervention or a speech/language specialist.  No, all children do not develop the same, but lack of almost any type of speech at over 2 years is an indication for some type of investigation.

I'm much older, and "back in my day", not as much was known, and we were left to fend for ourselves.  Sometimes it worked out, sometimes not.  Better to have him evaluated now.  The preschool may even suggest it.

[BearHitch]

There are a lot of posts but I will add my 2 cents anyway... Isaac will be 15 months on Friday.  We were concerned about his development because he didn't really communicate in terms of pointing or anything recognizable in speech.  I had called his pediatrician because a few close friends had suggested that they thought he might have autism.  The pediatrician didn't seem too concerned about it and ruled out autism immediately which was a relief.  As of right now, the only actual word he says is "no."  He makes noise alot, like baby talk, and will say "dadadadad" but I am not sure that he actually knows what it means.  He's just recently started pointing at our cat and saying "Ney" - the cat's name is Nate.  So, I wouldn't be too concerned at this point either.  My theory is since Isaac was in NICU for a month, and every other milestone he has been at least a month behind in, perhaps that had something to do with it?