speech devlopment in toddler

[LACh1]

Hi ladies

I know this is a little of the topic for this forum but i know a lot of you have older children and that this forum is quite busy so i am posting my question here.  My little one is 25 months and talks all day long about everything.  However i would say that most of it is only understandable by me and my husband and maybe my mum because we are around her all the time and know what the sounds and words mean.  Most of her words have the right number of syllables and sound similar but are not really pronounced clearly. She says mummy very clearly but all other words with a m sound she uses a n sound at the start.  Most hard sounds usually come out as a d sound and she is not saying the b sound.  I know all children develop at different rates and she has no problems understanding me and hearing the front gate open, daddy comming home, the phone rininging etc.  So my question is should i be concerned? Is there a place you can take your child to have a speech assessment or will they tell me it is to early? Any activities you guys know to encourages these sounds (we read alot and name and label things and play lots of games, are very social and sing lots of songs and rhymes).

[motherofan18month]

my son started speaking full words really early but when he would say something that i couldn't understand, i would name off things that sounded similar to what he had said until he finally said yes to one of them i immediatly pronounced it the way it was supposed to be said and he would pronounce it the correct way and run around the house saying it i think maybe because he was proud that he said it right...lol......my lil brother didnt speak very clearly until he was almost 3 (like 28 months) so dont worry, like you said yourself, "every child develops differntly" but if you dont see improvement by the time she goes to preschool then you can ask the school to work with her. they also have a program in school that way there isn't another place you have to go to-- here it is called "speech therapy/speech education" DONT WORRY, SHE WILLL BE FINE!

[amy0013]

I used to work in Early Intervention through the State.  It's a birth-three year old program where we help set up families with Speech, Physical, Developmental, or Occupational therapy.  Sooo, it is definitely NOT too early to be seen.  Most states have some sort of program and it is COMPLETELY free to be evaluated.  So if you are concerned, it will cost nothing to have a speech therapist evaluate him and ease your mind (or take the next step if that is what they find).

Two years old was the most common age that we received referrals.  Most doctors were concerned about children who were NOT saying anything...so it sounds like your daughter is on the right track.  I think most likely she is just fine, but like I mentioned, there are services available for free speech evaluations.  :)

[cminamyer]

I just had my 16week appt. and the Dr. was talking to my daughter and was surprised to learn that she will only be 2 on the 11th, he said that she's doing very well with development and that she sounds advanced for her age.  

[Avanaar]

I worked in a room full of two year olds, and I agree with Joy that your daughter sounds like she's developing her speech normally.  Like Joy, I think that if your daughter is older (3 or 4) and having problems with stuttering and pronunciation then you should get her assessed.

My friend has a 4 year old who I still have trouble understanding.  She always has to "translate" for me.  One of the reasons for this problem could be her chronic ear infections causing her to have trouble hearing herself and others.

[LACh1]

thanks ladies, nice to have some experienced mum's tell you all is ok.  I will keep an eye on it but just keep playing with her and the like and hope things turn out ok.

[JoyRenee]

That is normal and it actually sounds like your baby might be advanced in the speech department! Just keep speaking clearly and talking a lot to them and they'll pick it all up. Your pediatrician will start assessing speech development during visits. At least they SHOULD.

You might notice, as they do the exam, the doctor will ask your child questions like, "What's your favorite food? Do you have a special toy?" to coax them into talking to see how well they speak.

Mixing up consonants and sounds is NORMAL, too! My 3 year old still does that. I think by age 4, if your child stutters, stammers, or has a hard time pronouncing certain letters, THEN get them assessed.

[cminamyer]

I can't tell you if it is normal or not, but my 24 month old does the same thing.  Only Daddy and I can really understand her.  DH is around her every day but can't always understand her as well a I do.

[alaysha]

I think it is perfectly normal for children of that age to only really only be understood by their parents. My nephew is five at a 3 years old I was still trying to decode his language. But my sister would always be like "he asked" or "he said" that way we could have a conversation. I wouldn't really worry about it until she is closer to 3.