Language and speech disorder

I am mum of 2 boys, worried about second(2.5 yrs) as he is not talking. He rarely points but he is happy, affectionate, social boy. Just worried as doesn't even say' mama or dada. He waves goodbye and can say 'Bye' see you. but other than that, nothing. He doesn't underst ... [More] and mostly and follows only selective commands. Just worried and very stressed at the moment and wondering when will he ever starts to talk. His hearing is fine according to doctors. He can do few simple puzzles and aware of surroundings and plays well with other kids according to his nursery. can anyone have any suggestions, advice?

[skepticalpeach]

I would just start giving him some more one on one time at home. Read a lot and narrate your activities. Make sure he looks at you when you are talking to him. Get him some educational shows like Dora or Barnie to watch. Speech delays are very common and usually don't mean anything. I think people are too quick to send their child to a specialist when it is something that they can work on at home.

[tiredbuthappy]

It is possible that it is just a normal delay. However, getting a assessment certainly wouldn't hurt him. I am more concerned that he does not point and does not follow most commands. That is indicative of more than just a normal speech delay- it indicates he may have langauge processing problems. In addition, while it is normal for a 2 1/2 year old to have a limited vocabulary, it is not normal for him to not even say mama or dada. I would insist on a speech evaluation, although I don't know if you do that through your pediatrician or school district in the UK. Here in the states, you can contact your school district and look into early intervention. Early intervention is often key to helping kids... this is the time when they are most likely to benefit from therapies and you want to get him help while this window is open.

[Sally44]

I would ask your GP for a referal to a speech therapist.  My son's speech did not develop as his sisters.  By age 3 he was saying short sentences.  He mixed up pronouns.  Did not appear to understand some things I said.  Would give totally unrelated answers to questions.  Would repeat phrases he heard from TV.  He was seen by a speech therapist when he was 5.5 years old and she told me to expect a diagnosis of an autistic spectrum disorder.  It took a further 18 months, but that is the diagnosis he got.  He has since been diagnosed with semantic pragmatic speech disorder.
Obviously if maybe nothing to do with your son's difficulties.  However I don't agree to leave things and wait.  He will be going to nursery soon, and then pre-school.  If he cannot understand verbal information or communicate effectively that is going to be a very difficult and anxious time for him.  
And referals take so long and you need to start now so that if he does need any additional help in nursery or pre-school that it will be in place by the time he starts.  
I took my son to my GP when he was 3.  The GP said to wait and see how he is in school and that if they have concerns they will contact you.  Well they did.  However that was 3 years later.  That is 3 years of therapy and input he could have received.  He had a very difficult time in school.  It was a horrible time because I had to take him into nursery/school kicking and screaming because he was so anxious and hated it so much.  
Getting your son checked out is the most sensible thing to do.  If there is nothing to be concerned about, then it will stop your worrying as well.
Hope things go well.

[Aimee233]

Hi, I am a speech and language therapy student in the UK.  It sounds like your child needs to be referred for assessment.  You can self refer and it takes a few months to get seen as the waiting list is quite long.  You can ring your local speech and language therapy service and ask for a referral form or you can probably obtain one from your doctor.  In the mean time you can help him.  There are many resources available to help parents to help their children with speech/language difficulties.  One good one is elklan resource books.  they are only £20 and there is loads of advice and activities in them for parents.  you would need the preschool one.  All you need to do is google it and find the website which you can then order from.  good luck!!