Speech development is not currently on track...

[SarahBear]

So a little over a month ago, I posted about Leo "almost" talking. I thought he was going to take off with it, but he really hasn't. He has said a few things a few times but generally, he just sticks with his oddly pronounced "this" over and over and over. It's not a slowness to understand or lack of interest in language. He is constantly pointing at things to be named. He also uses gestures and eye contact to communicate. He will also wave to say hello, good bye, and goodnight. He'll sign for milk or lean toward me and make a sucking sound. He also will gesture to show that he's hungry and sometimes sign "more food" in order to get more food. Sometimes it seems he just isn't really speaking yet and sometimes I wonder if the problem is more in his ability to produce understandable words. Who knows! Either way, kids are suppose to have more language at 18 months than he has. I know some people say "Oh for my kid it just clicked at 2," but I also know that for some it doesn't. I also know some people bring their kids in for evaluations at this age. He will soon have a routine doctor's appointment and I'll bring things up there, but I'm not sure what to expect. First of all, my first kid had no developmental concerns at this age, and secondly, we had to switch doctors and I don't really know anything about the new doctor. Especially those in the US, what was your pediatrician looking for language wise at 18 months? At what point are pediatricians concerned? Most things I look at indicate that 5-10 words should be a minimum. For those who have had speech for a toddler, I assume it was more consult model. Was it even helpful?

 

[loeylo]

I thought "words" at that age were anything which was identifiable, so making a sucking noise for milk counted as a word?

Maybe signing has also held him back slightly? As in, there isn't as strong a need to develop verbal communication since he can communicate with signing.

I believe younger siblings can be slower than elder siblings too, since the elder sibling often speaks for the younger sibling. Also, elder siblings have more 1:1 time with their parents. These were the reasons given for my sisters speech delay. She was always the more physical less verbal kid. She had speech therapy, more for her pronunciations than an inability to speak, but she was perfectly fine academically and it never impacted on other areas of development.

 

[SarahBear]

Signing doesn't hold kids back. Being slower because of someone speaking for you makes theoretical sense except that we have to explain his needs to her, not the other way around. Also, he's about 6 months behind his sister's development with spoken language. That's huge! He does have less 1:1, but when he does vocally imitate, he's more likely to imitate her. Instead of two linguistic models in the house, he has three and there's something about older siblings that little ones are just drawn to, so that doesn't make sense.

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

My daughter's doctor wasn't concerned with her speech at 18 months, but I was starting to worry. I finally contacted our local Early Intervention program right before she turned 2 and they came out to our house and did an assessment. She did end up being diagnosed with a speech delay and received weekly in-home therapy (which also included teaching signing since that is supposed to help them build language steps instead of hindering their progress) until she turned 3. I liked the Early Intervention route because it didn't involve a formal setting, but instead the case manager came to our house where she was comfortable and did a combination of working on her speech through play interactions/age appropriate methods as well as teaching us ways to help improve her speech since we're the ones that were with her all the time. Plus it was a government funded program, so there was no messing with referrals/insurance companies/etc.

We saw a huge improvement once she started EI!

 

[JumpingIn]

I have a 16-month-old who only basically says baDA. To everything. In the last few days he's attempted to mimic a few phrases like 'guhluhbear' for 'growl like a bear', but like Leo he has had more recognisable sounds before (nothing Is actually call a definite word) and then lost them so we're not getting our hopes up for a 'language explosion' just yet.

None of the professionals involved with him are concerned at all as like Leo his receptive language is excellent and he points and is very interested in language.

Obviously 18 months is a teeny bit ahead but it really is my impression that tonnes of typical children really do just hang back until around 2.

Easy to say of course but I wouldn't worry. I personally won't be taking Zach for assessment unless he hasn't progressed by 2. I just don't think there's a need to be concerned that early and from the other toddlers I know I think the 5-10 word expectation is high. None of the other babies we know this age are talking either, yet seem otherwise developmentally on track.

Zach has a lip tie and I do wonder if that is limiting his ability to produce sound, but none of the doctors are willing to cut it and assure me it will naturally loosen with time. Could this be a possibility for Leo?

Assuming his hearing also has the all clear...

 

[SarahBear]

I haven't noticed a lip-tie but I haven't specifically looked for one? I doubt it has anything to do with it. He nurses better than Violet did and I read that lip-tie is usually noticed while nursing.

As for hearing, he passed his newborn screening and he has excellent receptive skills, so no red-flags, but no in depth assessment either.

This is literally the ONLY concerning part of his development. Everything else is as good or better than my first. He has great social communication, great receptive communication, great non-verbal expressive communication, great motor skills, good cognitive skills, no vision red-flags, et cetera. He simply is not making many sounds and when he does talk, he is either imitating his sister (shouting "mom!") or soft spoken.

Now, when I came home from work yesterday, he actually was quite expressive, so maybe I can stop worrying. In the last couple days he has used "bye bye," "hi," "mom" (to mean milk), and "dis" (for "this" while pointing). I think he's also used "Mom" to mean mom, but I know for sure he's used it to mean "milk." I'm not sure if he's recently used "daddy." But basically, he's slowly picking up on the words and perhaps he's just not quite yet seeing the point of using them on a more consistent basis. I kind of predicted that he wouldn't talk much until he had a good reason to and then he would take off with it. So far I think I'm seeing the first part of that prediction. He has used words. He's just not using them consistently and hasn't taken off with speech yet. I think there are also some words he's trying to say that aren't yet recognizable.

 

[JumpingIn]

It sounds like he's making good progress and you're a bit less concerned, which is great.

Just incase, Zach never had a problem with latching or sucking during nursing yet his lip tie is severe. He had terrible reflux and allergies which made nursing painful for him, but his latch was great and he always got plenty of milk despite the ties (he had a tongue tie too which we did get snipped) so it won't always be obvious without examination

 

[loeylo]

Signing doesn't hold kids back. Being slower because of someone speaking for you makes theoretical sense except that we have to explain his needs to her, not the other way around. Also, he's about 6 months behind his sister's development with spoken language. That's huge! He does have less 1:1, but when he does vocally imitate, he's more likely to imitate her. Instead of two linguistic models in the house, he has three and there's something about older siblings that little ones are just drawn to, so that doesn't make sense.

But you always tell us how "ahead" Violet is, so Leo being six months behind her doesn't actually mean he is actually behind. He may be on the later end of "normal" but that doesn't mean anything is wrong. One kid will be the fastest, another the slowest.

I'm going by what we were told by a professional speech therapist. Just because you personally disagree, doesn't mean its wrong. My sister came on in leaps and bounds after starting therapy. They even did family sessions so they could see how I interacted with her, which ascertained the reasons for her difficulties. Not saying this is specifically the case in your family but I'm speaking from factual experience.

 

[Zephram]

I don't really see anything unusual in what you're describing with Leo. Both of my kids talked early, but I have a niece and a nephew who both talked on the later side and have no language problems. He is obviously able to communicate, has some words and consistent sounds and understands you, so I would give him more time.

 

[Mrsb3]

My girl takes early at 18 months but my son didn't start talking properly until 3 and s half !! There all different, possibly a gender thing ? Seems boys can (not always) take a bit longer than girls. I think the general rule is- as long as there is progress..
I tried to teach my boy to say "another" instead of "more"
For example "mummy there is another dinosaur" it took him just over 8 months to finally start using that word. It took my dd 3 days at the same age.
There all different ! Try not to worry unless there are other issues he has aswell as this one or if there is no progress at all.

 

[krissie328]

He sounds exactly like my son. I was concerned at 18 months but his doctor wasn't. By 21 months he had fewer than 10 words. So I referred him to infant and toddler. He qualified for services but also recommended a hearing screen at the ear nose and throat doctor. So off we went where they discovered he wasn't hearing. He had no history of ear infections. So a month later got tubes and adenoids removed.

That was 5 months ago and he is caught up with language and the amount of words he says. He is hard to understand but the words are there.

If you're worried don't wait for your doctor, they have to be severely behind for them to act it seems. I would get in contact with your early interventionist, also I would get his hearing screened.

 

[SarahBear]

Signing doesn't hold kids back. Being slower because of someone speaking for you makes theoretical sense except that we have to explain his needs to her, not the other way around. Also, he's about 6 months behind his sister's development with spoken language. That's huge! He does have less 1:1, but when he does vocally imitate, he's more likely to imitate her. Instead of two linguistic models in the house, he has three and there's something about older siblings that little ones are just drawn to, so that doesn't make sense.

But you always tell us how "ahead" Violet is, so Leo being six months behind her doesn't actually mean he is actually behind. He may be on the later end of "normal" but that doesn't mean anything is wrong. One kid will be the fastest, another the slowest.

I'm going by what we were told by a professional speech therapist. Just because you personally disagree, doesn't mean its wrong. My sister came on in leaps and bounds after starting therapy. They even did family sessions so they could see how I interacted with her, which ascertained the reasons for her difficulties. Not saying this is specifically the case in your family but I'm speaking from factual experience.

She didn't really start out ahead. But she did take off with it before two which could also skew my perspective. She had about 3 words at a year (1 word at 1 year is supposedly average) and putting two words together at 20 months... I think that's a typical time to start doing that. From there it really took off though. She was speaking in pretty good sentences by 2. I think 2 to 3 word phrases at 2 is typical, so she was definitely ahead by 2. Shortly before two, she also became interested in long books and could sit for a 20 minute story.

 

[adrie]

I haven't noticed a lip-tie but I haven't specifically looked for one? I doubt it has anything to do with it. He nurses better than Violet did and I read that lip-tie is usually noticed while nursing.

As for hearing, he passed his newborn screening and he has excellent receptive skills, so no red-flags, but no in depth assessment either.

This is literally the ONLY concerning part of his development. Everything else is as good or better than my first. He has great social communication, great receptive communication, great non-verbal expressive communication, great motor skills, good cognitive skills, no vision red-flags, et cetera. He simply is not making many sounds and when he does talk, he is either imitating his sister (shouting "mom!") or soft spoken.

Now, when I came home from work yesterday, he actually was quite expressive, so maybe I can stop worrying. In the last couple days he has used "bye bye," "hi," "mom" (to mean milk), and "dis" (for "this" while pointing). I think he's also used "Mom" to mean mom, but I know for sure he's used it to mean "milk." I'm not sure if he's recently used "daddy." But basically, he's slowly picking up on the words and perhaps he's just not quite yet seeing the point of using them on a more consistent basis. I kind of predicted that he wouldn't talk much until he had a good reason to and then he would take off with it. So far I think I'm seeing the first part of that prediction. He has used words. He's just not using them consistently and hasn't taken off with speech yet. I think there are also some words he's trying to say that aren't yet recognizable.

That was exactly how I felt when my daughter was your son's age. She had about 10 words in her vocabulary, some of which were just mimicking me, and not all were in the right context. She was much like your son, no concerns in other areas at all. Then at 20-21 months I counted and she had 50 words, and pretty much all in the right context. That was her first "explosion" as they say. She will be 3 Oct 20 and I had her assessed for free as it was offered through our preschool program and there were no concerns in either speech or occupational areas.

Since you said he is so great in every other area, I'd give it a few months, and if he has shown no verbal improvement or explosions, etc., think about getting him seen. That is what I would do. Look for progression with development in all areas (even if expressive speech seems slower than other areas, if he is progressing, adding words, etc., it still counts) rather than super focusing on one area out of several.

 

[jd83]

18 months is still a normal range for starting with speech. Neither of my kids had any words at all before 18 months. Both were speaking in at least 2-3 word sentences by 2. It can definitely skew your perception a bit of what "normal" range is when your first did something so much sooner, so try not to compare to when she did things. Her doing it sooner than him doesn't necessarily make him behind. My older son was walking at 9 months old. DS2 didn't walk until around 13 months. He wasn't behind. Just different ages for developing those skills. I would definitely bring it up to the pediatrician when you go in for his 18 month check up, just so they know its something that you are concerned about, especially if there isn't improvement before he turns 2. Both times I brought it up when my boys were 18 months, they told me we would reassess at the 2 yr old appointment, and if they hadn't progressed with any actual language, they could then be referred for speech. Neither ended up needing that, although Jaxon did end up being referred at 3 to help with his pronunciations of words.

 

[SarahBear]

We're at another plateau. He can definitely communicate and uses the signs for "milk" and "food" very reliably. He also will answer yes and no questions by nodding or shaking his head. As far as words go, there are things he has said, but the only things he says relatively consistently are "hi" and "bye." He will say "mom," but I think he's mostly using it to mean "milk." He is still constantly saying "this" or some odd sound that's close to that word. I had his next appointment set for the 27th, but I'm going to have to reschedule it...

 

[JumpingIn]

Hi Sarah...Leo definitely has a lot more functional communication than Zach. Zach really has none at all other than throwing a fit if he doesn't get what he wants and 'uhuhuh' to mean 'I want something'...

What date was he born? Zach was 5th June

 

[SarahBear]

Yeah, I'm not concerned about his ability to communicate functionally, but I do wonder if there's something going on with actual word production. The fact that he can functionally communicate seems like a good sign though. I'm hoping that his communication strengths mean that once he gets going, he'll take off with it. Only time will tell though. When he was a baby, I definitely noticed better social and non-verbal communication skills in comparison to Violet at the same age. She was much better with verbal communication and the only sign she ever used was "more," but she didn't use it until she could say it. She pointed and did some of those normal milestones... waved and clapped much later than Leo did. But she wasn't big on gestures. Leo is also really good at climbing and will run and fling himself into these giant pillows that we have or climb up on furniture to jump onto them. He also crawled at less than 6 months. I think he's much more of a physical kid than Violet was and that tendency seems to apply to communication as well. I do what I can to support his communication. For example, this morning I knew he wanted a cookie. I prompted him to verbally say it. He of course said nothing. I then showed him the sign (for the first time) and he imitated it. I then immediately gave him a cookie... or a part of one. I really need to start showing him more signs. Violet can also chatter non-stop so I've started asking her to be quiet so I can talk to Leo, that way he can focus on what I'm saying and not have too much background chatter to filter out. However, he seems to be able to focus on me and filter out Violet reasonably well as he'll answer yes/no questions at times even when she won't shut up.

 

[Louise88]

I wouldn't worry about speech delay at 18 months old both mine had speech delay and at 4 my little girl talks clearly and as many words as all the others her age in fact she never stops talking! She needed help with her speech aswell. My little boy is behind on his speech also and has his nursery teacher and health visitor working with him and his speech is really getting good. I worried with my dd but honestly thinking about it I don't know why I did because she caught up and isn't behind in anyway she is the same as everyone else even those who spoke brilliant from the start. I don't think health visitors would be concerned considering how young your baby is so I'd hold out and if still worried at his 2 year check and mention it then.

 

[sequeena]

Thomas had just said his first word at that age. Mum. Thomas did/does have developmental delays unlike your little boy we were told at 20 months that he was delayed. Now at 5 he's still delayed with a significant speech delay. His expressive speech is more delayed than his receptive speech. It's taken until now for a speech therapist to tell us that he has a high arched palate, limited tongue protrusion, a small set back chin and retrognathia all of which apparently impact on his speech.

We also found out a few days ago that he has an articulation and phonological speech sound disorder. has several issues in this area - fronting of alveolar and fricative sounds, final consonant deletion, gliding of liquids, cluster reduction within single words, context sensitive voicing of p and b, idiosyncratic processes and backing. All of these are fancy SALT terms I've not yet found out what they all mean. I was the mum that kept being told oh they just wake up one day and do it. Thomas has come on a massive amount since 18 months old but it hasn't come easy. He didn't just speak overnight it's taken lots of therapy (he does 2 different exercises every day alongside other things).

If you're worried I would seek some help.

 

[SarahBear]

Leo has a new word: Thanks.

This kid missed the memo on how he's supposed to learn nouns and verbs before he learns social skills. His words right now are:

Hi
Bye
This
Mom (to mean "milk")
Thanks