'Not talking' at 20 months

[Sizzlingtree]

My daughter turned 20 months old a few days back.

I feel that she does not speak as much as she should. For e.g., she has never really said 'mama' or 'dada' though she obviously knows who we are and she will even point to the photograph or look at the person in question when we ask her where mommy and daddy are.

My daughter is a Nemo fan though and says Nemo a LOT! She also says 'all gone' which comes out sounding more like (ah-gone). Cat comes out sounding like 'ca' as does car. She does a high pitched meow when she see's a cat and a kind of bark for a dog.

My husband and I read to her and she points to more than 8 different types of animals when we ask her 'where is the cow' etc. She also obviously understands us when we say 'where is your bottle, shoe...' But she just won't talk very much and this really worries me. We just came back from my daughters 20 month appointment and we shared my worries with the doctor who said to wait another 3-6 months before going in for a speech evaluation etc.

I am just so worried- I came home and cried. Maybe I am over reacting, but I would like to know if anyone has any words of advice out there.

[Zack_Jenn]

My children are advanced in their language skills so they talk a lot and it surprises me when I meet children that don't talk as much as they do, but I have learned that my children are the 'abnormal' speakers.

Many children do not speak a lot of words until after age 2 and many between 2 and 2 1/2 will have an 'explosion' of words so don't worry! Even when these kids begin to talk it isn't necessarily clear to anyone, but those who spend large amounts of time around them, what they are trying to say.

Out of curiosity did you teach her to sign? I have met a few people who have taught their children to sign and they talk later because they already have the means to communicate. Also if she is a very active girl she just may be focusing on her motor skills which can put the social/language skills on the back burner.

[allywithlove]

I wouldn't be concerned. My son only said 4-5 words at that age. He turned 2 in August and shortly after that there were new words everyday. And then the entire phrases started - his favorite now is "night night i love you mama". In our area, they encourage parents to wait until the toddlers are 2 1/2 before any speech evaluation.

[Newmom!]

Waiting a few month for an eval at this time would be okay. Just continue to encourage her to use her words. If she wants something tell her "Tell me ___" Accept any attempt she makes. This will give her a reason to attempt to verbally communicate. However, if you still have concerns by the time she is 24 months get her evaluated. All states have a free 0-3 yr (0-5 yr in some states) program that will provide free therapy for those who need it. One reason to wait just a bit is that a child has to show a 6month delay in skills, which she might not yet due to her young age.

I have had children enter my 3-5 yr old program who can speak only 3-5 words, and none of them clearly, by the time they are 5 years old some of them talk up a storm and are exited before they head off to kindergarten.

Also, remember, most toddlers leave off the endings of words and are hard to understand (consonant counds are hard to produce as well). She should have at least 50 words by the time she is 24 month (according to one website I looked at), most 24 mo olds have a lot more.

Bottomline, keep encouraging that language and wait a few months. If it still is not where you think it is get her evaluated through the zero-three program in your state, no doctor referral should be needed.

[melonheads]

My son is/was the same way. Its frustrating to say the least! My son turned 3 last august and he talks about as much as a 1 1/2 year old should. He says a handful of words regularly (mama, papa, doggie, milk, drive) and will try to immitate us with new words. But if you're not me or his dad, you would have NO idea what he's saying. You can only understand maybe 25% - 50% of his words. He just started using 2 word nouns, which are limited to "baby bear" and "french fries". He refuses to say phrases like "milk please". He's very smart otherwise, happy and active.

I was looking up some possible diagnoses, and I found one called CAS that I think might fit him.

He's going to be in preschool next year and I'm worried he'll be the only kid that doesn't talk normally

Good luck with your child, hopefully they have the word explosion everyone talks about!!!

[Newmom!]

MELONHEADS, look into free early intervention programs that your state offers (all states do, it is a federal mandate). Call the school district or Health and Welfare (or your doctor), they should be able to referr you to the right people. I teach special education for 3-5 year olds through the Early Intervention program - your child may simply have a delay in langague that with direct instruction using clinical methods (language therapy) he may be able to make great gains. Look into it please.

[Newmom!]

I was just sent a link to this site from the state department through work. It is for the CDC website. The links are regarding developmental milestones, when to "worry", and how to seek out free evaluation in your state.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/m...nes/index.html
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/concerned.html

[avniy]

No reason to worry about...
My lil Cowboy has started talking only at month 22th (!) but his development is better now.
If you feel very concerned, check if with the doc.