Update:18 months old and not talking at all.

amother

Powderblue

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 11:16 am

mom! wrote:

My pediatrician says at 18 months they need to be saying 1-4 words. Not 50.
Im not going to give advice on something I don’t know but some of things here sound extreme to me.

As an EI teacher, that is not true. Many babies are saying 1-4 words by 12 months.

amother

Aubergine

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 11:30 am

Just want you to be aware, a lot of places have a massive backlog in EI cases due to covid. If you want him evaluated, you may as well start the process now. It could be more than 2 months before anyone is even able to see him. You can always cancel if you find things seem to be improving, but if you wait 2 months to start, you may find yourself waiting another 2-3 months for anything to happen. Things are really really backed up right now, you'll be waiting anyway.

amother

Chambray

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 11:30 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thank you! I will call her back tomorrow and get him evaluated bezH.

Thumbs up.

Best that can happen is they tell you that all is fine, and you can stop worrying. If not, then you'll be able to do the interventions to help him so he will quickly be on track.

One thing, you say you talk to him "all the time." Counterintuitively, that may not be optimal for child with some delays. You may need focus on the words, instead of giving a running narrative. Instead of "Wow, its hot out here. Would you like a nice sippy cup of water? Water is so delicious. Let's drink some." Focus on "Cup. Water. Yummmm." (Per advice of EI for my late talker.)

Hatzlacha.

amother

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 12:54 pm

I am not in the Tri State area so the services here are not the same. I have contacted early intervention in my state in the past, (with two of my older kids) and it is a long, tedious process. So I called the speech therapist I had already been working with for my other kids and she felt it was a wise decision not to wait and also said to get his hearing checked. She was not concerned about tongue tie.

I am aware that there are late talkers but my main motive for doing this is because he is so frustrated that he cannot communicate. He is in general not the easiest baby, and I'm hoping that if he can communicate he will be less kvetchy.

newinbp

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 1:14 pm

If your child isn't speaking at all at 18 months, I would start the paperwork to be evaluated for speech therapy. The process can take some time, and in the NYC area they often don't begin services until age 2 but you can at least start looking into things. As well, the first thing you will do will be a hearing test to rule out any hearing challenges which is so important. Knowledge is power - go with your gut and if you are writing on here perhaps get it looked into. Hatzlacha! Very Happy

amother

Firethorn

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 1:28 pm

amother [ Chambray ] wrote:

That advice is outdated. OP is doing what she needs to be doing. Functional words, and expounding are important.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 1:55 pm

bsy wrote:

Late talkers are a real thing. But so is delayed speech and language skills. At 18-24 months, we expect kids to have about 50 words and start putting them together, like "me go" or "my cup." Does every child do this? No. Does that mean we should not evaluate a child who, at that age, isnt saying anything? Also no.
Yes, a child who understands everything but isnt talking is less likely to have a language issue. But an evaluation would be a pragmatic thing to do. The early years are a critical period for developing speech and language skills, and you dont want to miss that window.

There's a big difference between "18 months" and "18-24 months", isn't there?

For reference sake, my 17 mo (16 mo adjusted) has 4 words if I'm lucky. Understands everything, points to what we ask her to. History of late talking siblings who are super verbal once they start talking without intervention, they just wait till they're very ready. I'm not worried at all and not seeking intervention.
In context and seeing progression as she gets older helps me determine if external support needed.

OP's son not having any words, possible family history of speech delays, not pointing to body parts despite effort put into teaching it... That paints a different picture.
To me, it's not about word count alone but it in context which OP has carefully paid attention to. Great job using your mother's intuition, OP!

/Not an SLP, just a mother with late talkers putting in her 2 cents

amother

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 6:07 pm

Some new information just came to light regarding my son's delayed speech.

I didn't mention this because I had no idea this could be related, but my baby is not a good eater. He eats basically only two foods. He refuses everything else. He also has many allergies, so he is limited to begin with. Plus, he vomits randomly out of the blue. So I took him to a GI today.

As part of her intake, she asked about his speech! I told her that he doesnt say even one word. But I didnt understand the connection.

Then she explained that eating different foods with different textures helps babies develope speech. Children who don't experience a range of food textures will often have delayed speech, even if they are smart and understandeverything that is said to them. ..

(Why he is refusing food is a separate issue, which is what we are exploring now.)

bsy

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 6:44 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

Yes and no. If an 18 month old has a few words and is showing signs of appropriate receptive language skills, that's very different from an 18 month old who has no words and isnt comprehending basic commands. My own baby wasnt saying 50 words by 18 months. I wasnt concerned, because she had her first word at 12 months and was slowly adding more words. at the same time, she understood everything. That's not the same picture OP is painting.
Btw, first word at 12 months is a pretty important milestone.

amother

Lightcoral

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 8:03 pm

I am the mom of six kids. Almost all of them didn’t speak at all until two years old. They are all fine BH. There are percentiles and statistics and norms but don’t let it scare you if your kids aren’t the cookie cutters on the charts. Speak to a doctor and rule out any serious problems but if there aren’t any, I would wait a while.

amother

Grape

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 8:43 pm

amother [ Firethorn ] wrote:

Sorry, as I have said numerous times on this website, pediatricians are not trained in speech and language milestones like we are. We have 7+ years of intensive training to know all about child language development.
It really bothers me when pediatricians give parents false data that is is detrimental to getting EI services.

Where else should we be getting this advice? I don’t have a personal child development expert on speed dial...

amother

Firethorn

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 8:44 pm

amother [ Grape ] wrote:

Where else should we be getting this advice? I don’t have a personal child development expert on speed dial...

You're right.
I wish pediatricians were up to date with their knowledge and developmental norms.
There are instagram accounts you can follow as well. Do you want some recs?

And always feel free to post any qs and I can try my best to answer.

Btw in reference to your other post, I was trying not to worry you or the OP, the bare min. that we want to see is 10. you also have to look at his receptive language, how he understands and comprehends.

amother

Firethorn

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 8:45 pm

amother [ Lightcoral ] wrote:

OP, please ignore this.
Im sorry amother lightcoral but according to all data and all experts we do not follow this.

Op, you did the right thing not waiting.

amother

Grape

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 8:57 pm

amother [ Firethorn ] wrote:

My kid has two. Mama and “dada” for one of my sons. I can’t tell if he comprehends which leads me to think he doesn’t. This morning I called an EI agency I heard specializes in speech 🤷🏻‍♀️ , waiting for a return call, and I started following the speech sisters on Instagram. I read less to him than I did to my other kids, I feel like I dropped the ball. I know more now and trying to do better now. Thanks for your input.

amother

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 11:46 pm

amother [ Lightcoral ] wrote:

So, we are looking at a possible diagnosis of EOE now, since he has all the symptoms. There is a strong link between children with EOE and speech delays, and they do not get better with time apparently. Meaning, the kid won't necessarily catch up on his own, according to what I've read.

My baby is clearly understanding everything I say to him and can follow commands. He seems very smart and on the ball. I am not worried about his receptive skills so much (though I don't know why he wont point to his head...). I am worried about the fa ct that he is not progressing at all. He doesn't say mama, dada, no, ...nothing. Not one word. Everything is "eh". For no, he shakes his head and said "eh". For yes, it's just plain "eh".

amother

Mon, Jul 26 2021, 8:50 am

Just coming back to update.
I had him evaluated and the result was that receptively he is totally on the ball and knows exactly what's going on, but expressively he is at around 8 months.
We started therapy with him, so hopefully soon he will catch up.
Thanks to all the Imas who weighed in.