Language delay? | Imamother

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Language delay?

Forum -> Parenting our children -> Toddlers

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Hashem_n_Farfel

Sun, Feb 21 2021, 1:20 pm

My son is 18 months.
All he says is
-mommy
-tatty
-yeah
-no in both English and Yiddish.

He mostly blurts out “tatty!” in a loud excited voice even when my husband is not at home throughout the day or just says “MOMMYTATTYMOMMYTATTYMOMMYTATTY!”
Other than that he’s discovering and saying different consonants and vowels: y, l, ee, k, etc

My husband speaks Yiddish to my son
I speak English
The main language at home though is English since my husband and I speak English amongst ourselves.

I have a friend with a kid who’s 2 days older than my son and he definitely knows more words than my son, but that’s probably because he only hears Yiddish.
Although I know I’m not supposed to compare my kid to other kids around his age it’s hard not to. 😥

Can hearing two languages affect how and when he will speak?

I’ve been teaching him basic words to things like door, spoon, fork, etc but he gets overwhelmed and runs off or starts screeching “NA!”

😥

Any mommies able to give me tips how to help my son speak or should I just let him take his time?

imasinger

Sun, Feb 21 2021, 1:23 pm

Bilingual kids are known to speak later. And have gained a lifelong gift.

But it's worth it to confirm there are no other issues. How easy is it, where you live, to have him evaluated by an early intervention speech therapist?

amother

Pink

Sun, Feb 21 2021, 2:02 pm

I was told by a speech therapist to give up to an extra year for each additional language they need to learn. 18 months is still quite young.
Does he understand things? If you ask him simple questions like 'find your shoes' or 'where's nose?', does he understand? If he gets everything, I wouldn't worry. Don't overwhelm him by forcing him to speak.
You can also create situations where he's forced to communicate-like giving snack only one piece at a time to make him ask for more.

amother

Powderblue

Sun, Feb 21 2021, 2:06 pm

Hi. I'm an EI SLP.

Keep doing what you're doing but words like spoon, fork, door aren't what I would teach first. Your son needs to learn functional words like more, open, food, eat, water etc.

Talk through your daily activities with him. "Time to give you a bath! Wow the water is so nice and warm. Let's play in the bath..." etc. You're modeling language for him.

It doesn't hurt to get him evaluated for speech. And as the other poster said, oftentimes bilingual children develop language at a different pace.

oneofakind

Sun, Feb 21 2021, 5:01 pm

I was told main thing for bilingual children is each person stick to their language which is what you are doing.

amother

Forestgreen

Sun, Feb 21 2021, 6:45 pm

Hi!
Another EI SLP here.
What your describing is fairly common. However an18 month old should have more words then that....
Call Early intervention just to get eval. It cant hurt.
Also how is his understanding? That is even more important then speaking

amother

Purple

Sun, Feb 21 2021, 7:06 pm

Like the previous poster said, no reason not to get an evaluation from Early Intervention. Completely free and so is the therapy if he's eligible.

amother

Violet

Mon, Feb 22 2021, 5:49 pm

Early childhood SLP here. Here are a couple links with information about early language milestones in bilingual children:
http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-I.....ge%20(5).

https://bilingualkidspot.com/2.....dren/

Like others have said, one of the best things you can do is keep talking to your child. Talk through your daily routines, follow his lead and label/talk about what he's interested in the moment. You can either call your local early intervention program first or ask for a referral from your pediatrician.

amother

Hotpink

Mon, Feb 22 2021, 6:20 pm

My daughter is 19 months old and not saying any real words yet. I'm not sure she even understands what I'm saying besides when I say "No." I'm giving it another few months before I worry though. I talk to her and read to her.

Hashem_n_Farfel

Mon, Feb 22 2021, 6:24 pm

Thank you everyone. I’ll bring it up at the doctors next time I go. He understands basic stuff like “come here to mommy” “let’s eat” “we’re going to take a bath!” “Let’s change your diaper” “time to sleep, goodnight!”

amother

Wheat

Mon, Feb 22 2021, 6:27 pm

I had my child evaluated at this age and he wasnt approved for speech bcz they found 10 words he says and that he imitates a lot

amother

Indigo

Mon, Feb 22 2021, 9:20 pm

amother [ Hotpink ] wrote:

Are you in the U.S.? Can you get a free evaluation from early intervention? You can call today and figure that out if so. I am not an expert but at 19 months I think they should be understanding more than just "no". Though it could be your daughter understands a ton more and with an evaluation they may be able to help give you tips to know what to look out for to see if she does.

amother

Jade

Mon, Feb 22 2021, 11:07 pm

imasinger wrote:

I also heard bilingual kids have a higher iq

amother

Honeydew

Mon, Feb 22 2021, 11:49 pm

SLP here, does your child imitate words? or try to approximate words?

amother

Powderblue

Tue, Feb 23 2021, 12:03 am

Hashem_n_Farfel wrote:

A doctor is not trained in language milestones, norms, and speech concerns like we SLPs are. EI evaluation would be my first step.

amother

Wheat

Tue, Feb 23 2021, 11:36 am

amother [ Powderblue ] wrote:

A doctor is not trained in language milestones, norms, and speech concerns like we SLPs are. EI evaluation would be my first step.

They should be! because my doctor didnt catch on that she wasnt planting her feet, I didnt get her evaluated for physical until very late (over a year)

honey36

Tue, Feb 23 2021, 12:42 pm

Another thing no one mentioned yet that's worth looking into- get his hearing checked. He may have fluid in his ears or something. Even if he can hear and understand you, it could be he is missing some sounds b/c of hearing loss. This is often case with language delayed toddlers and can sometimes be missed.

amother

Brunette

Tue, Feb 23 2021, 2:00 pm

amother [ Wheat ] wrote:

They should be! because my doctor didnt catch on that she wasnt planting her feet, I didnt get her evaluated for physical until very late (over a year)

Doctors know basic motor milestones but they are not the experts, that’s what PTs are for, same with speech and OT.

amother

Powderblue

Tue, Feb 23 2021, 2:17 pm

amother [ Wheat ] wrote:

They should be! because my doctor didnt catch on that she wasnt planting her feet, I didnt get her evaluated for physical until very late (over a year)

SLPs go through rigorous training to become experts in their field. Bachelors, masters and then a one year residency. Can't expect doctors to do that as well as what they study...

Parents should always trust their gut when concerned and get evaluated by the right person and field.