Speech and other issues

Crystal - posted on 10/15/2011

My son will be 2 Jan 10 and he does EXACTLY everything you are saying that your son does, and I myself am starting to become concerned about it to thinking maybe something is wrong and how do I go about finding out. He knows what we say to him and everything to like you said.
If anyone can help with this issue it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

Kristen - posted on 10/12/2011

check with an ent about his ear since that is what they are specialized in.......as far as him not talking there is always help for check a few speech therapists

Kim - posted on 10/12/2011

I know how you feel, I'm 35yrs old and I have 2yr old twin boys..They only say a few words here and there so I spoke to their Doc and he said that with most twins sometimes they create their own language and not to worry...He also suggested that I separate them when teaching them to speak but to make sure to teach them the same thing so that when they communicate with one another it will be easier for them to learn...My mom told me not to worry because one day they will just start talking and I will be really surprised, also every child is different, some learn quicker then others and that doesn't mean that there is something wrong with your child.

Margret - posted on 10/09/2011

Kareen it sounds like maybe your 2 year old may be suffering from autism. Ive read about it on baby books. And i recently read a book on toddlers and their development. It mentioned in a chapter about autism and from what you wrote it sounds spot on.
I dont think theres anything wrong with your son. Children learn differently. And as parents we learn to find ways to work around it.

Audrey - posted on 10/07/2011

Honestly most kids with autism I've met are bright. Callista is but she is behind on social and communication skills. Being autistic doesn't mean being dumb so to speak....it just means they can't process and interact the way the rest of us can.

Noimnotlucky - posted on 10/07/2011

Yes I would be concern,my son was the same way,he gestures for everything by pointing and crying,he only had a few words in his vocabulary.hearing other kids his age almost making complete sentences got me very worried so I got him a hearing test(he passed)and evaluated by infant and toddler connection and found that he was average or above in everything but his speech.my son also always had his binkie in his mouth and wouldn't give it up,but a speech therapist started coming to the house to help him and she told me the binkie is not good, so I took it away when he was playing and wasn't using it and I notice the difference it made as far as him trying to use his words....I took it away completely and now he repeats or try to repeat everything I say,before he wouldn't even try he would just look at me now he say about 30 words and started saying two word phases.so I say if you feel your son should or could be saying more then get him evaluated and help early.for my son I don't think it was so much the speech sessions that got him talking, it was simply taking his binkie away.now he don't have something in his mouth restricting him.

Kayla - posted on 10/04/2011

I'm glad there is a lot of positive encouragement for moms on here. It can be particularly frustrating to deal with a toddler who doesn't have many words, as I well know. I have always asked my doctor a lot of questions about my son's development. My son also holds his head, plays with his ears, and tips his head to the side a lot. I always just figured it was part of his personality, like he liked to look at the world a little differently. He will be two in December, (unbelievable how that crept up on me) and he doesn't say any words I can really recognize, except once in a while, he will just pop a word out, like banana or breakfast or his favorite, flower. Around the time of his 18 month check up, we were part of a study and my son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, what his doctors have called (in his case) a very mild form of autism.
I felt there was no way this could be a correct diagnosis. I know how smart my son is, and how much he is really capable of. That was just a couple months ago, and he is now in our state Early Intervention program, getting 15 hours a week with special educators, 2x a week of speech therapy and 2x a week of OT. Now that I have had a little time to digest all of it, I have decided that whether they are right or wrong about him being autistic, I am doing all I can for him, getting him all the help he should have. If it turns out they're wrong, the Early Intervention isn't going to hurt him, in fact he could go from being a little behind to being way ahead of his peers in the next few years. If they're right, the earlier you start the more of an impact you are able to make.
I am not saying by any means that this is the case with your child, just a little something to think about. If nothing else, you can have peace of mind knowing that your child is completely typical. If you think that he is really behind though, every state has an Early Intervention program, and you can refer them yourself. In my state, they come out to the house and do an evaluation to let you know if they find a delay and if your child qualifies for services.
I can tell you, in the past month or less that we have had providers coming to our house, my son is now trying to say about 10 or so words on a fairly consistent basis, and he tries one or two new ones a day, although some don't stick with him. Having people here has helped him dramatically in just a short time. He seems to want to talk, but I notice the frustration in him because he understands SO much, but he can't communicate it. Any time he gets a word out he is so proud of himself, and it's doing wonders for his confidence.
Like I said, I don't write this to make you worry...just something to think about. Sometimes being a mom can be scary, but you just do what you can to make the best possible decisions for your kids.
Good luck with everything! And if there is any way I can help...please don't hesitate to ask.

Jennifer - posted on 10/04/2011

my son is 2 /12 and he says full sentences all day long. I think every child is different but a two-year-old should have a pretty good vocabulary

Natazia - posted on 10/02/2011

I have that same problem with my son he babbles but not understanding what he saying but they say boys take longer to talk dont know how true it is but just know you are not alone

Audrey - posted on 09/26/2011

I haven't read all the replies but I would get him tested for autism spectrum disorder. My daughter was exactly the same way until she was diagnosed and able to get the proper assistance. Although it can feel like a devastating diagnosis, my daughter has made so much improvement since she's received proper assistance. She did get hearing tests done as well. What they do is test their reaction to sound, you sit in there with you child and they also have things like lights that go off when the sound goes off to help get your child refocused on the test. They can do a test with one device which simply takes a reading of the ear drum to make sure it is reacting to sound.



To me it sounds like a developmental issue and I can say from experience the sooner the better you can get this sorted out.

Also...Never accept a doctor that consistently writes off your concerns as nothing. Its one thing to say you worry too much. It's another to consistently ignore your concerns about this.

Heather - posted on 09/23/2011

As for the speech, my son is almost 3 yrs old and still doesn't talk a lot. He has been getting speech therapy once a week for about 9 months and seems to be helping but if your son is having pain I would say talk him to a dr. asap

Sandra - posted on 09/19/2011

Yes I would be... Has his hearing been looked at?My son i 2 and he dont talk much...a few wrds is all that i get... drs say tht maybe by3 he will get it... idk.... And i hear boys take longer

Chrissy - posted on 09/13/2011

I had a similar issue with my son. He would babble as a baby and then one day it just stopped (and unfortunately we didn't notice, a family friend did). He had one double ear infection about a year prior to our realizing there might be a problem and so we started to try to get speech therapy for him where we lived. They asked us if we wanted a hearing test and we said yes, thinking that at least it would rule that out as an issue. At that hearing test they also did a tympanogram which measures whether or not the eardrum membrane is vibrating with sound. Both of his tympanograms were completely flat which meant that he could hear but it was like he was under water and he had hearing loss in both ears because of fluid that was behind the ear drums. My son also tugs at his ears and puts his hands over them but there seems to be nothing wrong. Our pediatrician missed the fluid behind his ears, without the tympanograms we would never have know he had hearing loss in both ears. Since then our ENT has been monitoring him and the fluid is now gone and he is babbling and trying to mimic our sounds again. He is about a year behind but speech therapy has been working very well for him.

Cindy - posted on 09/08/2011

When my son developed a stutter out of no where when he was frustrated he would hold one or both sides of his head as a sign of frustration.

Dianette - posted on 09/05/2011

My mom in law normally tells me, just like adults get headaches, children do as well. Maybe he is not getting enough rest u know when u do not rest it can give u a headache. if he does not have any residing issues than just watch him write down the days and time he does it, maybe he does it more during the afternoon or evening. I know u may want to do an MRI, or Xray to check if there is something wrong, but i think in order fo insurances to pay for such procedures there has to be a reason, y like maybe he busted his eardrums or a recent head trauma (falling off the bed, or hitting the concrete floor hard). Your Pediatrician may just be right, just watch him closely.

Whitney - posted on 09/01/2011

I would demand testing be done to see what it is..could be something in his brain..but if the doctor isn't trying to find out what it is and it's apparent enough to bother you, either demand the doctor do whatever tests to see if anything is wrong or go for another doctors opinion

Mariel - posted on 08/30/2011

Sounds exactly like my son. He just started talking though. I did exactly the things you are doing now. What I did that changed my sons speech was to disconnect the tv. I bought tons of books that were a little more advanced still with pictures, bought the your baby can read program, and started telling him stories almost constantly. I talk to him about everything (i.e. oh that was a pretty tree.... mommie had a rough day... etc.) I think he just wasnt challenged enough before, but smart enough to know how to manipulate what was going on. He had held is ears all the time, made weird words up to get a rise out me, etc. Now he is talking like a first grader and reading a little too. He just needed more connections to the words!!

Alyssa - posted on 02/05/2011

Hi! My son will be 2 on February 15th. He was born three weeks early and has fine and gross motor delays and sensory issues. These have affected his speech. He is behind in his speech development. Because we were able to discover the motor delays at an early age, we decided to teach him sign language because we knew that language would be one of the last things to develop with the other issues he had to work on in order to manuver and such. There is a website you can visit that will give you basic signs that may make things easier until you can figure out if your son needs tubes. http://www.baby-sign-language-academy.co... I hope this helps.

Aimee - posted on 01/31/2011

I was very concerned about my daughters speech and hearing early last year, I felt that she had a problem with speech or hearing and was sick of people telling me every child is different she will talk in her own time. I went and got her hearing checked through a private consultant because if I went publically I could be waiting up to 18months for an appointment, thankfully her hearing was fine, a little wax in one of her ears but other than that they were happy with her responses.
With regards to the speech she used to groan and get frustrated when asking for things and I often figured out what she wanted. I started to get very strick when it came to her asking for things. If she moaned for something I figured out what she wanted but would not give it until she attempted to say the word, sometimes this meant both of us getting very frustrated as I kept repeating words such as raisin raisin raisin and she kept trying to grab the raisin but eventually she figured out if she tried to say raisin she would get it. I felt this helped her come along but then I had to train Dad into the routine as well. (I think Dad was harder to train than our daughter).
I was totally against her watching tv but I started having tv time with programmes suck as hi5 or Dora of Mickey Mouse, and got loads of cd for the car so we could have sing alongs as we are travelling.
I had her in creche 5 days a week until she was 2 years 8 months and she still wouldnt talk but had a great understanding of evertything.
We finished up in creche last November and 2 weeks after we finished attending she started to communicate verbally and has stopped not since. So I guess people were right in saying she will talk in her own time.
Good luck

Brandy - posted on 01/30/2011

my daughter will be 2 on the 28th of feb and she was born 3 months early they tested her hearing while she was still in the nicu so i know they can test at this age. One thing you might want to consider is a developmental therapist alot of programs are out there to track development at no cost to you, they can help refer you to someone to properly asses the situation and work with you on any skills your child needs to reach milestones. although jenna was a micro preemi im told she is advanced in vocab even for full term children and i think its because she sees a physical therapist and a developmental therapist through a company specializing in mr/dd even though jenna has not been diagnosed with a disability, we also track her development through a program called help me grow they do home visits as well as her DT and they refered me to a local group at a school called parents as teachers, this group does playdate preschool type classes to help with social development and they also do home visits and developmental tests. These programs are available to everyone in our area and im suprised at how many people i know with kids who werent even aware of it. Some of the things ive learned to boost vocabulary is...

label environment

use adjetives such as red car silly hat cute kitty

use alot of emotion while speaking this makes words sound more exciting and keeps their attention longer

pair words in a sing song voice, like naaaptiiime

and one of the things we had to really focus on is slowing down and enunciating clearly,

and keep in mind that songs and music are just as important as books because 2 year olds may not want to listen to a story all the time

this is what we were told to do and its really helped us i hope it can help you too! good luck :)

Brittney - posted on 01/30/2011

Our nephew was doing this same thing. He was having constent ear infections, finally after several times of telling his mother, they put tubes in his ears. He can hear every little thing and is talking like a 3 yr old should. I would bring it up to your new dr and see what they say. They can test for earing somehow, cause when they are born they test it then (not sure how that works ha). Good luck and I hope they get something figured out for you and your son!

Carly - posted on 01/30/2011

My son wasn't saying much until literally 2 weeks ago. He'll be 2 on 2/8. It's been a word explosion this past week. Cheese, cheese curls, mail man, tent, Maggie (our cat), Kitty, apple juice, baba juice (juicy juice, i buy the individual bottles) orange juice (he was saying it but now more clearly), trash truck....... tons of stuff. It's very exciting because I was very worried he was only saying a few words before this. There was a lot of pointing and dragging us to what he wanted. He also would follow complicated instructions (go get your shoes and put them in the closet.....etc) but wasn't saying much and was getting very frustrated and throwing temper tantrums. Hopefully that will ease up now. I say just give him time, it will happen and it will happen fast when it does :)

But if he is continuing to hold his head and/or his ear, I'd get him seen by an ENT. It could be teething causing ear pain, but his sinuses could be causing ear pressure, and that hurts but can't be "seen" by a doctor. Sometimes they need tubes in their ears to relieve the pressure. It can also be linked to speech issues. My sister had bad blockages when she was a toddler and had to have tubes put in twice.

Hella - posted on 01/28/2011

It can be very frustrating, but it might really can be only teething. My son speak very well in 3 language, and still holds his ear. He had some low grade fever, and when it is happening , he just hyper, not listening, not communicating well, and finally I found out it is his last 4 molars are coming all of them in a same time. It is going on more then 5 month now. It comes and goes, sometimes without fever. It could be really just it. How did he took when other teeth were coming. Was it hurt for him, or you barely noticed that it is teeth? About speaking, well I saw a lot of kids, and even my sister daughter didn't wanted to talk until she turned 4. Everybody is developing in different times, so I wouldn't be so concerned yet. What you describe, it looks like teething, stay positive. ! Let us know what the doctors saying finally. Good luck.

Amanda - posted on 01/27/2011

Just a few weeks ago it dawned on me that my little guy is going to be 2 next month. And then everything started going through my head on milestones and such. And his talking did concern me a bit. However, since then I have taken the pacifier away unless he is in bed and I talk to him. But I make it very simple, when I know he is asking for a drink (since he drags me to the kitchen and points to his cup and the fridge) I have him say "juice please" of course there are times that he does not say it and may just say on word or the other.

I understand that you are worried, they understand simple. As for the holding of his head/ears, it could just be his way of showing a sign of frustration.

Always talk to the doctor with any questions, but just see of you are able to make any change before the appointment.

Aleks - posted on 01/25/2011

Just a thought, may be it is not his ears that hurt, may be it is his head?
Have you thougth about checking that out? I am sure that getting a scan or something (which is difficult with a toddler but not painful) could be done easily by the medical community.
Oh, and the speech thing may or may not be related.

Janene - posted on 01/22/2011

Kereen, if you think something is wrong, keep pushing the doctors until you get an answer. Trust your gut instinct. Having said that, I don't know that I would be too worried about his lack of speech. My little guy wasn't saying too much and then all of a sudden in the space of 24 hours came out with 5 new words. And a week or so later he had another "word explosion" and came out with another new handful. So when it happens, likely it will happen all at once!!
The thing I would be worried about is the pain in his head. Have they checked his eyesight? Could it be eyestrain or a blocked sinus or something like that?

Kellie - posted on 01/21/2011

My daughter will be 2 on Feb 18th. I too, am an "older mom"! I'm 39 and when I was pregnant they treated me like I was 50 having a baby, I had to see a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist from day one and have ultrasounds every week in the last 2 months of my pregnancy! I told my OB that I didn't think I was THAT old until they told me!! Anyway, Abbie will be 2 this February and we were concerned about her lack of speech. She was only saying a few words at her 18 month checkup, her ped said she should be putting 2 words together by the age of 2. She was just set up for speech therapy and the therapist will be out next week for her eval. I think most of our problem is a pacifier. Her daddy pops it into her mouth as soon as he gets in from work at the first wimper. Also, I have an 8 year old daughter that "speaks for her", if ya'll know what I mean! I think for the most part that our lives are so busy these days that we just give them whatever they want as a quick fix because we are so busy. I am a stay at home mom, but as you all know...if you do stay home, we are just as busy as someone who holds down 2 full time jobs in not more. I also have Multiple Sclerosis and suffer with extreme fatigue, so for me it's just easier for me to figure out what she wants and give it to her, most of the time I just don't have the energy to take the time out to work with her. I do read books to her and have lots of First Word books with animals, colors and common everyday items, this has helped her very much. She has just really taken off with her cute, rambling jargon! She sounds as though she's speaking Chinese, LOL! I would say in the last month she has added atleast 15-20 words to her vocabulary. Some are hard to understand. Her sister's name is Chloe and she calls her "CoCo", she says "NaNa" for banana, "Ju" for juice, and if she wants a pickle, she screams "Pikka pikka pikka" really fast until she gets one! LOL! She also says "arf arf, for dog and many other things that she has just started in the last month. She is very smart and does what I ask her, and understands every thing. They also asked me if she pretend plays with her dolls and such. She does that very well. We have a kitchen & a market for her stocked with all kinds of play food and kitchen items. She plays with thath the most! I can ask her to go make mommy a peanut butter & jelly sandwich...and in a few minutes...here she comes with the sandwich, (fake, but very REAL looking PB and Jelly!). I've mistaken it for real messes on the floor, LOL. She is also very near to potty training. All of the things she does tells me that she is fine, her motor skills are good, she plays well, she eats with a fork & spoon better than most 3-4 year olds. At first the questions the ped was asking were really to see if she had signs of Autism, I think that is out of the question with everything she is doing. That really scared me as we have already been through leukemia with our oldest, Chloe. She is 5 years in remission as of November 29, 2010 and is a Normal, Happy, Healthy 8 year old. She was dx'd just 2 weeks before her 3rd Birthday. So, for me, in the back of my mind, everytime one of them is sick or something, the WORST POSSIBLE things pop into my mind! So needless to say I was very rellieved when she finally started saying more words.

Sorry, I know I got a lil' off topic there with some things. I do tend to ramble at times!

Anyway, I think as long as your son is meeting other milestones that eventually his vocabulary will suddenly take off. As far as his hearing, I think its fine too. We thought the same thing...but if our lil' one is sleeping and we so much as crack the door open she pops her head up at the least little screech of the door. You said he is hearing you so I wouldn't be concerned with that. He may have a habit of playing with his ear if he is tired or something. My daughter covers her ears to sounds she doesn't like. She LOVES loud music, but I have a very loud shrill alarm that goes off on my phone and she runs away and covers her ears.

Good luck to you! I think everything is going to come together and your son will be fine!

Kellie

Kelina - posted on 01/19/2011

I think when they're this young and not talking we try to read into everything. It could be that occasionally he gets a headache or his head hurts momentarily. My son will be two next month and doesn't even say as much as yours! If you're concerned about it you can definitely see about taking him to a speech therapist, or even a baby sign group to see about other forms of communication. Eventually he will start talking and at times you will wish he wasn't!

Dawn - posted on 01/18/2011

Oh, I should have specified, much older perents, like MY mom and mother-in-law....THAT OLD!!! :) :) (I am 32, so I don't qualify for young or old mom, IMO!!) I totally understand just wanting someone to talk with....it is very frustrating when they are having a meltdown and you are trying to figure out what they are "saying"...I try my hardest to stay calm, but I just can't help getting exasperated at times. And to think they say we will want them to shut-up at some point!!!

Kereen - posted on 01/15/2011

That's funny you said "older" moms. I have an 18 year old and my Mason Aventure is my #2 and I'm 38. So I am an "older" mom and I'm still freaked out. My daughter was counting to 16 and saying the alphabet and talking in long sentences and seemed to be able to communicate so much better by this age. I know she is a girl and girls talk soon and they are different people. I know all of that. When your kid seems to be in distress and he can't tell you what or why he is, it's incredibly stessfull. He just seems to be just as stessed as I am. I was just really looking for others who might understand or have been dealing with similar difficulties in the child and the dr.

Dawn - posted on 01/15/2011

Being a mom can be very stressful...I completely understand!! I do think it is benefiting my son to have that 3rd party, good way of putting it!! It doesn't hurt to do it or get as many opinions as possible. I had quite a few older parents say I was being too concerned too early, but I felt it was the right thing for us.

Kereen - posted on 01/15/2011

I know I'm sorry just very stressed and a little depressed. Thank you though. I thought I had been doing what I think is how a therapist would have me work with him. I have researched it on the internet. Perhaps he just needs the extra involvement of a third party. Thank you again for responding.

Dawn - posted on 01/15/2011

And don't worry, this community sometimes takes a while to answer, but you usually get a response!! :)

Dawn - posted on 01/15/2011

We had our son's hearing checked through an ENT, our ped. sent a referral. We sat inside a chamber with a large window in front where a technician sat on the other side and conducted the test. There were two screens with speakers on both corners of the room with the window. A series of white noise and spoken words (many using my son's name) were sounded through the speakers...when my son looked at the correct speaker, he was "rewarded" with a visual (a dancing figure in this case). The entire time, my son sat in my lap, and I looked directly at the window as instructed. My son passed the hearing test and was also looked at by an ENT doctor who said his ears were fine. My son also plays with his ears often, so I too thought the regular doctor must be missing something, especially since he did have an ear infection 7 months ago. We were also referred for a speech therapy assessment. We qualified for therapy which we attend 2x per week for 12 weeks. I am noticing some positive results so far, but mostly I have walked away with peace of mind and activities to use when we are at home. The therapist tests for comprehension, which my son also scored highest on...she says that he in fact is communicating very well with us, but uses "jargon" (different from babbling) and just needs more work and encouragement on learning to say "words" for objects. We spend alot of time repeating basic words over and over, but we also work on waiting, taking turns, cleaning up after play and sitting while playing, all in the effort of practicing patience which may be a big cause of frustration and using whining and crying to get things.

Kereen - posted on 01/15/2011

I guess nevermind....