My 2 year olds not talking yet, any advice?

Sophia - posted on 09/06/2012

talk to her doctor right now... get names from your doctor who can help. family / friends mean well. But you and I know she need to be saying more than she is saying. my family told me my son did not need this / that thank god I did what I knew was right by him. I cant stop him now ... he always have to have the last word in.

Liz - posted on 07/24/2012

yes! My son will be two next week and does the same thing. It is very stressful so I understand your worries exactly!He will say mama but doesnt call me. He just repeats it when I say it. We have a speech therapist coming tomorrow. I will be glad to share with you what she does and says. You can email me if you would like me to give you the ionfo at ljelks@hotmail.com My pediatrician says if they understand you, then it is usually just speech delay but to get an evaluation. He is getting a developmental evaluation Sep.28. Keep your head up. Libby

Nicole - posted on 09/20/2009

I would definitely hope that you have raised these concerns with your doctor, and if her hearing & everything else checks out, & she's meeting all other milestones on time, than just work with her. I had a friend who's daughter barely talked at 3, & it was amazing the way she jumped everytime her daughter fussed. Her daughter was no dummy & knew that she didn't have to talk -- her mommy would jump through hoops to try to figure out what she wanted, without trying to illicit any words from her. My first daughter was an amazing talker & I can already see that my second will not be. She's more active & less vocal than my first, & honestly, I really just don't have the time to sit & teach her things all day. So, definitely take a look around & see if she's really in an environment condusive to learning words. Ask her what she wants, give her time to answer & then repeat it over & over in simple form. "More milk? Milk? More Milk?" Hope this helps & Good Luck!

Kirsty - posted on 09/19/2009

My son is 2 and a 1/2. He didnt talk much till after he turned to because he had constant ear infections. He didnt say mum until 3 months after he had his operation (adnoid and tonsil removal) now I cant get him to stop talking! He still babbles but it is more a conversation now. He is going to a speech therapist soon.
I don't think you should worry too much at this stage, but maybe getting her hearing tested might put you mind at ease.

Elizabeth - posted on 09/19/2009

My first child did not really speak at 2 years old. I would suggest you talk to your doctor. Your case my not be at all like mine so don't panic, but here is my story...

My doctor first suggested to get his hearing checked. When that turned out not to be the problem. We got him started in speech therapy while we waited for our appointment at a develpomental cilinc to get him tested. Ultimatley he was diagnosed with Autism. We enrolled him in a Developmental Day Thearapy Clinic (a preschool for special needs kids). He received speech and occupational therapy. Now he is in the first grade as a public school and is in the rregular classroom. He has tested out of speech therapy but still receives occupational therapy. He is doing great! Early intervention is the key to any developmental delay. Talk to you doctor and get your child started in speech therapy.

Tina - posted on 09/10/2009

Thanks, I believe she will to. She can see something done once and can attempt to do it. She has a fixing hand like her dad and a visional learning like him also.

Teresa - posted on 09/10/2009

No worries...these things take time. If she isn't talking at 3, take her to her Pediatrician and ask for an developmental evaluation. But as long as you talk to her often, and have her repeat things as much as she is able...she'll come around. Don't stress! My daughter is now 5, but when she was younger, she started talking then stopped all together for months. We were concerned, had her evaluated and she eventually started up again. Keep patient, and you will be rewarded with an intelligent child. She may learn through observation instead of speech.

Tina - posted on 09/10/2009

My almost 2 years old lil girl does the same. But she calls me mama, says com on and a few other words. I just keep talking to her because she understands and wait for her to begin to talk more. I also have taken her to ENT and she is going for her second hearing test. She had several ear infections the first six months of the year and may have to have tubes. But the best I can say is talk your concerns over with your ped.

Debbie - posted on 09/10/2009

I didnt talk til i was 3 and started school because my parents had accents. is that you?? if not then i dont know, read to her alot let her watch PBSKids sometimes to get words in her head.

Krista - posted on 09/09/2009

two words.. Early Intervention! Sounds like all states have it. My twin boys are 19mo and had Early Intervention here today. Took less than an hour and they basically play with the kids while evaluating them and then tell you what therapy they do or dont suggest. You are completely able to agree or disagree and the fees for whatever they recommend is on a sliding scale so completely affordable and possibly free. My boys have no words... but.. they used to. So our concern is why arent they saying the vocab they used to have as well as nothing else. We are going to start speech therapy/music therapy, per their recommendation but there is a 3mo waiting list.. so do get them evaluated as soon as possible. The music therapy will play games and teach them songs and some sign language and the goal is to get them to "mimic" silly sounds and eventually work up to words. They suggested I start trying to get them to mimic silly sounds like "raspberries" and exagerated "lalala" with the tongue etc. and they suggested songs with hand movements like itsy bitsy spider..

Hope this all helps you a bit.. I know I have my homework assignment now! I just want to hear the word Momma or Mommy!! Ok, I guess I want more words too! :-)

PATRICIA - posted on 09/09/2009

When my daughter was 2 she went thru the same thing.

She said very few words she would point at things and wait until she got what she wanted after awhile. Well the only way we could get her to stop was by not giving in to her and telling her she would not get what she wanted until she used her words. I can say that she is now 19 yrs old and talking and using her words. Also try not using baby talk with her use the proper pronunciation when talking to her. Do tell your drs if you have any concerns he might want to get her checked with her hearing.

Marsha - posted on 09/09/2009

My son is going through the same. I've learned that 1/2 of speech therapy is teaching the parents what to do. Make sure you don't talk for your child. For example, instead of saying "here's your milk", hold up the cup and wait ...let them do something to ask for it. Anything at all should get a happy, enthusiastic response from you along with the reaction they are hoping for ...a glass of milk. This teaches them that if they try to communicate, they will get results. Also, every time they try to communicate with you, look at them and give them a response. This will make them want to do it more often. Finally, don't use to many words. The next time you say something to your child, count how many words were in the sentence. They recommend bringing your communication down to about 2 or 3 words. For example, just say "shoes on" to keep the message simple. Also, only use one word for something until they catch on. I.E. If you say "shoes" one day, don't say sneakers the next and sandels the day after. Good luck. :)

Rebecca - posted on 09/09/2009

my friend has had asimilair problem with her 3 year old and it turned out to be a hearing problem. go to your gp they will point you in the right direction. shes getting help now especiallynow shes at school xx

Lisa - posted on 09/09/2009

At 2 years old, I put my son in speech therapy. They therapist came to my house so she can work with him in his every day environment. After 2 months they were ready to release him because he had progressed so much! It has been 2 months since his last therapy session and I can't get him to stop talking! They are miracle workers! Let me know if you want more information. Good luck to you!

Sara - posted on 09/09/2009

My daughter is 2 1/2 and says about 5 words. We have seen speach theropist 2 weeks ago who said that some children struggle to form words in there head.. They can understand the words but need to hear the word over and over before they can repeat it. I have been told to focus on key words and use short simple speach when talking to her!! So if she wants juice i was told to say "Stacey Want JUICE?" "Mummy get Stacey JUICE!" "Mummy likes JUICE" and to say as many short sentances as i can think of with the word Juice in it! You feel stupid doing it but since the visit she has started saying Juice and Yellow!!!!

Monica - posted on 09/08/2009

Hi, my son was exactly like that, I took him to his pediatrician, he had a test done. My son was not hearing 100%, lots of ear infections because of allergies, we gave him medicine to control the allergies and the ear infections stopped, he started talking at the same time. He had one year of language therapy and he is now a very talkative 4 year old. I hope this helps.

Tammy - posted on 09/08/2009

My daughter is 19 months old and her vocabulary is very limited! She makes gestures with her hands by pointing and she grunts when she wants something. She can say Nanny and Momma and she knows what I say to her. She points at my eyes nose and mouth but she will not repeat the words. I am just being patient because she was 2 months premature but I understand your concern. It can be frustrating for her and you when you can not communicate well. But hang in there she will come around.

Jen - posted on 09/08/2009

My daughter will be 2 December 1 and I lost count of her words at 15 months because she had already hit 50 words. She also talks mostly in sentences without articles (a, the, etc.). However, she is also very ahead of schedule. My friend's oldest son was talking jibberish when he turned 2 last year and after going through early intervention and speech therapy he talks a lot better. At 3 he still has a delay, but he's now able to communicate what he needs and hold a conversation with you. I highly recommend early intervention like a lot of the other moms have. However, I also agree with the mom who is playing devils advocate in the sense that reading really does expand your child's vocabulary rapidly. That's how my daughter learned so many words in such a short amount of time. We point to every picture in every book and name it. You don't always have to read the story just point to and name the pictures. Work with your daughter on your own and through therapy (if that's what you choose) and you will be looking back 6 months from now wondering why you were worrying so much. Good luck :)

Angel - posted on 09/08/2009

ok a 2 year old is supposed to have a vocabulary of 50 words. not 200-300 so dont worry.

Angel - posted on 09/08/2009

yah i have the same problem, you could get her ears checked and if not that take her to a speech and language therapist and see what there opinion is, or if shes really hyper like mine it might just be that she is so hyper active that she doesnt pay attention and thats why shes not talking so much. My daughter is 2 and 1/2 and she doesnt use sentances yet. I took her to a speech and language therapist and got her ears check and they told me her ears were fine and her speech was fine shes just a lil behind so then i took her to her doctor and i was told it might be because shes very hyper active. so the best thing to do would be talk to her doctor. i hope this helps.

Belinda - posted on 09/07/2009

i think my son CAN talk but he chooses not to. Sometimes he'll bust out with some stuff like I watch or she did it (repeating what other said) but he doesnt really tell me when he's hungry or thirsty...I have asked to have him evaluated by a speech therpy group just to make sure. The developmental worker said he's supposed to know between 200-300 words!! & he should be saying 2-3 word senteces- me outside, momma bye bye, dog go outside ect...he doesnt do that & i think that may be a little overboard?? Good luck to you, remember you are not alone-

Julie - posted on 09/06/2009

Ok to play devils advocit here for a moment, my daughter had the same problem, and the doc suggested a she be evalutated by a speech theropist, I chose not to do that right away, I wanted to give her a couple of months to see what happens..in the meantime we started reading a lot of books to her...and one day she just started talking like she had been doing it for months. So I understand your concern and by all means talk to the doctor but keep in mind their may not be anything wrong with her what so ever...sometimes kids just do things in their own time..Good luck

Michele - posted on 09/06/2009

We are raiseing our almost 2 year old grandson and he was not talking at all. We took him to the Dr. because he had alot of ear infections the put tubes in his ears and seem to help a little. But we are working with a speech thep. In Texas the come to your House. I hope this helps

Lindsay - posted on 09/06/2009

My son had trouble with speech and we took him to the local Early Intervention program. It's called First Steps here and if you are in the US, I'm pretty sure each state has a program. We had my son evaluated and then they helped get us set up with a speech pathologist that came to see him each week. They also had us get his hearing checked and we found that the major problem of his speech was that he had fluid on his eardrums and although he could hear, it sounded like he was under water. We had tubes placed last Dec. and between those and his speech therapy, his speech has taken off! They may find something, they may not. But if you are concerned, I wouldn't hesitate to get it checked out. All it can do is help! Good luck to you and your daughter! =)

Jacquelyn - posted on 09/06/2009

I got a birth to three group evaluate mine and he is talking more and more.. and is starting pre k

Carolyn - posted on 09/05/2009

talk to your doctor A.S.A.P. Tell them you interested in Early intervention. Trust me I overlooked it with my oldest. So just try these service first. then go from there. My youngest is currently in Early Steps and goes to a mini- preschool for the same things you were saying. Don't wait ok make sure you do this in a hurry ok. Because paper work and space available maybe limited because she will get some type of services. Please act asap

Jess - posted on 09/04/2009

some kids just dont wana talk bc they know that they can get what they want/need by pointing or babbling. my peditriction told me that the AVERAGE vocab for a 2yr old is 10-15 words. r u enabling her not to have to talk? kids develop differently and it will come. my family thought there was something wrong when my son wouldnt talk much at 2. he is now 3 and wont shut up. dont worry bout it. if u think there could be a problem consult the childs dr.

Crystal - posted on 09/04/2009

Oh my gosh, I thought I was the only one with this problem. I am told by my doctor that I should ahve my son assessed by professionals. He turns two tomorrow, and he is just like your girl, says a few words though, but mostly just knows how to point to his body parts and gestures. But he still doesn't call me mama. :( I think you should talk to her pediatrician about this as she may have autism or aspergers syndrome. Nevada Early intervention will be assessing my child on Sept 23rd and 30th. They will help me. I imagine your state has a similiar organization. as I said I was given the number from my pediatrician. Good Luck to you! Try not to be too discouraged, as I know I am. We also I cant get him to feed himself with a spoon. I will follow up when I know something, maybe i will get some info that will also help you.



Thanks for listening.

Tammy - posted on 09/04/2009

you might want to talk to your gp about this because there could be something wrong with her ears ie ear infection

some kids have pain when they talk if they have an infection there.

I would talk to a professional possibly even a pediatrician