Not Talking

Elizabeth - posted on 04/02/2011

Don't put the cart before the horse..I know it's hard not to worry but have them evaluated to ease your mind. If the findings are not good ..then it's really good it was caught so early on ..early intervention is the best thing you can do...if they find that there isn't a problem..Great for your peace of mind

Donna - posted on 04/02/2011

i have twin daughters now 8 and they didnt start talking properly until about 2 1/2 yrs but were sent to a speech therapist they will start talking when they are ready

Sarah - posted on 06/29/2009

I had my twins evaluated by a speech therapy at 2 years old. The speech therapist basically said they will get better. Its a twin thing. She said that they needed to be talking at 50% or 1 year old level to really need speech therapy. Now at 3 they wont stop talking lol

Julie - posted on 06/29/2009

im in the same place...mine will be 2 next month and only say a few words and def. have their own little language. our dr has brought up getting them in speech therapy... i was just going on the thought that yeah they are twins and they will get it. my oldest was a great talker, my second took a little longer too but she got it. im not gonna worry about it till they are 3.

Sarah - posted on 06/29/2009

My twins were late talkers also. My oldest was talking great by 2. They are 3 now and talking in full sentences. I think they just talked to each other in their own little language and didnt need to learn as quickly. Plus big brother could understand them better than we could. Once they started talking it happened fast and now they talk all the time. Just hang in there

Julie - posted on 06/28/2009

I'm happy to announce that the boys have progressed, on their own. They do have their own "twin talk" but they are now saying mom, dad, no is their best word and I swear Marek said "I love you'

Cassy - posted on 06/12/2009

I was also scared because both my twin boys were only saying no on theie third birthday!!! Our your boys acting like they are talking in another language? If so, they will come around on their own. My boys finally started talking four days after their third birthday and haven't stopped!!! Enjoy it while it lasts! LOL

Candi - posted on 06/12/2009

most twins, have there own language, my do and they still use it to this day and their 8 now, my one spoke for the other one up till i had them in different classes for pre-school, which helped a bit, alot of kids have speech delays, you just need to work with it, and have them see a specialist its not going to hurt anyone to see what they have to say,

Marne - posted on 06/12/2009

My son has a motor planning disorder called apraxia of speech. Contrary to prior thought it can occur with no other complication other than an inability to speak. There is a website called apraxia-kids.org where you can go to get more info on apraxia and whether or not you think your boys might have it. Basically what is happening is that they understand everything just like any other child thier age and they know what they want to say but the signals for thier muscles gets scrambled. They can't coordinate all the parts needed to make those sounds to produce words. There are frequently sounds that you will find your child can't make at all (gutterals for my Will) and sometimes a child can say a word one minute and then won't be able to do it again no matter how hard he tries. With appropriate and pretty intense speech therapy it can usually be overcome.

Rebecca - posted on 06/12/2009

I wouldn't hesitate to send them to a specialist -- if they are only saying one word at two, they are unquestionably behind, but with a little work you can most likely bring them up to speed pretty quickly. It's better to intervene now than wait until they are farther behind. I have 16 month old twin boys and was having the same problem. My boys were referred to what is called "Early On" in Michigan because they weren't saying any words by 12 months. Your state may have a similar program so I would look into it. They were both evaluated by a speech pathologist, who determined that they are on target for receptive language (understanding what I say -- e.g., go get your socks), but behind on expressive language - not speaking themselves or pointing. The evaluator gave me some tips for helping them with their expressive language and it has made a difference. Twins, in general, can be a little behind in speech and boys in particular can be behind. Twins tend to reinforce non-language (e.g., twin talk) with each other so it is important that they hang out with other kids their age and older so they are exposed to real language. Also, one of the best tips I was given was to slow down in what I was saying. Because I was worried about their speech, I was speaking more to them -- this was probably making the problem worse. Slow down what you are saying so they can process and grasp the words -- regular speech can be like pitching speedballs to a five year old. For example, instead of saying, "do you want the ball?" in normal adult cadence just say, "ball" when you hand it to them. Once they start picking up single words, you can increase the complexity of your speech. It really seems to have helped with my boys. Definitely listen to your doctor and go see the specialist -- they can give you a lot more tips to help them catch up.

Diana - posted on 06/09/2009

My twin girls will be 3 on Sunday the 14th. After reading all these posting I see that what I am experiencing with them is soooo normal!! My twins also have their "twin talk", but I have noticed that their speech is coming along. A speech therapist friend of mine suggested a lot of sesame street. She also recommeded repeating ALOT to them.

Sara - posted on 06/09/2009

My twins didn't speak well at all at 3yrs. So they went to a speech therapist twice a week for a year. They did A LOT of play therapy with her. By the time they reached pre-school they were age appropriate with their speech and could talk to their peers just fine. Get them into speech and don't worry. :) I'm SO glad I did it BEFORE school age. No being made fun of by other kids and no worries about interacting with peers and teachers.

Laura - posted on 06/09/2009

I've heard that twins sometimes aren't necessarily speech delayed its just that they have their own language to speak to each other and it works for them. I have a boy and girl and at age 2 my daughter was speaking very well but my son would not speak a lot my daughter could figure out what he wanted and she would tell me but he would only say like gla for glasses; cup instead of cupcake by 2 1/2 he was getting better. Every dr is different but ours wasn't to concerned because he was is a twin and he and his sister could communicate to each other. We are still working with him at a little over 2 1/2. Don't know if this helps.

Jen - posted on 06/09/2009

I too had an older son who was talking very well, great conversationalist at 2 years old. My twins were different. By 18 months they understood everything, would follow 2 and 3 step commands but just not verbalizing much. Tyler was behind Luke too because of a heart surgery which delayed his motor development which delayed his speech.

At 18 months I had them eval'd through Early Intervention for peace of mind. They were just over the range to be accepted into Speech Therapy and I could have waited until 2 years old to see how they were doing or put them in at 19 months. I put them in. The earlier you start to correct an issue, the better for everyone. The boys were out of speech by 25 months. Tyler is still about 2 months behind Luke on speech but since age 2 1/2 it is mostly learning to say certain letters correctly, which is an age appropriate thing.

I would have them eval'd and see where they fall. Make them talk to you and ask for what they want. Play games with them to encourage them to talk - that is basically what our speech therapist did anyway - plays games so it is fun for them and not "work".

Christine - posted on 06/08/2009

My twin boys will be two next month (July) and they are very delayed on their speech. They are very quiet, they never babbled or made "baby sounds". Our pedi felt the same way, so both boys did have hearing tests done and they both passed!! They started speech therapy, she comes to our home 1x per week and works with each twin individually for 30 mins. through Early Intervention. Since the speech therapy, one twin is still very shy & quiet but he will babble & make sounds. The other twin is really trying hard to talk & can say about 5 words now. The speech therapist gave us 3 Signing Time DVD's which teach sign language & speech. The DVD's have worked really well because they will sign words such as "more" and they have learned to say words like "car". Prior to the hearing test, I knew my kids could hear fine and they had to have the hearing test done before they could begin speech therapy. I'm not worried about my boys at all, I know they'll be talking before I know it, but I figure the speech therapy can only benefit my kids and that is what's important to me.

Arlene - posted on 06/08/2009

Don't be alarmed! My twins, now 36, had their own language between themselves and they spoke much later than my older son. I've also found that if you give them everything without them having to ask for it; there's no reason for them to speak. When they want something, make them ask for it. I'm sure if there was something physically wrong with them, the doctor would have found it already...so know that twins are a little on the lazy side because they have each other. Let me know how they make out! Arlene

Devon - posted on 06/08/2009

i haven't had this problem with my twin girls, but if they are over 2 years old and aren't talking yet, then you should send them to a specialist. it sounds like they might have a speech delay and that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible so they are talking by the time they get in school. i hear it can happen alot in boys and i would definately get it dealt with. good luck and don't worry they will start talking soon :)