18 Month Old Still Not Talking

Miki - posted on 08/24/2010

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I TRULY believe that every child will reach their "milestones" when they are good and ready... and not a moment before! Enjoy your "little baby" while they're still little babies! :) That time goes by soooo fast!! :( I know it's hard sometimes, but try not to rush it. Of course if your toddler isn't at all close to where they should be developmentally with their speaking, {etc} there may be an underlying medical reason.
I copied and pasted the following. It is a little 'wordy' but I hope it helps. :)
At a year and a half, most children speak a dozen words (or more) clearly. Besides "Mama" and "Dada," favorite words include "bye-bye," "milk," "cookie," "car," "oh!," and "my." Many 18-month-old toddlers can also link two words together to form rudimentary sentences — sentences without linking verbs or other connecting words. She may say "All gone," "Want ball," or "Me up."

Your 18-month-old probably still does a lot of babbling in imitation of the adult conversations she hears. With increasing frequency, though, you'll hear clear words in the midst of the chattering. (If your child can't say at least two words by now, be sure to mention it to her caregiver at her next well-child visit; your caregiver may wish to test her hearing or have a speech pathologist do an evaluation.)

Tone speaks volumes and your 18-month-old is rapidly figuring that out. Since her vocabulary is still limited, she uses a combination of simple words, inflection, and body language to get her point across. In fact, you may be surprised by how much she can tell you with a just a few words. When she says "COOKIE," she's not merely ruminating about her favorite treat. You know by her tone that what she's really saying is, "I want a cookie — now!"

Many 18-month-old toddlers also begin to refer to themselves by name. It will be a few months before your child can use pronouns (other than the ubiquitous "my").

What you can do
At this stage, it's better to applaud what your toddler can say rather than try to correct "mistakes." For instance, if your child says, "Want cacka," don't correct with, "No, say cracker." Say, "Okay! Here's a cracker!" Modeling the correct use of a word yourself helps kids learn faster than if you correct them outright. And not being constantly corrected will help boost your 18-month-old’s self-confidence and her eagerness to learn and try out new words.

Listen to children's music tapes or CDs together; it's a great way to hone your child's listening skills and you may be surprised by how many words she picks up from the songs.

Other developments: Improving comprehension, memory games
Your toddler has begun to realize that every toy, every animal, every person, every thing, has a name. And she relies on you for labels. She constantly points at pictures in books and asks, "What's that?" Or she just points repeatedly at the picture until you name it for her. She comprehends many more words than she can say easily and is filing the information away for later.

Sometime between 18 and 24 months, toddlers begin to be able to think about things that aren't present. She knows that her shoes are in her closet and will go fetch them if you ask her to. Or she stands in front of the pantry and asks for a cracker, which she knows is there even though she can't see it. If you want to test her on this ability, play a very basic version of the game Concentration. Hide a favorite toy under two or three blankets. She won't be foiled when she removes the first layer and the toy isn't visible — she'll keep searching. In fact, she'll have fun looking for things that you hide.
Good luck to you! I'm sure everything will be just fine with your little one, and he/she will be talking your proverbial ear off really soon!!

Claudia - posted on 07/10/2009

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Dont worry Every kid is different...As long she is fine and healthy and hearing is find.

My 21mth old talks like crazy but you can only understand him a few words...But he understands clearly in 3 differents language..So dont push her..she is just paying alot of attention and soon you will speak and verry clearly.

Mary - posted on 07/07/2009

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you may want to talk to your childs doctor to make sure there is not a problem with her hearing or some other problem

Stephanie - posted on 07/06/2009

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my daughter didnt talk till after she was about 3. we used to say that she had her own language. We called it Meeganese. We had her in speech 2 times a week, but she didnt start talking until we got her into pre-school. Now she wont stop talking. take her to her doctor and have her hearing tested and tell them that you are concerned. The should know if there is some service out there that helps with speech.

Stephanie - posted on 07/06/2009

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my daughter didnt talk till after she was about 3. we used to say that she had her own language. We called it Meeganese. We had her in speech 2 times a week, but she didnt start talking until we got her into pre-school. Now she wont stop talking. take her to her doctor and have her hearing tested and tell them that you are concerned. The should know if there is some service out there that helps with speech.

Krystalin - posted on 07/06/2009

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Just thought I'd give a little input. I have four kids, three girls and one boy. The girls were all talking by age two. In fact, my eldest daughter was talking like a veteran by 18 months and she was able to recite Bible verses by age two. However, when my son was born, he was a really good baby and large. Physically, his development was quite fast, he walked before the age of one and he obviously understood all that went on around him. However, he could not say much even at two. I was a little worried as his sisters were all talking way too much by that age. He's now almost four and he's doing fine, although there are some things that are still a little unclear. He only started to really talk at three, but once he started he improved really fast. Every week, he learned a whole lot of new words. What I want to say is this. Maybe your daughter just doesn't feel the need to talk right now. That's how my son was. If you've had her tested and there's nothing wrong, I think you need to just wait patiently. Each child has their own pace... that's what I've found with my kids. Hope this helps.

Krystalin - posted on 07/06/2009

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Just thought I'd give a little input. I have four kids, three girls and one boy. The girls were all talking by age two. In fact, my eldest daughter was talking like a veteran by 18 months and she was able to recite Bible verses by age two. However, when my son was born, he was a really good baby and large. Physically, his development was quite fast, he walked before the age of one and he obviously understood all that went on around him. However, he could not say much even at two. I was a little worried as his sisters were all talking way too much by that age. He's now almost four and he's doing fine, although there are some things that are still a little unclear. He only started to really talk at three, but once he started he improved really fast. Every week, he learned a whole lot of new words. What I want to say is this. Maybe your daughter just doesn't feel the need to talk right now. That's how my son was. If you've had her tested and there's nothing wrong, I think you need to just wait patiently. Each child has their own pace... that's what I've found with my kids. Hope this helps.

Suzie - posted on 07/01/2009

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Have her hearing checked. She may not hear you correctly and is saying it the way she hears it. If the hearing is fine, tough love, it's hard but can be helpful. Don't give in right away when she points and grunts. Making her actually work for it will teach her that you aren't gonna just jump and run at the first grunt. Good Luck

Keri - posted on 07/01/2009

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My son also was not talking by 18 months. By 2 years he had about as many words as a 1 year old. We had him tested for both hearing and speech. His hearing is fine, but he has moderate speech problems. He has started talking a lot more in the last couple of months and he is now 3 and a half. He starts speech therapy this fall at the early childhood program. He is speaking a lot more, but he is really hard to understand. Get your child tested. It can't hurt.

Keri - posted on 07/01/2009

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My son also was not talking by 18 months. By 2 years he had about as many words as a 1 year old. We had him tested for both hearing and speech. His hearing is fine, but he has moderate speech problems. He has started talking a lot more in the last couple of months and he is now 3 and a half. He starts speech therapy this fall at the early childhood program. He is speaking a lot more, but he is really hard to understand. Get your child tested. It can't hurt.

Stephanie - posted on 07/01/2009

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my oldest son ws 7 wks premature. he did not speak until well after the age of two. he had cronic ear infections, and they put in his first set of tubes at 19 months. with that and speech therapy, he began talking. he is 8 now and still does speech therapy, but it really helped him as an infant.

Tammy - posted on 07/01/2009

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I think you might need to have her hearing checked it could stem from that. I know my twin son was delayed and when I took him to the doctor I found out he was not hearing well. He had tubes in his ears and very large adneoids and tonsils removed and speech improved 100% Now he is almost 6 and never shuts up. Hope things work out for your daughter but she really should be evaluated.

Regina - posted on 07/01/2009

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Hang in there! I was concerned about my daughter at around the same age. But, it seems as if a switch went out when she turned 2. Give it time. The language will kick in. My daughter is 3 now & talks like she is 10 sometimes.

Jael - posted on 07/01/2009

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I thought my son was a little delayed in talking but my doctor said it just seems like he wants to say words. so he is to now n to this day he only says words he knows and if he doesnt he just points. he never did the baby mumbo jumbo stuff like most kids.

Meredith Hertel - posted on 07/01/2009

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If you move her foot back and forth several times a day to lengthen her calf muscle, this is suppose to help. However, I would have your daughter, any child, seen by a chiropractor who works on infants. It is really a nessessity for a child's natural/maximun health, as the spine controls the entire nervous system etc...It is a shame many doctors overlook the immense benefits of chiropractic. Also, if you do not see improvement over time, I would not hesitate to see if your child has heavy metal toxins in their system, prob. mostly from vaccines which could be the prob. of delayed speech, or loss of it. You can get a hair sample analysis done and it will show this and any deficiency. Also, it is important to note that vaccine contents/toxins etc. get harbored in your t2 cells and disguise themselves in elder years as diseases etc. and are a major factor in poor health today, not to mention the tons of other environmental toxins. Remember, a hose still works if it's kinked, just not good...

Shayla - posted on 06/28/2009

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My son did that - we had him tested but he was fine. What worked...we taught him sign language. It worked like a charm and he started using actual words.

Kimberly - posted on 06/22/2009

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I just thought that I would add my own 2 cents. I have three children and my oldest is 10 and my middle is 3. They are both boys and both of them had speech therapy. My 10 year old started speech when he was 2. My middle son just turned 3 in January and he just started speech. My daughter is 2 and is talking better than either of the boys were at that time. Now my ten year old talks more than any girl I know and after just 3 short months in speech my middle son is doing super. So like some other posters have said, it could be a number of things causing it but I wouldnt worry to much about it. All of mine are fine. They just seem to be slower at it or just like you said , lazy!

Cindy - posted on 06/22/2009

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My oldest was almost three before he talked more than one word ("thank you" was his only 2 word phrase, and not very comprehendable). But, he had no problem communicating with pointing, jestures, sound FX and walking me places. He was just a late bloomer in this area, that's all. He's quite articulate now. (he was an early bloomer in walking though - 7.5 months!!) Every kid is different. Good Luck!

Erin - posted on 06/21/2009

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My daughter was not talking at all at 18 months and didn't even babble in her room when we weren't there. I would talk to your doctor about speech therapy. They had us have her hearing tested first - it was fine. Then we were referred to First Steps - a program in Indiana that provides therapy for children 3 and under. I would assume most states probably have a similar program. The therapist came to our house to keep her in her own environment and taught her some sign language so she could communicate more before she actually started talking. We continued until she turned 3 and I would definitely recommend the experience. She is now 5 and we can't get her to be quiet now. Hope this helps! If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Wendy - posted on 06/20/2009

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Quoting Jackie:

18 month old still not talking

My 18 month old is still not talking. She makes noises and points when she wants something. I've been trying so hard to practice words with her, but she's not getting it. Does anyone have any suggestions?

My daughter (now nearly 20!) didn't talk at all until she was 18 months old. She would come out with the occassional sound but was mostly quiet but then suddenly spoke in small sentences, she was obviously taking everything in but felt no need to give anything back. However, you may be advised to take your child for a hearing test, just in case.

NB. My daughter would be quite happy for me to answer questions on her behalf in a social situation in her early teens but has no problem holding conversations with people from all walks of life these days.

Dez - posted on 06/19/2009

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When my daughter was 18 months she had only 3 words and everytime I can't understand what her grunt meant, she would throw a fit. I happen to be reading a book about babies and one chapter was called Sign 101. I decided to follow their advise and bought a sign language video for babies. I had the whole family watch and learn a few basic words. My daughter loved it and she really used. She signed for a few months and then she signed and talked for a while and then she dropped signing and just talked. Exactly like the book described babies and toddlers would do. The video was called We Sign "Babies and Toddlers". I also used it for my third child when she turned 1 just for fun. She loved it.

Bettina - posted on 06/18/2009

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Hi Jackie. My name is Bettina. We have 3 generations that have had a slow talker. Let me tell you, all have made up for it & then some. My brother's first word was, "Billy wants drink water." (Obviously, his older sister (me) did all the talking!) He was well over two. I have dealt with this with my 4th daughter and now my eldest daughter has a daughter age 17 1/2 months who is not talking much at all. She points, uses gestures mostly. First, I want to say that each child develops at his or her own pace. I had 5 daughters. Some were early talkers, some later. One was an early walker, one was a late walker. Kathryn was the one who talked the latest. I asked our doctor about it - I was concerned. Her hearing was fine and she was bright. And, she was very active physically. My doctor said that when babies are advanced in one area, they tend to be slower in another area as their bodies can only do so much at a time. What we have found over the years is to carry on conversations with the baby. You talk, tell her something and then let there be a time of silence for her to talk (be it words or babbles). I ask questions like, "What do you want to tell me?", "Is that so? Tell me more.", "I love to hear you talk.", "I love to hear you tell me things.", etc. Another thing to help her is to read out loud to her.

I'm sure you've checked her hearing. If not, snap your fingers just in back of her ear, she should turn towards that side. Check both right & left.

Take care, Bettina Morton

Karen - posted on 06/18/2009

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My little girl did not really start talking much until she was 2. She wanted to just grunt and point as well. We would always tell her to use her words and we would say to her what she needed to say. She is now three and talking up a storm, you would never know that she started talking late. It just seemed to click one day and every day she amazes us more. I'm sure her speech will come along. Some children just take longer than others. Try not to compare her to other children, we did and that only made things seem worse. Good luck and keep telling her to use her words and repeat what it is you want her to say.

Karen - posted on 06/18/2009

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My little girl did not really start talking much until she was 2. She wanted to just grunt and point as well. We would always tell her to use her words and we would say to her what she needed to say. She is now three and talking up a storm, you would never know that she started talking late. It just seemed to click one day and every day she amazes us more. I'm sure her speech will come along. Some children just take longer than others. Try not to compare her to other children, we did and that only made things seem worse. Good luck and keep telling her to use her words and repeat what it is you want her to say.

Chinggay - posted on 06/18/2009

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My youngest child, a daughter, spoke when we enrolled her at age 3.6. She still doesn't speak straight but we can understand her better. I would like to say that you let her speak in her own time & not to dwell too much on her inability to talk. Enjoy your darling. Because when she learns to talk, you wold wish her to just shut up. Just joking on the last part.

Louise - posted on 06/18/2009

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Have you had her hearing tested since the first one they get when they are born??she might have glue ear it is common in children and it can be easily sorted out they just drain the ear andif grommits need to put in to stop the build up of wax they will do it when they drain the ear. just a suggestion as my 3year old has only just started talking so as we can understand her .she had a hearing test done and they have said that it looks like glue ear ,sometimes they let the child try to get rid of it by themselves and other times they drain and grommit. hope that i've been some help to you

Lisa - posted on 06/18/2009

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The first thing that I would do is talk to your doctor about it. I'm no expert, but I have taken many human and child development classes in college and what I've learned is that there are many reasons for why children develop at different rates - some require medical intervention, others just require patience. Your doctor will be able to tell you whether or not there is cause for concern and help you figure out the best course of action.

Lisa - posted on 06/18/2009

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The first thing that I would do is talk to your doctor about it. I'm no expert, but I have taken many human and child development classes in college and what I've learned is that there are many reasons for why children develop at different rates - some require medical intervention, others just require patience. Your doctor will be able to tell you whether or not there is cause for concern and help you figure out the best course of action.

Laura - posted on 06/18/2009

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I'm not sure what state you live in, but some states have early child intervention. California has something called early start and they will test your child to see if they qualify. If they qualify, someone comes out to the house and will actually work with your child to help develop their speech. These are credentialed teachers who do this all the time. They really know what they are doing. In Calif. the service is free. The first step is to tell your pediatrician your concerns and see if there are any services in your area to help. I know that early intervention really helped my son who had a gross motor delay. They got him into physical therapy and the early start program and it made a huge difference!!!

Brenda - posted on 06/18/2009

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My oldest daughter didn't talk until she was 2 1/2. This was due, in part, to a tremendous number of ear infections which affected her hearing. To this day she has a difficult time hearing certain tones (she is 12). But some kids just do things later than "normal." Others do things earlier than "normal." I think we moms get way too worked up about our kids not doing things "on time." As long as they are healthy and active, I don't worry if they don't do things when the "experts" say they should.