My daughter is still not talking at 17 months, is it to soon to worry?

Tina - posted on 09/01/2009

I have 4 children and all but the first one would not talk until after the age of 2. My last child is now 4 and he just recently started talking. I wouldn't worry about it. When they start you will be finding yourself saying shhhh be quiet. lol

Tracy - posted on 08/31/2009

my youngest son didnt start talking until he was 3, then he was talking all the time. i took him for the hearing test and all that to he was fine. do what you think is right for you and your child every kid is drifferent,

Kaley - posted on 08/31/2009

Hello i can understand why your worrying there so much hype about what kids should or shouldnt be doing by what age these days its enough to worry anyone if there kids dont seem to match up with the drs timelines however all kids are diffrent some learn faster then others and some learn all at once.You find kids that say nothing till there about 2 then come in to there own and learn loads of words within a few weeks and there are others who learn lots of words by 6 months it dont mean theres anything wrong just that they are learning at there own pace nor is it an indication that they will always be slower then others at learning.However i think i would be not so much worried but maybe a little concerned if my child was havinmg these problems at that age.You have done the right thing by seeing the dr and as a suggestion not to worry you may i sugest you also see a child physchiatrist with your daughter as slow to speak could also be an indication of autistic spectrum issues you dont say in your post weather she has been slow to do other things or reach other mile stones such as walking or has poor hand eye coordination and fine moter skills if she does i think for your own peace of mind it would be worth seeing if that could be a possibility.Chances are though she is just a late bloomer as my mom use to call them and will be just fine

Ana - posted on 08/31/2009

I have a friend whose daughter is 2 yrs and 5 mos. ...she can only say mama. They had her checked and found out that she has mild autism...now she's undergoing speech therapy,and in a few weeks time will have her hearing checked. She's just started the therapy and the response is very positive.

Tara - posted on 08/31/2009

Not to worry dear, I had the same prob with my son. He didn't really begin to talk until he was well into his second year. I took him to specialist and the told me nothing was wrong and that he would talk when ready and he did. Speech is not a problem today and he is 6 now.

Vera - posted on 08/31/2009

From a gramma...One of my children started way early and the younger one started late, close to two as I remember....why should she talk when she had others around to talk for her. LOL....I think today that we push the little ones way too fast into everything...we are all individuals with indiviual gifts and talents, I dont' think your child needs to be pushed....she'll talk when she is ready. And if she seems to be hearing and responding to you, her hearing is fine. If she begins to talk and then after awhile it's obvious you can't understand her maybe then is the time for a speech therapist. Babbling and grunting is fine...

Kayla - posted on 08/31/2009

I went thru this with my own daughter. Our family doctor told us that it was abnormal so I took her to see a speech therapist. She told me to bring her back in one year if nothing has changed. She later did start talking more and we put in speech classes just to help her along and now she is never quiet.It will come. All kids are different.

Ashley - posted on 08/31/2009

my son is 16 months and he only says mama, dada, and nana. the rest of the time he just babbles. i know his hearing is perfectly fine because has had his hearing tested 3 times due to bacterial meningitis as an infant. i wouldnt worry i'm sure your child is fine. i remember them telling me at the hospital that if a child is responding to what you are saying (telling them what to do, calling their name, etc) theres nothing to worry about but if they arent understanding what you are saying there usually is something wrong. some children just take it all in and then one day it's like they go to bed and wake up talking!

Ruth - posted on 08/31/2009

My son is 21 months. He only says a few words too. I'm not worried because I have a 7 year old who talked at 10 mths and never shuts up! I have a friend who's son talked extremely late and when he started talking, it was in sentences. Every child is different. It doesn't hurt to have them checked out, but I don't think you should kill yourself with worry. I have a cousin who's son was 4 and his speach wasn't clear. It turned out he was tongue-tied and it was so easily fixed. I hope this helps to alleviate some of your stress.

Mandy - posted on 08/31/2009

Don't worry, I know it's hard not to! My son walked a little late at 15 months, but his speech was late and we had his hearing tested and he needed tubes. But we waited until he was almost 3 so he is still a little behind in speech (he'll be 4 in Jan). We took him to a speech therapist and insurance didn't cover it and it's real expensive. So if you find out she needs speech therapy, call your local elem school and explain the situation as they have programs, which are free, to help, such as priority preschool. My son now goes to priority preschool and he is doing awesome with his speech. Good luck!

Monica - posted on 08/31/2009

My son Scott was 2 1/2 when he started to talk more then ma and ba i was not worried a long as he keep trying. If he hit 3 and wasnt then I would have worried. My sisters son was also slow at talking and he is now 5 and doesnt stop lol She will when she is ready

Ashley - posted on 08/31/2009

My son had to do speech therapy for a year when he was 2 to catch up to where he should've been. If your doctors are telling you to go, do it. Don't waste any precious time, the sooner you discover the problem the sooner it can be fixed. It's NEVER too soon to worry and if the help is out there, take it. Speech therapy was wonderful don't get me wrong, but it was a long process and sometimes a struggle so if you can get her into it sooner, it should cut the time down.

Crystal - posted on 08/31/2009

ok so i dont have time right now to read all the other posts. but my son will be 2 in october and he barely talks. he said momma, dada, nana (meaning banana and grandma) and hi. thats it. kids all start talking at different times. your child will talk when he is ready. the WIC office here tried the same crap about going to a speech theropist. but my son doesnt need it. he is getting there and fast now. he trys to say other words but hes not getting it yet. but he is trying thats what counts. just talk to your child alot. about what you are doing ect. like mommy is going to get you milk now. or mommy is doing dishes, we have to make them clean. explain and use words alot and the child will try talking more also. ill be back later to try and read the rest of the posts :-)

Sharon - posted on 08/31/2009

I had that problem with my daughter at 17 months but the Pedi told me to wait until she was at least two years of age before see a speech therapist. Her reasoning was simple.....my daughter goes to a daycare where spanish is the primary language spoken even though they do bilingual instruction with all the children. She then comes home to a house where only english is spoken. So there may be a delay in speech due to that situation. There is no hearing problems present, we had her hearing checked at birth, because she responded to all auditory commands, questions, etc. that the doctor prompted. When I talked to a speech therapist at my school, who visited with my daughter for an hour out of a favor to me, she said she saw some delay in speech but to just work on words with her. Name things, point things out, listen closely when she babbles.....some words sound like babble but are actual words trying to get out.



You may, other then the getting tested, want to start trying to get her to use words more. When my daughter wants something we try to get her to ask for it.

Krista - posted on 08/31/2009

My son was 22 months old before he said his first word. He was saying absolutely nothing before then and I was getting worried, too. All of a sudden it was like the dam broke because since then he hasn't stopped talking. As it turned out he was tongue tied, but he never had a speech impediment, I guess he just didn't feel like talking. He is 8 now and has had no issues whatsoever. He gets straight A's in school and loves it. I think he just didn't want to talk until he was ready so maybe that is the case with your daughter.

Dawn - posted on 08/31/2009

We took our daughter to an audiologist for a hearing test and they gave us a sheet with her expected levels. She was fine, but if she hadn't been, better to be there sooner than later so we could have gotten her the help she needed. Don't stay awake at night but definitely go to the doctor and have her hearing tested, see what the experts say. You might want to see if she can hear you whisper and if she has to be told more than once to look at you. Good for you that you are on it.

Johanna - posted on 08/31/2009

my 2 year old wont shut up... she has 4 older sister's she is learning from tho so it doesn't really count. my middle one who is now 9 didn't talk till almost 3, she had 2 older ones doing the talking for her. it's all in the sitch... my oldest had a small vocab at 2, second one had a bit bigger vocab (trying to keep up with big sis) middle one nothing till almost 3 (except the little stuff) let her sisters get everything she wanted and do all the talking for her. i litterally had to make the older ones let her talk. the 4th one well kinda like the first... and now my youngest will not stop. complete sentences...

Amy - posted on 08/31/2009

My son didn't say any words or even babble until he was almost 3. We knew he could hear and understand, because he could follow directions. I also taught him to sign. Once he did start talking, it was full sentences. It took some time and speech therapy to correct some letter sounds, but even before that he was understandable. Just get her tested, don't worry until you know if there is a problem.

Mia - posted on 08/31/2009

My daughter did the same thing but said nothing. They found nothing wrong. Then one day when she was 2 and 1/2 she started talking with clear perfect sentences. I guess she wanted to make sure she was doing it right!

KELLIE - posted on 08/31/2009

my best friends son is in a speech program cause he wasn't talking at 17mos and now hes working on two word fraises hes now 23mos they also taught he to sign

Isobel - posted on 08/31/2009

my nephew's first words were at 3 years old..."get out of my room dad" he was so happy to hear him talk, he couldn't be mad at the slammed door in his face ;)

Jana - posted on 08/31/2009

Don't panic-just get the tests done. It's what a good mama does.....

Anna - posted on 08/31/2009

Best to check her hearing so you can get it sorted out if there is a problem but otherwise I wouldn't worry. Kids are all different - maybe your daughter has been putting more energy into learning other things. You could try baby sign language for hearing babies - it helps them learn to speak and to read later on and they love doing it.

Teresa - posted on 08/31/2009

My daughter didn't have many words either. Just 'dat' for that and 'mum' and 'da' and 'doe' for dog. You're doing the right thing getting everything checked. My daughter came right around 3. She did have a lot of colds as a baby and I think that may have affected how well she heard and the time it took her to learn to talk. Keep talking, look to see how well she hears. Does she understand lots? Does she turn when you say her name, that sort of thing. She may just not want to talk yet. Good luck.

Shelsea - posted on 08/31/2009

if you are truely worried then get her hearing tested. my nephew didnt really talk (except for a few words) until he was about 2 because he couldnt really hear so he needed tubes put into his ears (which is a pretty common thing) after that he was like a whole new kid! good luck!

Ashley - posted on 08/31/2009

my sisters son didnt start to say words till he was about 2 and now he speaks fine. her other son is almost a year and hardly says anything so i wouldnt worry too much about it.. she will catch up!

Jennifer - posted on 08/31/2009

My son only grunted at 2 1/2 years old. He really sounded much like Helen Keller and would get very frustrated because we did not know what he wanted. We did not really worry much because he was obviously bright but we did get his hearing tested. It turned out that he had fluid in his ear canal and was not hearing consistently and what he did hear was muffled like when your ears are plugged so he didn't get the constant repitition needed to learn speech. We did long term antibiotics and he did not need tubes. He also went to speech therapy at the local ISD for about a year. I am happy to say that by kindergarten he had perfect speech and no sign of a problem. He is now 22 and a college grad and at times I wish he would just be quiet for a while!!! I think you are wise to get your daughter checked. It will not hurt anything and if she needs a bit of extra help with her speech you have plenty of time to get her up to speed before kindergarten. I see no benefit in waiting to investigate the situation if both you and her doctor are concerned. Hang in there, she'll be fine and you are on the right track to find a solution.

Miriam - posted on 08/31/2009

I've heard that it can take up 18 months for a baby to say their first word. My question for you is, does she respond to noises and when someone calls her name? I'm not a doctor so I can't really give you a diagnosis. Each child takes their own time with things. I wish you luck with the appointment!!!

September - posted on 08/31/2009

At this point I don't think that I would worry too much. You are doing the right thing with following up with a speech therapist. I think that your daughter will talk in due time :) Just keep reading to her and talking to her as much as possible. From the moment that I found out I was pregnant my husband and I started reading to our son. Now at 10 months he has an unbelievable vocabulary! He repeats a lot! I think that reading and talking to your baby is key! Good luck and best of wishes to you and your daughter :)

Cristina - posted on 08/31/2009

First thing, DON'T PANIC. Before you worry, talk a lot.



With my son, I found him more verbal than other children whose parents used "baby talk" phrasing and pronunciation. I would say the more words she hears in all, the more likely she'll use the words she hears repeatedly. My son is 3.5 yrs and speaks much more clearly than my friends' kids of equal or greater age that had been "baby talked" early on.



The way I see him is one small sponge with a lot of energy. Feed the sponge, let her release the energy (ask her questions, like to repeat a color of a favorite toy, discuss the pictures in the book, feed her a variety of words, just like foods), let her run rampant, then go back to talking. Baby signing makes a difference, you can encourage her communcation in general by having her display an action with her hands or arms for food, water, play, sleep, whatever. That will help her development even at this age. Try using story books with words you have a hard time pronouncing (Pinduli is one title, John Lithgow's titles do quite well, also). And talk to her as if you're having a conversation, even if she scarcely talks back. Talk to her about what you see on a walk pushing the stroller....



Also, speech delays are at times very temporary. One of my neighbors' sons had similar vocab you describe when he was 3yrs old. He was diagnosed with a delay, but was talking in the first 2 mo of therapy. I've also known a young bilingual girl that did not speak but a few random words until she was 2.5 yrs old. Then she suddently erupted full sentences and conversation out of the blue.



You're not at fault if she is diagnosed with a delay in 2 months, only carry blame for not pushing her hard between now and then. Even then, maybe not at all.

Cristina

Sharon - posted on 08/31/2009

My Son was the same, When he was two he only had a few words that werent very clear. I was told not to worry that they could have anything from 5 to 50 words by the age of 2. By the time he was 2 and a half he just wouldnt stop talking. Nothing to worry about for a while yet. Hope this helps to ease the worry a bit.

Ashley - posted on 08/31/2009

My son is going to be 17 months in a couple days and he isnt talking either, he says mom, dad, nightnight and things like that but thats it. Its to soon to worry, my daughter started talking around this time or a bit later.

Aimee - posted on 08/31/2009

One of my friends kids were like that and they had a hearing problem because of a problem in his ear canal it was easily solved with putting tubes in his ears and now he doesn't stop talking. The tubes fall out eventually. I wouldn't start worrying to much.

Erin - posted on 08/31/2009

A very close friend of mine had the same thing with her son. The most we could get was a grunt until he was close to 2 and then all of a sudden. Not only did he start picking up words like candy, he would repeat them 3 or 4 times. It was like he was trying to make sure we knew it was him talking. Patience and encouragement is the key. Hang in there.

Jennifer - posted on 09/09/2009

Yes, make those phone calls for a speech therapist and hearing to see why your 17 month old is not talking. My son was not talking and found out that fluid was blocking his hearing. After 6 months of therapy and tubes put in he is about two months behind on his speech development. My son never had a ear infection before just delayed in speech. Don't wait!

Tameeka - posted on 09/08/2009

My daughter was the same. She wasn't saying as many words as the doctors thought she should. So she was sent to a speech therapist. The doctors were also concerned about her talking because she had chronic ear infections. But, the therapist helped alot and now the girl won't stop talking and I'm happy about it. So it won't hurt to see what the therapist has to say about your 17 month old not talking.

Julie - posted on 09/07/2009

hey my little girl is 20 mths and has a few words but understands everythin u say to her,i think part of it is because her older sister taiks for her she just lazy but cleaver.i wouldnt worry about your 17 month old not talking she will do it in her own time.xx

Christa - posted on 09/07/2009

My mother owns a daycare center and I had the privilege of working with children at many different centers. At every center we had children who did not speak many words at that age (18 months). Each one who did not speak well had a speech therapist and by the time they were three years old they were right along side the other children. I wouldn't worry about your 17 month old not talking, I just think she needs a little help along the way. I would take your doctors advice by seeing a speech therapist. Good luck!

Christine - posted on 09/07/2009

If your 17 month old is not talking you should definitely get her hearing tested. Additionally, do you have Early Intervention where you are? It's a program that helps kids with delays. Your child would get evaluated and if approved, could get speech therapy at home one hour a week. The therapist works with your child and would give you tips on how to get her talking. They say every child develops on their own, but there is nothing wrong with being proactive to rule things (like a hearing problem) out instead of ignoring a possible issue. Good luck.

Miriam - posted on 09/07/2009

I agree that you should not panic about your 17 month old not talking. Every child is different in their development. Doctors go by statistics and they refer to the average child. If your daughter for instance was slow on starting to walk, she might simply still be processing that progress. Which can be a reason for why she's not talking yet. If you feel like your child understands you when you talk to her, there is no reason to worry. Patience and encouragement is the key. She will talk when she's ready. Just don't put pressure on her but gently encourage her. Read to her on a regular basis and talk to her a lot. It is the same with bilingual children. They receive so much input, so they try to figure out what word belongs to which language and when to use which that they also tend to take longer than monolingual children. Within the first three years children develop in so many different areas, some simply faster than others. That does not mean that anything is wrong with your child or that your daughter will have problems in the future. When she's ready to talk she might even start with phrases rather than words.