[neenasee]

Hi there! My son Brendan is now 22 months and is as smart as anything. The only thing is he rarely talks. He motions and points at everything. He has been home with us since he was about 10 months old so he has been here for just over a year. My girls spoke so early and I am trying not to compare. I am not really worried yet since he isn't even 2 yrs old, but I was just wondering how much the sudden change of language in infancy effects these children. Any ideas or experiences to share?
Thanks!

[moelladeville]

Hi! I know each child is different, but my son is about nine months behind kids his age with speech, according to his speech pathologis. It has nothing to do with his intelligence, she says. He's catching up quickly, but he is behind. Ironically, he was adopted at nine months. Don't know if that's a coincidence! You may want to have him evaluated by a speech pathologist. My son receives treatment once a week at his school for free, and the advice they give me has been helpful to me at home to encourage his speech. Best wishes,
Marjorie

[spidermanteache]

Remember to check with your local school districts Birth-3 year programs. They can come out and do an evaluation and provide speech and language services free if he should qualify. It is so worth the effort.

[Lemonia]

Hi
My son is 28 months and we just got back from his second speech evaluation. Aside from baba and mam which is for dad and mom he will not say any other word. He was tested as above average in every respect and there should not be a reason for this delay. It will be only a matter of time before he can speak with the help of some therapy. Nikos follows directions and has no problem with communicationg with us through his own sign language. I just want to hear his sweet voice though.

[DPline]

Definetly, like Spidermanteach said, check with your school district's Birth - 3 program. Daniel came home at 20 months old and has now been home for 7 months. We had him tested through the school district a couple weeks ago because at 27 months old, he still only said about a dozen words (some no one but DH or I understood) while my older son was speaking in full sentences by the time he was 2. (I know. Don't compare!) I felt SO much better when they told me he was well within the normal range for his age and was actually far ahead of where they would have expected considering he had only been exposed to english for a short time.
Good luck!

[spaypets]

You might want to start doing baby sign language with him. I think it really helped my DD's language acquistion as many of her first words were words she signed.

[moelladeville]

Like the others said, my son got his help from the birth to three program, called Early Intervention. It's free and it's great.

[DSRMama]

I don't have any experience with Guatemalan children yet, but my first bio son spoke quite early, my second son really just starting talking this summer and he was 2 in April. I couldn't believe the difference in when they talked between the two of them - now I can't get my 2 year old to stop talking!

[Bassette]

Kiran has always been quite the smart one as well, however at 25 months he is just now starting to talk. He just took off one day and on average says 2-3 new words per day. Sometimes more. It is just amazing the rate at which he is gaining in that department! *hehe*

He is also, all of a sudden, demanding to sit on the potty numerous times per day. We shall see,.....

BTW, all this coincides with him starting preschool and being around other children on a regular basis.

[tinaedmond]

I second the baby sign recommendation. We did that with our daughter, who came home at 15 months old. She is now 33 months and still does some of her signs. Some have been replaced by the actual words, so don't worry that your child won't speak because he/she can communicate in another way. When they are able to say the words, they will. It is a lot easier to make a sign with your hand than to make your tongue and mouth work just the right way! Almost all kids love the baby sign, and they don't get frustrated because you don't know what they want/need. Look on amazon for baby signs, you'll find a book that teaches you the approach.

Our daughter is probably a bit behind on her speech, she says a ton of words (well, I think she does), and just recently began short two or three word sentences. I know lots of kids who speak more than she does, and lots of ones who speak less.

Tina

[jnancynancy]

I only have experience with my bio kiddos but my first son also talked really early, like DSRMama, and my youngest son didn't. He was set back by many many months of ear infections and when he did talk I was the only one who could understand. I would be on top of it if I were you, but not too worried. He will probably start talking all at once and you won't beable to stop him!

[jpfister]

My son came home the beginning of April at 12 months old. He will be 18 months next week and he hardly says any words. He was speaking a handful of words but completely quit talking about 2 months ago. He understands everything and is very vocal. He is also just starting to walk on his own (about 5 steps at a time).

Our doctor said he will not be concerned with his speech until he is two.

We just brought our daughter home a little over a month ago and this is definitely affecting him, for the good I think. I have a feeling that she may bypass him in everything even though he is 10 months older than her. We shall see.

I would not worry yet.

[Pamsko]

Alex is 2 and only says about 4-5 words (Daddee, car, ball, dog, kitty)...but the Dr. said not to be concerned that he thinks he will catch up soon...the spanish to english conversion may have put as much as a 6 month delay on his speech. We have heard Alex say "spaghetti, grandma, truck, phone, number, music" and a few other words...but only once, never repeated, so it's hard to say if he really said them or if we're just grasping at straws.

Our 1 yr old says sissie, mama, dada, 'og (dog) and icky...I figure he'll pass up our 2 year old soon...

[shelbydog]

My son was in speech therapy and our speech therapist told us, that a large percentage of kids in therapy are boys with older sisters! (18 out of the 20 kids she saw in early intervention were boys!) Same reason the above poster mentioned...the girls often talk for him. Not sure if that's what is going on but I thought I would mention it? If you are worried then I say follow your gut and have him evaluated - it's best to get help early. And you may also learn he is just fine! Good luck!!