[mommatomm&m]

Could you guys share how many words your children were speaking by 20 months?

Makan (20 mo) and Max (17 mo) are hardly speaking and everyone keeps telling me it is ok, it's a boy thing but I am starting to worry. My pedicatrician said not to worry until the two year checkup as did the sw who did our pp but I am still concerned. Madison and Makensie were speaking in sentences by two years old. Any thoughts...is it a boy thing and if you would please share how many words your children are speaking. Thanks guys! r
PS...if I hear one more idiot say "Well...maybe they really do just know spanish and you can't understand it since you don't speak it..." I am going to go CRAZY!!!!!!!

[Aidensparents]

My nephew who is 3 just recently starting talking. My brother and sister in law had the same concerns you had and even had him tested for speech and hearing...he now never shuts up. Hang in there, I do think its a boy thing.

[CashCrew]

It's TOTALLY a boy thing! My oldest was saying 6 words ONLY at his 2nd birthday. Two weeks later he was speaking in full paragraphs like a little professor! My youngest was saying about 10 words (none understandable by anyone but me) at his speech evaluation at 20 months and did the same as my oldest son. Overnight he started speaking full sentences and now talks nonstop. My boys were much slower to talk but quicker to crawl, walk, jump, etc. It all evens out.

[BriellesDad]

Could be a boy thing...Brielle (17 months) has about a 45 word vocabulary. She doesnt put many sentences together (except "di-di daddy") but she can say a lot of words. She knows objects and can call their names. She especially loves to say our bulldogs name (maybe because she hears us call it so much - "Zoey, no, Zoey stop, Zoey down", etc. )

I wouldnt worry about it too much. They will start talking and you will wish they never had.

[LCG]

Hi, I'm a speech therapist

Here is a basic break down:
12 months-child should have 3-5 words

15 months-child should have 5-10

18 months-should have at least 10

24 months- should have at least 50 and the ability to use several of them together (ie more juice)

You can see there is a significant jump between 18 months and 24 months. At each of the stages the words should be reasonably clear to the unfamiliar listener.

Boys do can have a tendancy to develop speech slightly later than girls. This may be due to the fact that their gross motor skills are usually advanced. This is not always true though so boys aren't automatically going to be later talkers than girls.

At 20 months I would make sure the child can follow one step directions, can identify most simple pictures (via pointing--show me the apple etc), is using good eye contact, and is making an effort to communicate. Make sure the other kids aren't communicating for him. I noticed myself with my second child (both boys) I just got stuff for him before giving him the opportunity to speak b/c it was just easier.

If everything else is going well, you really shouldn't worry before 2 years. If he doesn't have 50 words at 2 years, than ask for a speech evaluation. If you feel there may be other issues than don't wait, but really if he has a few words and is doing everything else he is suppose to you are prob fine.

take care,
laura

[DPline]

A couple suggestions as I have been in your place! Make a list of words each of them can say. Even if no one else would necessarily know what they were saying, as long as you know what it means. When I did this with my son, I was surprised at how many words he really did have.

And if you are concerned, contact your school district or county early intervention program. You should be able to arrange a free evaluation. I had my son evaluated at a little over two years old because my older son was speaking in full sentences by 2 like your girls, and Daniel had maybe 25 words. I felt so much better after they told me that Daniel was just at the low end of "normal," and it was my older son that wasn't "normal." Even at a little over three, he still doesn't have anywhere near the vocabulary of my 2.5 year old daughter, but I suspect that is because he can't get a word in edgewise!

Good luck!

[momofmng]

OK... my oldest daughter was talking in sentences at 18 months, but my son did nothing but grunt and maybe say bye bye and mama and dada at age 2. He would point and grunt and his sister would say "He would like a cup of milk, please". In our situation, as soon as I got really concerned with his vocabulary, the pediatrician had me begin a list of every word and what date he first said it. Before long, I noticed that he really was picking up new words and sounds. I don't think he really had the need to say much since his sister interpreted all his grunts for him.

With Sophie, I have also been concerned... she just babbles and says da for dog and strings ma ma mas together, which I have no idea if it really constitutes a real word or not. But, she can follow simple vrbal commands and seems to understand what we ask of her. We have begun baby signs and she really picks those up quickly. I need to go get a book to learn some new ones. They are really helpful!!

Before you know it, Makan and Max will be talking all the time, maybe even in a different foreign language (LOL).

Love ya, R!!!

[Mariais5]

Our youngest son was barely talking until he was 3 years old.. It's interesting what LCG said about gross motor skills and boys.. My son was always very agile and athletic. He could hit a pitched baseball and kick a ball across a playground ~ running and kicking as he ran ~ at 18 months old but couldn't say more than a couple of words.. My son is now 13 and still a pretty quiet kid..

[readytobeamommy]

Peyton is 18 months old and he has 45+ words in his vocabulary. He sometimes puts 2 words together like "all-gone", "go bye-bye", "get-down".

[carterj6]

Ava, who is also 20 months old seems to be a little behind on her speech as well. We have been worried about it and we have talked with our pediatrician about it. She also said not to worry until she is 2. She said that if Ava is not putting 2 words together by then, then we will call EI. Elia came home at 13 months and she starting speaking cleary and putting 2 words together pretty fast. As you know, Ava was 4 months when she came home. She says Mama, Daddy, book, ball, bye, uh-oh, dog, and JJ and Jake (for my brother and nephew). She does babble but we cannot understand most of it. I do think being the 2nd child (or 3rd and 4th in your case) could have something to do with it as well. I would not worry too much, but I would continue to be aware of it like you are doing. Jenny

[Mary Mulcahy]

My oldest son had this problem. If you are concerned, get your sons evaluated by Early Intervention, its free and the theraphy is based on your household income. Danny started at age 18 months and had speech until he was three. He still gets services from the school. It is worth while. Hope this helps.
Mary

[SchnauzerMom]

My cousin has a son that will be 3 years old in Sept. She had him evaluated because he only babbled by 2 years old. Her pediatrician had a son that didn't really speak until he was 4 years old and told her some children may understand langauge, but choose not to express it. About 3 months ago he began speaking complicated words and short sentences. He talks all the time now. Even though he didn't speak, we knew from other behaviors, like problem solving with puzzles, etc. that he was very intelligent.

Also, I was VERY slow to talk. My mother says I would only babble for the longest time--even though she suspected I understood more than I let on. Then one day I apparently started talking in small sentences as if I had been on track with all the other speaking children she knew. Later on in elmenetary, middle, and high school, I scored very highly on achievement and IQ tests--including verbal skills.

I think you can't let the fact that your child may have missed some "milestone" for their age worry you too much. Those milestones are made from averages of the typical child, but we are all individuals. Not everyone follows the typical development process, but it doesn't necessarily mean they are behind for the long run.

Heather

[monalouise]

You have been given some great advice! What did people do before this forum???

And our situation is similar to many of the others. I would not worry. Our son, who came home at slightly over a year of age, did not talk until he was two.

EVERYONE kept asking what the problem was. It was obvious that he was more than intelligent. He was almost like a sponge, taking everything in.

One day, just after his second b-day, the words started spilling out. He has not stopped talking since then! I don't know how he breathes???

[gaben]

I had my youngest son evaluated too. He was considered delayed when first evaluated. Several months later, at about 28-29 months old, he was reevaluated and still slightly delayed. The speech therapist suggested I wait a month or two before going any further with therapy as within the next few months kids' language explodes - and it did! My son was only putting two words together and two weeks after the eval, he began speaking in complete sentences, with words and a comprehension that surprised me. Now, like others have said, he does not stop talking!


Melissa
mom to two wonderful boys from Guatemala

[pmgor]

My son Miguel started speech therapy at about 15 months because he said nothing that was understandable. Later at around 21 months he graduated as he had about 10-15 months. He is now 27 months and just in the last 2 months he has become a chatterbox. He will make sentences like last night he came up and said about his uncle "Kiss in batroom?" He wouldn't have said this 3 months ago. He talks up a storm and it just happened really suddenly.