Toddler speech delay

I was looking at a chart of toddler milestones for toddlers: link removed

I know that these milestones are very general, but my toddler (21 months) seems to be hitting all of the physical, social and intellectual milestones. He has been able to complete those for long while . He has always been quite ahead of the charts in those departments ex: standing up at 6 months.

He is a VERY independent toddler who is often mistaken to be 2 or 3 year old. He will grab himself a snack, knows that his diaper is wet... remove it and his clothing and take a bath by himself afterward etc... (so he is VERY ahead of the milestones written on there)

Now, that's very good but leaves me quite concerned with his speech development, as I'm wondering how accurately most children follow these charts. He used to hit the previous speech milestones on cue as opposed to ahead of them like the other areas, which was totally fine by me... but now it seems that his progress is slowing down to a crawl.

He doesn't string words together at all, has a limited vocabulary. He mostly will do things for himself as opposed to talking. If he cannot fulfill his needs himself ex: object out of reach, he will whine instead of expressing himself with words.

I'm wondering if the fact that he is so independent is slowing down his speech? Should I intervene more in his daily routine to get him talking? Should I go see a speech specialist? I'm not sure when I should be concerned.

It seems that most toddlers of this age either have a very clear speech or start talking by his age. It doesn't seem like he is at a point where I would be considering anything severe like autism, but am wondering if I should just wait it out? He will use words such as (in French): hi, bye, mom, dad, no, baby, sister, water (any liquid is water), bath, bubbles, hat, coat, shoes, socks and boat. I think that's his entire vocabulary sadly enough, maybe add a few other words. All his talking relate to immediate needs and wants - nothing more substantial.

He has some "made up words" which I understand sadly enough... "day-gay" means read me (more) stories. I'm not sure if by "understanding" I'm encouraging improper speech?

To me, it seems like he is standing more in the 12-18 month speech "box" of development rather than 18-24 months. He seems to be at the 24 to 36 months old boxes on the other 3 development areas, which leaves me a bit concerned as I know language is very important for school.

Does he hear well that you know of? We recently found out that my granddaughters lack of vocabulary was due to her having hearing loss.

He has passed the newborn screening test, but I don't know how accurate those are.

I am a bit bad with hearing myself. If I go to the movies, I will probably not understand a quarter of what is said (a lot of words sound mumbled to me)... I can obviously piece the bits and pieces together with the pictures, intonations etc...

I usually don't have much trouble with the human voice "in real life" though. It is something to consider.

He has passed the newborn screening test, but I don't know how accurate those are.

 

I am a bit bad with hearing myself. If I go to the movies, I will probably not understand a quarter of what is said (a lot of words sound mumbled to me)... I can obviously piece the bits and pieces together with the pictures, intonations etc...

I usually don't have much trouble with the human voice "in real life" though. It is something to consider.

Interestingly enough, my granddaughter passed that newborn test as well. Somehow her hearing was flawed and we didn't know it.

Now with my son, he had severe language difficulties and he was diagnosed at the age of 5 with central auditory processing disorder.

Sadly, I have raised two children with language delays.

Hi Mousty,

That is a great question. I have a few questions for you -- is English your native language, and is there another language spoken around your toddler?

Also that would include sign language.

The reason I asked is that it might delay your son's speech and language development at first but then later it all catches up.

The best person to ask would be a speech language pathologist. Go to the American Speech-Language Association website (I think it is link removed) and there will be a wealth of information for you.

Not knowing where you live, you could look for the closest university training program to you for speech-language pathology. A good evaluation would include an interview with you about developmental history, observation with your child at play, age appropriate testing ("show me the dog. Point to the dog." as they have an array of pictures to show your child...) The evaluation should also include a hearing screening and a check of the physical structures of the mouth and tongue to make sure all is in order there.

The reason I suggest a clinic that is affiliated with a university is that I believe speech-language pathology students have to work about 300-400 hours while they are supervised by university professors. Usually the rates are pretty reasonable and the supervision and expertise can be really good.

A child of 24 months is just about ready to start putting 2 "words" together into sentences. Some examples: "My ball" "More juice" "Daddy shoe" (meaning Daddy's shoe). Once a child's vocabulary hits about 50 spoken words then that is about when they put the sentences together.

Now I am not talking about perfectly spoken words. Toddlers say words the best they can, and sometimes you will not even understand what they mean. My mom told me when my toddler son said his first word and I did not believe her at first. He said "ga" for the word car. And when I took the time to listen to see what she meant, sure enough every time a car drove by he pointed and said the word "ga".

Your child may very well be fine, but sometimes mother's have hunches about their children and it is important to listen to those hunches.

So it is a great idea to get him in for an evaluation, because what can it hurt but some of your time? (Well, and money if your insurance does not pay for it).

Early intervention is sooooo important and it really really helps kids with speech and language delays.

Even if he does not end up being delayed as you might be worried about, going to an SLP will give you some really valuable knowledge about how to encourage speech and language development with your son.

If you are not able to find a university clinic near enough, then you might check in with early intervention programs through your local educational service district. The federal money covers some assessment and treatment for toddlers through school age.

Oh, when you go in for the evaluation it can be helpful to take your son's baby book and pictures to help you remember basic milestones.

Good luck to you and your little one, and keep us posted

I think I will watch out for that. My mom has made a few comments about my son not really listening to her speak and being "slow" to talk...

I am not sure if it's because he is preoccupied by other things, is simply distracted, or tired etc...

He definitely hears his little sister cry though. He says baby every time she cries, so he can't be completely deaf at least!

French is my native language but we live in a fully bilingual environment.

He has been in an english daycare until July, which we took him out of since I am on maternity leave. His words are mostly French but he does have some English ones intermixed (shoes, one, two, daddy are his english words). I am not sure if I should continue using the English words or have him use the French ones instead.

I am starting to think that you may be right... he might know more words than I am lead to believe. I am especially bad with understanding kids, people with a different accent or movies. It may just be that he is slightly behind the average speech-wise, instead of having a good speech like other toddlers of his age. I may just not be able to understand him correctly, and that other mothers are able to understand their kids more efficiently.

A lot of people have made comments on his speech development, which is why I was raising the question with myself in the first place. He is definitely behind the curve, but he may still be "normal".

Oh yes, sometimes toddlers do regress when little siblings are born. Be sure to read read read with him as much as possible. And take time to point out things to him. For example: "Baby's crying. The baby is crying really loud!" "Yummy apple. This is a yummy Red apple".

You basically do some simple sentences and then expand upon the information in the sentences.

Also, I wanted to clarify what i asked you before. I was talking about dual language households, and children are so lucky to be able to learn two native languages (perhaps in your case French and English???). But sometimes it takes a toddler a few months to get it all assimilated. And then -- wow -- something kicks in and they have figured out the art of two languages at once!

Little brains are amazing...

About the hearing test: The infant one is (if I remember correctly) just a screening tool to see if the hearing mechanism works as far as some part of the brain in registering sounds. But hearing ability can change through time due to ear infections, viruses, loud noises that cause hearing damage, etc. So yes it is important to get your child rechecked even if they passed the screening test.

Is it possible that I'm talking in too complex sentences for him to understand?

I don't really "dumb" myself down to simple 2-3 word sentences. He might find it hard to grasp how to form simple sentences if I don't do them myself.

I am the queen of run on sentences.

Oh sorry, our responses crossed through cyber space so I asked you questions that you already answered.

I believe that I have been told that you should speak with your child in your own native language. And if your spouse has a different native language then they should speak in that one. That way, your child gets the native accents and the rich vocabulary from each. Their brains are little sponges...

So you might just sit down in the next few days and jot down a language diary of all of the spoken words your little guy is saying. And "sentences" too.

You might be pretty surprised... plus it will be something fun to look back on when your kids are more grown. I kept a diary the first year of my kid's lives and it is amazing what I have forgotten, and I am sooooo glad I did the diary.

Is it possible that I'm talking in too complex sentences for him to understand?

I don't really "dumb" myself down to simple 2-3 word sentences. He might find it hard to grasp how to form simple sentences if I don't do them myself.

 

I am the queen of run on sentences.

Ha, did you read my responses... I do have some run-ons myself LOL.

But I think a good mix of simple sentences and then some complex ones are great. I used an advanced vocabulary with my kids and it has served them well now that they are older. But I always threw in some simple sentences as well, to give them some basic information to anchor the more complex stuff with.

Me and my spouse both have French as our native and "house" language. His primary community/city (where we have just bought our house) is mostly French but the main city is primarily English.

He has books and movies in English, so I don't know if I should keep those asides for later and just continue talking to him in French?

I will keep a diary of his spoken words and post it on here. He may be speaking more than I am remembering. Good idea, thanks!

Me and my spouse both have French as our native and "house" language. His primary community/city (where we have just bought our house) is mostly French but the main city is primarily English.

 

He has books and movies in English, so I don't know if I should keep those asides for later and just continue talking to him in French?

 

I will keep a diary of his spoken words and post it on here. He may be speaking more than I am remembering. Good idea, thanks!

Oh, I say continue to read those books and also get some French ones too.

Your kids are so lucky -- it is awesome to have the advantage of more than one language!

I will look forward to seeing the language diary here...

Ahh, I miss those precious days...

Oh yes, and also there are some books with just illustrations and no written language (those board books by Alexandra Day, the Carl books about a dog). Then you can use whatever language you want when you "read" the book. And it encourages your son to talk about the pictures there too.

French is my native language but we live in a fully bilingual environment.

 

I suspect that may be part of it. I believe there are studies that show that bilingual children develop slower in speech at first. Then they catch up and do fine.

i keep a running journal of bear's words, each time i notice him consistantly using a new one i add it in, it's too hard to remember every word he uses if i just sit down and think, but looking at the on going journal i can see and count all the words he uses on a normal basis.

also, children understand FAR MORE than they can speak, does he know what you're talking about and what you mean when you say things? even if he can't repeat "go get your shoes" he can still DO it.

i wouldn't worry yet

and yes, children who hear two [or more] languages in the beginning tend to be slightly delayed as they sort out the separate languages but they do quickly catch up and then they have the benefit of being bilangual.

He did say "allo papa" today when he got up and was excited to show him the body parts he knew. I'm not sure if it's because he is not used to having him around all day since my spouse works?

Collection of words thus far in the appropriate language:

Allo (Hi)

Bye

Shoes

Manteau (Coat)

Chapeau (Hat)

Papa

Maman

Bobo (Child talk for hurt)

Chaud (Hot)

Eau (Water)

Oreille (ear)

Yeux (eyes)

Nez (nose)

Bebe (baby)

Soeur (sister)

Bas (Socks)

Main (hand)

Fini (Done)

One, two, three, four

Un, deux

Dodo (Child speak for sleep)

Pomme (Apple)

Minou (Child speak for cat, would be kitty actually)

Mon Oncle (Uncle)

Luka (his name)

Bain (Bath)

Pain (Bread)

Bateau (boat)

Bulles (bubbles)

Maggie (name of grandparents dog)

Chaud (Hot)

Pipi (Kid talk for piss.. lol)

He seems to understand simple commands but has a hard time with pointing out stuff in books. Is that normal?

do you try both languages in the books? maybe he knows the words better in one than the other. according to your list he knows socks in french but shoes in english, so saying "sock and shoes" might confuse him because he only understands half of it. repeat the word ''bas" and "socks" a few times when you are holding or putting on his socks to help him understand they are called both things, and maybe do the same in the books.

bear is 19 1/2 months and he's not great at pointing things out in books unless it's something he really loves like duckys or kittys or something. we have a book about bugs that he's only sort of interested in and he doesn't really CARE to point out different bugs [besidez the spiders, he likes those] i dont think it's that he can't, he just doesn't want to.

especially as toddlers they are learning they are independent people and that they have different wants and ideas than their parents and they can assert that. maybe he likes the books but he doesn't LOVE them, bear likes his bug book and will look at it when we read, but he LOVES the monster book and is alwase eager to point at and touch the pages of the monster book.

going off your list, his vocabualry does seem slightly small but given that he's learning two languages it makes sense. he has to learn to separate the two languages and that is causing a little vocabulary delay i think, but he doesn't seem TOO far behind. if he's saying phrases like 'allo papa' that is good! they are supposed to start phrases between 18&24 months so he's on track with that, i really think it's just the 2 languages.

i would give him the next couple of months, and work on the two different languages with him as much as you can, find a book that is about his favorite thing, and if you are still worried at his 2 year dr appt, definitely bring it up then. to me he sounds just BARELY behind in the vocabulary department, but not enough to worry at this point.

Thanks for all the feedback and replies. I did add a bit more words to the above vocabulary dictionary. We're trying to spend more time with him teaching him words and the such.

We did not have the opportunity to do all as we could have with him vocabulary wise with the arrival of his little sister. I see he is catching up slowly but surely though in the past few days. We have tried to sit down with him every night to help him. Although I am at home all day and try to talk him through my day, my life keeps being hectic and it's hard to find a time to sit down with him and teach him.

He doesn't combine words very often, the allo papa was more of a one time thing. I see him using words more on a frequent basis now rather than pointing.

He never threw me tantrums, he would always lead me to the object and point. So at least, that kept my sanity a bit in check as opposed to a screaming fight which I've seen some kids do when they have communication frustration.

I think sitting down and actually writing the word makes me think he is not as bad as I thought he was.

How well do kids do with nursery rhymes / songs at this age?

I had sung him some previously accompanied with a sing-along book, which he all destroyed in the bath =S...

I'm trying to introduce him to "head, shoulders, knees and toes..." which I think he is starting to get but isn't doing any of the movements. There is also another song in french for which i know that you put "your hand in front.. hand behind... etc...".

Are there any other good songs for toddlers which have movements?

He seems very strong on the B and O sounds which I have noticed just now from the dictionary.

Hm, I learned both languages at once but I was primarily French speaking to begin with. As far as I know I developed language very quickly. Sometimes some kids just develop language a little more slowly. My son has a hearing processing disorder and while he did speak he was a little slower at putting words together and he had incorrect vowel sounds. We discovered later when he was 9 years old that he hears 3 vowel sounds as the same sound so it takes him time to dechiper words. He had speech therapy from ages 4 to 6 to improve his speech. I guess you could ask for testing by a speech therapist?

How well do kids do with nursery rhymes / songs at this age?

 

I had sung him some previously accompanied with a sing-along book, which he all destroyed in the bath =S...

I'm trying to introduce him to "head, shoulders, knees and toes..." which I think he is starting to get but isn't doing any of the movements. There is also another song in french for which i know that you put "your hand in front.. hand behind... etc...".

 

Are there any other good songs for toddlers which have movements?

 

He seems very strong on the B and O sounds which I have noticed just now from the dictionary.

bear likes the song 'no more monkeys jumping on the bed' and 'itsy bitsy spider' he can't do the motions perfect but he tries hard he also likes 'there were [5,4,3,2, count down] in the bed, and the little one said roll over, roll over, so they all rolled over and one fell out [etc, to the last versus which is] there was one in the bed and the little one said "good night" but that one doesn't have as much motions, just the rolling over part, and if you wanna put your fingers up for the numbers. sometimes bear 'sings' with me which really entails just sort of wailing at the same time i make sounds but it's cute

Those are both good ideas.

I found the baby stage so much easier than toddlerhood. This one is much more filled with questions. I do frequent some websites online, but I wish I had bought a book for toddler learning activities before.

New words include:

-Assis (Sit)

- Debout (stand up)

- Assez (enough) - he picked that one up from papa when he told little sister to stop crying lol

- Seins (breast)

- Auto (car)

a friend of mine had a daughter when she was 40. (unexpected of course)

and she spoke in really broken up sentences where there would be quite a bit of pausing in between words or thoughts. she'd slur them and then slow down like her mind just stalled out.

she went through this until about age 11, then her speak started picking up rapidly.

she's turning 13 this month and talks just fine. she's also fairly artistic.

dont know if that helps or not.