2 year old boy still doesn't talk- should i worry?

[Lylah]

My boy is turning 2 in July and his speech is far and between.
He does not even regularly say "mama" or "dada", sometimes he says "car" which happens to be his favorite toy. But that is the extent of his language and I am starting to get worried. Doctor says diagnosis may only begin at 2.5 years old, is this true? We talk to him very often and I even read books to him. He does understand a lot of things though, as when we talk or refer to certain objects, he will immediately react by getting it or at least pointing to the object.

Anyone with similar dillema? Should i be worried? Should i start talking with specialists?

 

[hunhun]

I won't worry too much, just let nature take its course. Every kids is different. My brother in law didn't start talking until he was five and now he is a lawyer!

 

[pragya]

I did not speak untill i was 2.5 yrs old and now talk a lot. my parents were also worried but...it happened i guess. But as a parent i know its a matter of worry.

bye
pragya

 

[rani]

I wouldn't worry either.

Have a read through this thread:

http://www.geobaby.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116466

 

[Lylah]

thank you so much everyone for sharing your thoughts and making me feel less worried. I do know and believe that each child is different but i guess when you have to deal with your child (the first especially), you can help but feel some bits of worry every now and then.

Im so happy at having found this site, it is just downright HELPFUL. I just wish i had found it earlier like even while i was pregnant. But then again, i can always catch up. :lovedface

 

[kar]

My 22-month-old son's language development sounds very similar to your son's. I was very worried about this. I saw his doctor who didn't have many ideas. I then took matters into my own hands and had my son's hearing tested to make sure that wasn't the reason for his lack of speech. His hearing is okay. I then took my son for an assessment by a speech therapist. He's just started speech therapy once a week and I also started Omega 3 and 6 supplements last month. It may turn out that he is just a "late talker" but if there is some underlying reason for his speech delay, I wanted to start interventions earlier rather than later.

Good luck. I hope your son begins to talk soon.

 

[Sara]

Lylah:

I fully agree with kar that though you shouldn't worry too much, you might like to make sure that it's not his hearing that slows him down. I know a girl who didn't talk by the time she was 2 1/2. The check revealed her hearing problems. Once that was rectified, now we can hardly get her to stop talking.

Sara.

 

[emilyc]

My 22 mth old son is having a similar problem.


Kar,

May I ask which speech therapist is helping your child? How long have you been on therapy and has it been fruitful? What may the charges be?

Lylah,

Zinc supplements are supposed to enhance speech. Zinc is rich in nuts such as walnuts and brazilian nuts. Also, mercury (HK's seafood is very high in mercury) is a known speech impairment.

Rgds

e

 

[Lylah]

What are obvious signs of hearing problems? I wasn't worried about this because my son seems to be ok on this front. He likes to listen to music and can even emulate sounds based on what he hears. He also responds to his name as well as to basic instructions when we talk to him. Could he be having hearing problems still despite this abilities?

 

[kar]

I had my son's hearing tested at Adventist. The audiologist there is Joyce Tang--28350602. If you're worried about speech delays, a hearing test is the first step. You'll need to do this before you have a speech and language assessment. I believe it cost around HK$ 800.

My son sees Mandy Ng at The Speech and Language Centre in Sheung Wan. He's only had two 30 minutes sessions thus far...he's begining to "babble" a response back to us when we ask him something. I'm told that this is the first step. My daughter saw Mandy for nine sessions purely for articulation---my daughter could not pronounce some sounds. Her therapy went very quickly and she really enjoyed working with Mandy each week. As for cost, I believe it's around HK$ 420 for a 30 minute session---haven't received the invoice yet for my son's therapy so I'm relying on my memory... 28175450 www.slcentre.com

For a brief understanding of speech delays, see

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/conditions/speechdelay.html

I've also found the Apraxia Kids Website helpful (although I'm not suggesting that your children have apraxia)

http://www.apraxia-kids.org/site/apps/lk/content3.asp?c=chKMI0PIIsE&b=700249

Hope this helps.

K