Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

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• 02-Sep-2010 23:13

  Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  Holly Bags Joined on 25-Jan-2009 Posts 4,598

  Contact T is 18 months old and babbles constantly. If the theme tune to his favorite programs comes on he 'sings' one long note, in tune somehow! And if we sing Old McDonald, he does the ee eye ee eye bit. And he says "Oh Dear" but only randomly. He doesn't have any words as such, but understands fairly complex commands - "go and find teddy from the kitchen and give him to Daddy" etc. He understands loads of things, he just doesn't seem to answer or speak actual words. I've assumed he'd just catch up and start when he's ready but I'm starting to wonder is there something a bit wrong? I have no worries about his hearing or comprehension. Am I worrying about nothing, or should I speak to someone about it?

• 02-Sep-2010 23:36

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  mrshwl Joined on 19-Apr-2006 United Kingdom Posts 2,896

  Contact I can't remember exactly how many words t could say at that age but he definatley wasn't doing sentences or more than one word at a time and it wast alot of words. Then all of a sudden at just after 2 it exploded literally. He went from 'no' sentences to 7 word sentences over night almost. At 2.5 now he is fully comprehenable and you can easily hold a full conversation with him. He also wasn't repeating words we said before this either whereas now he does it all the time. However, if you are concerned it wouldn't hurt to ask the question. Maybe a HV? but I would try not too worry to much as this age. T - feb 08. C - feb 10.

• 02-Sep-2010 23:43

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  slightlymad Joined on 11-Aug-2009 Posts 15,334	Contact My grandaughter is just over 18 months and her speech sounds like your sons. She says things like gone, again, doggy but no sentances and she doesn't string 2 or 3 words together just one word at a time. I wouldn't worry too much but ask the HV if you are really concerned.

• 02-Sep-2010 23:58

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  Holly Bags Joined on 25-Jan-2009 Posts 4,598

  Contact Thanks ladies. MrsHWL, Im really hoping there'll be a similar sort of language explosion with T. There's no sign so far though! He seems to prefer to point to get his message across. I'm sitting here thinking carefully and the only word he actually uses with any 'meaning' is "Babba" when he sees another toddler. He makes a "sss" noise when he sees any animal and says "st st st" when he sees our cat, Sooty. But that really is it. So he's miles behind your granddaughter, SM. One of my NCTers came round with her daughter who says please and thankyou, and climbed on her mum's knee and said "mummy cuddle please!" They were born in the same week!

• 03-Sep-2010 1:05

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  snapdragon Joined on 05-Jul-2008 Posts 1,011

  Contact HB. my daughter is 18 months too and does sound much like your son. I have been mildly concerned too (particularly seeing as I am such a chatterbox!) but I can see very gradual progress. Like T, K understands absolutely loads but chooses to mainly communicate with grunts or pointing. She can do some of the animal noises but a lot of those are far from the right sound, I just know what she means - so for example moo just comes out as mmmm and woof woof just sounds like two grunts but she has the intonation for me to know it is woof woof iyswim! She says beebies for anything to do with the tv or remote (bad mummy icon required ). I talk to her a lot and she is trying some repitition so when my mum said we are going to have a bath with bubbles bubbles she made the b sound. But honestly apart from that we don't have much language - she doesn't even really so mama or dada in context but they do get used interchangable to get someones attention (though I would say that has mainly been in the last week or two). I think the fact we are seeing progress, albeit slow progress is enough to put my mind at ease for the moment. I can tell she is gradually adding to her sound vocabulary and am also hoping for an explosion of words in a month or two. Hope that is helpful as a comparison.

• 03-Sep-2010 6:11

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  Cleo Joined on 16-Nov-2006 United Kingdom Posts 764	Contact N was the same, pretty much up to the age of 2 he didn't have very many words, he understood everything, but wasn't speaking, then all of a sudden he started talking, now at just over 2.5 years he's got loads of words and using sentences, and quite often gives me a headache as he is constantly talking. If the hearing is fine, then I'm sure everything is ok.

• 03-Sep-2010 6:26

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  momai Joined on 12-Sep-2007 United Kingdom Posts 2,734

  Contact Handbag T sounds just like Henry. Henry is currently 21 months and his list of words I have heard are more, ta, oh uh, and thats it he has other sounds and I understand what he means, no one else does but I do. I am not worried about his hearing or understanding as does what I ask him too (well most of the time) I voiced my concerns to my HV who said he was a little bit delayed but she would not worry until he gets 2. I have started making sentences simpler for him in the hope he will pick up the odd word but he hasnt . Im sure he will get there in his own time. Sophia - January 2005 Henry - December 2008 Single mum studying to be a children's nurse 101 challenges in 1001 days blog here http://momai.wordpress.com/

• 03-Sep-2010 7:04

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  Pittabre Joined on 04-Apr-2007 United Kingdom Posts 13,571

  Contact B had his two year check on Wednesday and the HV visitor said by two they were looking for two words being put togther - so saying oh dera puts him on track for that easily. The fact that he is babbling constantly I should warn you is sign of a language explosion pretty soon because that was how B was and one day suddenly he was coming out with SOOO much and just doesn't stop TBH your LO sounds EXACTLY on track Click to find out about my avatar My blog: http://dontbesillydear.blogspot.com/

• 03-Sep-2010 7:05

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  Johners Joined on 28-May-2009 Posts 1,201

  Contact This sounds just like Matt. We have had his hearing tested and found colds affect his hearing and we think this maybe why his speech is delayed. He is just coming up two and in the last couple of weeks he has got lots of new words although they are not clear and no one outside our close friends and family would understand what he was saying. I think boys speech does develop later than girls but it can be so upsetting seeing other children chatting away when yours can't. My HV gave the same advise about waiting till they are 2 but when you are the one watching the frustration your lo is experiencing it's not helpful. I hope things get sorted for you too. It sounds to me that he is a very clever little man if he can understand complex instructions and maybe he will be a thinker not a talker x Matt 25.9.08 Samantha 19.9.11

• 03-Sep-2010 8:06

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  lambi Joined on 17-Feb-2008 United Kingdom Posts 9,576

  Contact Sounds pretty normal to me. Elliot is also 18 months, his speech is pretty good now, does animal noises, mummy, daddy, daisy (dog, grandma, that sort of thing, and tries at a lot more BUT he has only just started walking. They all seem to develop in such random ways I think! Some of the babies younger than E can say more, but then some much older don't say a thing. My friends little girl didn't start talking proper words until she was around 2 1/2 but she chatters away now and there is nothing wrong with her! February 2009 - 36+0 - 6lb 12oz - Emergency CS August 2011 - 39+2 - 8lb 13oz - VBAC

• 03-Sep-2010 8:34

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  Goldfish Joined on 17-Jun-2007 United Kingdom Posts 8,083	Contact HB - my mum is a speech therapist and i had a conversation with her a while ago as one of my friends was worried about her LO not speaking - she said it not unusual for them not to really say much till they are 2 - as long as they understand things you are saying before that its fine. x

• 03-Sep-2010 8:38

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  MightyQuin Joined on 12-Apr-2006 SW Not London Posts 6,466	Contact My friend's little boy didn't really say anything at nearly 2 years old, he's fine now. I think boys tend to speak later than girls anyway don't they? Gabrielle Rose (The Bug) 11.10.09

• 03-Sep-2010 8:45

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  AngelVic Joined on 24-Jul-2005 United Kingdom Posts 9,148

  Contact You see i think this sounds normal My lo is 21 months and he saysMama,dada,nana,olly(for molly),there,car,birdie,doggy,ta,woody(toy story obsessed), grandp(kind of ), and tries to say auntie gem,ethan,catie He does animal noises althogh alot sound like a monkey [laugh Some of his friends speak abit more but he is the youngest and they are all 2-3 months older so i imagine in 3 months he will be speaking alot more

• 03-Sep-2010 8:47

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  summer solstice Joined on 13-May-2008 Northern Ireland Posts 1,722

  Contact When I read your post I thought along the lines of what Handbag posted.  In my group of mummy friend's there have been the babies that have walked early, but didn't bother so much with talking, and then there's the ones who have been chatting away but had no inclination to walk!  R has quite a few words, some of them only H the childminder and I can make out, or understand - for example he says something that sounds alot like 'hungry' but when he says it he wants a drink!  Other words he's crystal clear on, but he was over 16 months before he took his first steps!  He's now starting to catch up on walking, and I imagine it won't be long until T catches up with his words!  My cousin didn't talk until quite late, and when she did, she moved from a couple of words to full sentences in no time!

• 03-Sep-2010 9:36

  Re: Normal or delayed speech? My 18 month old boy

  kimbers Joined on 23-Jul-2004 United Kingdom Posts 1,814

  Contact I'm another who thinks that sounds perfectly normal. I don't think W strung together 2 words until much closer to two, and then it was random things like 'oh dear'. But just at 24 months he had a massive explosion nad now at 26 months he strings 4 words together and is properly parrotting us. It seemed to take an age, and he's not the best talker of his anetanal group, but he's great (IMO!). W - June 2008 baby - EDD December 2010