Speech at 21 months

[Lochie]

I am a bit worried about my son's speech development and am finding it hard to find a standard for this - perhaps there isn't one and I shouldn't worry, but just thought I'd see if the seasoned parents on here can give me some perspective.

He is very chatty, points and understands what I am saying (e.g. if I ask him to go and pick up a particular book, or ask him to wash his face in the bath, he will do it). However, his development of words is not progressing really. He can say about 4 words fully (mama, dada, yeah and no), but anything else is pretty much non-discernable or a suggestion of a word e.g. he says 'woowoo' for dog.

I've only become concerned recently because I've noticed alot of kids the same age as him or younger are way ahead in the speech stakes and I can't help but worry. Any advice? I'm getting a bit alarmed :-(

[Fuschia]

You can self refer to the speech therapists at sunshine house I believe

[Fuschia]

And they do drop ins

http://www.southwarkpct.nhs.uk/our_services/children_and_families/child_development/speech_and_language_therapy

[bluesuperted]

Hey Lochie, shame I would have seen you at Anna's yesterday if baby hadn't had a long nap! If you PM me your email address I can send you some speech/language norms which are fairly lay-person friendly. Sounds like your little boy has really good receptive language/understanding and boys do tend to develop slower than girls with their communication so probably nothing to worry about as there is so much variation and many are simply late talkers. Also you might find he soon has a vocabulary explosion (often around 2yrs). However you could pop and ask your GP for a speech therapy referral - they may wait til he is two and then do an assessment (based around play in a nice environment) - no harm in mentioning it but in the meantime try not to worry and continue modelling/encouraging good language for him (but not correcting) - for example when he says 'woowoo' for 'dog' affirm this by saying 'yes it's a dog!'. If he starts saying 'dog' or something approximating that, expand with things like 'yes it's a big dog!'. Sure you're doing all the righ things but please PM me if you have any further questions and want the norms. If I manage to do any revision in the next 10 days, I should be a qualified SLT in a month or so!!

[Fuschia]

Bst - useful person to have on the forum!

I must admit I was quite worried about one of my twins ESP as his sister seemed much more advanced

But he suddenly leapt ahead and at 3 there is no difference to his twin

[catgirl]

I Woukdnt worry yet, 21 months is still young. My daughter Only said very few words at that age and I was worried as loads of her friends were talking really well. Then suddenly around her second birthday she started talking really well, literally from a few words and grunts to long sentences within a couple of weeks. Have several other friends who experienced similar, one friends son didn't start talking properly until 2.5 but when he did start he caught up with his peers within weeks.

[Lochie]

Thanks BST. I'll pm you my email address. I did mention it to my GP when I saw him last month for something else and he just got out a big book and said something along the lines of "well at 20 months 50% of children can name a picture, 50% can't". He is not my fave GP and our practice and wasn't really very helpful or sympathetic.

In the main its just frustrating as often my son will point at something to signal he wants it, and repeat the same non-discernable noises, and look at me searchingly as if I should know what it is! It leads to lots of tears for him and I know he's finding it a bit difficult now.

Good tips as well for language encouragement methods, defo start to use them....

Thanks re SUnshine house tip as well...

[Belle]

We def had the explosion BST mentions at around 2 - J was always more forthcoming with us than around other people but didn't have many words, or use them anyway, however since 2 his speech has made massive leaps, it's quite striking what a difference a few months can make. Unlike your wee boy J still rubbish at following commands but think that is more bloody mindedness than a lack of understanding!

[pebbles]

Please don't worry. My son was also a late talker. Would speak gobbledeegook non stop but not many real words. I was really worried but at about 2 1/2 he started to talk and has never stopped (agh) and now at 3 1/2 he's speaks exactly the same as all his friends.

[Fuschia]

Might be worth buying the sing and sign dvd (amazon)

Not instead of getting him checked out, but as an adjunct to supporting him a she finds his tongue

[GSJ57]

Just to add, Lochie - my oldest was 3 before he started to say recognisable words. He used to say Ya Ya and Ga Ga for Mama and Dada and Do Do for our dog, and that was about it. Doctor sent us for hearing tests, which were fine (which I knew because he would follow commands etc) Anyway... as soon as he started play group he was talking within weeks!

[cuppa tea]

There are drop-ins at with a speech and language therapist at Peckham Library..Friday mornings I think. The woman I saw was really good and gave me lots of tips. She referred my son, (who had developed a stutter at 3), to Sunshine House, but it took about 6 months to get an appointment, (Ages if you are worried!), by which time the stutter had resolved itself. I would imagine that your son is absolutely fine and is just taking his time. If he's anything like my son he is waiting until he gets words perfect before he starts to speak and will suddenly come out with lots of new words at once. I'm not expert, but personally I would try to keep a benign, but understanding, attitude when he gets frustrated..as if he picks up your worry he may think there is a problem, hence creating a problem. From our experience frustration is always there before a new development stage. I did find it very hard to keep a attentive, calm expression when my son stuttered, but it did help it to pass.

[snowboarder]

My little boy had very few words at 21m. Then his brother was born when he was 23m and literally in the week I was in hospital I swear he basically started talking...strange...now 3m later every day he says something new and it's getting much clearer...just for reassurance!

[Lochie]

Thanks everyone, reassuring. Think as most of my son's playmates are girls I perhaps should consider that gender comes into play too.

I have an autistic niece and also a nephew currently being assessed for Aspergers so think I'm just a bit neurotic about development. Am going to take a chill pill....

[KalamityKel]

I wouldn't worry too much, as long as little one is attempting to say words (even gobbledeegook) and you are encouraging the words too by repeating the correct word they are trying to say, they'll get there in time. If you get little one checked by a professional and all tests come back fine then just keep up with the encouragement. Too often I overhear parents comparing the stages their children are at with an attitude that it's some kind of competition. It's not. Each child is different (desptie what health visitors try to say) and they will get to each stage of development when they are ready.

Our 3 1/2 yr old is just beginning to come out of her shy self where it was quiet mumbles all the time and pointing at things to actual clear sentences well pronounced. No matter how we tried to get her to repeat things or ask her to name things she would just clam up. We took her for all the usual testing but everything came up ok altho they are continuing to monitor her hearing - she can hear fine but they can't determine whether there is any problems with directional hearing as she's too young but no one is overly concerned.

One morning, recently, she came down for breakfast and just didn't stop rambling on about her favourite teddy wanting to share her toast, that his favourite flavoured jam was blackcurrant and that it tasted like jelly. Quite a surprise to those listening I must say!

[cuppa tea]

That reminds me of an anecdote (untrue I expect and better written that this!) I read recently of a 6 year old boy who had never spoken a word to anyone. One evening his family were all sat round the dinner table and he suddenly said "this soup is cold". Amazed his mother said "but you can speak! why have you never said anything?". He replied "well until now the soup has always been warm".

[damzel]

My daughter was also a late starter - she only had about 30 words this time last year at 27 months, but by Christmas she had finally got the hang of it. It was clear that everything had been going in as she understood everything and when she finally started speaking, she immediately used pronouns/plurals and other complexities of speech, straightaway. It was almost like she just wasn't ready or confident enough to converse.

We went to a S&L course which really helped. The best thing we learnt was how to talk to her to encourage speech i.e. when she's playing, talk to her about what she is doing rather than the next step. Probably haven't explained that very well so here's a scenario - say she's playing tea parties with her dolls, prior to the course we used to say "Do you think that Dilly Dolly would like some tea? Why don't you give Teddy some cake?" "What colour is that plate?" always pushing her for the next step. We were advised to just tell her what she is doing rather than what she might do "Oh, you're pouring some tea for Dilly Dolly" "I bet Teddy will enjoy that cake" "what a lovely blue plate" etc. It was a real turning point for us, really made a big difference.

The other thing that was emphasised was that learning language and how to converse is more important than the correct pronounciation of words, so don't worry too much about that yet.

[bluesuperted]

Damzel makes some really good points - good that the course was so useful.

Reducing the number of questions and focusing on commenting/labelling is great as it means the you are building on experiences and items that the child is already engaged with. We were given the metaphor of the child's language learning brain being a filing cabinet and focusing on what they are looking at in any given moment means the right 'drawer' is already open; asking a question adds an extra layer of complexity as the child has to search through the cabinet for the relevant section!

Also totally agree with not correcting pronunciation - sounds appear in a rough order and some are a lot later than other (r and th for example) so unless a child is really unintelligible or making really unusual errors there's usually no need to worry as they're likely to be following the speech sound developmental curve.

[Saffron]

Fuschia Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Might be worth buying the sing and sign dvd

> (amazon)

> Not instead of getting him checked out, but as an

> adjunct to supporting him a she finds his tongue

I second that suggestion. Tiny Talk uses children's BSL, or there is also the Makaton system. Sometimes it is mistakenly claimed that learning sign language inhibits speech development. The argument generally runs something like, children need a certain level of frustration in order to learn to speak. (I know it sounds crazy when you see it in print!)

Toddlers (shouldn't they be called 'babblers' :) ) can often make a simple hand signal long before they can form words. Always say the word when you make the sign. The sign reinforces the speech and helps your child learn.

xx

[gwod]

Two of my kis are needing lots of speech therapy, and my advise would be to get a appointment for a check up as soon as possible because if it turns out that he does need a little extra help, you will find that the waiting list for S and L therapy is so long that months can pass during the period where help would have been most useful. Get on the waiting list as soon as possible!

[fuzzyboots]

Hi Lochie,

I'm the local Sing and Sign franchisee (glad that the DVD's been mentioned as potentially supportive for you of course!) but you might like to visit www.talkingpoint.org.uk (run by Communication Charity I-CAN) to give you an idea of speech and language development milestones.

Also, if you google Tina Archer (qualified local mum and SLT), you'll find her at activities in East Dulwich ( I THINK on Friday mornings at the EDT - but don't quote me on that). She runs Babble & Squeak and I'm sure she'd be happy to listen to you/offer guidance.

Sadly, the Speech and Language Therapy waiting list situation seems to be shockingly long - so as OP recommended, please do not delay in referring your son in order to get things moving.

Hope you have success in finding a solution/allaying your concerns.

Trish Cummings

x

[Fuschia]

Is he st nursery? What do they thInk... Do they have speech therapy time?

[Lochie]

Fuzzyboots - www.talkingpoint.org.uk - very useful, i've just had a look. I've found it reassuring to be honest and realise that he probably says more words than I give him credit for as it mentions 'missing the end of words off' e.g. he can say 'door' and 'duck' but they both sound like 'duh'. So thank you for that website.

I'd love him to be in nursery as I think he is more than ready, and interestingly words come out clearer when he is with other children e.g. instead of his 'nuh' (no) around me he will say a very clear and long 'NO!' when defending another child from the toy he is playing with. However, despite having him down at 3 nurseries for the last year we are still sitting on the waiting lists, its very frustrating.

My mum has been a nursery/primary teacher for 30 years and thinks there is nothing wrong with him although she is not an expert, I feel a bit reluctant to medicalise this just yet especially as my GP didn't think there was anything wrong. So I'm going to watch and wait and then push for a referral at the end of summer if no improvements.

When I was in Sainsbury's a few months ago I actually was handed a leaflet appealing for support in saving speech and language therapy in the local area as I am assuming it is being cut back? Worth bearing in mind when thinking about waiting lists...

[fuzzyboots]

Hi lochie

Glad the website was useful and thankfully reassuring for you.

Don't get me started on the s&l cuts in Southwark. Cutting 1/3 of the staff in an inner London borough? Defies belief/ description.

And this is, super ironically "the year of communication". Supported and promoted by the govt. I kid you not. Have a look at www. Hello.org.uk.loads and loads of useful info there too.

I discovered by accident yesterday that 1st place children's centre in burgess park has loads of speech, language and communication professionals attached to it. You might find some useful and easily/quickly/freely accessible support there too. In fact, I would think that most children's centres have s&l provision locally, given the deprivation index in the borough and the number of families for whom English is not their first language at home.

I really love OPs point about communication/ language development being the most important thing at the early stage. So true.

If your son is a kinaesthetic learner rather than a listener/observer, I highly recommend you to play music instruments with him and dance with him. Grasping rhythm is an essential part of language development and literacy skills. Making language accessible within his learning style preference will really empower him.

If you'd like to come to my free taster session at goose green on 20th July to see whether using gesture to SUPPORT (not replace) speech might help you at home and help him to be explicit in expressing himself to you, whilst he gets his Tongue and mouth and voice around words, then please do. This is not about selling you a place in class! It's about giving you some free tools to support your son. Absolutely no obligation to sign up for classes, because I think he'd probably be too old for us anyway.

Talking of which, if you'd like some fun activities to do with communication but that don't feel like "work" I highly recommend Helen at talking tots who's just started classes in ED and fh this term. Lovely lady and v committed and an experienced primary school teacher and mum. Www.talkingtots.info if you're interested.

Hth,

Trish xxxx