Son nearly 2 and still not talking

love2shopforbargains

Hi

I hope this is posted on the correct part of the forum, if not, I would be grateful if a mod could move it. Thanks.

As the title says, my son will be 2 next month and he is still not talking. He has seen a few doctors and has had 2 hearing tests and despite both of these hearing tests coming back normal they are wanting him to have a third.

I feel terrible as I only really noticed that he wasn't babbling when my niece's daughter was 7 months and she was telling me that she could say mama/dada etc. My son at this time was 12 months and couldn't say anything. I then phoned my Health Visitor and told her my concerns and made an appointment. I am aware that all kids learn at different stages etc.

He is very vocal in that he will shriek and scream and laugh and cry but he doesn't appear to be saying anything. He has a range of noises but doesn't have any words or even babbling words. When he was a baby I was taking him to the local bounce and rhyme classes etc. I am always talking to him and singing him. He seems very clever and I think that he can hear as he seems to understand the songs and can do the actions etc. His favourite at the moment is "wind the bobbin up" lol.

He has an older sister and it was suggested that she could be doing the talking for him, but this doesn't appear to be the case.

He is cruising the furniture but not walking yet either. Although I am not too bothered about this.

He has his 3rd hearing test appointment for June but as I said I do not think his hearing is the issue. His specialist appointment with the local child's development centre isn't until August.

I am really looking for advice or information or to know if this is common or what others could recommend.


Thanks

KellyWelly

I would be more concerned personally about the not walking, tbh. Two close friends of mine have 2 year olds - one was born Christmas day and the other in March, so the older one is now nearly 2 and half and the younger only just two. The Christmas born one has within the past 8 weeks started talking pretty fluently. The March born one has only started talking at all in the past 8 weeks and I don't always understand him. I don't think it's at all unusual for 2 yr olds to only have emerging speech. My son was 18 months old before he started talking at all and he's been identified as gifted and talented whereas his friend born the same day as him spoke and sang fluently at 1 yr old and isn't nearly as bright, bless his cotton socks.

love2shopforbargains

I didn't mean to sound blase about his not walking. The reason I am not as concerned about that is that I also have a 4 year old daughter who has mobility problems. She also has poor motor skills and is very coordinated. She only started walking at 3 years and 1 month. She is doing well with regard to the walking although she still struggles with stairs and uneven ground or when a path has been raised/lowered slightly she doesn't seem to be aware of it.

I just feel that maybe I should have been doing more or there is something that I should be doing that I am not aware of.

Both sets of parents have criticised my style of bringing up my children. They were both breastfed and this was a big stumbling block for them. I personally found it so much easier. They didn't have babywalkers. My mum said to me that was the reason my daughter wasn't walking and then when I had my son they said I should buy a babywalker for him. I didn't. They only drink milk or water, sometimes a small amound of diluting juice if at party and I don't really allow them crisps or chocolate and they say I am cruel and that I am depriving them of things. I try to stand up to my mother and say that they get plenty of love, good food and lots of interaction so other than junk food what am I depriving them off. I am well aware they will have these things when older I just don't need to let them have them just now.

pollypenny

Keep talking to him and with him, encouraging him to say single words, such as when you point to an animal in a picture book, ask him to tell you what it is.

If he had any sort of hearing test when younger, as children do in Flintshire. that would have shown up a problem.

If he shows that he wants something with a point or noise, ignore it and ask him to say the word ( if it's easy enough)

As long as you keep a vocal home, he will talk.

tori.k

The two could be linked if he has poor hearing his balance would be out, tho my youngest hardly spoke till he was 3 yrs old (tho running about at 10 months) he is now 11 and would talk a glass eye to sleep
june seems a long way off, if your at home and have the time its always worth asking for any cancelled appointments that come up, i knocked 3 months off minor op waiting list by asking,

whitewing

My sister didn't speak until she was 4. No apparent reason. Makes up for it now though; talks more than the rest of us!

Be concerned, but don't be overly concerned. Hard when you're a parent.

jinky67

love2shopforbargains wrote: »

I didn't mean to sound blase about his not walking. The reason I am not as concerned about that is that I also have a 4 year old daughter who has mobility problems. She also has poor motor skills and is very coordinated. She only started walking at 3 years and 1 month. She is doing well with regard to the walking although she still struggles with stairs and uneven ground or when a path has been raised/lowered slightly she doesn't seem to be aware of it.

I just feel that maybe I should have been doing more or there is something that I should be doing that I am not aware of.

Both sets of parents have criticised my style of bringing up my children. They were both breastfed and this was a big stumbling block for them. I personally found it so much easier. They didn't have babywalkers. My mum said to me that was the reason my daughter wasn't walking and then when I had my son they said I should buy a babywalker for him. I didn't. They only drink milk or water, sometimes a small amound of diluting juice if at party and I don't really allow them crisps or chocolate and they say I am cruel and that I am depriving them of things. I try to stand up to my mother and say that they get plenty of love, good food and lots of interaction so other than junk food what am I depriving them off. I am well aware they will have these things when older I just don't need to let them have them just now.

do not listen to your parents with regards to these things.....I was the same with my 2 kids.....no walkers....I believe they make kids walk *funny* anyway.....on there tiptoes.

You are doing right by your kids by not filling them with junk:T:T:T

love2shopforbargains

Thanks very much for everyone's help. I do the picture books. I try to get him to say words back to me. He screams and shrieks quite a lot, I was thinking this was maybe out of frustration. I have put my name down for any cancellations, that was how I managed to get the second hearing test so quickly after the first, but again that one showed as normal/fine within the range of his age etc but they are now awaiting a third.

Thanks again, you are all being very helpfiul.

kelz85

I had similar problems with my eldest, who is now 4 and a half. I couldnt understand why he wasnt saying any words and initially thought it was to do with his hearing. It turned out that he was tongue-tied. I only discovered it after my gran made a passing comment about my uncle having tongue-tie when he was little. I had been to the doctors several times, seen the health visitor loads and had even been to a speech therapist and nobody had actually physically checked his mouth or tongue. He had an operation when he was 3 and a half and has had to have speech therapy since then but he is really coming on and talks all the time, although most people can only understand about 60% of what he says.

Spendless

With my son I found a huge difference in his language skills between 2 and 2 1/2. At just 2 he was only saying the odd word. Don't compare him to your neice as I found my daughter talked from a far earlier age, and I understand it's quite common for girls to do so.

Don't let your parents upset you either, my son was only breast-fed for a few days, my daughter not at all and neither did they have baby-walkers. (no strong views just how things worked out).

missm29

Hi just wanted to say both of my boys were the same late walking and talking, the youngest now 2.5yrs was even slower, he didn't start to walk until just before his 2nd birthday and he now runs and falls alot, he also only says mama and dada, hes had several hearing tests which were fine but he does ignore us when we talk to him. I've now put him into a nursery for 4 sessions a week where he gets one to one. I found the constant screaming and crying hard work, hes now learnt the makaton signs for 'more' 'biscuit' 'drink' and 'finished'. Thankfully he understands quite a bit and will shake his head for 'no' and shakes his arms about when hes excited or for a 'yes'. Hes currently assessed every few months, theres a history of learning difficulties on my partners side of the family.

Can the health visitor give you any suggestions of ways to help? I'm putting together a photo album with photos of his favourite toys, the pushchair, nanny and grandad, our car, everyday things and keep pointing to them saying the word, then ask where is such and such and he points to it, the next step is to say whats that and him tell me. I did this with my first son and i think it helped, we also ready the same couple of books over and over. I tend to cut myself off from people because their comments upset me and it highlights even more how delayed he is, anyway big hugs just wanted to let you know you are not alone.