2 year old speech

brutus1983

We're having trouble with our 2 and a half sons speech development we just can't seem to get him to say any basic words. Hel murmur the usual baby talk and were always trying to teach him things like wel pick up a ball and say ball and the same with juice cups etc.

We've tried to get him sit down with books but to no avail he just won't sit still or hel try and grab the book just to try and destroy it and will get easily upset becuase were trying to get him to sit down and do something he just doesn't want to do.


I think he knows certain things we say to him for eg when I take him bed I'll say give mummy kiss hel run and give his mum a kiss and wait at the bottom of the stairs for me to take him up wether or not he's used to it as routine I'm not sure. He just won't come out with any words I've always put it down to him been very busy with wanting to play and not sit still as he's always on the go like a bull in a china shop


Am I being over worried for nothing?

emsywoo123

brutus1983 wrote: »

We're having trouble with our 2 and a half sons speech development we just can't seem to get him to say any basic words. Hel murmur the usual baby talk and were always trying to teach him things like wel pick up a ball and say ball and the same with juice cups etc.

We've tried to get him sit down with books but to no avail he just won't sit still or hel try and grab the book just to try and destroy it and will get easily upset becuase were trying to get him to sit down and do something he just doesn't want to do.


I think he knows certain things we say to him for eg when I take him bed I'll say give mummy kiss hel run and give his mum a kiss and wait at the bottom of the stairs for me to take him up wether or not he's used to it as routine I'm not sure. He just won't come out with any words I've always put it down to him been very busy with wanting to play and not sit still as he's always on the go like a bull in a china shop


Am I being over worried for nothing?

My DS is 2 yrs 3 months, and until a month ago was exactly the same as yours sounds......now he seems to learn about 10 words a day!! It just seemed to click overnight.

Does he go to nursery? Has he had his 2 year check with a HV?

Nicki

Why not ask your Health Visitor or the local Sure Start centre to refer him to a speech and language therapist for an assessment.

It may well be nothing, but if there is a delay, early professional input tends to be more effective than a wait and see approach. You should also be aware that due to cuts there are less speech and language therapists around so some areas make arbitrary decisions as to who can be seen. In our area, they will not see children once they are in school or nursery unless they have a statement of special educational needs, so it was important that we referred our son and were seen before he turned 3 and took up a nursery place, otherwise he would not have been given any help.

[Deleted User]

Have you had his hearing checked? Our 17 month old will say daddy, grandma, raa raa (he bloody loves that noisy lion) plus a few other words. It's not all entirely clear, and you need a special kind of 'baby hearing' to understand what he says sometimes.

Two years olds are a nightmare to get to do anything.. don't worry about him not wanting to read!

brutus1983

He's been referred to am speech therapist just waiting for an appointment no he doesn't go to a nursery yet will be starting soon tho

shortdog

A friends little boy was exactly the same until a couple of months ago (and he is now 3 1/2), he now talks non-stop, and has a new repertoire of words every time I see him.
Remember, their little brains are working flat out at this age to learn everything, speech, physical development (walking, running, hopping, etc), hand-eye co-ordination, and the finer details of life - colours, numbers, names, and so on. In theory, they learn all of the essentials in bits, so they'll learn to walk, while learning to say a few words, etc. Most kids follow that theory, however, other will concentrate on one thing, before moving onto the next.
My friends little boy, whilst only speaking for a few months now, can tell you what most of the single digit numbers are, knows all of his colours, and the names of every single last character from Thomas the Tank Engine (and there are an awful lot of them), so has obviously been taking all of that in instead of learning to talk.

2 years olds don't tend to sit still to read books etc, have you tried reading to him while he's in the bath? Or when he's playing with something, sit and chat to him, or read him a story then. If you're really worried, speak to your HV about it, but, to be honest, as long as he understands what is being said to him (can he go and get the ball for a game? Does he understand when you tell him it's bathtime?), I really wouldn't worry too much - he'll get there in his own good time.

Nicki

brutus1983 wrote: »

He's been referred to am speech therapist just waiting for an appointment no he doesn't go to a nursery yet will be starting soon tho

Fingers crossed its nothing then.

All 3 of mine were referred to SLT at that age. 1 and 3 were absolutely fine, just slow starters. Once they started though, they both talk for England. The middle one there was a real issue which was identified quickly. My experience of SLT with all 3 was a positive one even though 1 and 3 probably with hindsight would have been find without it.

chazsucks

emsywoo123 wrote: »

My DS is 2 yrs 3 months, and until a month ago was exactly the same as yours sounds......now he seems to learn about 10 words a day!! It just seemed to click overnight.

We're the same, suddenly in the last couple of weeks he's said loads of words but before now nada! We saw the HV who said he seemed fine and to bring him back at 2.5 years if he still wasn't talking. Was a bit of a worry as our eldest was beginning to talk at about 18 months but all children are different and some are quicker at certain things than others. If your worried see the health visitor x

Chakani

It's good that you have him on the list for speech therapy, in case there's any problem (it can take a long time to be seen) - but just a reassurance that it's not unusual - my son was the same at 2 1/2, now at 4, he is described as eloquent, questioning and confident at preschool, and has a very wide vocabulary. Some children, particularly boys, do take a while to get started with "brain" things - maybe they are just too busy learning other things! It doesn't mean that they will stay behind

marisco_2

I had exactly the same with my youngest. It came as a bit of a shock to me as my eldest child started saying his first words on his first birthday and developed really fast.

My health visitor advised me to take my son for a hearing test just to clarify that there were no problems. It all came back fine. So then she said that I should talk to him the whole time. Just as you are doing now. Whatever I was doing with him I would be chatting away 'here is your drink in your cup' etc. To be totally honest it felt like hard work when I was getting no responses back, but it is so worth sticking with. Doing the weekly shop he would be sat in the trolley and I would be talking to him, showing him all the things that I was buying and giving their name. If we were out in the car I would be saying 'oh look at the big red bus', 'aren't the trees lovely with their green leaves' etc.

Like you, I knew he could understand me because he would do as I asked him and respond to requests for kisses and cuddles. The real turning point was when he staretd at a fabulous nursery. Each room at the nursery was stimulating with lots of things to touch and see. All of these things had bright coloured labels with the names of the objects on them. They sang alot with the children and did actions to the songs. I noticed that he would be humming the tunes at home. Then he started to add in the words.

He is seven now and never stops talking. He also used to hate sitting down with a book if he felt he was expected to read it. So I changed it round, books came out at bedtime and I read to him. Using lots of expression and different voices for the characters in the books. Eventually we found a series of books he really loved and that was it he was off and running and trying. He now has a reading age of 10 and uses his library card all the time.

Your son is probably one of those that is busily taking everything in and will talk in his own time.

jackyann

He sounds like a "busy" 2 year old, always wanting to run about, move things, more interested in physical activity than sitting & looking. Lots are.
You are quite right to be seeking advice, but as others have said, it is probably normal development.
I often think 2 year olds divide into the "do-ers" and the "talkers", and from what you have said, he demonstrates understanding.
Rather than persevere with books, do lots of nursery rhymes with him, especially the ones with actions & activity. The repetitive nature and the associating of words with actions helps. When he enjoys them & is familiar, you can leave out a word, and see if he says anything or at least continues the action - like "head & shoulders, knees & ....."
You can use CDs or DVDs up to a point (especially if you need to learn the rhymes) but the main point is the interaction between you & that you tailor to him.

Are you a bi-lingual or multi-lingual family? This is a big advantage in the long run but at this age some children have fewer words as they are processing what to say & how to say it. Speech therapists will have specific helpful advice on this.