The Speech therapist told me my son was super delayed at 16 months because he should have been saying 15 words. My pediatrician laughed. She said three words at 18 months and that she already knew that particular speech therapy place was, in her words, “pushy”. They really freak you out but the second opinion speech therapist I had said 7 words at 18 months would be great and that sometimes they just don’t want to talk, especially boys. All babies are different.
Thanks for sharing this story :) I recently wrote a blog post about this topic because there are so many discrepancies in vocabulary milestones for toddlers. My goal was to provide objective information about vocabulary milestones based on the best available research and data. I really wanted to share the information so families can make the best informed decision for their little one. As a speech therapist, I've seen that even practicing with your little one for a few minutes a day at home can boost their vocabulary and talking. I will link the blog post here in case you or other parents would find it helpful. toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words
I totally agree. I have 2 kids. My eldest son is 2 yr and 2 month now. And my daughter just turned 1. I can see a lot of different between them. My daughter is saw talkative even tho her words cannot be understand but she has a few words that we know like "no" "none" "gloria" "boo!(means pickaboo)" "yey(means yeahey)" and with all the gestures. My son just did these too as soon as he turn 2 year old. In addition, many of my relatives told m "boys are late bloomer". And yes girls are really talkative no wonder why 😅
My doctor assumes that we don’t spend time with our son teaching him words when it’s actually quite the opposite. He just isn’t ready to speak yet but she’s saying he’s delayed at 17 months and pushing for speech therapy. 🤦🏾♀️
I’m so glad I came across this video. I feel validated. I was a teacher and my 13 year old was reading one vowel words at 2! Now, my 19 month old hardly even says “mama” and when she does, it’s not with purpose…and no one else understands why it bothers me. She says dada and a few other words, she follows instructions well, but won’t mimick. She just giggles when I repeat words. When she cries, I’ll ask if she wants juice, blanket, etc, but she’ll get frustrated and start hitting herself in her face. She’s starting to point at things she wants and babbles or whines but can’t really articulate what she wants. I’m messaging her doctor again today.
Hi JoAnna, I am glad to hear that you found the information useful. Your pediatrician can be an excellent resource in getting connected with a speech therapist in your area. If you for some reason aren't finding the support you're looking for you can always reach out to your state early intervention program (in the US), you don't need a doctors referral and evaluations are free. You can read more about this option in the find an speech therapist post linked below. How to find a speech therapist - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me What to expect at a speech therapy evaluation - toddlertalk.com/blog/does-my-toddler-need-speech-therapy
As I’ve mentioned in this Chanel already, my baby boy didn’t speak ANY WORD AT ALL till he was 2 1/2. When he turned two my pediatrician told me he had speech delays and that I should seek for help but I didn’t. He started crawling at 5 months and at 9 months he was already walking around the house without help. There are children who take a while to walk but start talking sooner. He has just turned 3 now and he is able to speak 2 languages very well, so it’s true when they say that every child is unique! We just need to give them some time…
Thank you so much for your videos. Our daughter (1st child) had her 18 month check up today and the pediatrician recommended an evaluation as ahe does not say many words. As first time parents, our experiance and information (even from the pediatrician) has been limited at best. My only wish is that i knew these benchmarks and watched your videos sooner. Our daughters non-speech benchmarks are on par, if not slightly advanced. You have provided a great resource here for new parents to effectively teach words to our little ones. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for your kind message. I am happy to be able to provide information and resources for families all over the world. If you have specific questions or are looking for a particular resources, please don't hesitate to send me a message :)
My pediatrician told me that toddler should know at least 8 words by 18 months, the CDC says toddler should say more than 3. To me this shows you can’t really put an exact number of words because Individuals differ. My pediatrician said as long as the toddler shows signs of communication readiness: pointing, gesturing, sharing objects, responding to their name, and making eye contact. These are all signs of social engagement, and as they build on these skills, verbal language typically follows naturally.
I’m just finding out about my 18 month old speech delay. I’m trying not to feel bad because we do everything we can to be sure he communicates well. He understands when we tell him to “pick up the toy” or “all done?, give mommy/daddy your cup” when he is done drinking something, or even it’s time to “eat eat” and he tries to mimic by saying “ eat eat” or uh huh in response to a question. But throws a tantrum or seem uninterested in certain instructions. I hope the therapy helps him
Hi Moriah, Thank you for sharing. I hope that you are finding support in having another person to help navigate those tougher communication moments. I'm going to link an article you may find supportive, it's 3 ways you can support speech delay at home. I think it's helpful because it shows you that a little bit can go a long way :) toddlertalk.com/blog/speech-delay-in-toddlers
My baby is saying a lot of words she is 19 months but the problem is she doesn’t make any sentences and she keep repeating the last word I’m saying not all of it . But she can sing twinkle twinkle little star , should I be worried please response me .
Feeling completely terrible for not comparing my children more until now. My last was counting to 12 on her own, speaking alphabet and using words like gorgeous. My littlest now is the same age and just barely using words but completely advanced with her motor skills and gestures. Calling the pediatricians office when they open so we can help her. Thanks for an informative video and validating what I already felt. ❤
Hello, thanks for leaving a message. At 12 months old it's not expected that all kids have said their first word. First words usually appear between 10-14 months. Consulting with your pediatrician is always a good idea; they can support you in monitoring development :)
Omg this comment is EXACTLY how I feel about my 19 month old daughter, and when I express it, people tell me “all children are different and learn at their own pace.” I know this is true, but I also know she should be beyond where she is with speech. It’s so frustrating but now I feel heard and understood.
Thanks. So my daughter doesn't respond to her name or rarely. She may respond if a stranger or family member calls her but then looks away. She is generally happy 😁 and well behaved and is an easy child who is active. My gut tells me she is a Smart child how ever her speech had me concernen. She imitate animal sounds however words are so difficult for her.
Hi. My first recommendation for parents who are concerned is to seek a speech and language evaluation if available in your area - this can help you identify how your little one is developing communication, what might be making it hard for them to learn to talk, and what you can do specifically to help them. I am also going to link some at home resources you can use for imitating words and responding to her name. Imitating words - toddlertalk.com/blog/repeating-words-speech-therapy Responding to their name - toddlertalk.com/blog/respond-to-their-name
My sister boy, he is 32 months old and he can't say anything, not even a word😢, I was not around now I saw him and your videos and realised this, this is very sad, hopefully he will be fine 😞
Every child is different. I think the most important thing we can do as parents is to encourage our children with games, music, and just talking to our children. I appreciate the information, but if parents listened to every theory of what a child should be doing, it's enough to make you crazy. I do recognize the importance of watching for signs of behaviors or lack thereof, but certainly speaking with your pediatrician is important. Parents don't become so fixated and let your child be a child.
Thanks for your comment. I also think it's important to not put a ton of extra pressure on kids, which is why many of my activities and strategies revolve around what us parents can do to help during our everyday activities, including play: toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation toddlertalk.com/blog/getting-face-to-face toddlertalk.com/blog/comments-over-questions toddlertalk.com/blog/toddler-imagination I also think it's really beneficial to have support as a parent, and for some families, speech therapy can be super helpful in that way... takes some of the pressure off us to do it all.
Hi Ozzy. When it's hard for toddlers to say new words, I always recommend talking to your child's pediatrician about speech therapy. Many toddlers will begin speech therapy around 18 months old if they are needing help to say new words. I'm going to link a post I wrote about when to start speech therapy. toddlertalk.com/blog/best-time-for-toddler-speech-therapy Something you might try at home is practicing with sounds first. Sounds are often easier for toddlers to pronounce and it can be a good building block towards saying new words. toddlertalk.com/blog/imitating-sounds-speech-therapy
my little man is 21 months but 19 months corrected he was 10 weeks premature. He spent 82 days in nicu and had difficult time feeding. He didnt take to solids till 18 months and always been a late bloomer in his development but one thing that stood out is his speech. He doesn't even wave or point , kiss us , fetch things . He babbles dadda and my brother name but doesn't know the meaning behind it. We've been told by his physio , neonatologist , pediatrician and speech and language that he autistic due to all his other traits his showing as well we have his revaluation on 29th july ..
Thank you for sharing your experience here. I am glad to hear that you have such a robust support team for your little man. I hope that you got even more resources at your re-evaluation.
Don’t listen to this crap… 20-40 words at 18 months?!? I’m willing you bet that MAYBE 1% of 18 month old children are saying that many words! As long as your child is babbling and changing the infliction of their voice at times, you have nothing to be worried about… It’s videos like this that makes first time parents panic that their child might have a learning disability!
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I want to explain the facts I'm using, and I'll also share my opinion. There's actually quite a bit of research on vocabulary size, looking at what thousands of parents report. One source (mb-cdi.stanford.edu) shows that 90% of toddlers have more than 18 words by 18 months, and that the average toddler has between 50-150 words roughly. My goal here isn't to scare any parent or make them feel bad if their child is saying less words. I just want to give parents an idea of what they might expect, so they can feel confident in their choice either to seek support or not. Ultimately we all get to take in the information and make the choice for our families. In my opinion, there's not a lot of risk in having a speech therapy evaluation because in the US, you can do that for free (toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me ). Again, when it comes to my family I like to have as much information as possible so I can make my decision. And I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that just because a child has a smaller-than-average vocabulary means they have a learning disability - I'm talking about children who have a speech delay or are late talkers. These children often really benefit from speech therapy and see a ton of improvement and catch up to the milestones with consistent use of at-home strategies. Here are a couple of other resources you may reference: pubs.asha.org/doi/full/10.1044/2023_JSLHR-23-00020 www.asha.org/public/developmental-milestones/communication-milestones-13-to-18-months/ www.unicef.org/parenting/child-development/your-toddlers-developmental-milestones-18-months#language-and-communication
We only speak Korean at home and he seems to understand almost everything we say but he can only speak a few words. He is 18 months old. He will follow instructions like brining something, putting laundry in the hamper etc. in Korean. He has been going to daycare since he was 15 months. When should I get worried? Is taking him to speech therapy (obviously is going to be in English) going to be helpful? Should I speak to him in English? We exclusively use Korean only at home w very very occasional English here and there.
Hi. I'm so happy you asked, this is a really common and important question. Speech therapy for toddlers involves a lot of parent participation. Most of the time it's more about learning strategies you can use at home everyday than specific exercises that are only done in speech therapy. I would not recommend speaking to him only in English. I would recommend learning the strategies in English in speech therapy. And practicing with those same strategies in Korean at home. Lastly, if you live in a bigger city you may be surprised that you can find a Korean speaking speech therapist! I'm going to link information about bilingualism and speech therapy below :) toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
My friend had a similar situation like this and what they ended up doing that helped as well is have one parent speak strictly English, and the other parent spoke strictly the other language to the child.
Yeah, you should probabky assimilate to whatever country you live in. Id assume if English is important you're in an English speaking country. It's OK to know korean but I would definitely try not to speak it around a developing child that doesn't need that language to exist in society. Revist it later
Glad it was helpful! I find that people don't usually use consonant sounds in isolation, espeically kids, which is why I pronounce them with a vowel :) Don't think there's a right or wrong there!
Hi. I am going to link a lesson I put together to help parents learn strategies to encourage children to imitate or copy words. Plus, we have several fun and easy activities you can use to practice at home: toddlertalk.com/blog/repeating-words-speech-therapy And in case you're thinking about speech therapy, I will also include my guide to finding a speech therapist near you: toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
My 18 month old, does everything you listed well. The only issue is she says 5 words and makes about 8 animal sounds. Any tips on getting her to talk more?
Hi Rabia, I would be happy to share some tips. I have two lessons that I think will give you some tips and ideas for how to encourage your little girl to say more words. The first lesson is all about imitating or copying new words (this is how toddlers learn). The second is about helping your toddler learn to say new words. Both are linked below :) Let me know if you have any other questions! Imitating New Words: toddlertalk.com/blog/repeating-words-speech-therapy Growing Toddler Vocabulary: toddlertalk.com/blog/toddler-vocabulary
Hi Evelin, I'm happy to share some resources with you that have worked for other parents of children with speech delay. First, I want to share my guide to finding a speech therapist in your community. Finding someone who can work directly with your twins and family is always ideal because they'll be able to help find the best strategies for your twins individual learning styles. Guide linked here: toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me And you can find tons of free resources for little things you can do at home to support language development. I recommend taking our 10 minute assessment which will give you a customized plan for which lessons to focus on first, next, and so on. And it's completely free. Here's a link to get started: toddlertalk.com/toddler-talk-language-program Let me know if you have any other specific questions.
@@anichikamarvellous7942 They are both working with Early Intervention which helps them with speech and motor skills. They are doing way better and almost talk. I recommend you talk to your baby’s pediatrician to see what you can do. Some babies tend to take longer to talk or do certain behaviors but that’s okay too!
@@anichikamarvellous7942 My twins are near 2 and they color, do basic instructions and listen to their name. Try speaking to your baby as much as possible and get involved in her/ his play. If you do screen time you can play Ms. Rachel as she’s very interactive. Hope this helps!
How does this apply with a child in a bilingual house? My wife speaks mostly German to our son and I speak English. What have you seen in terms of timing for children in this situation? Our 18 month old son understands both languages but only says momma, ball, bite, and bye bye.
Hi Jenn, thanks for asking. For children who are bilingual or multilingual I will add together all the words they can say together. So it would be [Words in German + Words in English]. I recently wrote a blog post that summarizes some of the best research related to bilingual language development. I will link it here :) toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
My 19 month old is not saying anything. Maybe car. He used to say mama and dada. But not anymore. He had a few ear infections, and doctor said that might be the cause. He does imitate
Hi, thanks for reaching out. Ear infections can contribute to a speech delay, but in my experience children usually don't "loose" language with an ear infection (unless they are so sick they have a fever and don't feel well overall). I am going to link a resource that may help you learn more about when toddlers stop saying words - toddlertalk.com/blog/my-toddler-is-not-saying-words-they-used-to And here's a link to our activities you can use to teach talking at home - toddlertalk.com/blog/category/Activities Please feel free to reply back if you have follow up questions!
My niece lives with me and she picked a real winner to have a baby with. I think he is in jail right now. Ive been that boys male figure in his life since day one. He is 20 months old. We have went and still do everything together. Ive built obstacle courses in the back yard for him to climb all over each one more elaborate and complicated. Since he could sit up, I hung a base ball from the ceiling so he could hit the ball, catch the ball and throw the ball (He does this now both right and left handed really well). I would carry him while I jogged around kicking a ball so that when he started walking he knew exactly how to kick a ball and is able to do so every time. We took and still take naps together while listening to some of the best music ever made in the 52 years of my life....made him drum sticks so he could imitate you tube drummers and let him play with all my guitars. Ive always sang to him. At 11 months I put him on a treadmill where he had to run faster than the speed I had set to advance from the back to the front so he can reach out and pull the emergency stop chord, to stop. We are up to 4.3 MPH right now. Yes, I hold his hand incase he slips I can catch him and that has happened once.. I cleared him from the spinning belt and had him in my arms, where he has literally lived since the day he was born, before anything bad could happen. The hand eye coordination needed to run on a treadmill till you reach the chord, reach out and grab the chord, then pull it out...all while running is at an exceptional range IMO. Sadly, most of the time when his mom has him, her face is buried in that damn phone. His behavior is completely different when he is with her vs me. Pisses me off to no end. Ive introduced him to Wreck-it-Ralph 1 and 2, Zootopia, WALL-E, Big Hero 6, Encanto, Ferdinad, And Coco (he is latino after all) and he can perfectly identify with a key moment in a movie is about to happen, random and important e.g. like he will start clapping at the exact time everyone else does in the movie WIRalph. Ive taught him about lasers, birds, trees, doing bird calls (him trying is freaking adorable) the stars, moon, changing the oil in a car and fixing a lawnmower. We watch Rams butt heads, spiders spin webs, lions take down prey, he laughs at movies, plays with my tools (safely I might add because I taught him to) and this child is only 20 months. I make sure he is constantly curious, learning, and encourage the activation of his exploration. He's helping me spread mulch here the past few days. There is one thing Im worried about and I probably shouldn't be but I feel his speech may be lagging. I know what he is saying but I dont think anyone else would. Maybe bye and ball. But he does make all the sounds cuz he has mimicked me doing bird calls. I just don't know at what point to actually be concerned. I appreciate your video.
Cut out all screen time and use that time to talk with the kid while playing or doing chores. Screen time before 2 years causes delays in speech development.
@@OwnYourDance he is with me all day. That’s all we do is talk. Work out. Work in the yard. Learn. Be curious. He has his own broom and toy tools that he uses daily. What’s wrong with a movie to wind down at night? Sorry if you interpreted what I said as we watch tv. I did say his mother my niece always has her face in her phone and it pisses me off. Had my daughter in law check him out and she works with children with autism. She said he is fine Things she understood Ready. Set. Go! Here ya go. Birds Bye bye What you doing Water More Please And more I can’t remember.
@@Chewy_GarageBandDad Sorry if what I wrote seemed a bit rough, I didnt mean to but didn't have a lot of time to reply then. I read it all! I'm not saying you're doing a bad job, but since you were worried about his speech I just thought i'd pass the knowledge along. There's been quite a lot of research on screentime for infants and it really ONLY has negative effects, especially on speech development. So if you worry about it, maybe skip the movies for now. That's all! I think you're doing amazing if I read all the things you do for this kid.
@@OwnYourDance thank you. Even though it was not intended as you stated, I should be better at constructive criticism. After all I asked for opinions. Thanks for taking the time to respond. Journey well.
Hi Yisel, It's true that the AAP looks for 2-3 words besides "mama" and "dada" at 18 months. As a speech therapist I look for 20 words by 18 months. There is a speech and language assessment called the MacArthur Bates CDI, which investigated the vocabulary size of thousands of toddlers. I based my milestone on their comprehensive data and other research specific to speech and language development. Taking a less conservative approach is one way to ensure that toddlers who need a little extra support learning to talk receive early intervention (an evaluation for speech therapy is free in the US). Research shows that early speech therapy is the most powerful in helping kids learn to talk. My goal is to help educate parents so they can feel empowered to advocate for early intervention for their children if they feel it could benefit their child.
I honestly think pediatricians are kinda looking for problems not just slightly below average. We fostered before having bio kids and the expectations is the same. If that makes sense... Like our bio exceeds all the things which is out non trauma normal. But our foster toddler who at 18mo was still within ok. Her older brother was delayed. Idk for sure but it kinda seems that way Also, a specialist will often expect higher standards in their area. Or the BEST possible rather than making sure something isn't wrong. Like a kid in easy math (me as an art ed major in college) just wants to get by vs my husband an engineering student who specialized and needed it more.
I'm so glad you found it helpful :) That's deinitely something to consider for a future video! It's hard because there are is such a range in what toddlers are doing at 18 months and you'd really want to compare to as many different kids as possible, but maybe we can get lots of toddlers together for this. I will share this video of me demonstrateing some speech therapy activities at home with my 18 month old nephew who was reaching his milestones just in case it's helpful for you - th-cam.com/video/XMi2PpY41xg/w-d-xo.html
My son immitating a word when he was about 5 month to 9 month. He even call "mama" "papa" "dada" "wow"... Now he is 19 month. He doesnt say it anymore. Im kinda upset.
Hi Farah, I am going to link a more comprehensive article I wrote about language regression - or when kids stop saying words they used to. toddlertalk.com/blog/my-toddler-is-not-saying-words-they-used-to And this is the first strategy I recommend parents use when they start in speech therapy with me. You may find it helpful in encouraging your son to say words - toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation Lastly, here's a great resource if you are consider speech therapy - toddlertalk.com/blog/best-time-for-toddler-speech-therapy
A bit depressing... My lo is 25 months and has only just started babbling and copying - still no proper words. Speech and language therapy where we live say he can express his needs through sign so they won't do anything to support us until he's over 3. Then the health visitor's saying I shouldn't have taught him to sign and that's why he doesn't speak but I didn't really teach him deliberately and I'm sure lots of kids sign and still learn to speak at a normal time.
Hi! Sorry for my late reply, I've been on maternity leave the past few weeks. I want to assure you that this is not your fault, and teaching sign language has not kept your child from talking. I am going to link some resources for you that talk about these topics in more depth (because unfortunately these are common misconceptions!) toddlertalk.com/blog/did-i-cause-my-childs-speech-delay toddlertalk.com/blog/baby-sign-language And a resource for finding activities to practice at home (you can skip through the findings page and go straight to your lessons!) toddlertalk.com/toddler-talk-language-program
My 19 month old says a handful of words, but can say his name and nicknames "JaJah" and "Jah". He can match pitch in songs already, and says "I did it!", but i still worry he is delayed. His first word was at 2 months, he grabbed at me and my husband, he was in between us hanging out in bed, and said "Hey!". We were so shocked 🤣 then his next word of course was "Dada". Took him months to say MaMa.
I am going to share my vocabulary milestones blog post where you can read through and also track your little one's vocabulary :) toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words It's not uncommon for toddlers to say "Mama" or "Dada" first, and then take some time to say the other. The important thing is that your little one is learning to say new words each week.
I am going to link some resources here to share more information about how to encourage new sounds and words, as well as how to find a speech therapist. Here is a great place to get started with 3 tips for practicing speech at home: toddlertalk.com/blog/speech-delay-in-toddlers These are our favorite tips for encouraging young children to copy words and sounds they hear us make: toddlertalk.com/blog/imitating-sounds-speech-therapy?rq=imit And this is my favorite lesson for teaching new words! toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation?rq=focused
My 18 month old says more than 30 words and can say some two words like "go outside, walk outside, no more, help me" should I worry is she delay or she is where she supposed to be? She understands everything?
I can't answer this question definitively for you since I haven't met your family. I always defer these questions to your child's pediatrician or a speech therapist in your area. However, I can offer you some resources and milestones that you can use at home to monitor development :) Vocabulary Milestones - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words When do kids put 2 words together? - toddlertalk.com/blog/putting-2-words-together
@toddlertalk thank you for your reply compared to your link and her last visit to her pediatrician, she is exceeds the expectations for her age and I am relieved!!
Could you suggest good places or ways for kids to socialize with others? My husband and I work opposite shifts, so one of us is always home and there's no need for day care. Besides the occasional weekend at grandma and grandpas and going to the park or library I'm affraid he isn't getting to socialize enough.
Hi. Yes, I am happy to offer some different ideas. First, you might browse on Facebook for different community events in your area. Especially this time of year there are often tons of free events put on and many of them are catered to kids - this will take some investigating but you may find some great events! You may also find mom/dad groups for your area and see meet-ups that are happening. Another idea would be to try to make friends with one or a few of the families you see at the park. It can be really fun to schedule weekly or bi-weekly play dates if you are able, even if it means meeting up at the park with the same group of kids. One resource I love is the YMCA, they have childcare offered at our Y while you exercise. If you are a member of the Y or a similar organization, this can be an easy way to get more socialization. Lastly, you could reach out to your Regional Center (or another Early Intervention Program in your community) to see if there are resources or events that you could take advantage of. You might be able to attend a Mommy/Daddy and me class or something of the sort. I hope you find these ideas helpful!
I have a 2yrs plus and she isn't talking yet But makes a lot noise like shouting n blabbing. Few weeks ago I taught her the word me n she said, since then she has not say it again even when I try to teach her. When to see a doctor and he said she is not Autistic and he said it's ADHD. She is on med but I don't see any different
Hi. I am not sure where you live but my recommendation would be to get a second opinion from a new doctor. In the United States you could even ask for an evaluation with your state's Early Intervention Program without a doctor's referral. You can find your state's contact information using the link below: www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/state-text.html And while you're waiting, these are activities I suggest to parents who are working to on first words: 1. toddlertalk.com/blog/toddler-imagination 2. toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation 3. toddlertalk.com/blog/receptive-vocabulary 4. toddlertalk.com/blog/repeating-words-speech-therapy
My 18mo is learning at his own pace. We’re bilingual so he’s learning two languages so i feel like he doesn’t know which language to go to. He knows his name and reacts to his name, he is learning to say thank you but it sounds more like “gracias” still not pronounced clear more like babbling…. Learning things like saying more but he closes and open his fist (because i taught him to do so so i can understand whenever he is asking for something) im a sahm with a 5mo my husband works, so maybe being alone with me most of the day/night week, isn’t helping with his speech development. Im not being pushy nor will i ever force anything on my kids so I’m being patient and trusting that he will speak when he’s ready to 🤍🙏🏻
Hi. Thanks so much for sharing! I want to share my favorite speech therapy strategy with you - I love strategies because it's all about how we can do things a little differently and they don't put any pressure on our little ones. - toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation This strategy also works perfectly during any activity, whether it's changing your 5 mo diaper, playing cars, or folding laundry. I have a 3 mo at home right now, so I know it can be tough to do anything "extra" (at least for me!), which is another reason I love this approach. Just an idea from one tired Mama to another :)
I'm going to link my guide for late talkers in case you are interested: toddlertalk.com/blog/when-to-worry-about-late-talkers As parents and caregivers, there are SO MANY ways we can connect and show our love, even when our children aren't talking yet! Spending time together, playing, and taking care of their needs are just a few!
@toddlertalk Thank you, but I'm not a parent. I'm an older sister. When I was a little girl, I found out that my baby brother Seth was a late talker. Because of that, I was very mean to him. I hit him, punched him, pulled his hair, scratched him until he bled, and bit his little ear. When I bit his little ear, he began crying. Daddy heard him crying, scooped him up, rocked him in his arms, and sang You Are My Sunshine to him. Now, I am 27 years old and Seth is 22 years old. Seth can talk now. He always asks people about their birthdays and interests. He can't talk in complete sentences, though, so my other little brothers and I have to help him. I still feel extremely guilty about treating my poor baby brother that way all these years later. Daddy had a stroke almost 11 years ago. He can't walk and talk like he used to. My heart still breaks whenever I think about how I treated my poor baby brother when I was a little girl. Whenever I apologize to Seth about it, he says, "It's okay. I love you very much." Now, my heart goes out to all the late talkers and all the families of late talkers out there. The night before my 27th birthday, I gave Seth three kisses on both his little ears and said, "I love you." I wish I could go back in time and change things, but I know that it's completely impossible. Daddy now lives in a nursing home and wants to come back home. He hates the food there. My heart is still broken after all these years. I wish I hadn't treated my dear baby brother like that. I'm such a huge jerk. I also saw Seth as something evil when, in reality, I was the real evil one and not him. Seth and I are both autistic.
But what’s “copying” is it randomly copying what you’re saying or “can you say ….” And they copy you? These questions on the checkup always trio me up for this reason. If I ask him to say something he will say it but he’s not running around copying me unless it’s a swear word lol
When we talk about copying or repeating we are talking about when kids randomly repeat what we are saying. As kids are learning to talk they usually will repeat words they hear other people saying without you having to ask. If your doctor is asking if your child repeats or copies words, you can tell them that they copy you but only when you ask them to. You might also think about how many words your child is saying on their own. Here's a link that talks about how many words to listen for at each age in months. toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words
Hi Monica, thanks for leaving a comment. I wanted to share a few activities with you - feel free to look through them and see if one might be a good fit for your family. All these activities are designed to build support the early stages of communication - The very first speech therapy lesson - toddlertalk.com/blog/prelinguistic-communication People play - toddlertalk.com/blog/people-play Learning to share attention - toddlertalk.com/blog/joint-attention
Ok so my daughter will point out her facial features to f I ask her to but she won’t go get something or put something away if I ask. Like she will do somethings I ask does this sound like a delay?
My granddaughter won't talk. She babbles but she's extremely cognitive of words and their meanings. She responds with pointing, shaking her head yes or no. She knows her name and responds to do. She knows all the commnds, get your shoes, go outside, go at daddy, close the door, where is the cat and that's just too make a few. She knows her stuff-but just won't say it. 🤷🏻♀️
Hi, I am going to share one of my resources with you that might be helpful. It explains more about what to do if toddlers understand but aren't talking. It also have links to other helpful resources you might enjoy - toddlertalk.com/blog/my-toddler-understands-everything-but-isnt-talking-yet
Hi! I have the perfect resource for you which I will link below. Many toddler speech "errors" are expected. Toddlers simplify words to make them easier for them to say as they are still developing their pronunciation skills. I explain the "errors" in more detail in this blog post. toddlertalk.com/blog/phonological-processes
How clearly should they be saying words? My 20 month talks alot and even learning colors and shapes but most of his words aren't very clear. Mom and dad can understand him but most other people can't. Does he have a speech problem or would that be normal?
Great question! Words don't need to be super clear at this age as pronunciation skills are still developing. In general, listen to understand 25% of the words he says by 18 months, and then 50% of the words he says by 24 months. Since your little guy is 20 months, you'll listen to understand somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2 of what he says. You can learn more about speech intelligibility milestones (how much you should understand) here - toddlertalk.com/blog/speech-intelligibility
Thanks for the video. I just signed in and took the quiz my 18months score was 68% in communication. But my concern is i teach her things in English also communicate in English, however we have a big joint family speaking Hindi language. Shall i focus on Hindi or English or bilingual. Please help.
Hi, thanks for asking. First off, I wouldn't focus too much on the score. The score is simply comparing you to what other parents are saying and this isn't a diagnostic assessment. In regards to bilingualism, I highly encourage you to continue speaking both languages. Research shows that bilingualism does not hurt language development. Read this blog post about bilingual language development: toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
Hi, I am going to share a link about the stages of play toddlers go through. If you scroll down here you'll see the stages of toddlers playing together by age :) toddlertalk.com/toddler-talk-language-program As you'll see it's expected that 17 month olds play on their own - one child may be stacking blocks while another child is sitting a few feet away playing with cars. It's less about playing with other kids and being interested in social games with you. You're looking for your child to be excited and happy when you play together. For example, they get excited and aniticpate your tickles or enjoy playing bubbles with you. We're looking for them to have fun or be interested in activities with you because that's how toddlers learn - by copying things they see their parents, siblings, or other familiar people do and say.
It's so hard to hear your baby cry, and I'm sorry you're going through this. I'm sure you would move mountains to make him happy. Unfortunately I'm not sure that speech therapy is the magic fix though. I would really reccomend talking to your child's doctor about these concerns or observations, there are lots of different professionals (speech therapists, occupational therapists, developmental supports, etc) that can help and finding the right person to help you I think it key. You can learn more about early intervention in this blog post I wrote - toddlertalk.com/blog/early-intervention - I hope that it's helpful and at least a starting point :)
I think my son needs help my daughter was talking up a storm he doesn’t even try maybe because he doesn’t get to interact with any other people but I’m worried
It can be really hard to know when to ask for help if your children's development looks pretty different. As a general rule of thumb I always recommend talking to your child's pediatrician who can help you track their development and find support when needed. I am going to link my vocabulary milestones guide here which can be one of many ways to monitor your little one's development by comparing them to thousands of other kids rather than just their sibling: toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words And here's a list of free at home activities you might enjoy for practicing speech at home: toddlertalk.com/blog/category/Activities
Each child develops at his or her own rate. I didn't speak a word not even mama or dada until i was 22 months. I know many toddlers started babbling at 2 1/2 years. So don't credence to everything she says, it is not cast in stone.
You're right. Some children will catch up on their own. But there are some children who won't catch up, and unfortunately there's no way to predict which children will catch up and which will not. This is why I recommend speech therapy for toddlers who have limited vocabularies. It is a great way to boost communication and language skills for all children and there's really no risk to your child in participating. I also offer tons of free online resources for practicing at home because I know speech therapy isn't possible for everyone.
Just came across your channel! My daughter is 18 months old, really doesn't speak an actual word but "mamama". She does communicate a lot though, but in her own baby/ toddler language. She's raised with two languages- primarily German (I'm native German) and English (my husband is American(. Do you believe this might have an influence on her not yet actually speaking some words in one or both languages?
Hi. Research has found that learning more than 2 or more languages does not cause speech delay. I summarized all the best research about bilingual language development in toddlers in here if you're interested to learn more :) toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
Hi Alexis. My first recommendation would be to talk to your pediatrician. A speech and language evaluation can be very supportive in determining whether a toddler needs a little extra support in language development, or not. And your pediatrician can help connect you with a speech therapist in your area. At home, I'm going to link a few strategies and activities you can use for practice. - this is my favorite speech therapy strategy for teaching new words toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation - this information may be helpful in figuring out what might be making it hard for your son to say more words toddlertalk.com/speech-development I hope that information is useful. Feel free to reply with any other specific questions you may have.
My son was born two months early. Does this mean I should actually measure his communication skills based on his adjusted age (17 months) rather than actual age (19 months)?
Hi, this is a fantastic question. Lots of providers will use adjusted age until 24 months. I personally like to look at both adjusted milestones and non-adjusted milestones for 1-year-olds. So look at if he is meeting or working towards 17-month milestones and 19-month milestones. I like to be working towards the non-adjusted milestones (even if they are in progress!) that way there's not a big shift in what's expected as soon as they turn 2. Keep in mind that milestones are general guidelines, and you can always reach out to a speech therapist in your area for an evaluation if you want a closer look at all the different areas of communication development :)
My son is 2 now and he don’t speak, he vocalize some vowels but he don’t really see interest to imitate, my home is 3 different language together so I do think that is helping to delay.
Hi, I want to share a resource with you that talks about bilingual language development. I've linked tons of research that concludes learning more than one language does not cause a speech delay :) And althogh this article is primarily about bilingual language development, the same is true for children learning 3+ languages - toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development You might also like to check out this free resource to find the best activities from our site to be practicing at home to help promote language development - toddlertalk.com/toddler-talk-language-program
My son is 20 months old. He identifies about 30 animals and imitates about 20 animals sounds. He says the last simple words in rhymes like twinkle twinkle (words like star, are, high , sky). He babbles a lot but he doesn’t speaks two or three word sentences. Is that a speech delay? Or he is good??
Hi. I am not able to say if your son has a speech delay or not; to make that determination I'd want to watch him communicate and hear more about how he communicates & understands at home - this happens at a speech and language evaluation. I will link some resources for you though that provide more information about milestones for his age and activities you can practice at home. Vocabulary milestones chart - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words 24 month old milestones (working towards these skills at 20 months) - toddlertalk.com/blog/2-year-old-speech-checklist And I'll be emailing a new resource about putting words together this week - if you'd like to receive the information you can sign up for my newsletter here: toddlertalk.com/newsletter
My 19 month old son has very good motor skills but he says papa (sometimes "pa" but to everything) "ba" sometimes "ma" out of context , says " oh-oh" "wow" and like singing the alphabets and numbers but just "ish" coming out but he follows the tone, I know we dont compare but my paranoia compares always to his big sister where she can sing a whole childhood playsong when she was 19 months old.😢ill be trying on those links you had recommended for speech encouragement and hoping that it would somehow help.
Hi Emyline :) You're right, it can be so hard to not feel worried when your kid's development looks different. I am going to share some extra resources I have that can help you see how your son is developing compared to thousands of other kids his age. Plus, I'll also share my tips for getting started in speech therapy if you want a second opinion or feel he might benefit from a little extra support. How many words to expect at each age - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words Active toddlers not talking - toddlertalk.com/blog/very-active-toddler-not-talking When to get started in speech therapy - toddlertalk.com/blog/best-time-for-toddler-speech-therapy How to find a speech therapist near me - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
My son is 18 months old he understand my comments and he ask what he wants..he is mostly obsessed with cars..always play with it..he point out things and tell its name..my worry is he rarely respond to his name..is there any prblm
Hi! Unfortunately, I can't say if this is a "problem" or not without meeting your son and knowing more about his development. I am happy to provide some more info/resources however. First, I'll share this blog post that talks about responding to their name - toddlertalk.com/blog/respond-to-their-name. As you'll read, responding to their name is about getting your child's attention, and there are several strategies you can use to encourage them to respond to their name. And keep in mind, it's age appropriate for our toddlers to ignore us sometimes 😂
Hi, a few recommendations come to mind. 1. Be sure you've had their hearing checked recently. It's important to know that they are able to hear well as we are supporting them in learning to talk. 2. If available in your area, consulting with a speech therapist would be ideal. An in person speech therapist would be able to gather a better idea of why it is hard for your little one to learn to talk, so you can figure out the best ways to support them. 3. You might practice using gestures to communicate as a stepping stone towards saying more words - please refer to this activity - toddlertalk.com/blog/communicating-with-gestures 4. These 4 speech therapy strategies are wonderful to incorporate in your at home practice - toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation toddlertalk.com/blog/getting-face-to-face toddlertalk.com/blog/comments-over-questions toddlertalk.com/blog/toddler-imagination
Hello, and thank you for sharing your experience. I'm happy to share some resources with you. First, I would recommend talking to your pediatrician about a referral to see a speech therapist if this is available in your area - a speech therapist can help support your daughter in growing her communication skills which I know is important to you - here are a few resources about finding a speech therapist and what to expect in speech therapy sessions: - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me - toddlertalk.com/blog/speech-therapy-for-toddlers I also want to share some activities or resources you can use for practicing communication skills at home. I will include several so you can click through and find the ones that are the best for you. - Foundational skills for practicing at home - toddlertalk.com/blog/joint-attention & toddlertalk.com/blog/imitation-skills-speech-therapy - Growing communication for toddlers who aren't talking yet - toddlertalk.com/blog/teach-toddler-to-ask-for-help & toddlertalk.com/blog/communicating-with-gestures - Teaching toddlers new words: toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation
Yes! Thanks for pointing this out! Free Vocabulary Tracker (found after the intro to this blog post) - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words-should-an-18-month-old-say Early Intervention - How to find a pediatric speech therapist near you - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me 18 Month Old Communication Milestones - toddlertalk.com/blog/milestones-for-18-month-olds
I have 3 kids they started talking at 20 months and are big now doing great Last one babbling only will turn 18 in 2 months. Do you think he needs help
Hi Hanaa. I always recommend speech therapy for children who are 18 months old and haven't started talking. Speech therapy can be a very supportive boost for speech and language development, especially at 18 months when toddlers are learning and developing new skills so rapidly. You can start with a speech and language evaluation during which your child will play with the speech therapist and you'll answer questions about how they communicate at home. There's really no risk in having the evaluation, but the reward can be great if they are able to support your little one in talking! Here's a link to read more about what you can expect at a speech and language evaluation :) toddlertalk.com/blog/does-my-toddler-need-speech-therapy
My daughter is already 19months now and cannot even speak a proper work, she is babbling at times, like dedede or mamama but never a proper word till now. She was diagnose with CHD TOF with PVA and got her first surgery a month after birth and just days after 18months, just recently. I was reading an article and some say that this delay attributed to her current condition but I cannot help on worrying about her and I dont know how should I train her😢 She is actually active and interactive with us, we can ask her to do some simple chores and before her second surgery she can wave goodbye, hand shake, and some simple stuff but after surgery we dont get to ask her anything, she still plays but she is being impatient. Do you have any recommendation on what to so?
Hi, thank you for sharing. I am happy to offer some ideas of speech therapy strategies you can use at home. It's also important to me to share resources for finding a speech therapist near you; I always recommend parents find a speech therapist in their community if they have concerns about speech and language development. Having a speech therapist who can listen to and play with your child is really invaluable! toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me And here are the at home speech therapy strategies you might try. These are great strategies for children at all communication levels and they suggest ways that we (parents and caregivers) can change what we are doing to help toddlers learn to communicate. 1. toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation 2. toddlertalk.com/blog/getting-face-to-face 3. toddlertalk.com/blog/comments-over-questions 4. toddlertalk.com/blog/toddler-imagination I hope these resources are helpful! Please don't hesitate to respond if you have further questions.
My almost 20 month old says some words, but mainly speaks his own language. Lol He does understand ALOT and is very obedient. He responds to his name and loves to mimic. I’m not sure if it’s a speech delay or maybe he just doesn’t have an interest. He didn’t want to walk until 15 months. Just one day randomly decided, ok, I’ll walk and was able to like a pro. Lol
Hi. I would recommend a friend or family member of mine to visit with a speech therapist to learn more about why your son might be having a harder time learning to talk. It could be that he is a late talker, or you may find that there is something specific that is making it more challenging for him and then be able to come up with a plan to support his individual needs. It's just nice to collect as much information as you can :) In the US you can even get an evaluation for free through state programs. You can learn more about how to do that here: toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
@@toddlertalk he’s 21 months now and is talking up a storm. I KNEW he was a late talker. Too many people like to jump the gun on speech therapy and evaluations. No speech therapy needed. Thanks
@@j-scribble7676I feel a little better seeing your comment. My lil one is 18 months & he can sing songs, says a few words, repeat you but he does have his own language & babble mostly. The doctor made me seem like he was behind, but I'm like he sings songs! Lol He's just not speaking full sentences or holding convos.
When my son was 2 months old he would mock us and say “hello”. I literally have videos of it. He’s 19 months old now and has never said a single word since. He just babbles.
Babbling is such an important skill for communication development. Babbling provides children with the much-needed talking practice that allows them to say words on their own. For children who are 18 months and haven't started saying words on their own, I would suggest looking into a speech and language evaluation (Remember you can get a free evaluation through your states Early Intervention Program in the US - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me ). An evaluation with a speech therapist is valuable because you can take a closer look at all of your child's communication skills and determine if there are any different ways you could support their development.
Another freaking point is about autism.now if your happens to be non verbal at 18 month to 24 months you are done😢what the hell.your child has tantrums its autism .doctors are really making mums freak out for no apparent reason😢
Hi, my intention isn't to make anyone freak out. My hope is to help parents understand some instances where it may be supportive to ask for help, especially if they are already worried. Late talking and or tantrums does not equal autism. You can read more about how autism is diagnosed here if you're curious to learn about the characteristics - toddlertalk.com/blog/criteria-for-autism
Hi Angela, thanks for reaching out. All toddlers will experience language regression at one time or another. Usually language regression is short lived, and it may coincide with a time when your son is learning lots of skills in a different area. I'm going to link a post where I talk in depth about language regression - toddlertalk.com/blog/my-toddler-is-not-saying-words-they-used-to?rq=stopped I also recently summarized the research regarding bilingual and multilingual language development, so I'm going to link that for you as well in case it's of interest to you - toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
Hi. I've linked some resources for you that I like to use to encourage imitation and talking at home - - toddlertalk.com/blog/play-sounds - toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation I'd also encourage you to talk to a speech therapist in your area if you have concerns about your son's talking. Working with someone who can watch him babble and play is really helpful - then they'll be able to make specific and individual recommendations of how to best support him. - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
My 21 month old is almost addicted to her pacifier. She craves it and throws tantrums when we don't give it to her. She puts everything in her mouth. And she is just babbling and not talking. I don't know what to do.
Hi, I know you are not alone here! The pacifier can be SO hard to eliminate, especially because it's a self-soothing strategy for many children. Here's a blog post that talks about pacifier use, and there are a few strategies for taking it away - toddlertalk.com/blog/pacifier-speech-delay - and it talks about how pacifiers can contribute to a speech delay (But please don't feel guilty that you haven't taken it away yet!!!! We're all doing our best here, and I know you're trying really hard. I'm simply sharing because it may give you some more understanding of strategies or how it could impact speech). And as always, I recommend talking to your pediatirican for help finding a speech therapist or help with the pacifier. There are lots of different supports that can help if you want them :)
Hi, if you're interested in reading more about bilingual language development you can refer to this post: toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development As you'll see, while there are some differences between monolingual and bilingual language development, children will hit the same general early milestones at the same time. There are some bigger differences in which sounds children learn to pronounce first and development of grammar, which varies more between languages :)
![Is it a speech delay or autism? [Learn the KEY differences and how autism is diagnosed]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/buqg-Ytn-8w/mqdefault.jpg)
![Is it a speech delay or autism? [Learn the KEY differences and how autism is diagnosed]](/img/tr.png)
![How to do speech therapy activities at home [3 examples with a speech therapist and an 18 month old]](/img/n.gif)
The Speech therapist told me my son was super delayed at 16 months because he should have been saying 15 words. My pediatrician laughed. She said three words at 18 months and that she already knew that particular speech therapy place was, in her words, “pushy”. They really freak you out but the second opinion speech therapist I had said 7 words at 18 months would be great and that sometimes they just don’t want to talk, especially boys. All babies are different.
Thanks for sharing this story :) I recently wrote a blog post about this topic because there are so many discrepancies in vocabulary milestones for toddlers. My goal was to provide objective information about vocabulary milestones based on the best available research and data. I really wanted to share the information so families can make the best informed decision for their little one. As a speech therapist, I've seen that even practicing with your little one for a few minutes a day at home can boost their vocabulary and talking. I will link the blog post here in case you or other parents would find it helpful.
toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words
I totally agree. I have 2 kids. My eldest son is 2 yr and 2 month now. And my daughter just turned 1. I can see a lot of different between them. My daughter is saw talkative even tho her words cannot be understand but she has a few words that we know like "no" "none" "gloria" "boo!(means pickaboo)" "yey(means yeahey)" and with all the gestures. My son just did these too as soon as he turn 2 year old. In addition, many of my relatives told m "boys are late bloomer". And yes girls are really talkative no wonder why 😅
My doctor assumes that we don’t spend time with our son teaching him words when it’s actually quite the opposite. He just isn’t ready to speak yet but she’s saying he’s delayed at 17 months and pushing for speech therapy. 🤦🏾♀️
@@rae1711 true. Childrens don't have development at the same time.
In Germany they say 20 words at 2 years
I’m so glad I came across this video. I feel validated. I was a teacher and my 13 year old was reading one vowel words at 2! Now, my 19 month old hardly even says “mama” and when she does, it’s not with purpose…and no one else understands why it bothers me. She says dada and a few other words, she follows instructions well, but won’t mimick. She just giggles when I repeat words. When she cries, I’ll ask if she wants juice, blanket, etc, but she’ll get frustrated and start hitting herself in her face. She’s starting to point at things she wants and babbles or whines but can’t really articulate what she wants. I’m messaging her doctor again today.
Hi JoAnna, I am glad to hear that you found the information useful. Your pediatrician can be an excellent resource in getting connected with a speech therapist in your area. If you for some reason aren't finding the support you're looking for you can always reach out to your state early intervention program (in the US), you don't need a doctors referral and evaluations are free. You can read more about this option in the find an speech therapist post linked below.
How to find a speech therapist - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
What to expect at a speech therapy evaluation - toddlertalk.com/blog/does-my-toddler-need-speech-therapy
Yes thank you. My preemie is 20
Months or 18 corrected and she is just like this too ❤
Mine too premmie as well the same exact way
How’s your daughter doing now?
As I’ve mentioned in this Chanel already, my baby boy didn’t speak ANY WORD AT ALL till he was 2 1/2. When he turned two my pediatrician told me he had speech delays and that I should seek for help but I didn’t. He started crawling at 5 months and at 9 months he was already walking around the house without help. There are children who take a while to walk but start talking sooner. He has just turned 3 now and he is able to speak 2 languages very well, so it’s true when they say that every child is unique! We just need to give them some time…
20 words?! My pediatrician told me around 6, and he even said that was flexible
Thank you so much for your videos. Our daughter (1st child) had her 18 month check up today and the pediatrician recommended an evaluation as ahe does not say many words. As first time parents, our experiance and information (even from the pediatrician) has been limited at best. My only wish is that i knew these benchmarks and watched your videos sooner. Our daughters non-speech benchmarks are on par, if not slightly advanced. You have provided a great resource here for new parents to effectively teach words to our little ones. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for your kind message. I am happy to be able to provide information and resources for families all over the world. If you have specific questions or are looking for a particular resources, please don't hesitate to send me a message :)
My pediatrician told me that toddler should know at least 8 words by 18 months, the CDC says toddler should say more than 3. To me this shows you can’t really put an exact number of words because Individuals differ. My pediatrician said as long as the toddler shows signs of communication readiness: pointing, gesturing, sharing objects, responding to their name, and making eye contact. These are all signs of social engagement, and as they build on these skills, verbal language typically follows naturally.
I’m just finding out about my 18 month old speech delay. I’m trying not to feel bad because we do everything we can to be sure he communicates well. He understands when we tell him to “pick up the toy” or “all done?, give mommy/daddy your cup” when he is done drinking something, or even it’s time to “eat eat” and he tries to mimic by saying “ eat eat” or uh huh in response to a question. But throws a tantrum or seem uninterested in certain instructions. I hope the therapy helps him
Hi Moriah, Thank you for sharing. I hope that you are finding support in having another person to help navigate those tougher communication moments. I'm going to link an article you may find supportive, it's 3 ways you can support speech delay at home. I think it's helpful because it shows you that a little bit can go a long way :) toddlertalk.com/blog/speech-delay-in-toddlers
My baby is saying a lot of words she is 19 months but the problem is she doesn’t make any sentences and she keep repeating the last word I’m saying not all of it . But she can sing twinkle twinkle little star , should I be worried please response me .
Does he still use the bottle?
Feeling completely terrible for not comparing my children more until now. My last was counting to 12 on her own, speaking alphabet and using words like gorgeous. My littlest now is the same age and just barely using words but completely advanced with her motor skills and gestures. Calling the pediatricians office when they open so we can help her. Thanks for an informative video and validating what I already felt. ❤
Hello, thanks for leaving a message. At 12 months old it's not expected that all kids have said their first word. First words usually appear between 10-14 months. Consulting with your pediatrician is always a good idea; they can support you in monitoring development :)
Omg this comment is EXACTLY how I feel about my 19 month old daughter, and when I express it, people tell me “all children are different and learn at their own pace.” I know this is true, but I also know she should be beyond where she is with speech. It’s so frustrating but now I feel heard and understood.
I’m soooo with you guys…mines at 18 months and jus mama n dada n sometimes not purposely… praying she catches up soon
@HollySwedenole😂 u no go rest?
How is she now
Thanks. So my daughter doesn't respond to her name or rarely. She may respond if a stranger or family member calls her but then looks away. She is generally happy 😁 and well behaved and is an easy child who is active. My gut tells me she is a Smart child how ever her speech had me concernen. She imitate animal sounds however words are so difficult for her.
Hi. My first recommendation for parents who are concerned is to seek a speech and language evaluation if available in your area - this can help you identify how your little one is developing communication, what might be making it hard for them to learn to talk, and what you can do specifically to help them.
I am also going to link some at home resources you can use for imitating words and responding to her name.
Imitating words - toddlertalk.com/blog/repeating-words-speech-therapy
Responding to their name - toddlertalk.com/blog/respond-to-their-name
My sister boy, he is 32 months old and he can't say anything, not even a word😢, I was not around now I saw him and your videos and realised this, this is very sad, hopefully he will be fine 😞
Every child is different. I think the most important thing we can do as parents is to encourage our children with games, music, and just talking to our children. I appreciate the information, but if parents listened to every theory of what a child should be doing, it's enough to make you crazy.
I do recognize the importance of watching for signs of behaviors or lack thereof, but certainly speaking with your pediatrician is important. Parents don't become so fixated and let your child be a child.
Thanks for your comment. I also think it's important to not put a ton of extra pressure on kids, which is why many of my activities and strategies revolve around what us parents can do to help during our everyday activities, including play:
toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation
toddlertalk.com/blog/getting-face-to-face
toddlertalk.com/blog/comments-over-questions
toddlertalk.com/blog/toddler-imagination
I also think it's really beneficial to have support as a parent, and for some families, speech therapy can be super helpful in that way... takes some of the pressure off us to do it all.
My 17 month old can say dada. Even mama he struggles to get out and uses it out of context. Expression language and receptive language is good
Hi Ozzy. When it's hard for toddlers to say new words, I always recommend talking to your child's pediatrician about speech therapy. Many toddlers will begin speech therapy around 18 months old if they are needing help to say new words. I'm going to link a post I wrote about when to start speech therapy.
toddlertalk.com/blog/best-time-for-toddler-speech-therapy
Something you might try at home is practicing with sounds first. Sounds are often easier for toddlers to pronounce and it can be a good building block towards saying new words.
toddlertalk.com/blog/imitating-sounds-speech-therapy
my little man is 21 months but 19 months corrected he was 10 weeks premature. He spent 82 days in nicu and had difficult time feeding. He didnt take to solids till 18 months and always been a late bloomer in his development but one thing that stood out is his speech. He doesn't even wave or point , kiss us , fetch things . He babbles dadda and my brother name but doesn't know the meaning behind it. We've been told by his physio , neonatologist , pediatrician and speech and language that he autistic due to all his other traits his showing as well we have his revaluation on 29th july ..
Thank you for sharing your experience here. I am glad to hear that you have such a robust support team for your little man. I hope that you got even more resources at your re-evaluation.
@@toddlertalk we have been referred to portage for his speech and play. Being kept an eye on every 6 months
@@toddlertalk He was 2 on the 15th but theyve put him at 8 months developmentally
Don’t listen to this crap… 20-40 words at 18 months?!? I’m willing you bet that MAYBE 1% of 18 month old children are saying that many words! As long as your child is babbling and changing the infliction of their voice at times, you have nothing to be worried about…
It’s videos like this that makes first time parents panic that their child might have a learning disability!
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I want to explain the facts I'm using, and I'll also share my opinion.
There's actually quite a bit of research on vocabulary size, looking at what thousands of parents report. One source (mb-cdi.stanford.edu) shows that 90% of toddlers have more than 18 words by 18 months, and that the average toddler has between 50-150 words roughly. My goal here isn't to scare any parent or make them feel bad if their child is saying less words. I just want to give parents an idea of what they might expect, so they can feel confident in their choice either to seek support or not. Ultimately we all get to take in the information and make the choice for our families.
In my opinion, there's not a lot of risk in having a speech therapy evaluation because in the US, you can do that for free (toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me ). Again, when it comes to my family I like to have as much information as possible so I can make my decision.
And I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that just because a child has a smaller-than-average vocabulary means they have a learning disability - I'm talking about children who have a speech delay or are late talkers. These children often really benefit from speech therapy and see a ton of improvement and catch up to the milestones with consistent use of at-home strategies.
Here are a couple of other resources you may reference:
pubs.asha.org/doi/full/10.1044/2023_JSLHR-23-00020
www.asha.org/public/developmental-milestones/communication-milestones-13-to-18-months/
www.unicef.org/parenting/child-development/your-toddlers-developmental-milestones-18-months#language-and-communication
your right babbling is key they dont needthat many words yet
@toddlertalk are you kidding me?
😂
@@vishalratna89 shes chatting shit
@@toddlertalk You're nuts. That kind of vocabulary at 18 months old is nonsense.
We only speak Korean at home and he seems to understand almost everything we say but he can only speak a few words. He is 18 months old. He will follow instructions like brining something, putting laundry in the hamper etc. in Korean. He has been going to daycare since he was 15 months. When should I get worried? Is taking him to speech therapy (obviously is going to be in English) going to be helpful? Should I speak to him in English? We exclusively use Korean only at home w very very occasional English here and there.
Hi. I'm so happy you asked, this is a really common and important question. Speech therapy for toddlers involves a lot of parent participation. Most of the time it's more about learning strategies you can use at home everyday than specific exercises that are only done in speech therapy. I would not recommend speaking to him only in English. I would recommend learning the strategies in English in speech therapy. And practicing with those same strategies in Korean at home. Lastly, if you live in a bigger city you may be surprised that you can find a Korean speaking speech therapist!
I'm going to link information about bilingualism and speech therapy below :)
toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
My friend had a similar situation like this and what they ended up doing that helped as well is have one parent speak strictly English, and the other parent spoke strictly the other language to the child.
Yeah, you should probabky assimilate to whatever country you live in. Id assume if English is important you're in an English speaking country. It's OK to know korean but I would definitely try not to speak it around a developing child that doesn't need that language to exist in society. Revist it later
Super informative. Thanks so much! I was surprised when you added the schwa sound in for /p/ and /b/. I usually clip them.
Glad it was helpful! I find that people don't usually use consonant sounds in isolation, espeically kids, which is why I pronounce them with a vowel :) Don't think there's a right or wrong there!
My son is physically adept but only makes noises and doesn’t say any words. We try so hard and read to him but he just looks 😢
Hi. I am going to link a lesson I put together to help parents learn strategies to encourage children to imitate or copy words. Plus, we have several fun and easy activities you can use to practice at home:
toddlertalk.com/blog/repeating-words-speech-therapy
And in case you're thinking about speech therapy, I will also include my guide to finding a speech therapist near you:
toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
My son is the same exact way!
My friend's 19 month old son has never said one word. Not mama or dada. He just laughs at everything. At least he is happy.
My 18 month old, does everything you listed well. The only issue is she says 5 words and makes about 8 animal sounds. Any tips on getting her to talk more?
Hi Rabia, I would be happy to share some tips. I have two lessons that I think will give you some tips and ideas for how to encourage your little girl to say more words. The first lesson is all about imitating or copying new words (this is how toddlers learn). The second is about helping your toddler learn to say new words. Both are linked below :) Let me know if you have any other questions!
Imitating New Words: toddlertalk.com/blog/repeating-words-speech-therapy
Growing Toddler Vocabulary: toddlertalk.com/blog/toddler-vocabulary
Both of my 19 month old twins do all of these. They don't talk, and rarely babble. They also don't know their own names or listen to directions.
Hi Evelin, I'm happy to share some resources with you that have worked for other parents of children with speech delay.
First, I want to share my guide to finding a speech therapist in your community. Finding someone who can work directly with your twins and family is always ideal because they'll be able to help find the best strategies for your twins individual learning styles. Guide linked here: toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
And you can find tons of free resources for little things you can do at home to support language development. I recommend taking our 10 minute assessment which will give you a customized plan for which lessons to focus on first, next, and so on. And it's completely free. Here's a link to get started: toddlertalk.com/toddler-talk-language-program
Let me know if you have any other specific questions.
Plz do they talk now? I don’t know if I should be worried same with my bby
@@anichikamarvellous7942 They are both working with Early Intervention which helps them with speech and motor skills. They are doing way better and almost talk. I recommend you talk to your baby’s pediatrician to see what you can do. Some babies tend to take longer to talk or do certain behaviors but that’s okay too!
@@anichikamarvellous7942 My twins are near 2 and they color, do basic instructions and listen to their name. Try speaking to your baby as much as possible and get involved in her/ his play. If you do screen time you can play Ms. Rachel as she’s very interactive. Hope this helps!
@@evelinmuro2091 thank you , I have same problem with my boy … Any more advice would really help 😊 hope you and you twins doing well
How does this apply with a child in a bilingual house? My wife speaks mostly German to our son and I speak English. What have you seen in terms of timing for children in this situation? Our 18 month old son understands both languages but only says momma, ball, bite, and bye bye.
Hi Jenn, thanks for asking. For children who are bilingual or multilingual I will add together all the words they can say together. So it would be [Words in German + Words in English]. I recently wrote a blog post that summarizes some of the best research related to bilingual language development. I will link it here :)
toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
She understands. She goes to talk. Uses hands. Uses inflections in voice. Up down. But when time to talk. She doesn't make words
My 19 month old is not saying anything. Maybe car. He used to say mama and dada. But not anymore. He had a few ear infections, and doctor said that might be the cause. He does imitate
Hi, thanks for reaching out. Ear infections can contribute to a speech delay, but in my experience children usually don't "loose" language with an ear infection (unless they are so sick they have a fever and don't feel well overall). I am going to link a resource that may help you learn more about when toddlers stop saying words - toddlertalk.com/blog/my-toddler-is-not-saying-words-they-used-to
And here's a link to our activities you can use to teach talking at home - toddlertalk.com/blog/category/Activities
Please feel free to reply back if you have follow up questions!
My niece lives with me and she picked a real winner to have a baby with. I think he is in jail right now. Ive been that boys male figure in his life since day one. He is 20 months old.
We have went and still do everything together. Ive built obstacle courses in the back yard for him to climb all over each one more elaborate and complicated. Since he could sit up, I hung a base ball from the ceiling so he could hit the ball, catch the ball and throw the ball (He does this now both right and left handed really well). I would carry him while I jogged around kicking a ball so that when he started walking he knew exactly how to kick a ball and is able to do so every time. We took and still take naps together while listening to some of the best music ever made in the 52 years of my life....made him drum sticks so he could imitate you tube drummers and let him play with all my guitars. Ive always sang to him. At 11 months I put him on a treadmill where he had to run faster than the speed I had set to advance from the back to the front so he can reach out and pull the emergency stop chord, to stop. We are up to 4.3 MPH right now. Yes, I hold his hand incase he slips I can catch him and that has happened once.. I cleared him from the spinning belt and had him in my arms, where he has literally lived since the day he was born, before anything bad could happen. The hand eye coordination needed to run on a treadmill till you reach the chord, reach out and grab the chord, then pull it out...all while running is at an exceptional range IMO.
Sadly, most of the time when his mom has him, her face is buried in that damn phone. His behavior is completely different when he is with her vs me. Pisses me off to no end. Ive introduced him to Wreck-it-Ralph 1 and 2, Zootopia, WALL-E, Big Hero 6, Encanto, Ferdinad, And Coco (he is latino after all) and he can perfectly identify with a key moment in a movie is about to happen, random and important e.g. like he will start clapping at the exact time everyone else does in the movie WIRalph.
Ive taught him about lasers, birds, trees, doing bird calls (him trying is freaking adorable) the stars, moon, changing the oil in a car and fixing a lawnmower. We watch Rams butt heads, spiders spin webs, lions take down prey, he laughs at movies, plays with my tools (safely I might add because I taught him to) and this child is only 20 months. I make sure he is constantly curious, learning, and encourage the activation of his exploration. He's helping me spread mulch here the past few days.
There is one thing Im worried about and I probably shouldn't be but I feel his speech may be lagging. I know what he is saying but I dont think anyone else would. Maybe bye and ball. But he does make all the sounds cuz he has mimicked me doing bird calls. I just don't know at what point to actually be concerned. I appreciate your video.
Cut out all screen time and use that time to talk with the kid while playing or doing chores. Screen time before 2 years causes delays in speech development.
@@OwnYourDance he is with me all day. That’s all we do is talk. Work out. Work in the yard. Learn. Be curious. He has his own broom and toy tools that he uses daily. What’s wrong with a movie to wind down at night?
Sorry if you interpreted what I said as we watch tv. I did say his mother my niece always has her face in her phone and it pisses me off.
Had my daughter in law check him out and she works with children with autism. She said he is fine
Things she understood
Ready. Set. Go!
Here ya go.
Birds
Bye bye
What you doing
Water
More
Please
And more I can’t remember.
@@OwnYourDance I know I wrote a lot but you must have only read one paragraph. And that’s ok. Be well journey well.
@@Chewy_GarageBandDad Sorry if what I wrote seemed a bit rough, I didnt mean to but didn't have a lot of time to reply then. I read it all! I'm not saying you're doing a bad job, but since you were worried about his speech I just thought i'd pass the knowledge along. There's been quite a lot of research on screentime for infants and it really ONLY has negative effects, especially on speech development. So if you worry about it, maybe skip the movies for now. That's all! I think you're doing amazing if I read all the things you do for this kid.
@@OwnYourDance thank you. Even though it was not intended as you stated, I should be better at constructive criticism. After all I asked for opinions.
Thanks for taking the time to respond.
Journey well.
20-40 words sounds like a lot based on what our pediatrician said
Hi Yisel, It's true that the AAP looks for 2-3 words besides "mama" and "dada" at 18 months. As a speech therapist I look for 20 words by 18 months. There is a speech and language assessment called the MacArthur Bates CDI, which investigated the vocabulary size of thousands of toddlers. I based my milestone on their comprehensive data and other research specific to speech and language development. Taking a less conservative approach is one way to ensure that toddlers who need a little extra support learning to talk receive early intervention (an evaluation for speech therapy is free in the US). Research shows that early speech therapy is the most powerful in helping kids learn to talk. My goal is to help educate parents so they can feel empowered to advocate for early intervention for their children if they feel it could benefit their child.
I honestly think pediatricians are kinda looking for problems not just slightly below average.
We fostered before having bio kids and the expectations is the same. If that makes sense...
Like our bio exceeds all the things which is out non trauma normal. But our foster toddler who at 18mo was still within ok. Her older brother was delayed.
Idk for sure but it kinda seems that way
Also, a specialist will often expect higher standards in their area. Or the BEST possible rather than making sure something isn't wrong. Like a kid in easy math (me as an art ed major in college) just wants to get by vs my husband an engineering student who specialized and needed it more.
This has been really helpful, I was sort of hoping to see a kid at that age talking without a speech delay and with one but that’s okay hehehe .
I'm so glad you found it helpful :) That's deinitely something to consider for a future video! It's hard because there are is such a range in what toddlers are doing at 18 months and you'd really want to compare to as many different kids as possible, but maybe we can get lots of toddlers together for this.
I will share this video of me demonstrateing some speech therapy activities at home with my 18 month old nephew who was reaching his milestones just in case it's helpful for you - th-cam.com/video/XMi2PpY41xg/w-d-xo.html
My son immitating a word when he was about 5 month to 9 month. He even call "mama" "papa" "dada" "wow"... Now he is 19 month. He doesnt say it anymore. Im kinda upset.
Hi Farah, I am going to link a more comprehensive article I wrote about language regression - or when kids stop saying words they used to.
toddlertalk.com/blog/my-toddler-is-not-saying-words-they-used-to
And this is the first strategy I recommend parents use when they start in speech therapy with me. You may find it helpful in encouraging your son to say words - toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation
Lastly, here's a great resource if you are consider speech therapy - toddlertalk.com/blog/best-time-for-toddler-speech-therapy
@@toddlertalk thank u.
My sons doing same... Is he now talking clearly after 3 months?
20-40words?! Ive heard 5 words by 18 months is normal?!
@@shelbyrehahn6778 me two that just freaked me out
A bit depressing... My lo is 25 months and has only just started babbling and copying - still no proper words. Speech and language therapy where we live say he can express his needs through sign so they won't do anything to support us until he's over 3. Then the health visitor's saying I shouldn't have taught him to sign and that's why he doesn't speak but I didn't really teach him deliberately and I'm sure lots of kids sign and still learn to speak at a normal time.
Hi! Sorry for my late reply, I've been on maternity leave the past few weeks. I want to assure you that this is not your fault, and teaching sign language has not kept your child from talking. I am going to link some resources for you that talk about these topics in more depth (because unfortunately these are common misconceptions!)
toddlertalk.com/blog/did-i-cause-my-childs-speech-delay
toddlertalk.com/blog/baby-sign-language
And a resource for finding activities to practice at home (you can skip through the findings page and go straight to your lessons!) toddlertalk.com/toddler-talk-language-program
How is the kid now.. any improvements did you see?
My 19 month old says a handful of words, but can say his name and nicknames "JaJah" and "Jah". He can match pitch in songs already, and says "I did it!", but i still worry he is delayed. His first word was at 2 months, he grabbed at me and my husband, he was in between us hanging out in bed, and said "Hey!". We were so shocked 🤣 then his next word of course was "Dada". Took him months to say MaMa.
I am going to share my vocabulary milestones blog post where you can read through and also track your little one's vocabulary :) toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words
It's not uncommon for toddlers to say "Mama" or "Dada" first, and then take some time to say the other. The important thing is that your little one is learning to say new words each week.
Any update? Has child started speaking yet?
Hi my son is 13 he’s only using a routine wards can you help any how some advice ❤
My granddaughter just says Dada and points. She is 16 months
I am going to link some resources here to share more information about how to encourage new sounds and words, as well as how to find a speech therapist.
Here is a great place to get started with 3 tips for practicing speech at home: toddlertalk.com/blog/speech-delay-in-toddlers
These are our favorite tips for encouraging young children to copy words and sounds they hear us make: toddlertalk.com/blog/imitating-sounds-speech-therapy?rq=imit
And this is my favorite lesson for teaching new words! toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation?rq=focused
@@toddlertalk thank you so much! Her mom is worried but I think we should work with her more since her mom speaks Spanish and we speak english.
My 18 month old says more than 30 words and can say some two words like "go outside, walk outside, no more, help me" should I worry is she delay or she is where she supposed to be? She understands everything?
I can't answer this question definitively for you since I haven't met your family. I always defer these questions to your child's pediatrician or a speech therapist in your area.
However, I can offer you some resources and milestones that you can use at home to monitor development :)
Vocabulary Milestones - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words
When do kids put 2 words together? - toddlertalk.com/blog/putting-2-words-together
@toddlertalk thank you for your reply compared to your link and her last visit to her pediatrician, she is exceeds the expectations for her age and I am relieved!!
@Alabious hahah are you people for real, or trolls??
Could you suggest good places or ways for kids to socialize with others? My husband and I work opposite shifts, so one of us is always home and there's no need for day care. Besides the occasional weekend at grandma and grandpas and going to the park or library I'm affraid he isn't getting to socialize enough.
Hi. Yes, I am happy to offer some different ideas.
First, you might browse on Facebook for different community events in your area. Especially this time of year there are often tons of free events put on and many of them are catered to kids - this will take some investigating but you may find some great events! You may also find mom/dad groups for your area and see meet-ups that are happening.
Another idea would be to try to make friends with one or a few of the families you see at the park. It can be really fun to schedule weekly or bi-weekly play dates if you are able, even if it means meeting up at the park with the same group of kids.
One resource I love is the YMCA, they have childcare offered at our Y while you exercise. If you are a member of the Y or a similar organization, this can be an easy way to get more socialization.
Lastly, you could reach out to your Regional Center (or another Early Intervention Program in your community) to see if there are resources or events that you could take advantage of. You might be able to attend a Mommy/Daddy and me class or something of the sort.
I hope you find these ideas helpful!
@@toddlertalk thank you! Definitely going to try these out!
I have a 2yrs plus and she isn't talking yet But makes a lot noise like shouting n blabbing. Few weeks ago I taught her the word me n she said, since then she has not say it again even when I try to teach her. When to see a doctor and he said she is not Autistic and he said it's ADHD. She is on med but I don't see any different
Hi. I am not sure where you live but my recommendation would be to get a second opinion from a new doctor. In the United States you could even ask for an evaluation with your state's Early Intervention Program without a doctor's referral. You can find your state's contact information using the link below:
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/state-text.html
And while you're waiting, these are activities I suggest to parents who are working to on first words:
1. toddlertalk.com/blog/toddler-imagination
2. toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation
3. toddlertalk.com/blog/receptive-vocabulary
4. toddlertalk.com/blog/repeating-words-speech-therapy
Any update? Has child started speaking yet?
@Rshen11 she has stared saying few words
Very helpful thank you 🙏
Hi Cole, Glad it was helpful!
My 18mo is learning at his own pace. We’re bilingual so he’s learning two languages so i feel like he doesn’t know which language to go to. He knows his name and reacts to his name, he is learning to say thank you but it sounds more like “gracias” still not pronounced clear more like babbling…. Learning things like saying more but he closes and open his fist (because i taught him to do so so i can understand whenever he is asking for something) im a sahm with a 5mo my husband works, so maybe being alone with me most of the day/night week, isn’t helping with his speech development. Im not being pushy nor will i ever force anything on my kids so I’m being patient and trusting that he will speak when he’s ready to 🤍🙏🏻
Hi. Thanks so much for sharing! I want to share my favorite speech therapy strategy with you - I love strategies because it's all about how we can do things a little differently and they don't put any pressure on our little ones. - toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation
This strategy also works perfectly during any activity, whether it's changing your 5 mo diaper, playing cars, or folding laundry. I have a 3 mo at home right now, so I know it can be tough to do anything "extra" (at least for me!), which is another reason I love this approach. Just an idea from one tired Mama to another :)
I wanna be able to help late talkers and let them know that they are loved.
I'm going to link my guide for late talkers in case you are interested: toddlertalk.com/blog/when-to-worry-about-late-talkers
As parents and caregivers, there are SO MANY ways we can connect and show our love, even when our children aren't talking yet! Spending time together, playing, and taking care of their needs are just a few!
@toddlertalk Thank you, but I'm not a parent. I'm an older sister. When I was a little girl, I found out that my baby brother Seth was a late talker. Because of that, I was very mean to him. I hit him, punched him, pulled his hair, scratched him until he bled, and bit his little ear. When I bit his little ear, he began crying. Daddy heard him crying, scooped him up, rocked him in his arms, and sang You Are My Sunshine to him. Now, I am 27 years old and Seth is 22 years old. Seth can talk now. He always asks people about their birthdays and interests. He can't talk in complete sentences, though, so my other little brothers and I have to help him. I still feel extremely guilty about treating my poor baby brother that way all these years later. Daddy had a stroke almost 11 years ago. He can't walk and talk like he used to. My heart still breaks whenever I think about how I treated my poor baby brother when I was a little girl. Whenever I apologize to Seth about it, he says, "It's okay. I love you very much." Now, my heart goes out to all the late talkers and all the families of late talkers out there. The night before my 27th birthday, I gave Seth three kisses on both his little ears and said, "I love you." I wish I could go back in time and change things, but I know that it's completely impossible. Daddy now lives in a nursing home and wants to come back home. He hates the food there. My heart is still broken after all these years. I wish I hadn't treated my dear baby brother like that. I'm such a huge jerk. I also saw Seth as something evil when, in reality, I was the real evil one and not him. Seth and I are both autistic.
But what’s “copying” is it randomly copying what you’re saying or “can you say ….” And they copy you? These questions on the checkup always trio me up for this reason. If I ask him to say something he will say it but he’s not running around copying me unless it’s a swear word lol
When we talk about copying or repeating we are talking about when kids randomly repeat what we are saying. As kids are learning to talk they usually will repeat words they hear other people saying without you having to ask. If your doctor is asking if your child repeats or copies words, you can tell them that they copy you but only when you ask them to. You might also think about how many words your child is saying on their own. Here's a link that talks about how many words to listen for at each age in months.
toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words
My 18 month old doesnt babble, point, or communicate. She doesnt talk at all :( we do speech therapy already.
Hi Monica, thanks for leaving a comment. I wanted to share a few activities with you - feel free to look through them and see if one might be a good fit for your family. All these activities are designed to build support the early stages of communication -
The very first speech therapy lesson - toddlertalk.com/blog/prelinguistic-communication
People play - toddlertalk.com/blog/people-play
Learning to share attention - toddlertalk.com/blog/joint-attention
How is the baby doing now?
Ok so my daughter will point out her facial features to f I ask her to but she won’t go get something or put something away if I ask. Like she will do somethings I ask does this sound like a delay?
My granddaughter won't talk. She babbles but she's extremely cognitive of words and their meanings. She responds with pointing, shaking her head yes or no. She knows her name and responds to do. She knows all the commnds, get your shoes, go outside, go at daddy, close the door, where is the cat and that's just too make a few. She knows her stuff-but just won't say it. 🤷🏻♀️
Hi, I am going to share one of my resources with you that might be helpful. It explains more about what to do if toddlers understand but aren't talking. It also have links to other helpful resources you might enjoy - toddlertalk.com/blog/my-toddler-understands-everything-but-isnt-talking-yet
My baby only say few words but understand everything ... keep things in place if ordered but imitate only small words otherwise silent
Any update? Has child started speaking yet?
@@Rshen11 my granddaughter, not yet. She's starting speech therapy. She's extremely intelligent but just can't get the words out.
my 17 month old can't speak the full word. he calls soccer as Cer, ball as Bo, and etc. Should I be concerned? Any tips? thankss..
Hi! I have the perfect resource for you which I will link below. Many toddler speech "errors" are expected. Toddlers simplify words to make them easier for them to say as they are still developing their pronunciation skills. I explain the "errors" in more detail in this blog post.
toddlertalk.com/blog/phonological-processes
How clearly should they be saying words? My 20 month talks alot and even learning colors and shapes but most of his words aren't very clear. Mom and dad can understand him but most other people can't. Does he have a speech problem or would that be normal?
Great question! Words don't need to be super clear at this age as pronunciation skills are still developing. In general, listen to understand 25% of the words he says by 18 months, and then 50% of the words he says by 24 months. Since your little guy is 20 months, you'll listen to understand somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2 of what he says.
You can learn more about speech intelligibility milestones (how much you should understand) here - toddlertalk.com/blog/speech-intelligibility
Thanks for the video. I just signed in and took the quiz my 18months score was 68% in communication.
But my concern is i teach her things in English also communicate in English, however we have a big joint family speaking Hindi language.
Shall i focus on Hindi or English or bilingual. Please help.
Hi, thanks for asking. First off, I wouldn't focus too much on the score. The score is simply comparing you to what other parents are saying and this isn't a diagnostic assessment.
In regards to bilingualism, I highly encourage you to continue speaking both languages. Research shows that bilingualism does not hurt language development. Read this blog post about bilingual language development: toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
How is your kid now
@@Lachu89 perfect ..understands and speaks both languages
Im confused about the #5. My baby doesn't want to play with other kids but she can already speak many words.. she is 17months old now.
Hi, I am going to share a link about the stages of play toddlers go through. If you scroll down here you'll see the stages of toddlers playing together by age :) toddlertalk.com/toddler-talk-language-program
As you'll see it's expected that 17 month olds play on their own - one child may be stacking blocks while another child is sitting a few feet away playing with cars. It's less about playing with other kids and being interested in social games with you. You're looking for your child to be excited and happy when you play together. For example, they get excited and aniticpate your tickles or enjoy playing bubbles with you. We're looking for them to have fun or be interested in activities with you because that's how toddlers learn - by copying things they see their parents, siblings, or other familiar people do and say.
My son doesn't like being around people he just cries all the time, and he is 15 months old
It's so hard to hear your baby cry, and I'm sorry you're going through this. I'm sure you would move mountains to make him happy. Unfortunately I'm not sure that speech therapy is the magic fix though. I would really reccomend talking to your child's doctor about these concerns or observations, there are lots of different professionals (speech therapists, occupational therapists, developmental supports, etc) that can help and finding the right person to help you I think it key. You can learn more about early intervention in this blog post I wrote - toddlertalk.com/blog/early-intervention - I hope that it's helpful and at least a starting point :)
I think my son needs help my daughter was talking up a storm he doesn’t even try maybe because he doesn’t get to interact with any other people but I’m worried
It can be really hard to know when to ask for help if your children's development looks pretty different. As a general rule of thumb I always recommend talking to your child's pediatrician who can help you track their development and find support when needed.
I am going to link my vocabulary milestones guide here which can be one of many ways to monitor your little one's development by comparing them to thousands of other kids rather than just their sibling: toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words
And here's a list of free at home activities you might enjoy for practicing speech at home: toddlertalk.com/blog/category/Activities
Each child develops at his or her own rate. I didn't speak a word not even mama or dada until i was 22 months. I know many toddlers started babbling at 2 1/2 years. So don't credence to everything she says, it is not cast in stone.
You're right. Some children will catch up on their own. But there are some children who won't catch up, and unfortunately there's no way to predict which children will catch up and which will not. This is why I recommend speech therapy for toddlers who have limited vocabularies. It is a great way to boost communication and language skills for all children and there's really no risk to your child in participating. I also offer tons of free online resources for practicing at home because I know speech therapy isn't possible for everyone.
Just came across your channel! My daughter is 18 months old, really doesn't speak an actual word but "mamama". She does communicate a lot though, but in her own baby/ toddler language.
She's raised with two languages- primarily German (I'm native German) and English (my husband is American(. Do you believe this might have an influence on her not yet actually speaking some words in one or both languages?
Hi. Research has found that learning more than 2 or more languages does not cause speech delay. I summarized all the best research about bilingual language development in toddlers in here if you're interested to learn more :)
toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
My toddler does everything else, you told right, but his vocabulary is only 4-5 words. He understands many more words. What should be done?
Hi Alexis. My first recommendation would be to talk to your pediatrician. A speech and language evaluation can be very supportive in determining whether a toddler needs a little extra support in language development, or not. And your pediatrician can help connect you with a speech therapist in your area.
At home, I'm going to link a few strategies and activities you can use for practice.
- this is my favorite speech therapy strategy for teaching new words toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation
- this information may be helpful in figuring out what might be making it hard for your son to say more words toddlertalk.com/speech-development
I hope that information is useful. Feel free to reply with any other specific questions you may have.
My son was born two months early. Does this mean I should actually measure his communication skills based on his adjusted age (17 months) rather than actual age (19 months)?
Hi, this is a fantastic question. Lots of providers will use adjusted age until 24 months. I personally like to look at both adjusted milestones and non-adjusted milestones for 1-year-olds. So look at if he is meeting or working towards 17-month milestones and 19-month milestones. I like to be working towards the non-adjusted milestones (even if they are in progress!) that way there's not a big shift in what's expected as soon as they turn 2. Keep in mind that milestones are general guidelines, and you can always reach out to a speech therapist in your area for an evaluation if you want a closer look at all the different areas of communication development :)
My son is 2 now and he don’t speak, he vocalize some vowels but he don’t really see interest to imitate, my home is 3 different language together so I do think that is helping to delay.
Hi, I want to share a resource with you that talks about bilingual language development. I've linked tons of research that concludes learning more than one language does not cause a speech delay :) And althogh this article is primarily about bilingual language development, the same is true for children learning 3+ languages - toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
You might also like to check out this free resource to find the best activities from our site to be practicing at home to help promote language development - toddlertalk.com/toddler-talk-language-program
Any update? Has child started speaking yet?
@@Rshen11 not yet
@jonasschmitz506 my son was a later speaker.. after 2.. he's 6 now and he's fine.. duahger is 19 months today
.and regressed In speaxh a little
@@Rshen11 glad to hear that, thanks 🙏
My son is 20 months old. He identifies about 30 animals and imitates about 20 animals sounds. He says the last simple words in rhymes like twinkle twinkle (words like star, are, high , sky). He babbles a lot but he doesn’t speaks two or three word sentences. Is that a speech delay? Or he is good??
Hi. I am not able to say if your son has a speech delay or not; to make that determination I'd want to watch him communicate and hear more about how he communicates & understands at home - this happens at a speech and language evaluation. I will link some resources for you though that provide more information about milestones for his age and activities you can practice at home.
Vocabulary milestones chart - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words
24 month old milestones (working towards these skills at 20 months) - toddlertalk.com/blog/2-year-old-speech-checklist
And I'll be emailing a new resource about putting words together this week - if you'd like to receive the information you can sign up for my newsletter here: toddlertalk.com/newsletter
Pls reply..how is your baby now
I didn't talk till I was 4
My 19 month old son has very good motor skills but he says papa (sometimes "pa" but to everything) "ba" sometimes "ma" out of context , says " oh-oh" "wow" and like singing the alphabets and numbers but just "ish" coming out but he follows the tone, I know we dont compare but my paranoia compares always to his big sister where she can sing a whole childhood playsong when she was 19 months old.😢ill be trying on those links you had recommended for speech encouragement and hoping that it would somehow help.
Hi Emyline :) You're right, it can be so hard to not feel worried when your kid's development looks different. I am going to share some extra resources I have that can help you see how your son is developing compared to thousands of other kids his age. Plus, I'll also share my tips for getting started in speech therapy if you want a second opinion or feel he might benefit from a little extra support.
How many words to expect at each age - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words
Active toddlers not talking - toddlertalk.com/blog/very-active-toddler-not-talking
When to get started in speech therapy - toddlertalk.com/blog/best-time-for-toddler-speech-therapy
How to find a speech therapist near me - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
My son is 18 months old he understand my comments and he ask what he wants..he is mostly obsessed with cars..always play with it..he point out things and tell its name..my worry is he rarely respond to his name..is there any prblm
Hi! Unfortunately, I can't say if this is a "problem" or not without meeting your son and knowing more about his development. I am happy to provide some more info/resources however.
First, I'll share this blog post that talks about responding to their name - toddlertalk.com/blog/respond-to-their-name. As you'll read, responding to their name is about getting your child's attention, and there are several strategies you can use to encourage them to respond to their name. And keep in mind, it's age appropriate for our toddlers to ignore us sometimes 😂
my son 22months still not taking even mama sometimes only papa, but his body language is normal only taking what should i do teacher?
Hi, a few recommendations come to mind.
1. Be sure you've had their hearing checked recently. It's important to know that they are able to hear well as we are supporting them in learning to talk.
2. If available in your area, consulting with a speech therapist would be ideal. An in person speech therapist would be able to gather a better idea of why it is hard for your little one to learn to talk, so you can figure out the best ways to support them.
3. You might practice using gestures to communicate as a stepping stone towards saying more words - please refer to this activity - toddlertalk.com/blog/communicating-with-gestures
4. These 4 speech therapy strategies are wonderful to incorporate in your at home practice -
toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation
toddlertalk.com/blog/getting-face-to-face
toddlertalk.com/blog/comments-over-questions
toddlertalk.com/blog/toddler-imagination
My daughter is 18 months and doens tspeak at all. She doesnt point at thinks and doesnt always answer to her name
Hello, and thank you for sharing your experience. I'm happy to share some resources with you.
First, I would recommend talking to your pediatrician about a referral to see a speech therapist if this is available in your area - a speech therapist can help support your daughter in growing her communication skills which I know is important to you - here are a few resources about finding a speech therapist and what to expect in speech therapy sessions:
- toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
- toddlertalk.com/blog/speech-therapy-for-toddlers
I also want to share some activities or resources you can use for practicing communication skills at home. I will include several so you can click through and find the ones that are the best for you.
- Foundational skills for practicing at home - toddlertalk.com/blog/joint-attention & toddlertalk.com/blog/imitation-skills-speech-therapy
- Growing communication for toddlers who aren't talking yet - toddlertalk.com/blog/teach-toddler-to-ask-for-help & toddlertalk.com/blog/communicating-with-gestures
- Teaching toddlers new words: toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation
Any update? Has child started speaking yet?
I am confused if this is 18months or years old! Parents don't freak out.
I don't see the links you mention. Can you post a link?
Yes! Thanks for pointing this out!
Free Vocabulary Tracker (found after the intro to this blog post) - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-many-words-should-an-18-month-old-say
Early Intervention - How to find a pediatric speech therapist near you - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
18 Month Old Communication Milestones - toddlertalk.com/blog/milestones-for-18-month-olds
I have 3 kids they started talking at 20 months and are big now doing great
Last one babbling only will turn 18 in 2 months.
Do you think he needs help
Hi Hanaa. I always recommend speech therapy for children who are 18 months old and haven't started talking. Speech therapy can be a very supportive boost for speech and language development, especially at 18 months when toddlers are learning and developing new skills so rapidly. You can start with a speech and language evaluation during which your child will play with the speech therapist and you'll answer questions about how they communicate at home. There's really no risk in having the evaluation, but the reward can be great if they are able to support your little one in talking!
Here's a link to read more about what you can expect at a speech and language evaluation :)
toddlertalk.com/blog/does-my-toddler-need-speech-therapy
My daughter is already 19months now and cannot even speak a proper work, she is babbling at times, like dedede or mamama but never a proper word till now.
She was diagnose with CHD TOF with PVA and got her first surgery a month after birth and just days after 18months, just recently. I was reading an article and some say that this delay attributed to her current condition but I cannot help on worrying about her and I dont know how should I train her😢
She is actually active and interactive with us, we can ask her to do some simple chores and before her second surgery she can wave goodbye, hand shake, and some simple stuff but after surgery we dont get to ask her anything, she still plays but she is being impatient.
Do you have any recommendation on what to so?
Hi, thank you for sharing. I am happy to offer some ideas of speech therapy strategies you can use at home. It's also important to me to share resources for finding a speech therapist near you; I always recommend parents find a speech therapist in their community if they have concerns about speech and language development. Having a speech therapist who can listen to and play with your child is really invaluable!
toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
And here are the at home speech therapy strategies you might try. These are great strategies for children at all communication levels and they suggest ways that we (parents and caregivers) can change what we are doing to help toddlers learn to communicate.
1. toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation
2. toddlertalk.com/blog/getting-face-to-face
3. toddlertalk.com/blog/comments-over-questions
4. toddlertalk.com/blog/toddler-imagination
I hope these resources are helpful! Please don't hesitate to respond if you have further questions.
My almost 20 month old says some words, but mainly speaks his own language. Lol He does understand ALOT and is very obedient. He responds to his name and loves to mimic. I’m not sure if it’s a speech delay or maybe he just doesn’t have an interest. He didn’t want to walk until 15 months. Just one day randomly decided, ok, I’ll walk and was able to like a pro. Lol
Hi. I would recommend a friend or family member of mine to visit with a speech therapist to learn more about why your son might be having a harder time learning to talk. It could be that he is a late talker, or you may find that there is something specific that is making it more challenging for him and then be able to come up with a plan to support his individual needs. It's just nice to collect as much information as you can :) In the US you can even get an evaluation for free through state programs. You can learn more about how to do that here: toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
@@toddlertalk he’s 21 months now and is talking up a storm. I KNEW he was a late talker. Too many people like to jump the gun on speech therapy and evaluations. No speech therapy needed. Thanks
@@j-scribble7676I feel a little better seeing your comment. My lil one is 18 months & he can sing songs, says a few words, repeat you but he does have his own language & babble mostly. The doctor made me seem like he was behind, but I'm like he sings songs! Lol He's just not speaking full sentences or holding convos.
When my son was 2 months old he would mock us and say “hello”. I literally have videos of it. He’s 19 months old now and has never said a single word since. He just babbles.
Babbling is such an important skill for communication development. Babbling provides children with the much-needed talking practice that allows them to say words on their own. For children who are 18 months and haven't started saying words on their own, I would suggest looking into a speech and language evaluation (Remember you can get a free evaluation through your states Early Intervention Program in the US - toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me ). An evaluation with a speech therapist is valuable because you can take a closer look at all of your child's communication skills and determine if there are any different ways you could support their development.
Another freaking point is about autism.now if your happens to be non verbal at 18 month to 24 months you are done😢what the hell.your child has tantrums its autism .doctors are really making mums freak out for no apparent reason😢
Hi, my intention isn't to make anyone freak out. My hope is to help parents understand some instances where it may be supportive to ask for help, especially if they are already worried. Late talking and or tantrums does not equal autism. You can read more about how autism is diagnosed here if you're curious to learn about the characteristics - toddlertalk.com/blog/criteria-for-autism
16 months and he has regressed in language. But he’s also learning 3 languages simultaneously. Cut some slack or concerned?
Holy moly cut your kid some slack. I have an 18 month older that doesn’t say anything
Hi Angela, thanks for reaching out. All toddlers will experience language regression at one time or another. Usually language regression is short lived, and it may coincide with a time when your son is learning lots of skills in a different area. I'm going to link a post where I talk in depth about language regression - toddlertalk.com/blog/my-toddler-is-not-saying-words-they-used-to?rq=stopped
I also recently summarized the research regarding bilingual and multilingual language development, so I'm going to link that for you as well in case it's of interest to you - toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
My 18 months old hasn’t said any word yet, but he only blabbing. And sometimes he blabbering to nursery rhymes. I’m very concerned
Hi. I've linked some resources for you that I like to use to encourage imitation and talking at home -
- toddlertalk.com/blog/play-sounds
- toddlertalk.com/blog/focused-stimulation
I'd also encourage you to talk to a speech therapist in your area if you have concerns about your son's talking. Working with someone who can watch him babble and play is really helpful - then they'll be able to make specific and individual recommendations of how to best support him.
- toddlertalk.com/blog/how-to-find-a-pediatric-speech-therapist-near-me
Any update? Has baby started talking more?
My 21 month old is almost addicted to her pacifier. She craves it and throws tantrums when we don't give it to her. She puts everything in her mouth. And she is just babbling and not talking. I don't know what to do.
Hi, I know you are not alone here! The pacifier can be SO hard to eliminate, especially because it's a self-soothing strategy for many children. Here's a blog post that talks about pacifier use, and there are a few strategies for taking it away - toddlertalk.com/blog/pacifier-speech-delay - and it talks about how pacifiers can contribute to a speech delay (But please don't feel guilty that you haven't taken it away yet!!!! We're all doing our best here, and I know you're trying really hard. I'm simply sharing because it may give you some more understanding of strategies or how it could impact speech).
And as always, I recommend talking to your pediatirican for help finding a speech therapist or help with the pacifier. There are lots of different supports that can help if you want them :)
All that degrees and you forgot to metion that doesn’t count for bilingual babies 😊
Hi, if you're interested in reading more about bilingual language development you can refer to this post: toddlertalk.com/blog/bilingual-language-development
As you'll see, while there are some differences between monolingual and bilingual language development, children will hit the same general early milestones at the same time. There are some bigger differences in which sounds children learn to pronounce first and development of grammar, which varies more between languages :)
9😊😊